I have always taken exception to grandiose exultations like, “That’s unbelievable,” “Never has there been anything like,” “I don’t believe this,” or “A once in a lifetime event.”
I lived through a number of once in a lifetime events, 100 year storms or something I will never see again, and expect to see some more.
So, it is with humility and sincerity that I say this about the current state of the National Football League, “I have never seen anything like this.”
We have had ten head coaching changes since the end of the regular season and the only coach in history to take over a team mid-year and lead them to the playoffs didn’t keep his job. We have seen quarterbacks move around the league like roaches scrambling for cover when struck by a light in the night.
There is always movement of backup quarterbacks who get a big payday for insurance against a front line starter being lost to an injury. But this year, have you ever seen anything like it? We have franchise signal callers calling it quits or shifting teams at an alarming rate. And as for head coaches, in a typical season seven head coaches will lose their job, but the recent departure of Bruce Arians takes that number to double figures, and the guy who led the Raiders out of darkness to the playoffs didn’t get rewarded with anything but a dismissal.
The Raiders were jolted by revelations about head coach Jon Gruden that led to his departure in October, and his replacement, interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, accomplished something Gruden had not achieved in his second stint with the Raiders, a playoff berth. Bisaccia is the only coach in NFL history to take over a team after his predecessor had been removed midseason and guide his squad to the playoffs.
In the process, the Raiders had to part ways with a pair of players they spent first round draft choices on in 2020. One of the first round picks acquired from shipping Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears was spent on Damon Arnette, who had character problems that forced the team to cut him during the 2021 campaign. The Silver and Black also lost another 2020 first round choice when Henry Ruggs was involved in an automobile accident that killed a woman and ended his football career.
Still, Bisaccia somehow overcame these challenges and guided the Raiders into the postseason, which resulted in narrow loss to eventual American Football Conference Champion Cincinnati. After the season, it was reported Bisaccia received no serious consideration to earn the job full time and the Raiders hired Josh McDaniel.
Nine other teams hired new coaches including the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had a one and done experience with Urban Meyer, and brought in one-time Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson. The new Jaguars head coach guided the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl Championship to complete the 2017 season. For those that think that is a good thing, perhaps a history lesson would douse their enthusiasm. No coach in NFL history has ever won a Super Bowl with two different franchises.
The Jaguars are going to try and do it with the quarterback that was everyone’s projected top pick in last year’s draft, Trevor Lawrence. Turns out, after first-year results are in, the quarterback that was picked last from the top five prospects might be the best of the group. After the Jaguars took Lawrence, the New York Jets selected Zach Wilson, the San Francisco 49ers Trey Lance and the Chicago Bears Justin Fields before the New England Patriots acquired Mac Jones with the 15th pick in the first round.
Lawrence struggled with an inept Jaguars squad; Wilson didn’t greatly improve the Jets fortunes and spent a portion of the year sidelined with an injury; Lance was a backup in San Francisco and failed to impress when forced into duty while starter Jimmy Garopollo was out; Fields didn’t extend his winning college ways to the pro ranks in his first season with the Bears. At the same time, Jones earned a spot on the Pro Bowl roster after leading the Patriots into the postseason.
As for veteran quarterbacks, two that account for nine Super Bowl wins called it quits at the end of the 2021 season, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady. After 40 days in football retirement, Brady rescinded his retirement plans and will be back for a 23rd professional campaign in 2022.
The off-season began with speculation that another one-time Super Bowl winning quarterback and both current and four time Most Valuable Player Award recipient, Aaron Rodgers, may be looking for a new address to hang his jersey. Instead, Rodgers opted to stay with the Green Bay Packers, who soon after parted ways with the player he called the best he’d ever played with, wide receiver Davante Adams. The talented wide receiver is now a Raider.
While Rodgers stayed put, a number of other big name quarterbacks have switched teams this offseason. The list includes Russell Wilson, who goes from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos and Matt Ryan, who gilded the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl five years ago and in 2022 will be leading the fortunes of the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts traded Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders. The Pittsburgh Steelers traded for Mitchell Trubisky, who will always be remembered in Chicago as the quarterback they drafted while Patrick Mahomes was still available.
The 49ers still have Jimmy Garoppolo on their roster, the QB with the highest winning percentage without acknowledgement for his efforts and the guy most think will be replaced in 2022 by Lance. Then there is the move by the Cleveland Browns, who appear to be following the same formula that resulted in a Super Bowl win for the Los Angeles Rams last season.
Last year, the Rams traded their future in terms of draft choices and their starting quarterback to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford, and edged the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. The Browns packaged six draft choices, including three first round picks, to acquire Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans.
Like the Rams last year, it’s all in for the Cleveland Browns in 2022.
Which also means this, Cleveland in all likelihood will jettison one-time top pick in the draft, quarterback Baker Mayfield, to another team in need of a signal caller. Perhaps the Seahawks, who are now without the man that has led them since 2012, or the Steelers, who can’t really believe Trubisky is a worthy replacement for Big Ben.
The NFL is moving pieces around this off-season like a Risk game board on a picnic table during a windstorm.
I’ve never seen anything like it.