In virtually every offseason, there’s one or two hot quarterbacks that a number of teams will bust the bank to acquire. 2012 seems to be the exception. The free agent quarterback market is remarkably saturated this offseason, although it may not seem like that from the outside looking in. I’ll explain.
Peyton Manning is the centerpiece of the quarterback market. That much is obvious. The two most serious contenders to sign him over the past week have been the Broncos and the Titans, although the 49ers have gotten in on the mix as well. I’m not sure how hard San Francisco is pushing to sign him, but they’d be a very scary team with an elite quarterback.
The big loser in the Manning saga, and its fallout, is without a doubt Tim Tebow. Here’s a couple of scenarios to consider. The worst case scenario for Tebow would be if Manning signs with the Broncos. The fact that Denver is pursuing Manning indicates they don’t want to be stuck with Tebow, and signing Manning allows them to move on from the Tebow era while keeping their fans happy. That’s a win, win scenario.
The other possible outcome is that Manning signs with the Titans. It seems likely, in that case, that the Titans would release veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. He’d instantly become a hot quarterback for a team that needs a stop-gap guy that can get the job done. The Seahawks come to mind in that case as well as the Broncos and the Dolphins. Again, Tebow is the loser because he’d be sent back to the bench.
Even without Manning or Hasselbeck in Denver, Tebow is on thin ice. Matt Flynn is still available, although it seems unlikely he’ll end up in Denver, and there’s another veteran quarterback by the name of David Garrard that no one is talking about. He’s not an elite guy, but he combines mobility with a strong arm. Basically, the Broncos are looking for a guy that can actually throw the ball, and almost anyone but Tebow fits that bill.
Outwardly, there’s not a lot of solid quarterbacks in circulation, but they’re in more abundance than one would think. The market seems frozen in place until Peyton Manning makes his move. Once that decision is made, the quarterback market is likely to quickly work itself out, and it won’t be long until the remaining quarterbacks find homes for themselves. The common factor in any scenario is that Tim Tebow is in danger of losing his job regardless of where Manning decides to sign.
