The 2026 Free Agency Thread

With Tress Way signed, I would think they next turn to Mariota (and of course Tunsil)

With the offense moving the QB more under center, does he still fit or is he just a lot better in shotgun? I'm sure he has some experience under center, I have no idea how much
 
Marcus Mariota is far more experienced than Jayden is - including taking snaps under center for multiple teams. I would think his ability to run the offense under center is far less questionable than Jayden's current ability...
 
Boone said:
Marcus Mariota is far more experienced than Jayden is - including taking snaps under center for multiple teams. I would think his ability to run the offense under center is far less questionable than Jayden's current ability...
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Well of course, I was just questioning if he has had extensive under center experience. He has had tons from shotgun which is part of the reason he liked Kliffs system so much. I am only asking because if he does not have a lot of time under center or has shown difficulties in doing so, perhaps they look to someone else as he backup. Like I initially stated, I would anticipate he is the next most important to get under contract due to what he has done the past two years and his connection with Blough, JD and the team in general.
 
I get it. But I guess I would have to ask, they are willing to put Jayden who has barely played under center into that type offense as a starter, but are going to change backups because Mariota has primarily been a shotgun QB?

I would think if they were particularly worried about one of them - it would be Jayden they would be concerned about.
 
Boone said:
I get it. But I guess I would have to ask, they are willing to put Jayden who has barely played under center into that type offense as a starter, but are going to change backups because Mariota has primarily been a shotgun QB?

I would think if they were particularly worried about one of them - it would be Jayden they would be concerned about.
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Or do they bring in a competent QB well versed in play action from under center if that's their new game Wouldn't that player be better for JD in assisting to teach him like Mariotta did with the KK scheme?
I am not suggesting a player that would fit better that Marcus, just asking?
 
DWinzit said:
Or do they bring in a competent QB well versed in play action from under center if that's their new game Wouldn't that player be better for JD in assisting to teach him like Mariotta did with the KK scheme?
I am not suggesting a player that would fit better that Marcus, just asking?
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That's David Blough
 
DWinzit said:
No, he was his QB coach that's now his coordinator
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But why bring in an aged veteran QB with no expectation of playing him simply to tutor your young QB on Play Action, when you have a 30 year old QB who started games as recently has 4 years ago as his OC? David Blough literally fits the description and you don't have to spend a roster spot on it.
 
Marcus Mariota is a really good question. He was a perfect backup for Kliff because of the style of offense, and perfect for Jayden also. (Even though there were a lot of questions about him coming off of that Hard Knocks series when he was in Atlanta.)

I think Marcus could probably do a bit of everything. I wouldn't be shocked if somebody makes a run at him for a bridge QB.

According to Spotrac, here are the available QBs:

PlayerPositionAgeYOEPrevious TeamPrevious AAVExpected Market Value
Daniel JonesQB28.77IND$14,000,000$ 43,598,552.00
Aaron RodgersQB42.221PIT$13,650,000$ 10,569,536.00
Russell WilsonQB37.214NYG$10,500,000$ 5,714,249.00
Marcus MariotaQB32.211WAS$8,000,000$ 4,846,766.00
Zach WilsonQB26.55MIA$6,000,000$ 1,626,365.00
Tyrod TaylorQB36.515NYJ$6,000,000$ 3,955,446.00
Joe FlaccoQB4118CIN$4,250,000$ 5,596,231.00
Kenny PickettQB27.74LV$3,516,976$ 3,799,877.00
Jimmy GaroppoloQB34.212LAR$3,005,000$ 2,348,385.00
Mitchell TrubiskyQB31.49BUF$2,625,000$ 4,417,746.00
Case KeenumQB37.913CHI$2,250,000
Trey LanceQB25.85LAC$2,000,000$ 1,433,191.00
Brandon AllenQB33.49TEN$1,422,500
Josh JohnsonQB39.713WAS$1,422,500
Carson WentzQB33.110MIN$1,422,500
Malik WillisQB26.74GB$1,290,025$ 10,584,895.00
Kyle AllenQB29.97DET$1,270,000
Teddy BridgewaterQB33.211TB$1,255,000
John WolfordQB30.25MIN$1,170,000
Tyler HuntleyQB286BAL$1,170,000
Easton StickQB30.37ATL$1,170,000
Brett RypienQB29.66MIN$1,170,000
Gardner MinshewQB29.77KC$1,170,000
Skylar ThompsonQB28.74PIT$1,100,000
Hendon HookerQB28.12NYJ$1,030,000
Tommy DeVitoQB27.53NE$1,030,000
Sam HowellQB25.34PHI$1,005,400
Jake BrowningQB29.84CIN$972,500
Connor BazelakQB25.31TB$840,000
Emory JonesQB25.81ATL$840,000
Sam EhlingerQB27.35DEN$315,000
Jeff DriskelQB32.88WAS$0

