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Assessing the free-agent QB class
Posted: Thursday February 27, 2003 6:49 PM
Kordell Stewart, second all-time in Steelers history in passing yards, will be a popular player in free agency. |
By Bob Harris, Special to SI.com
All right kids, it's that time again. The NFL's 2003 free-agent signing period officially cranks up just after the stroke of midnight tonight. That being the case, it's time for my annual position-by-position review of this year's top free-agent candidates from a Fantasy perspective.
Although the majority of top Fantasy prospects will be free to negotiate with any willing suitors, that's not necessarily the case for all of them. The following designations used to classify NFL free agents:
Unrestricted free agent: Players are able to negotiate with any other team.
Restricted free agent: Teams can match any offer and, based on the level of tender, can receive draft-pick compensation if they decide not to match.
Exclusive-rights free agent: If club offers a one-year tender, player can't negotiate with any other team.
Let's get the ball rolling with a preview of this year's crop of quarterbacks:
Charlie Batch (Unrestricted), Pittsburgh Steelers: With Kordell Stewart (see below) no longer in the picture, the Steelers would like to re-sign Batch and make him their No. 2 quarterback. But the former Lion has indicated he'd be interested in looking for work as a starter before committing to reserve work. However, Batch hasn't been among the more prominent names being bandied about as a potential starting material so far this year. If team officials are unable to re-sign Batch, they will look for another veteran quarterback to back up Tommy Maddox.
Jeff Blake (Unrestricted), Baltimore Ravens: In an article published Wednesday, Baltimore Sun staffer Jamison Hensley advised readers the Ravens and Blake are still trying to clear up some mixed signals.
While the team has repeatedly expressed its intentions to bring Blake back, Blake's agent said the Ravens' only contract proposal was not market value for a starter. Ralph Cindrich, who represents the 11-year veteran, sent his first counteroffer that could yield starter's money for Blake if certain incentives are met.
Team officials, however, are reportedly wary about bidding against themselves and overspending for a quarterback who might have limited options on the open market. The primary teams expected to be shopping for a quarterback when free agency opens are the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.
According to Hensley, of the quarterbacks who are expected to be available Friday, the Ravens don't see much difference between Blake and Stewart. But the team would prefer to stick with Blake because he has spent a year in the system.
Although both sides refused to comment on numbers, Blake is probably seeking a contract that will pay him nearly $2 million a season. The Ravens are likely offering a deal closer to $1 million each year.
The team appears uncertain of Chris Redman (a restricted free agent), who started the first six games of the 2002 season before suffering a season-ending back injury. A month removed from surgery, Redman is on target to participate in all the offseason camps.
Until Blake signs, Billick is refusing to name a starter or declare an open competition for the job.
"When Jeff is a member of this team, we will be more definitive as to where we are with that," Billick said. "What's important is Jeff and I have an understanding of what his role with the team will be."
Jake Delhomme (Unrestricted), New Orleans Saints: He could turn out to be one of the hotter commodities despite the face he's only started two games, backing up Aaron Brooks for the better part of his career. His only two starts came in 1999, including one against the Panthers. He was on the roster in 2000 and 2001 but did not play. This past season he completed 8-of-10 passes for the Saints for 113 yards. For his career, Delhomme has completed 50-of-86 passes for 634 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions.
According to Gaston Gazette sports reporter Steve Reed, the Panthers are expected to meet with Delhomme in Charlotte on Friday. Reed went on to note that it's tough to gauge Carolina’s interest in the 28-year old Delhomme at this point, and it’s unclear how many other quarterbacks the team will bring in prior to making a decision.
The Panthers are expected to meet with Delhomme regardless of whether or not they re-sign veteran Rodney Peete (see below). Panthers offensive coordinator Dan Henning told Reed last week at the NFL Scouting Combine that the team hopes to sign a younger free agent to compete with Peete and possibly select a rookie in the NFL Draft.
"Jake is very much interested in the Carolina situation, as well as three others,” Delhomme's agent, Rick Smith said. "We do not anticipate he will re-sign [with the Saints], so Carolina is definitely a place he will consider as a free agent.”
Smith said Delhomme is also interested in Dallas, Chicago and Denver, all of which are in the market for starting quarterbacks.
