Thursday brought the beginning of NFL free agency and while the quarterback-less Cleveland Browns are balling out and spending all their cash on offensive linemen, three quarterbacks of varying quality are in the middle of an awkward love triangle.
Let’s meet our three contestants!
Tony Romo: From San Diego, California, this 36-year-old is on the brink of being released (or traded) by the only team he’s ever played for, the Dallas Cowboys! Romo is a solid QB who has been injured a lot lately and isn’t allowed to sign with anyone in the NFC East. Romo is a four-time Pro Bowler and led the NFL in passer rating in 2014.
Trevor Siemian: From Windermere, Florida, this 25-year-old was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 7th round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of the elite Big 10 program, Northwestern! Siemian has played in 15 games over his career and started in 14 under center. This past season, the young QB started 14 games for the Denver Broncos and threw for 18 touchdowns while getting picked off 10 times. He isn’t a free agent, but is on a cheap rookie contract and could be traded.
Jay Cutler: From Santa Claus, Indiana (yes that’s a real place), this 33-year-old quarterback has gone from potential young star, to one of the best in the league, to loathed personality, to benchwarmer! Cutler played three seasons in Denver before playing the last eight seasons with the Chicago Bears. The QB played in just five games last year and led the Bears to a rough 1-4 record in those five games.
So how did this trio exactly form a love triangle? Here’s how.
Cowboys now expect to trade Tony Romo to Broncos or Texans, sources say. Broncos talking with Jets about Trevor Siemian.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) March 9, 2017
But that doesn’t involve Jay Cutler? Wait a second…
Bears are releasing QB Jay Cutler, per sources. Cutler asked for and was granted his release this morning. Now a free agent.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2017
For now, the list of teams with a potential interest in Jay Cutler starts with…the New York Jets.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2017
That explains that then. So let’s break this down in one simple sentence:
Romo is about to be released by the Cowboys who may instead trade him to the Broncos who will then trade Siemian to the Jets who are also interested in Cutler.
That was probably more confusing than the tweets, but you get the point.
Romo to the Houston Texans or Broncos has long made sense as both are good teams that are in need of a strong quarterback. This year’s draft isn’t full of top quarterback prospects, so landing Romo would be a huge acquisition for either team.
One way the Broncos may be able to make it happen is if they send Siemian to the Jets and get enough value in picks or players to then flip to the Cowboys. Siemian isn’t a bad QB, but Romo is probably a better option for Denver at least for the next two seasons. That’s how the Jets get involved in this awkward love triangle.
Sadly, that leaves Cutler as kind of the odd man out here. The Texans probably value Romo over Cutler, so they most likely wouldn’t go after Cutler if they lost out on Romo. On top of this, if Cutler ends up with the Jets along with Siemian, the two will compete for the job and it’ll probably go to Siemian. The thing is, that would probably be a win-win for the Jets.
Assuming Cutler is okay with it, he could be Siemian’s backup and help him mature and become a better QB overall. The only thing is, Cutler would no longer be a starter and one would assume he still wants to be a starter if he’s not retiring.
At the end of the day, this awkward love triangle will work itself out and if I were a betting man, I would assume Romo will land in Denver while the other two duke it out for the starting job in New York.
