Rich Eisen reacts to the new reality facing young NFL QBs such as Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance and Mac Jones.
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I don’t know what’s going on with the state of quarterbacks in the National Football League I just don’t anymore and things have changed they have Flatout changed where you draft somebody and normally when you drafted somebody you’re invested in that player to make it work come Hecker high water
And we’re seeing teams just dump out of quarterbacks two three years into their career just gone see you and um we’re we’re we’re seeing guys get opportunities and um if you don’t have immense success at the very beginning of your career now in the National Football League you you’re you’re you’re just not
Going to play for that team very long and I I say this fully aware that I’m a Jet fan saying I don’t want to see the second overall pick of the 2021 draft play a single down for the New York Jets ever again and I’m sure he feels the same
Way a million % there was no redeeming M Jones the 15th overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft Yeah I think that’s right there was no redeeming him in New England anymore Trey Lance Trey Lance got very little opportunity in San Francisco that’s a different ball of wax
Where he was drafted and then given the opportunity to sit then given the opportunity to definitely St start and then he gets hurt and then while he’s hurt the last pick in the draft the year he gets hurt becomes so Sensational there’s no sense in keeping him around
Anymore and then Justin Fields the 11th overall selection they give him the treatment that you think would be good for him by letting them sit although I was stunned that they were going to have him sit at all in Chicago but the offensive line was so terrible in front of him he
Eventually got in there and then Matt Nei his coach who drafted him gets fired and the general manager who drafted him gets fired and then the coaching staff that has him in is a defensive-minded coaching staff and then they get a new offensive coordinator in there and he
Doesn’t mesh very well with him and now he’s gone Trevor Lawrence is the only guy of the top 15 picks in that draft who’s a quarterback and is still with his team and as a matter of fact his backup is now the guy who was drafted last of that first round group it’s
Crazy crazy it’s totally nuts and I am not buying the fact that there was a bag of balls in return for Justin Fields is proof that the NFL thinks he’s not a starting quarterback I won’t believe it I understand you think I’m misreading the room
But I just think it is part and parcel of the way things go that you have to in the NFL by the month of May of somebody’s fourth year decide you’re going to pay him a considerable amount of money more in the fifth year you have to pick up a fifth
Year option 25 million bucks and a lot of teams just didn’t want to do that with Justin fields and I don’t understand why I’ll be straight up with you I don’t understand why the Jets wouldn’t have gone ahead and gotten Justin Fields as opposed to you know to Rod Taylor I I I
Don’t understand why they wouldn’t have done something like that I have no idea maybe they did and Justin Fields didn’t want to go there I I don’t know we’re here and he wanted to go to Pittsburgh I don’t know if that’s it’s just a convenient thing to get out there to the
Information community that is putting that information out there cuz it helps the say hey don’t blame us for only getting a six that’s potentially a fourth in next year’s draft for him that’s where he wanted to go and it’s good for him to say hey don’t blame me
For being traded for a bag of balls I wanted to go here it helps out because in this day and age I I I don’t get it anymore I don’t get anymore how somebody like Sam how has a Year’s worth of experience in him and he gets traded to
Seattle and everybody thinks well he can’t be the starting quarterback of the future for the Seattle Seahawks uh you suddenly you’re dead you’re you’re dead to people in our in our world and I just think it’s a quarterback development issue the NFL is not equipped to handle there aren’t enough reps in
Training camp there aren’t enough reps during the playing season and there aren’t enough reps in the playing season right now I mean Sam how was like if you will screw it either way let’s just say he stays put in Washington DC let’s just say he stays put in
Washington DC and click Kingsbury wants to give him his new playbook and get him in the building and start doing x’s and o’s with him start coaching him up can’t because the collective bargaining rules say he’s not allowed to be in a building for that sort of stuff on until the
Offseason workout program begins a month from now he goes to Seattle they want to give him his new playbook and get him in there and start getting in the film room with him right away can’t do it until April and then what you think Gino Smith
Is just going to cough up much needed reps to Sam how so Sam how’s going to get ready in the middle of the Season no I remember last season when I was in London with Kurt Warner who’s joining us in about eight minutes time talking to Mike Vel of the Tennessee Titans prior
To the game against the Ravens in London and I asked him how’s Will Lis doing he Shrugged his shoulders like I don’t know how’s he looking I don’t know we don’t have Reps for him yeah and Sam how’s a Seattle Seahawk because he performed the way he performed with the
Rest of the team performing the way they performed for a coach that I thought everybody knew with a new ownership group coming in was needing to have a miracle season to stay put and the team collectively performed so poorly they have a second overall pick where there is a new quarterback to
Be had and thus Sam Howell got one full season of axie in Washington before they said we’re done Justin Fields was able to survive last year because the Bears thought they had more Runway with him with a third and fourth year before picking up a fifth year option and
