Predicting Next Year's 32 Starting NFL Quarterbacks (Episode 1)

The Cardboard Jungle Podcast's first episode focuses on the impact of sports on the world of sports cards and collectibles. This episode specifically discusses the NFL quarterback position and predicts the starting quarterbacks for next year. The podcast analyzes each division and identifies the locked-in quarterback situations, as well as the teams with uncertain quarterback positions. The episode concludes by discussing potential trades, free agent signings, and draft picks that could fill the remaining quarterback spots. Overall, the podcast provides an in-depth analysis of the quarterback landscape in the NFL. Welcome to Episode 1 of the Cardboard Jungle Podcast. We're going to use this podcast to provide commentary on sports with a notable focus on the impact it has on the world of sports cards and collectibles. We're going to dedicate this first episode to one of the most significant positions in sports as it relates to the sports card market and that's the NFL quarterback position. With the Super Bowl coming up this Sunday, we're going to take a look at the landscape and try to predict who will be the 30 starting quarterbacks next year in the NFL. So let's go ahead and get started. So taking a look at the landscape, 19 of the 32 quarterback spots seem secure. I'm going to go through these real quick as the start to this exercise. Let's start in the AFC East, Josh Allen with Buffalo. Tua with Miami, obviously health contingent, but for the purpose of this we're going to put Tua in with Miami. Same in New England with Mac Jones. Kind of an up and down year for Mac after a pretty good rookie year. I think that he's done enough to get a look in year three for New England. The Jets will get back to them as we get deeper into this. So three locked in the AFC East. AFC South, also three that are locked in for sure. Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, Deshaun Watson in Cleveland, and Kenny Pickett in Pittsburgh. Baltimore we'll circle back to. In the AFC South, just one quarterback situation settled. That's T-Law in Jacksonville. We will get back to Tennessee, Indianapolis, and Houston. AFC West, you've got Patrick Mahomes obviously in Kansas City. You've got Justin Herbert in LA. You've got Russell Wilson in Denver. And we will circle back to Las Vegas as one of the 11 with some uncertainty. Going over to the NFC side, quarterback situations locked in. NFC East, three of the four teams locked in. Jalen Hurts in Philly. Dak Prescott in Dallas. Almost certainly Danny Dimes will re-up with the Giants this offseason. He's a free agent. Washington, we'll go back to them. NFC North, also three of the four situations seemingly secure. Kirk Cousins in Minnesota. Justin Fields with the Bears. Jared Goff coming off a great year for Detroit. Green Bay, we'll come back to them. The NFC South is really a hot mess as it relates to the quarterback situations. No certainty whatsoever. Atlanta, seems like maybe Desmond Ritter has done enough. New Orleans, Jameis Winston still under contract for another year. Tampa Bay, Tom Brady just retired. Carolina, nothing really there. Darnold a free agent. We'll go back to that whole division. And in the NFC West, three of the four locked in. Matt Stafford in L.A. For San Fran, we're going to put Lance Slash Purdy. Seems like that's the duo they'll go with next year. And Kyler Murray in Arizona. We'll go back shortly here to Seattle. So 19 of the 32 quarterback spots locked in. That leaves 13 obviously. Let's knock two more of those right off the bat. Let's make the assumption that Lamar Jackson signed a new deal in Baltimore and extends his run there on the East Coast. And Geno Smith, a free agent as well. Seems likely that he'll be maybe franchise tagged by the Seahawks. Maybe signed to a deal. Let's lock Lamar and Geno into their current situations for next year. That would bring us to 21 of 32 teams locked in. 11 openings. Let's fill a couple more here with who are the top free agents that are available. Derek Carr is not a free agent yet. He can be traded by the Raiders. I think that's what will probably end up happening. If you look at the landscape for quarterbacks, he's going to be a very desired asset because of the lack of options that will reveal itself here shortly. Let's say Derek Carr gets traded from the Raiders to Tampa. Seems like a likely outcome. Brady retiring. They'll likely want to