During the 2020 offseason, Ron Rivera and the Washington front office offered Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper a contract worth reportedly more than the 5 year $100M contract that he would ultimately sign to stay with the Dallas Cowboys. Rivera also shot his shot with former Atlanta Falcons and current Cleveland Browns tight end Austin Hooper. Both players were considered top players at their position on the free agent market. Ron Rivera made it very clear that he wanted to acquire top end targets for their QB room to throw the ball to. Needless to say, neither of those players ended up signing with Washington. Instead of moving to the next available player at the top of the list, the team chose to target much cheaper options in Logan Thomas and Dontrelle Inman. What could this mean for the Ron his two Martin’s as they attempt to address the QB situation?
What have they done?
Alex Smith is mulling retirement, and is also owed an amount of money that is unquestionably to much for the level of play he now provides. Kyle Allen and playoff sweetheart Taylor Heinicke are both unsigned exclusive rights or restricted free agents.
WFT had recently inquired about former Rams QB Jared Goff and made an official offer for former Lions signal caller Matthew Stafford, who have swapped teams in a recent blockbuster deal. Obviously the team senses a need to upgrade at the most important position in the sport. They have also been linked with other trade targets such as Derek Carr, Deshaun Watson in hypothetical deals.
All this to say, Washington shot their shot on Stafford reportedly offering the number 19 overall pick and a third round pick, only to be out bid by Los Angeles. In recent interviews Ron Rivera has stated that they both need to get a quarterback, but it doesn’t have to be right now and they don’t want to pay so much that they cannot build around him, and he also spoke praise for Allen and Heinicke saying that they were in the teams plans going forward.
What they might do
Enter my nightmare scenario, one that mirrors the team missing out on its top two free agent targets of 2020 and settling for veteran minimum options. I fear that as the team shot and missed on a player of Matthew Stafford’s caliber, that they will settle for the duo of Allen and Heinicke. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of both of those two players, but as backups. Knowing that the front office perceives a need to drastically upgrade quarterback but choosing not to, is nightmare fuel. I would rather see them reset their board and come up woth a new plan of attack for the position than to throw their hands up and be content with what they’ve got. With players like Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, or potentially falling draft prospects like Justin Fields being out there via free agency, trade, or a trade up in the draft, I don’t know how you could swallow your Allen and Heinicke pill with a smile on your face.
There are still options out there. Stafford, Goff, Carr, and most unfortunately Watson, may not be the ultimate answer for the QB question, but that doesn’t mean there is no answer out there.
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