Needed more help to build up a roster for Justin fields to the point where they were going to keep him and not go with a rookie quarterback they didn’t have to reset the clock too much on a contract because they were only two years into Justin fields’s contract and
They weren’t sold on Bryce young or CJ strad interestingly enough I’m wondering if they would have had they known who CJ strout was and figured they could have gotten that version of CJ strout even though it’s an environment and roster issue and coaching issue that clearly Houston had that maybe Chicago wouldn’t
Have had but let’s just say hey Chicago would you have taken the CJ St that you could have the CJ St that Houston had would they have flipped out Justin fields for him knowing that 2020 hindsight perhaps they would have perhaps not but this time around if Justin Fields
Is on a team that doesn’t have the first overall pick Let’s just say the Bears had the ninth overall selection in this draft would they have kept Justin fields or would they have traded up to go get Caleb Williams they would have kept Justin Fields yeah you’re right
However Carolina was so terrible with Bryce young the Bears have an opportunity to take Caleb Williams un th Justin Fields becomes Expendable and it’s thrown into a pool in a quarterback Market where everybody is just swapping them out now nobody is around to be developed anymore because they don’t have the Reps for
Them so they’d rather go with a veteran like Gardener muu while they get the young kid ready in certain ways sitting around and watching or what I don’t know what the answer is anymore hopefully your UFL yeah is going to be something where quarterbacks can go and and and develop
Like honest anymore Zack Wilson should go play in the UFL and if you’re what we think you could be he’d dominate win MVP and then bam he’s now ready to be a much more viable NFL QB Court Kurt’s going to join us in five minutes without his time in the European
League in NFL Europe the world league of American football or whatever the hell it was called when he played it yeah he would not have been ready or as ready he was for the moment the Rams needed him this day and age if you don’t come out of college and show burrow Herbert
Immediate immediate yeah results 90% of the time you’re going to get flipped I don’t know what’s going on anymore we had Jared G on this show last fall and I figured I’d ask him how um how many years should somebody get he’s the perfect guy right drafted first
Overall by the Rams got thrown to the wolves in Jeff Fischer’s first season after fiser got fired as a matter of fact as soon as fiser got fired they put Jared gin for a first career start in Seattle he got smoked I was there that
Day I thought he was going to be taken off on a stretcher he he did get some time in in Los Angeles took it to a Super Bowl and wound up getting swapped out from Matthew Stafford and everybody thought he’s done now look at him asked him this very question you
Know it’s not necessarily fair to a lot of these guys um to make a decision on them within 16 or 25 games um and it certainly wasn’t that way 15 years ago you know maybe 20 years ago or you know a decade ago where guys got three or
Four years they got their rookie contract to kind of figure it out and nowadays you’re seeing guys get replaced after two you know even after a year and a half you know even even less than that if they get injured or certain things happen and um you know it’s it’s the
World we live in it’s the NFL world we live in a lot of it’s uh people like your fault Rich who tend to put a lot of you know uh undo pressure on on some of these young guys okay yeah it’s it’s unfortunate but uh you know you wish the
Best for them and you know the cream typically always Rises to the top no matter how long it takes but um yeah unfortunately some of these young guys don’t get uh as much time as as some of these guys used to get well I’ve got to
Push back Jared you know I have to push back I mean maybe it’s my profession but I don’t know if it’s me that’s that’s why I’m asking you in in all seriousness what so what’s the number that you think would a a quarterback coming out of college whether it’s drafted like you
First overall or or anywhere what’s the proper number do you think to evaluate a quarterback would be personally I think it’s three years I think you got to give them three years and you got to be patient you got to make you know know that the first two might not go your way
And it might not be fun and they’re learning and they’re they’re figuring things out but um if you’re making that investment in a young guy um wait wait three years and then make your decision and if it doesn’t work after three years then so be it and golf was in the NFC
Championship game for the Lions when apparently everybody thought he was sent to the Lions figuratively by the Rams and the quarterback he beat to get to the NFC Championship Game Baker Mayfield he was supposed to be just a reclamation project and yet he’s another first overall pick now with a
$100 million contract for team number four right so I don’t know how it goes anymore in the NFL used to be you drafted somebody and you developed them and come Hecker high water he was going to get a shot and a legitimate one not anymore and everybody in our world
Thinks Justin Fields is toast honestly it’s crazy I don’t know how to evaluate it anymore and that’s the way we’re going to get maybe what five first round quarterbacks chosen in the first 15 picks again just like 2021 when four of them have already found new
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37 Comments
Rich:
I don’t understand why Taylor and not Fields”.
Yoda:
That’s why you fail!
Me:
Fields is a terrible passer (like Jamarcus Russel); Taylor is a much better choice for Rodgers backup.
