The 2020 offseason promises to be a dramatic one, with potentially huge shifts coming in the balance of power due to quarterback movement. One name to watch is that of Drew Brees, who might well be playing in his last game ever later today in the Pro Bowl.
Here’s a quick review of the latest headlines and rumors around the NFC South.
Saints: Drew Brees decision coming soon
Brees has been one of the elite quarterbacks in the league for a long time. Fortunately for his division rivals, his reign may finally be coming to an end. According to NOLA.com, Brees says that he will decide on whether or not to retire from the NFL in about a month. If he does walk away, the Saints would obviously need a new QB1.
Teddy Bridgewater is set to become a free agent, but if Brees walks then he’s the most likely candidate to become New Orleans’ new starter. For what it’s worth, Bridgewater went undefeated (5-0) this year with Brees out due to a hand injury.
Taysom Hill looks like he’s more dynamic – at least as far as the different ways Sean Payton can put him to use on the field. He’s untested though and Bridgewater represents the better franchise QB option. Hill is a restricted free agent, so he’s not leaving.
Buccaneers: Another QB change coming?
The Saints might not be the only team in the division making a major change at quarterback this year.
Recently, there have been a number of rumors about Philip Rivers possibly replacing Jameis Winston and acting as bridge for Washington QB Jacob Eason. It’s hard to believe they’d pull the trigger on this idea. Then again, we should never underestimate what Jason Licht is capable of.
It’s too early to tell what kind of QB Eason is going to be at this level. Replacing Winston with Rivers would be a mind-boggling bad move, though. First of all, Winston is 12 years younger than Rivers. More importantly, at this point in his career Rivers doesn’t qualify as an upgrade. Sure, Winston threw 30 interceptions this season, but Rivers threw 20 of his own as well as 10 fewer touchdowns. At times, he looked nothing like the competitor we’ve grown accustomed to seeing during what has been a fine career.
The Bucs are in an admittedly tough spot, here. Our best idea would be to franchise tag Winston and hope another year under Bruce Arians can fix the turnover issues. If not, they can dump Winston in 2021 after red-shirting a guy like Eason for a year.
Falcons: Salary cap hell
Atlanta has its quarterback locked in. Matt Ryan had another respectable if not spectacular season and is under contract for another four years. The Falcons also have given huge deals to Julio Jones and Jake Matthews recently, solidifying the core of their offense for a long time. However, they are now stuck right in the middle of salary cap hell.
Over the Cap projects they’ll have just $6.7 million in cap space this year. That could make it difficult to retain key pieces like Pro Bowl tight end Austin Hooper, who is set to become a free agent.
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