Given this list, I'm not sure who would be a better fit than Mariota. There is a lot of "eeeeeee" or "ick" if you prefer on that list.

I'll be honest, I didn't even know some of these players were even still in the league.

The only one who really stands out as a guy who might be a better fit than Mariota would be maybe Teddy Bridgewater? But I think Mariota is better than Bridgewater.

I dunno. None of the guys on this list really seem like they would be an upgrade over Mariota even in an "under center, more PA" style of offense.
 
Primus Porcus said:
But why bring in an aged veteran QB with no expectation of playing him simply to tutor your young QB on Play Action, when you have a 30 year old QB who started games as recently has 4 years ago as his OC? David Blough literally fits the description and you don't have to spend a roster spot on it.
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Then no need for Mariota either with Blough, who also needs to create a playbook, call plays and be in charge of the whole offense...all for the first time.
 
DWinzit said:
Then no need for Mariota either with Blough, who also needs to create a playbook, call plays and be in charge of the whole offense...all for the first time.
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But we need a backup QB. We're probably going to need a backup and third string and maybe PS QB for camp. I find it REALLY hard to think Hartman is going to get NFL Welfare for a 3rd straight season. They signed a guy who hadn't been here to be a backup because they didn't trust him to take an NFL regular season snap.

You need 4 arms for camp minimum. We currently have 1 on the roster, Daniels.

So if you look up 2 posts, I posted all the FA QBs. We need to pick 1 from that list, and I assume there would be an UDFA as another, and that still leaves one more open spot.

I think after looking at that list, Mariota makes a lot of sense. Hartman becomes a male beard model, and we have 2 open spots.

The biggest issue is after looking at that list, could somebody want Mariota as a bridge starter? Possible. Then we've got to pick 2 others from that crappy list.

We only have 5 draft picks. So it's unlikely we spend even a 7th on a developmental QB. That could change if we add draft picks.
 
I mentioned Jennings early on then backed off, now am thinking maybe again. I keep hearing Pierce is headed back to Indy. If so, slimmer pickings at WR. Blough mentioned Conerly as a dude who will blossom and be featured in his offense and wants to play violently. That screams to me runnign the ball on the strong side. And Jennings would play Z on the strong side and is a killer blocker.

He was one of my fav late round WRs in that draft and I recall saying that he was one of the best college blockers for a Wr I've ever seen.

 
KDawg said:
If we are drafting players to please the media, we are in a real bad place.

I don't care what the media has to say. If they can't see how much Love helps our FRANCHISE QB, maybe they should rethink their profession.

If I were the media, I'd be more frustrated with how fast we threw picks away the last few years - not selecting the guy who may be the best player in the entire class.
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What are the moves that you would make in free agency to make drafting Love possible?

skinsinparadise said:
The more I think about it, the pickings at DE, RB, CB, and WR in FA can tip the balance. We don't know of course yet who gets resigned pre FA. They can chase players and lose ala last year with Bosa, D. Lawrence, etc.

