Quarterback carousel could cause shift in NFL

The 2022 quarterback carousel could shift the landscape of the NFL.

By Waleed Alamleh, Sports Reporter

Aaron Rodgers to the Denver Broncos

Aaron Rodgers has been extremely disgruntled as the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers for the past couple of years since the team drafted Jordan Love in the 2019 NFL draft. After contract talks stalled last year the team gave Rodgers the option to get traded before this upcoming season. I believe Rodgers will take full advantage and be traded to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos just hired Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to be their next head coach. Hackett will be able to lure Rodgers out of Green Bay to make the Broncos one of the most dominant teams in the league with the back-to-back MVP under center. 

DeShaun Watson to the Philadelphia Eagles 

Deshaun Watson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but with his current legal battle, it’s not sure when or if he will ever return to the league. If all his legal cases are settled, I’d love to see Watson be traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL draft to use in a possible trade with the Houston Texans for Watson. The Eagles do have Jalen Hurts a young star in the making who just led them to the playoffs last year. However, when Watson was last on an NFL field, he was arguably a top 3 QB, making the risk worth it for Philadelphia. 

Jimmy Garoppolo to the Washington Commanders

Jimmy Garoppolo has one of the strongest resumes of any QB on this list. Garoppolo has led the San Francisco 49ers to the playoffs two times in the past four seasons, including one trip to the Super Bowl as well. Garoppolo has fallen short in a lot of big moments throughout his career, but he is still a very capable starting QB. This is exactly what the Washington Commanders are looking for in its next QB. The Commanders have a very solid defense and multiple weapons at the offensive end. The only thing that’s holding them back from being a playoff team is some consistent play from the QB spot, which Garoppolo can do. 

Carson Wentz to the Pittsburgh Steelers

Carson Wentz could be one of the best QBs in the league due to the raw talent he has. But his decision-making, and multiple injury-plagued seasons have caused him to wear out his stay for another team. The Indianapolis Colts will look to either trade or cut Wentz during the off-season. One team that could use his talents is the Pittsburgh Steelers. QB Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement following the 2021 season, leaving the Steelers in search of a QB for the first time in 18 years. The addition of Wentz could benefit both teams but with Wentz’s charismatic play I’m not sure how long that will last. 

Mitchell Trubisky to the Indianapolis Colts

Mitch Trubisky got dealt a bad hand right from the start of his NFL career. Not only was he taken by the Chicago Bears, a team that hasn’t drafted a franchise quarterback in over 80 years, but he had two head coaches in John Fox and Matt Nagy that should never have been hired in the first place. Trubisky proved in his time in Chicago he could overcome these obstacles by leading the Bears to the playoffs twice in four seasons. Trubisky signing with the Indianapolis Colts would make them a playoff team next season. The Colts were one game away from making it this past season but due to terrible decision-making by Wentz, they couldn’t beat the lowly Jaguars in the final game of the season.  Trubisky has never been a turnover machine, and with the right coaching by Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich he could lead the Colts to the playoffs for the 2022-2023 season.