Fields would still be the QB in Chicago if they didn't have the Panthers' pick at #1. I know that might be obvious, but the potential to get Williams on a rookie contract for 4 more years says more about the Bears being opportunistic than it does about Fields. The other guys are about reaching for QBs and lack of development.
Here’s the irony: Arthur Smith, who had moderate success with Tannehill at TN, then completely failed with Mariota and Ridder in ATL, got the best QB value, and possibly personnel, on the FA/trade market. Why Fields would go there to back up Wilson is a mystery. Why the Falcons overpaid for an injured aging QB when they could have had two for a tenth of the price is insanely baffling. Now Smith, who has proved he has difficulty developing QB’s has two experienced QB’s and value for his money. And doesn’t have to develop anyone, really. When the Steelers outperform the Falcons, Arthur Blank should put himself out to pasture and Fontenot and some of the other brass should be fired, along with the new coach. Will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
The main problem is that new HCs and OCs get hired too quickly and aren't tied to working with the same existing QB. They are no longer coaches but stubborn dictators with a new fangeled system. Under the guise of implementing their new system, they immediately start blaming and getting rid of developing QBs.
On the other hand, there are too many darling QBs that have only played 1 – 2 seasons and immediately one and done. They don't study film and playbooks. They haven't learned the most basic footwork and rely on scrambling making plays. They don't sit in the pocket and go through their progressions. Compare Brock Purdy to Zach Wilson, Mac Jones in his later years, and Justin Fields. It's kinda like the Mahomes effect and they try to copy him.
Its not about guys that progress. Its one thing to get your feet wet and start to make a difference. But the difference just isnt coming all these superstar college QBs turn out to be mediocre at best. During the first year you should be seeing progression into figuring it out and playing solid these guys just are not progressing at all plain and simple. Why waste your money on a guy that is gonna take 15 years to figure it out.
The reason why the JETS passed up on JF is the same reason why they didn't draft him…he's 🗑EVEN T-LAW if he was drafted by the JETS he would've been washed out of the league. T-LAW hasn't done s**t either. Competent teams/management/franchises succeed even Mr IRRELEVANT.
The NFL has no idea what it’s doing. Trey Lance got 4 games before everyone decided he was a bust. Fields looked ready to make the jump and now he’s gone. If you’re a college QB you better be ready the second you hit the field or you’re gone maybe as soon as your second year.
Homer
Its very disappointing to see the NFL cut guys early, especially guys who weren't in the best team situation coming in. Its a very cut throat league and with guys like Herbert, Stroud, Burrow, Hurts etc making statements in their first 2 years I think the expectations are changing for rookie QB's. Just because someone isn't great in their first few years doesn't mean they aren't going to be great. Unfortunately its beyond difficult to judge whether you are investing in a project or into a waste. The owners really have no choice but to pursue the ones that can produce results immediately. They know that some greats like Peyton Manning or Drew Brees took years to come into their own, but the situation is getting increasingly competitive.
Win now or your gone is only the reality for trash orgs. That's the difference. Look at the Giants vs Jets. Giants are a good org and they gave Eli time, they are giving Jones time. Jets are trash and they treat their QBs like it too
Hear me out… buy the cfl, minor league.
The key is to have the QB sit at least one full year. The jump from college to pro is huge! You also need to surround the QB with quality coaches and players.
Wow! Lots of good stuff this segment.
I don't know what Rich is talking about. The rule has always been THIRTY GAMES. You don't know if a quarterback is good or bad til they play thirty games. You don't anoint them til thirty games and you don't give up on them til thirty games. But if you've started thirty games, much less been with the team, mostly healthy, for three full seasons… and YOU HAVEN'T SHOWN UP YET? Well, you're probably not gonna. And that's when the team should move on.
And, give or take a few games (and if it's less it's probably because this pass-focused league is better at evaluating one they're in the league), that is exactly what's happening now. All of the players in the 2021 draft have gotten three full seasons to prove they can play in the NFL. And none of them have shown any ability to be a starting QB.
And it's not like we're seeing a LOT of jettisoned quarterbacks succeed elsewhere, we see like ONE every few years. Most of the ones that teams move on from, the team's were right.
What is Rich even talking about that the reason Fields got "a bag of balls" in return ISN'T because the entire league watched him flounder for three years and has three years of tape on him… AND THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE IS AND ISN'T?