RB is really loaded in FA. Hall, Etienne, Dowdle, maybe Walker, Allgeier. Even that next tier not bad, Gainwell, R. White. I think for example signing Etienne or Hall are game changers at that spot.

The options at WR aren't that hot. I am guessing Pierce doesn't make it to FA. So we got Doubs, Jennings, Shaheed. Some slot guys. And the competition for WR Fa's can be fierce. But lets say they sign for exmaple Jennings and lose out on the RBs, then I can see Love more easily at that pick.

But I suspect they can land one of those top RBs. Would I rather have Etienne at 8 million or Jennings at 22 million? I think Etienne at 8.
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I agree about RB vs WR, but also, how about TE vs wide receiver? We could potentially add the top TE, AND a top RB, for the price of Alec Pierce, for instance. Ditto LB and safety. It should be super easy to make big upgrades at those positions, without breaking the bank.

Bain and Bailey could be gone when we pick at 7. We definitely need to sign an edge, and a CB, in free agency.

If we push all of our chips to the middle of the table, I think we can definitely sign upgrades at RB, TE, edge, LB, CB, and safety, and maybe even WR, and then really go into the draft with a lot of freedom to draft BPA.
 
skinsinparadise said:
I mentioned Jennings early on then backed off, now am thinking maybe again. I keep hearing Pierce is headed back to Indy. If so, slimmer pickings at WR. Blough mentioned Conerly as a dude who will blossom and be featured in his offense and wants to play violently. That screams to me runnign the ball on the strong side. And Jennings would play Z on the strong side and is a killer blocker.

He was one of my fav late round WRs in that draft and I recall saying that he was one of the best college blockers for a Wr I've ever seen.

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I wouldn’t hate this. He had 55 catches for 643 yards and 9 TD’s last year. When was the last time we had a WR2 with those kinds of stats? Plus his impact in the running game? He’s also not a guy whose game is predicated on speed. I think his game might age a little better than some other WR’s.
 
While a 10 sack/year player would be nice, that asking price is crazy. The playoffs have shown a stronger team defense is better than an individual player.
 
skinsinparadise said:
I mentioned Jennings early on then backed off, now am thinking maybe again. I keep hearing Pierce is headed back to Indy. If so, slimmer pickings at WR. Blough mentioned Conerly as a dude who will blossom and be featured in his offense and wants to play violently. That screams to me runnign the ball on the strong side. And Jennings would play Z on the strong side and is a killer blocker.

He was one of my fav late round WRs in that draft and I recall saying that he was one of the best college blockers for a Wr I've ever seen.

Click to expand...

Jennings is one of the few good FA WR options. He would be a good addition but we certainly need more than just him
 
Voice_of_Reason said:
But we need a backup QB. We're probably going to need a backup and third string and maybe PS QB for camp. I find it REALLY hard to think Hartman is going to get NFL Welfare for a 3rd straight season. They signed a guy who hadn't been here to be a backup because they didn't trust him to take an NFL regular season snap.

You need 4 arms for camp minimum. We currently have 1 on the roster, Daniels.

So if you look up 2 posts, I posted all the FA QBs. We need to pick 1 from that list, and I assume there would be an UDFA as another, and that still leaves one more open spot.

I think after looking at that list, Mariota makes a lot of sense. Hartman becomes a male beard model, and we have 2 open spots.

The biggest issue is after looking at that list, could somebody want Mariota as a bridge starter? Possible. Then we've got to pick 2 others from that crappy list.

We only have 5 draft picks. So it's unlikely we spend even a 7th on a developmental QB. That could change if we add draft picks.
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I agree with needing 3 QBs plus another as a summer arm. They need a reliable vet QB2 which Mariota is still a viable option, I was just asking the previous questions regarding him.

