Tag: franchise quarterback

Noah Fant thinks QB Drew Lock could be Seahawks’ ‘franchise guy’

Former Denver Bronco teammate, now Seattle tight end Noah Fant, thinks quarterback Drew Lock could be the Seahawks ‘”franchise guy.”

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock might not be familiar to many of his new teammates just yet but there is one player on Seattle’s roster who knows the signal-caller well. Tight end Noah Fant, who was also part of the trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Broncos, sang Lock’s praises this week during his first press conference with the team.

“I think Drew’s biggest attribute is his arm,” Fant told reporters. “I think he’s made some insane throws the times that we’ve played together. He has all the talent in the world. He can run with the ball. He can do it all. He’s been through some things with previous things in Denver and he’s been working through that.”

Lock was originally drafted by the Broncos in 2019 and spent the last three seasons in Denver as both a backup and in a starting role. He has had a roller coaster of a professional career thus far, but perhaps a change of scenery could be a game-changer for the young quarterback.

“I think he has all the opportunity and all the talent in the world to get it done and be that franchise guy,” Fant said. “I know he’s excited to get in and get to work and meet all the guys. I think it’ll be a really good opportunity for him.”

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What could a franchise quarterback bring to Washington?

A franchise quarterback can bring more to Washington than just his play on the field.

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What could a franchise quarterback bring to Washington?

Every single fan of the Washington Football Team must by now want and expect the Washington brass to be in hot pursuit of either a franchise QB through a trade or a draft choice in the 2022 offseason.

Interestingly enough, during Saturday’s NFL playoff game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cincinnati Bengals, a brief discussion was launched by Mike Tirico and Drew Brees regarding Bengals’ cornerback Ricardo Allen’s comment concerning a franchise quarterback.

Brees mentioned that prior to the game, he had asked Allen why he had decided to (leave Atlanta and) come to the Bengals. Allen, who spent the first six years of his career playing in Atlanta picking off 11 passes for interceptions, was reported to have simply replied, “Joe Burrow, he is the real deal.”

Indeed Burrow has shown himself in his second NFL season to be “the real deal.” The 6-foot-4 221-pound Burrow remained healthy almost all of this season, starting 16 games, and was the NFL leader in completion percentage (70.4%), yards gained per pass attempt (8.9) and adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (9.0).

Keep in mind Burrow put up these numbers despite not having the best of protection from the Bengals’ offensive line. Burrow also has the distinction of also leading the NFL in QB sacks in 2021, going down 51 times for -370 yards, both league highs.

Brees continued he was not surprised to hear Allen’s response because the NFL is now such “a quarterback-driven league.” So free agents are aware that if they come to Cincinnati joining Burrow,  it “will give them a chance to win an NFL championship.”

Consequently, I could not help but instantly respond, “Hmmm, would NFL quality free agents want to come to Washington to be able to play with their current quarterbacks on the roster?”

Of course, I am well aware money does talk. But listening to Brees Saturday, he is convinced that it will be increasingly true that free agents will be looking for teams in which they feel the quarterback can provide them a real opportunity to win an NFL championship.

Thus, what can a franchise quarterback bring to Washington? He can bring along some veteran players who want to be provided the opportunity to play for a quarterback they are confident can lead the team to an NFL championship.