Determining what Washington should do at QB this offseason

As for free agents, there aren’t any worth major expenditures. There are guys who would be an improvement over Heinicke. Jameis Winston, Mitch Trubisky, and Jacoby Brissett would be better. If I could sign one to a below-average contract, I would jump on that. I do not want Taylor Heinicke to be my starting QB in 2022. But even more, I do want to tie up major assets in a modest upgrade. If Trubisky is available at under $4 million, I would gladly take him while still looking for a long-term starter.

None of this is all that earth-shattering. But here is where it gets interesting. The trade market. This is where you can get a more proven commodity. And this is where my thinking has changed.

The hot name right now is Derek Carr. I have no clue why Las Vegas would want to jettison him, but apparently it is under consideration. Mike Mayock’s firing and the uncertainty at head coach make the situation even murkier.

Doesn’t matter to me. I am not trading for Carr. He is an above-average starter who would constitute a significant upgrade. I still don’t want him. I do not believe that Derek Carr is in that top echelon of QBs. And these days, I do not sacrifice major assets for someone who is merely above-average.

Same applies to almost all the other names you may hear. I still believe Baker Mayfield has a good career ahead of him. But he’s not elite. I’m not rolling the dice on him. Jimmy G? He’s better than what we’ve got. But he’s not good enough to give up multiple assets.

In the past, I might have been a proponent of any of these guys because they would make the team better. But today, there are only three QBs who might be available who would not merely make the team better – they would make it a championship contender.

Of the three, I’m ruling out Aaron Rodgers because I don’t think he’s going anywhere. I think he likes to talk – to stir things up – to remind us he is there and needs some diva treatment. But I see no realistic way that he is not in Green Bay for several more years.

And though I normally do not take off-the-field questions of morality into account, I don’t think Washington can realistically acquire Deshaun Watson. The Washington Football Team, with its ongoing sexual harassment concerns, may be the team least-likely to look past his particular character issues. But even if that weren’t the case, you cannot trade for Deshaun Watson until you have more certainty about his playing status. You cannot give up major assets for a guy who may not be eligible to play.

That leaves Russell Wilson. He’s the guy. He checks all the boxes. He is elite. I don’t know if he would want to come here. I don’t know if Seattle would really trade him. My sense is both those things are possible.

And if they are, then you move heaven and earth to get him. Because here is the flip side to my new thinking. It’s true you should not give up assets for a non-elite QB. But if you have a shot at an elite one, then you give up whatever is necessary. You pay over market value for quality at the quarterback position. No where else. Just at QB.

Russell Wilson should be Plan A, B, and C for the Washington Football Team. If you can’t acquire him, go back to the beginning of this article and draft the highest upside guy you see. Sign the free agent if he is cheap. If not, begin 2022 with Heinicke and end it with Willis, Strong or Ridder.

That’s Plan D. But I’m rooting real hard for Russell. He’s only 5’11”, but after Rodgers, he’s the biggest dog out there. And at the QB position in today’s NFL, you go big, or you go home.