With the St. Louis Rams at 6-9, going to miss the playoffs for the 10th straight season, and with only one game left, a Week 17 match-up against NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks, “Rams Nation” has their thoughts set on 2015.
And as the transition to the 2015 season emerges, the biggest question remains…who will be the starting quarterback for the Rams next year?
Let’s start by explaining the mess of a quarterback situation that happened this year. It started when QB Sam Bradford, the #1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, tore his ACL on the first drive of the third preseason game against the Browns. He had previously torn the same ACL in a week seven game against the Panthers during the 2013 season, while running out of bounds.
With Bradford out for the entire season, Rams’ head coach Jeff Fisher announced that the starting QB would be 34-year old Shaun Hill, a well-respected 12-year veteran in the NFL. But in week one against the Vikings, Hill struggled, going 8-13 for 81 yards, one interception, with a passer rating of 47.3. He was injured in the first half of the game and was replaced by third-string quarterback Austin Davis. Davis went 16-23, threw for 192 yards, and just like Hill, threw an interception, as the Rams lost 34-6.
The very next week, Davis started against the Buccaneers, and led a late-game comeback as the Rams won 19-17. However, St. Louis lost the next three games, in which Davis had performances which ranged from very good, to essentially mediocre. For his last four starts, Davis would go 2-2, with wins against the Seahawks and 49ers, and losses against the Chiefs and Cardinals. After the loss to the Cardinals, in which he went 17-30, threw one touchdown and two interceptions, Fisher benched Davis in favor of a now-healthy Hill.
Hill would have a decent game against the Broncos, but with help from a strong running game, and physical defense, who would shut down Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Manning all afternoon, the Rams would win 22-7. Since that win, St. Louis has gone 2-3, with their wins being a 52-0 shutout against the Raiders, and a 24-0 shutout against the Redskins.
The Rams will either finish 6-10 or 7-9 this season (depending on this week’s outcome). There have been many bright moments throughout the 2014 season, but overall, it’s been an inconsistent one, with injuries to key players on both sides of the ball, questionable play calls, and heartbreaking losses. The team is full of talented, young players, and boast one of the NFL’s most dominant defensive lines.
But, it’s back to the Rams’ quarterback position that leads to a big debate among fans and analysts alike. There are many options, ranging from the three current QB’s on the roster, to many potential and current free agents, and in a more stretch of a thought, college quarterbacks that will be entering the draft in 2015.
So, who should be the Rams quarterback next season?
In no particular order, here are five quarterbacks that have been talked about in the debate:
1. Shaun Hill
In his decade-plus career, Hill has thrown for over 7500 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions. Aside from instances with the 49ers and Lions, he has not been a longtime starter.
As of now, he is expected to become an unrestricted free agent, as his one-year deal expires following this season. Hill will be turning 35 next year, and while he’s still a decent back-up to have, and while other teams might also want to take a look at signing him, it seems unlikely that the Rams will have Hill remain their starting quarterback. However, they could re-sign him as well, keeping him on the roster for at least one more season…
2. Austin Davis
Davis, much like Hill, is expected to become a free agent next season. However, Davis is expected to become a restricted free agent, meaning if he signs a new offer sheet with another team, his current team (in this case, the Rams) have a chance to match the offer. Per regulations, players become restricted free agents after three seasons with one team, and their contract expires.
In his short career, the 25-year old Davis has thrown for over 2000 yards, 12 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a passer rating of 85.1. He also has a completion percentage of 63.4%.
At this point, it doesn’t seem likely that the Rams will roll with Davis as their starting quarterback for the 2015 season, and it remains to be seen if he will be re-signed at all.
3. Jay Cutler
In 120 career starts, the 31-year old has a record of 62-58, and has thrown for almost 28,000 yards in his career. Cutler also has thrown 183 touchdowns and 130 interceptions.
The Chicago Bears are a mess right now, both on the field, and in the front office. Despite the struggles throughout the season, it’s hard to imagine quarterback Jay Cutler leaving the Bears considering the massive contract given to him (though it is more probable coach Marc Trestman and GM Phil Emery will be gone from the Bears after this season). In addition to the $22 million Cutler is scheduled to make 2014, he’s also expected to make $32 million over the following two seasons.
It seems highly unlikely Jay Cutler will sign with the Rams (or any team besides the Bears) next season…
4. Marcus Mariota
The 2014 Heisman trophy winner from Oregon will be entering the NFL draft in 2015, and is expected to be a top pick. And while it’s been discussed if the Rams should draft Mariota or not, it would be a task for them to even be in a good enough position to draft him. If the season ended today, team’s that need a quarterback (and are anticipated to draft one) include the Titans and Buccaneers. As of now, the Titans have the top pick, while the Buccaneers have the second pick in the draft. The Rams as of now, have the 12th.
It would be surprising if neither Tennessee or Tampa Bay ends up drafting Mariota, who has career stats of 10,125 yards, 101 passing touchdowns, and only 12 interceptions.
He’s also rushed for over 2000 yards, and scored 28 touchdowns on the ground.
Predicted to be a #1 pick (or at the very least, a 1st round pick) in next year’s draft, the 21-year old Mariota could very well be off the board by the time the Rams are on the clock. That is, if they are even interested in him…
5. Sam Bradford
Now we’ve arrived at the case of Bradford.
It’s no secret that general manager Les Snead and the Rams franchise as a whole have invested a lot in #8. But in his five seasons as a pro, Bradford has missed 31 out of 80 possible games, and can now be labeled as an injury-prone player. A quarterback coming back from an ACL injury, to an extent, is like a pitcher coming back from Tommy John surgery: they may still play at a top level, or they may play worse, but they aren’t the same athlete.
Bradford has career stats of 11,065 yards, 59 TD’s and 38 INT’s, with an overall passer rating of 79.3. In 2010, he set an NFL record for completions by a rookie, with 354, and that stat, along with throwing for over 3500 yards, helped Bradford earn the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
However, not only is he becoming more of a liability at quarterback, he is becoming a financially expensive one. When he was drafted by the Rams, Bradford signed a 6-year/$78 million deal, with $50 million guaranteed, making it one of the largest contracts for a rookie in NFL history.
And heading into next year, that’s a problem.
Bradford will carry a cap number of $16.58 million next season. Now, if the Rams decide to move on and release Bradford prior to the 2015 season, they will save a total of nearly $13 million ($12,985,000 to be exact). Does that mean that the only way St. Louis can save money is to release Bradford? Nope. Not at all. In fact, they could very well negotiate with Bradford and his agent in an attempt to try and get him to take a pay-cut, which would also be a positive outcome.
Snead and the Rams’ front office has a big decision to make this off-season, on whether to continue investing in the player they expected to be their franchise quarterback, or to give another quarterback a shot…
There are many options at quarterback out there, many more that weren’t listed above. And it will be a major talking point throughout the next year.
The bottom-line is, until the 2015 season begins, the “Great QB Debate” will rage on in St. Louis…
(Photo Credit: Bob Leverone/Associated Press)
