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NFL QB value rankings: Who do you want most at current cost?
Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson feel like unicorns, but productive quarterbacks on rookie deals are becoming more common. The phenomenon made me think about which quarterbacks beyond those two have the most value on their current deals. To sum up this thought exercise in a single sentence:
Considering talent, production, age and contract, which QB would you most want to have under your team's control moving forward?
While the rankings below attempting to answer that question are incredibly subjective, I tried to use a few guiding principles ...
Production is still more important than projection. Simply put, it's more valuable to have a top-10 quarterback than a guy you hope may get there someday. Money and age mattered in this exercise, but I'd take a quality starter at an expensive price over a question mark on the cheap.
Also, there's a fine line between thinking long-term and overrating the future. The next 2-3 years in any NFL cycle are always the most important years because the league changes so quickly and nearly every GM is a bad year or two away from getting fired. With that said, ties went to the young guys below. Players like Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray who have already produced have extra value because they are on their rookie deals. A high-caliber starter like Carson Wentz gets an edge over Matt Ryan because there's a longer career runway ahead. But in a league where it doesn't pay to aim for the middle of the standings, high-ceiling elder statesmen like Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger still have value compared with some of their younger, highly paid middle-class counterparts.
Lastly, free agents like Cam Newton and Jameis Winston aren't eligible, since they currently lack one of the critical ingredients in this judgment stew: a contract. And I capped the rankings at 35 quarterbacks because that was a natural cutoff point in terms of genuine intrigue.
Let's go. No arguing!
1. P. Mahomes
2. L. Jackson
3. R. Wilson
4. D. Watson
5. C. Wentz
6. K. Murray
7. Dak Prescott
Dak's impending massive contract looks like far less of a risk after the most mature season of his career. He'd be ranked far lower if this list had been made a year ago, but his erratic 2018 season now looks like a career anomaly in hindsight. Cowboys offenses have ranked in the top three of Football Outsiders' efficiency metric twice in his four-year career and in the top 10 another time. He's not going anywhere.
Read much more: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...rankings-who-do-you-want-most-at-current-cost
- By Gregg Rosenthal
- Around The NFL Editor
- Published: April 3, 2020 at 09:42 a.m.
- Updated: April 3, 2020 at 12:17 p.m.
Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson feel like unicorns, but productive quarterbacks on rookie deals are becoming more common. The phenomenon made me think about which quarterbacks beyond those two have the most value on their current deals. To sum up this thought exercise in a single sentence:
Considering talent, production, age and contract, which QB would you most want to have under your team's control moving forward?
While the rankings below attempting to answer that question are incredibly subjective, I tried to use a few guiding principles ...
Production is still more important than projection. Simply put, it's more valuable to have a top-10 quarterback than a guy you hope may get there someday. Money and age mattered in this exercise, but I'd take a quality starter at an expensive price over a question mark on the cheap.
Also, there's a fine line between thinking long-term and overrating the future. The next 2-3 years in any NFL cycle are always the most important years because the league changes so quickly and nearly every GM is a bad year or two away from getting fired. With that said, ties went to the young guys below. Players like Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray who have already produced have extra value because they are on their rookie deals. A high-caliber starter like Carson Wentz gets an edge over Matt Ryan because there's a longer career runway ahead. But in a league where it doesn't pay to aim for the middle of the standings, high-ceiling elder statesmen like Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger still have value compared with some of their younger, highly paid middle-class counterparts.
Lastly, free agents like Cam Newton and Jameis Winston aren't eligible, since they currently lack one of the critical ingredients in this judgment stew: a contract. And I capped the rankings at 35 quarterbacks because that was a natural cutoff point in terms of genuine intrigue.
Let's go. No arguing!
1. P. Mahomes
2. L. Jackson
3. R. Wilson
4. D. Watson
5. C. Wentz
6. K. Murray
7. Dak Prescott
Dak's impending massive contract looks like far less of a risk after the most mature season of his career. He'd be ranked far lower if this list had been made a year ago, but his erratic 2018 season now looks like a career anomaly in hindsight. Cowboys offenses have ranked in the top three of Football Outsiders' efficiency metric twice in his four-year career and in the top 10 another time. He's not going anywhere.
Read much more: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...rankings-who-do-you-want-most-at-current-cost