make a big splash there. He's about the biggest name available. Let's pencil Derek Carr into Tampa Bay. Jimmy G can end up a bunch of different places here. Let's put Jimmy G in Washington. I just think the way some other chips will fall here momentarily will lead to this. The commander is pretty good deep. Pretty good surrounding parts. Seems like a good fit in Washington. We'll put him there. That leaves nine teams. Let's get to the Aaron Rodgers situation which is going to knock out three more teams. Let's make the assumption. I think Aaron Rodgers ends up in New York. You look at Nathaniel Hackett there. It just seems like the ship has sailed in Green Bay. When you look at the options, it seems like Vegas and the Jets are the best options just given everything. The Jets kind of built to win around the quarterback position, wanting to make a big splash. Robert Sala entering third year. I just feel like that is a trade that will end up happening. Let's put Rodgers in New York with the Jets. That fills out the AFC East. What that does is probably gives Jordan Love the job in Green Bay which fills out the NFC North. You could see Green Bay maybe adding a Baker Mayfield or a Teddy Bridgewater or a Carson Wetz or a Taylor Heineke maybe to come in and compete with Love. Let's put Love as the starter in Green Bay. With the Raiders having missed out on the opportunity to get Rodgers, Jared Stidham looked good at the end of the year last year there. They also have the number 7 pick of the draft. I'm going to go with the Jared Stidham and Will Levis combo. The high rising quarterback out of Kentucky going to the Raiders with the number 7 pick to come in and compete with Stidham. That leaves six teams remaining. Three of them are in the AFC South. Three of them are in the NFC South. Let's sort through this. The Houston Texans have the number 2 overall pick. Let's put CJ Stroud in Houston. Somebody may trade up with the Bears for the number 1 pick. Maybe it's Houston. I just feel like Stroud ends up there. I feel like he's the most NFL ready of this lot. I could see Houston maybe bringing in a free agent. Teddy Bridgewater back to Houston as a great veteran to help shepherd Stroud's start to his career. Maybe to be the starter to ease CJ in. The Colts have the number 4 pick. Let's put Bryce Young in Indy. Is he the starter? Maybe. I could see them also bringing in a veteran. Maybe they bring Matt Ryan back for one more year to work with Bryce Young. The Tennessee Titans still have Tannehill under contract. They have the number 11 pick of the draft. Maybe they go after a Jimmy G. Maybe they do something else. When you start to look at the options, they're not a lot better than Tannehill. They do have the number 11 pick, Anthony Richardson, the quarterback out of Florida. A name that also is rising up draft boards. Maybe he ends up in Tennessee at number 11 to come in and compete with Malik Willis and Ryan Tannehill. Down to the three teams left. This is where it really starts to get thin. They're all in the NFC South. We put Derek Carr in Tampa Bay already. That leaves Atlanta, New Orleans, and Carolina. As mentioned earlier, Atlanta, Desmond Ritter seemed like he's done enough to at least get a shot at the job. New Orleans, you have James Winston under contract. Carolina, you have nothing there. If you start to look at the options for these three teams, the last three left, and trying to project who ends up being the 30 starting quarterbacks next year. When you look at the best of what's left, let's rattle it off with these last three openings. You've got Baker Mayfield. You've got Carson Wentz. You've got Teddy Bridgewater, if he doesn't end up in Houston or one of these other situations. You've got Taylor Heineke. You've got Garden Minshew. You've got Cooper Rush. You've got those six guys, basically. In theory, the best three are Baker, Wentz, Bridgewater, Heineke, maybe? These are guys that are projecting, three of those four, to be starting quarterbacks in the NFL next year. When you take a look at the landscape, you never know. Maybe a rookie makes a rise up the draft board and ends up getting picked high and ends up in the starting spot next year. Maybe something else develops. You've got some other free agents out there, Mason Rudolph, Mike White, and others. I wanted to provide this perspective on the quarterback position in the NFL. Thank you very much for joining us for our first episode. Take care, everyone.