Since the NFL lockout came to an end on Monday, there has been an unprecedented flurry of free agent and trade activity. What would normally be spread out over a number of weeks has been compressed into a matter of days or even hours for that matter, becoming a revolving door, es for.
One common theme (other than reporters from “The Bristol Improv” claiming to take credit for breaking every story regarding new signings) is the large number of veteran quarterbacks changing addresses. For those keeping score at home, the QB revolving door included:
- Former Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck signed with the Titans.
- Seattle replaced him by signing former Vikings signal-caller Tarvaris Jackson,
- Who was replaced in Minnesota? Donovan McNabb via a trade with the Vikings.
The Redskins have yet to land a replacement for McNabb. This could lead to an ever-compelling training camp battle between John Beck and Rex Grossman. Scratch that − continue:
- The Bills signed former Dolphins QB Tyler Thigpen,
- In a long-rumored move, the Cardinals traded CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2nd round pick in 2012 to the Eagles for Kevin Kolb, and then signed him to a big-bucks extension…
- Who then replaced him by signing much-maligned former Titans QB Vince Young as Michael Vick’s backup.
- In a move that little or no one cares about, the rumors about Matt Leinart reuniting with his college coach Pete Carroll in Seattle were squashed, as the Texans re-signed him to back up Matt Schaub.
- Finally, nobody seems to love the Broncos Kyle Orton. Rumored to be headed to Miami, the Dolphins have apparently changed their mind and will reportedly sign former Panthers QB Matt Moore.
One name you haven’t seen on this list is the Bengals’ Carson Palmer, who is “retired” now that the team has refused to honor his request for a trade. The team then placed Palmer on the Reserve/Did Not Report list today, thus saving $11.5 million is salary this season. Cincy’s owner/GM Mike Brown has lived up to his much-deserved stubborn and frugal reputation yet again. Nice work, “Bungles.” (but he did give in to Ochocinco’s demand to be moved; No. 85 has relocated to New England)
Final note on the QB situation around the league. No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton was inked to $22 million deal by Carolina and will report to camp…already love this new CBA rookie scale since most everyone is signing in a short period of time.
Don’t listen to the mindless banter of the “experts” about who the winners and losers were from the lockout. As you can see, there’s always a market for quarterbacks, even the most mediocre and banged-up ones. Hey, at least someone’s finding work in this economy.
Of course, that could all change once concussions and injuries start piling up this fall, but that’s what the Leinarts of the world are for, right? Never mind.
The icing on the cake? No matter how mediocre QBs were during their playing days, they can even find ample work as NFL “analysts” and “commentators” post-retirement. Bristol is filled with them!
I’m starting to have second thoughts about convincing my kid to be a left-handed set-up reliever…
Used with permission of the author.
Chris Lardieri runs the “West Coast View” column for Sports Climax. A veteran to the keyboard, Chris also covers the Los Angeles Dodgers for Examiner.com and has written about Major League Baseball for Inside Edge, a scouting company that provides content to ESPN Insider and Yahoo Sports. Follow Chris on Twitter for more sports observations.