Doug Johnson (Restricted), Atlanta Falcons: As Atlanta Journal-Constitution staffer Matt Winkeljohn noted, given the occasionally reckless style of Falcons quarterback Mike Vick, team officials place a premium value on the backup quarterback position. Which explains the decision to give Johnson, who flashed considerable potential as Vick's backup, a one-year, $1.3 million qualifying offer. However, it remains to be seen if that'll be enough to keep him in Atlanta. For the record, that qualifying offer would mean any team signing Johnson would owe the Falcons a first-round draft choice.
Rob Johnson (Unrestricted), Tampa Bay Buccaneers: It looks very much like the Bucs will lose both Johnson and Shaun King (see below) this offseason. In the case of Johnson, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. There might not be a more physically gifted quarterback in the NFL, but the sad fact is Johnson doesn't have the kind of football mind needed to play at this level. If Jon Gruden can't coach a guy up who can?
Shaun King (Unrestricted), Tampa Bay Buccaneers: According to St. Petersburg Times staffer Rick Stroud, King has a big fan in Bears general manager Jerry Angelo, who released current starter Jim Miller (see below) on Wednesday.
"Where the deal is on Shaun, I feel it's still going up," Angelo said earlier this month. "He's a young player. I think he's had some very good opportunities in Tampa. Unfortunately, they didn't come to fruition like he would've wanted, but that doesn't mean to say he can't play. He's got some good genetic gifts, he's a good kid. You know, the experience that he's picked up down there should bode well, assuming that he has a next stop. If he doesn't go back to Tampa."
King, 25, wrestled the No. 2 quarterback spot away from Rob Johnson and started Dec. 23 against Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football. But in his first start in nearly two years, King completed just 9-of 26 passes for 73 yards in a 17-7 loss to the Steelers. His second attempt was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. King was replaced in the third quarter by Johnson and spent the rest of the season as the third quarterback. But King is 15-10 as a starter and helped the Bucs to the NFC championship game as a rookie in 1999.
"Hidden is a good word," Angelo said. "Hopefully he's a gem and not a rock. The thing about it is that history tells you, you see guys that have been in those situations that go off and do well. They just learn. They grow up. And having personal knowledge of Shaun, I like Shaun."
Jim Miller (Unrestricted), Chicago Bears: As reported by Chicago Tribune staffer John Mullin, Miller's release sent a clear message to free agent signal callers like Stewart, King and Jake Plummer (see below): It's your job if you want it.
Discussing the decision to release Miller, Angelo told reporters: "We felt that when we went out there [into free agency], we don't want to answer that question on, 'Where does Jim Miller stand as far as my future with you?' We didn't want Jim to have to listen to that jargon, nor did we want to get into that."
Angelo said the possibility that Miller would not be ready for the start of training camp was a big concern. Indeed, Miller, who has undergone shoulder and foot surgery since the end of the season, could have been placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list for the first six games of the season, something the Bears were unwilling to risk.
Miller's release all but assures that the Bears will not take a quarterback with the fourth pick of the draft. Angelo said that for now Chris Chandler is expected to be on the roster for training camp, but Chandler is an extreme health risk himself and unlikely to give the Bears even a full season of starts to allow a young quarterback time to develop.
In an article published over the weekend, Mullin suggested that Plummer is clearly on the Bears' "A” list, but he already has been linked to the Broncos and Stewart might be a more likely candidate. All of which is true, but I wouldn't dismiss King's chances out of hand until the job is filled.
Neil O'Donnell (Unrestricted), Tennessee Titans: Nashville Tennessean writer Jim Wyatt reports that O'Donnell visited with Vikings officials Tuesday but returned to home to Tennessee without a contract offer.
O'Donnell, released by the Titans last week for salary-cap reasons, had dinner with members of the Maryland Alumni Association after touring the team's training facility during the day. Vikings head coach Mike Tice, like O'Donnell, played QB for the Terrapins. The Vikings would like for O'Donnell to make a return trip with his wife Leslie. The Titans say they would like to re-sign O'Donnell in the coming weeks.
''The whole purpose of this is to convince Neil that we are going to be a winner,'' Tice said. ''He does not want to leave a team that went to the AFC championship game and go to a team that is not going to go to the playoffs. We feel we are getting close and we feel he can help us out.''
During his visit, the Vikings brought O'Donnell into the team's locker room, where a jersey with his name on the back hung in a locker with his nameplate above it.
O'Donnell is one of the top No. 2 men in the league right now and the Vikings would like nothing better than to find somebody willing to work with Daunte Culpepper, something current backup Todd Bouman isn't especially keen on.