We also need a QB3 which I could see the add a couple late day 3 picks with trade backs and take a QB3. Agreed Hartman should be pooped out
 
One thing I think we need to remember as fans, is the fact that we're rapidly approaching the need to sign a market setting deal with a QB. Whether you agree or not, it's likely that Jayden resets the market, and this front office is likely going to spend accordingly. I personally think we make some big moves this offseason, but carrying over money from year to year very well may be a strategy to support the contract for our QB in 2 years when it's time to make that statement.
 
Voice_of_Reason said:
Marcus Mariota is a really good question. He was a perfect backup for Kliff because of the style of offense, and perfect for Jayden also. (Even though there were a lot of questions about him coming off of that Hard Knocks series when he was in Atlanta.)

I think Marcus could probably do a bit of everything. I wouldn't be shocked if somebody makes a run at him for a bridge QB.

According to Spotrac, here are the available QBs:

PlayerPositionAgeYOEPrevious TeamPrevious AAVExpected Market Value
Daniel JonesQB28.77IND$14,000,000$ 43,598,552.00
Aaron RodgersQB42.221PIT$13,650,000$ 10,569,536.00
Russell WilsonQB37.214NYG$10,500,000$ 5,714,249.00
Marcus MariotaQB32.211WAS$8,000,000$ 4,846,766.00
Zach WilsonQB26.55MIA$6,000,000$ 1,626,365.00
Tyrod TaylorQB36.515NYJ$6,000,000$ 3,955,446.00
Joe FlaccoQB4118CIN$4,250,000$ 5,596,231.00
Kenny PickettQB27.74LV$3,516,976$ 3,799,877.00
Jimmy GaroppoloQB34.212LAR$3,005,000$ 2,348,385.00
Mitchell TrubiskyQB31.49BUF$2,625,000$ 4,417,746.00
Case KeenumQB37.913CHI$2,250,000
Trey LanceQB25.85LAC$2,000,000$ 1,433,191.00
Brandon AllenQB33.49TEN$1,422,500
Josh JohnsonQB39.713WAS$1,422,500
Carson WentzQB33.110MIN$1,422,500
Malik WillisQB26.74GB$1,290,025$ 10,584,895.00
Kyle AllenQB29.97DET$1,270,000
Teddy BridgewaterQB33.211TB$1,255,000
John WolfordQB30.25MIN$1,170,000
Tyler HuntleyQB286BAL$1,170,000
Easton StickQB30.37ATL$1,170,000
Brett RypienQB29.66MIN$1,170,000
Gardner MinshewQB29.77KC$1,170,000
Skylar ThompsonQB28.74PIT$1,100,000
Hendon HookerQB28.12NYJ$1,030,000
Tommy DeVitoQB27.53NE$1,030,000
Sam HowellQB25.34PHI$1,005,400
Jake BrowningQB29.84CIN$972,500
Connor BazelakQB25.31TB$840,000
Emory JonesQB25.81ATL$840,000
Sam EhlingerQB27.35DEN$315,000
Jeff DriskelQB32.88WAS$0

Given this list, I'm not sure who would be a better fit than Mariota. There is a lot of "eeeeeee" or "ick" if you prefer on that list.

I'll be honest, I didn't even know some of these players were even still in the league.

The only one who really stands out as a guy who might be a better fit than Mariota would be maybe Teddy Bridgewater? But I think Mariota is better than Bridgewater.

I dunno. None of the guys on this list really seem like they would be an upgrade over Mariota even in an "under center, more PA" style of offense.
Click to expand...

Any of these guys a former teammate of Blough’s?
 
Anselmheifer said:
I wouldn’t hate this. He had 55 catches for 643 yards and 9 TD’s last year. When was the last time we had a WR2 with those kinds of stats? Plus his impact in the running game? He’s also not a guy whose game is predicated on speed. I think his game might age a little better than some other WR’s.
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He’s gotten beaten up over his career with his physical style. I’d take him but wouldn’t be surprised if he falls off very soon
 
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