Free agency can be the most difficult portion of the league year in various ways. Emotions run high as icons of franchises are let go due to age or bloated contracts. Former superstars’ lives are up-ended by the threat of unemployment and teams’ focuses shift from getting better to getting younger, and saving a few dollars.
This can be especially true of the quarterback position, the group that makes more on average than any other position in football. At the helm of every championship team for over a decade has been, at the very least, a serviceable quarterback. With a surplus of teams looking for a leader for their playoff aspirations, demand is high for a capable gunslinger across the league. This year, there is a plethora of talent available in the free agent market.
Michael Vick
After the 33 year old lost his starting slot to Philadelphia’s Nick Foles after suffering an injury during the 2013 season, many fully expected Vick’s tenure in the city of brotherly love to be over. While Vick’s rushing numbers have decreased almost yearly since his time in Atlanta, the former Falcons player’s completion percentage increased by six percentage points in Philadelphia, from %53.8 to %59.5. It is Vick’s versatility in addition to his continued development as a passer that makes him the top target for teams in the free agent market this off-season.
Josh Freeman
Freeman’s 2013 season can really only be described in one way: tumultuous. After beating out rookie Mike Glennon in Buccaneers’ training camp, Freeman was ousted from Tampa Bay after losing the first two games of the year. The homeless former-Buccaneer than resurfaced in Minnesota where he played, and lost, one game for the Vikings while posting a horrendous statline: 20 completions on 53 attempts for 190 yards and an interception. While a 37.7 completion percentage pales in comparison to Freeman’s career average of %57.6 the young quarterback’s best years may be behind him, making the unemployed quarterback a mid-level value in the free agency market.
Chad Henne
The man some call “air Henne” disappointed as a member of the Jaguars in 2013, and may have cemented his status as a career backup. In his two seasons after leaving the Dolphins, Henne posted a %58.1 completion rate with 5325 yards and a 24 to 25 interception ratio. Though unimpressive statistically, Henne still possesses the skills to be a more than solid backup at the pro level. For the right price, Henne could be a boon for a team with money to throw at a second-string quarterback.
Rex Grossman
Things have not gone so well since sexy-Rexy left the windy city. Ignoring his single game with the Houston Texans, Grossman then landed with the Washington Redskins to similarly unimpressive results. In four years as a Redskin, Grossman started just 16 games, and threw for 4035 yards, 23 touchdowns with 24 interceptions, and recorded a completion percentage of 57.4 completion percentage. However, it is Grossman’s starting experience that could make him a significant value to teams looking for a backup. In eleven seasons as a professional, Grossman has started 47 games, or more than every quarterback on the Philadelphia Eagles have combined. Experience even while holding a clip board is valuable in this league, and Grossman certainly has just that.
Josh McCown
If one had told me before the season that McCown would be included in the “top free agent quarterback” list after the year’s conclusion I would have called you crazy. A career backup for four different teams (Arizona, Chicago, Carolina, and Oakland) McCown had by far his best season in 2013 throwing for 1829 yards, 13 touchdowns with just one interception and a 66.5 completion percentage in just eight games. McCown proved his worth as a backup, and may be the best pay for play buy-low option on the market. Most teams would be lucky to have a backup as capable and with such a cheap price-tag as McCown.