By Breanna Jacobs
As Aaron Rodgers hoisted the Lombardi Trophy over his head and looked upon his team with admiration, cheesehead cheers erupted throughout the nation. In that magical moment, football fans and analysts alike had one unified thought: Rodgers is going to be a Packer for his entire career. Green Bay is his town and, more importantly, his team.
Some could say Aaron Rodgers has it easy, not having to question which team’s facility he is going to report to each season. After all, most quarterbacks in the National Football League are destined for another fate: uncertainty. And over the past few days, with the NFL lock-out in the (very recent) past, many QBs have become victim to the uncertainty of the job; the quarterback cards have been shuffled and dealt, throwing innocent men all over the league to foreign cities, and even more foreign teams.
Donovan McNabb: McNabb was in a good place with the Philadelphia Eagles. That is, until an angel in a prison uniform spoke to head-coach Andy Reid. The angel said, “I will save thy team and thy Eagles will soar high once again.” That angel was Michael Vick. After one season playing second to McNabb, Vick showed his value and McNabb was on his way out. McNabb spent one tumultuous season (2010-2011) with the Washington Redskins, and, no big surprise here, he is about to pack up and move to another town. This season, McNabb will join the Minnesota Vikings. In fact, his trade to the Vikings becomes official today. McNabb will fill the vacancy left by retired (fingers crossed) QB Brett Favre and perhaps act as a “mentor” to rookie QB Christian Ponder. The monetary details of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but one thing is for certain: In his 2011 debut, McNabb will be wearing Minnesota purple.
Matt Hasselbeck: For the past few NFL seasons, there have been rumors of a split between the Seattle Seahawks and QB Matt Hasselbeck. At the ripe old age of 35, and with an ailing back, Hasselbeck no longer fit the bill for the Seahawks. On July 27, after years of hearsay, a split between the two parties was finalized. After ten seasons with the Seahawks, Hasselbeck is preparing to join a new team: the Tennessee Titans. Hasselbeck’s new teammates are excited to work with him, and they also hope he can help first round draft pick Jake Locker enhance his game. Hasselbeck will be able to bring stability to the Titans’ offense, and hopefully get the Titanks back on track after a few less-than-stellar season.
Kevin Kolb: Kevin Kolb was supposed to be the savior of the Philadelphia Eagles; he was a young up and comer with a boatload of talent. But after being sidelined with a concussion early on in the 2010-2011 season, the angel known as Michael Vick got a chance to start, and Kolb soon found himself as quarterback number two. Kolb was anything but happy with this, and would not have been happy with anything but a trade that would get him back in a number one spot. And, lucky for Kolb, he was granted his wish. Kevin Kolb was traded to the Arizona Cardinals, sending cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2012 second round draft pick the Eagles’ way. Kolb signed a five year contract extension worth 63 million dollars, with over 22 million of that salary guaranteed. So, long story short, Kolb got everything he wanted: a starting job, a great salary, and a chance to live the NFL dream.*
Other QB News:
- Matt Leinart signed a 2-year, $5.5 million ($3.74 million guaranteed) deal with the Houston Texans.
- Former Miami Dolphins QB Tyler Thigpen signed a 3-year deal with the Buffalo Bills.
- Former Minnesota Viking Tarvaris Jackson signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
- The Tennessee Titans released Vince Young.
- The Denver Broncos have reportedly been in talks with the Miami Dolphins about trading Kyle Orton.
- San Francisco 49ers second-round draft pick, Colin Kaepernick, officially signed with the team this morning.
- Undrafted rookie Pat Devlin signed a 3-year contract wit the Miami Dolphins.
- The Cincinnati Bengals agreed to a 2-year deal with former Oakland Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski.
- It is expected that the Cleveland Browns will cut Jack Delhomme later this week.
*The NFL dream consists of 2 things: 1. A starting job and 2. A ridiculously high salary
All of these quarterbacks are entering very difficult situations with limited expectations. Earlier today I liked Kolb’s situation slightly more than the others, but they lost Steve Breaston and now I am not so sure. If Orton goes to the Phins, I project him as the most successful on this list. But will any of these new QBs make a playoff run? Honestly, I think not. It’s a quarterback driven league, and it is often said that if you have 2+ QB’s, you really don’t have any
I highly doubt any of these guys will make into the play-offs.
I think Matt Hasselbeck could maybe make it happen, but I think that would be a long shot.
And Orton probably would be successful in Miami. He said today that he will be a Bronco this season, but we’ll see about that.