JF1 – Just a tragic story with the Bears. Never given a chance. Bears couldn't manage their way out a paper bag with QBs. He had wunderkind Nagy to start then Everlose and Getsy/Getsky… Yeah Bears effed him over. He's got a new life with the Steelers. Good on him! And yes, I'm a Bear fan. Last great Bear QB? Sid Luckman – circa 1940s…. 😂😂😂
Idk how rich expects teams to sink more than 4 years into players/pay them a big contract to show that they are even capable of being successful in the nfl. Not every team is the jets, some want to actually win. Also the “win now or you’re gone notion” is bs when the qbs had 4 years to show anything. No one’s committing a decade to figure out if you’re a winner or not (which is what you have to do if you get a player on a second contract)
As a raiders fan how the packers handle rookie QBs is the right way draft them and let them learn behind a veteran don't just say sink or swim packers are proof it works they are successful dam near every year I wish the raiders would learn this method
Hey Rich you gave me a idea, maybe alot of teams dont practice like that anymore and will not find the time to develope the young qbs , pluss other players like running backs and pass catchers etc. We will have you take algebra2 while you never took algebra 1. This tells me one thing COACHING MATTERS!!!!!!❤😂🎉❤
Hi Seahawks fan here I believe Howell can be the qb of the future cause Geno is a bridge and he has to impress Macdonald cause Pete is not there anymore he gave Geno his shot plus Howell in this Seahawks offense would be fireworks cause he performed on pretty good on a bad Washington offense
Everyone except for Daniel Jones lol.
The evaluation of college QB's is far from a science and if it's an art it's more Jackson Pollack than Rembrandt. On the draftee's side there are reasons these teams have high draft choices and having bad OLs and OCs is on the list. Given the crucial role the QB plays on most teams then the current wastage rate is saying more about the evaluation process than the quality of the players, nobody is making them pick these guys. If teams are picking marginal NFL players high in the draft then something else is at play other than the actual draftees. Fan pressure, media speculation, owner impatience, rookie contracts, win now, all may contribute but it is a mess and it's getting worse.
He’s won 10 games in 3 years. What was fields supposed to be worth? They said he said NO to 4 teams before he was finally ok with going to Pittsburgh to be the backup over a starting role in other places. Not sure who the 4 teams were he said no to but the Dum Dum could have been a starter in NE
Does anyone think that RE is speaking out of both sides of his mouth? He is not the worst, but the hype, hype, hype of untested college QB's by the media is disgraceful. Everyone involved is guilty of being short-sighted, short term profit over wealth. The NFL is revolving door on GM and HC. You have 3 years, and thank you very much. A team which breaks that cycle could be sitting in the cat bird seat.
What about Geno Smith's rebirth in Seattle? Maybe the NFL needs a minor league/farm system like they have in baseball and hockey to let players develop.
Goff and Mayfield are good examples of the media and fans dumping on quality QBs and running them out of town.
I blame Josh Rosen
The media and fans buy into the win-now, if you don't win the SB, you are dogsh^^t mentality.
Could you have sustainable 10 win seasons, where the QB does his job? Could you wait for a WR or good OL that puts you in the playoffs? Could you be patient with a QB until he has a breakout season with a new OC? (never mind the defense) No. Most fans (esp. online) are childish and carp the entire off-season about their own hometown team for NOT winning the SB. I enjoy winning seasons. I enjoy playoff appearances. I like continuity in the players I cheer for. I'm a fan.
You don't need to win the SB to enjoy football.
Why don't they cap quarterbacks at 25 mil. a year and teams won't have such a problem with the cap situation. It's out of hand and getting worse.
What crappy teams expect from a first year rookie QB "come into the league better than Tom Brady left the league and do it within 2 years or you're gone" oh yeah and you'll be lucky if we build around you
NFL owners are learning from these stupid max contracts of QBs who might put up numbers but they don't win. Dak, Russell Wilson, Geno Smith, Daniel Jones all got good contracts but failed to live up their end of the bargain. These rookie contract QBs are now being told, play well AND win AND then you'll get the contract
I think it makes sense. I grew up a Ravens fan & I watched Ray Lewis & Ed Reed carry Kyle Boller for like 8 years.
On the flip side of the Sam Howell and Justin Fields situation, I do not think that putting Howell or Fields out there next year would be a great idea. I think both players need at most a season to reset and be in a stable situation. Have time to be with QBs that excel at their weaknesses (at least in Howell's case) and learn from them, while allowing Howell and Fields the time to unlearn the negative traits they got from their previous teams.
if Aaron Rogers would have played his first season, he never becomes 'A-Rod' Zach Wilson and Justin Fields CAN be ELITE they just didnt have good teams around him
Almost all of the NFL gave up on Baker Mayfield because he had a bad year while playing with a torn rotator cuff. Rich, you're assuming that front offices know how to accurately evaluate stuff.
These people would've cut Peyton Manning after his rookie year
Of all the qbs in this years carousel I think Howell will become one of the best backups in the league for a long time.
I can only speak for NE when i say this, but i feel the Pats did him a favor by trading him. Bill did him dirty year 2 and in year 3 Mac was asked to make a 4 course meal with frozen veggies and some quinoa.