Rodney Peete (Unrestricted), Carolina Panthers: According to Charlotte Observer staffer Stan Olson, having spent the past week sorting through collegians at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, the Carolina Panthers' next goal is to re-sign Peete. To get that done, though, the sides must come closer to agreeing on what a "reasonable offer" to Peete would be.
"I think Rodney's agents are very reasonable," general manager Marty Hurney told Olson. "But sometimes you get two different views, and what's reasonable to one might not be the same definition of reasonable to the other."
The Panthers think the re-signing of Peete is important enough that coach John Fox said in Indianapolis that Peete would be his starter entering training camp. But Peete will soon be 37, and the Panthers are aware he is not the long-term answer.
They interviewed "five or six" quarterbacks at the combine, according to Hurney, including Texas' Chris Simms. The Panthers are unlikely to use their first draft pick (ninth overall) to take a quarterback, largely because Southern Cal's Carson Palmer, everyone's favorite, will be gone by that time. But other prospects, like Louisville's Dave Ragone, Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury and Miami's Ken Dorsey, are expected to be available in later rounds.
"Quarterback is definitely an area that we've targeted to try to upgrade," Hurney said.
Peete made the NFL's minimum base salary of $750,000 due a veteran of his experience last season, and also received a signing bonus of $25,000. He counted $475,000 against Carolina's salary cap.
"I know that I would like have him back and he would like to be back," Carolina offensive coordinator Dan Henning said. "If that doesn't occur, it will be because of circumstances beyond my and Rodney's control.
"I think this is the best place for him; I think he is the best guy for us right now to build around."
Jake Plummer (Unrestricted), Arizona Cardinals: After receiving a $15 million signing bonus during the 1998 season, Plummer has delivered modest results since -- 90 touchdowns, 114 interceptions and a 69.0 rating, with no playoff berths since that year. The Cardinals' previous payout to Plummer -- more than $30 million total when base salary is factored in -- is a big consideration in their negotiations.
"We want to make sure, given the commitment we already gave him, we're not paying him more than the level of production and performance," said Rod Graves, the team's top negotiator and vice president of football operations. "That's where we're trying to find the balance."
Graves understands letting Plummer walk away is a risk, with quarterbacks such as Rich Gannon and Brad Johnson and others finding success after leaving their original teams. But "you have to make decision for what you need to do for your team at this time,” Graves said. "You can’t continue to invest and reinvest and reinvest and reinvest hoping all these same guys are going to bring you through.
"Obviously if Jake is not with us, we have to establish [a quarterback] as a priority. Where that opportunity lies, we don’t know right now.”
The fact the Cardinals want him to compete for the starting job with Josh McCown, a rookie last year, and any free agents and draft choices that will be acquired, make it difficult to envision Plummer sticking around. That's especially true given the intense interest, primarily from Denver and perhaps to a lesser degree Chicago, he'll draw on the open market.
Kordell Stewart (Unrestricted), Pittsburgh Steelers: Stewart, who was officially released Wednesday, will have an opportunity to continue playing in the NFL, this time somewhere other than Pittsburgh. Among teams that might have an interest in him as their starting quarterback are Arizona, Chicago, New Orleans, Baltimore and Carolina. Others would consider him as a backup, at least for now, but Stewart hopes he will have an opportunity to at least compete for No. 1 with his next employer.
"I will have an opportunity to win a championship, I promise you," Stewart said.
And according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports writer Ed Bouchette, the feeling among coaches and NFL team executives is he will get that chance.
"He's going to go somewhere else and play and he'll be successful because people will understand what he is and let him do it," said one club executive, echoing a popular opinion rendered by others around the NFL. "I don't think there will be any shortage of teams that will give him a shot."
Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations told Bouchette: "Kordell Stewart has won big games in this league and he's going to win big games in this league again. I don't doubt that at all. I don't think he's lost it at all."
Danny Wuerffel (Unrestricted), Washington Redskins: As much as I appreciate Wuerffel's obvious effort to prove everything I said about him last summer was almost preternaturally accurate, his 2002 performance won't make him nearly as popular with NFL personnel folk as it did with me.
Don’t go away mad, Danny. Just go away.
One last note here: Since the deadline to reach new agreements with players isn't until later tonight, this week's list my be shy a player or two, with Kansas City's Trent Green and Denver's Brian Griese being of particular interest. Hit SI.com's NFL page for the all the latest. Whatever the case, I'll catch up with any stragglers as necessary later this spring.
Next week: Running backs.
Bob Harris is Editor and Webmaster of the TFL Report and Senior Editor for Fantasy Sports Publications.
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