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Two interesting quarterback arguments developing this season. 1. Josh Allen shows that, with the right coaching and support cast, it's possible to turn raw, inaccurate QBs into superstars. And 2. Wentz and Tannehill show teams should consider not giving mid-tier QBs big deals.
I have much more sympathy with the second argument, especially with some tight cap years coming. Unless a QB is a superstar, it may not make sense to pay them and it might be better to use free agents until you can draft a potential superstar and spread the cash saved around...
...the roster. As for Josh Allen, I'd need to see him play like this when he's on $40m a year and the rest of the roster is downgraded accordingly before I even buy it in his case, let alone generalise to other quarterbacks. However...
Regardless of whether one, both or neither argument are correct, I know which one will be put into practice as if it were. It's 1. And it's going to be used by GM to justify drafting players like Drew Lock and Daniel Jones as projects, with coaches, as they always do...
...getting blamed when it doesn't work. It's a problem, I think, of the lack of alignment between a GM and a head coaches interests.
A GM tends to get very little credit for putting together a roster that's great but minus a high end QB, unless that team has a deep play off run.
A GM tends to get very little credit for putting together a roster that's great but minus a high end QB, unless that team has a deep play off run.
It is expected that a GM finds a quarterback. And so, with the competition to get one intense, they are incentivised to reach for one. In fact, there's an argument the last ten years that 'no one cares if you reached if it worked, and without a QB you are nothing, so pick your...
...guy and, if it doesn't work, pick again.' And, in between time, with the organisation stuck with a first round QB, there is huge organisational pressure to make it work. If he sucks, you replace the coach and bring in someone to fix the QB.
On the other hand, if you let a top 15 QB, who occasionally looks like a franchise guy, walk then, well, you'd be the first person in history to do it. GMs can walk away from a bust, but walking away from an Andy Dalton or a Jarod Goff after their rookie deal would leave you...
...wide open to criticism. And so, even if Josh Allen is a total outlier and the league is filled with mid-tier QBs who never repay the price of their second deal, the league will likely go down the 'find the new Josh Allen' route rather than 'demand VFM from your QB' route.
