WHICH FREE AGENT QB SHOULD THE JAGS CHOOSE TO LEAD THEM BACK TO THE PLAYOFFS?

Gavin Baker/Icon Sportswire

The Jaguars are going to sign a veteran QB. But who should they choose!?

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The NFL's legal tampering period — the unofficial start to NFL free agency every season — kicks off Monday. All signs point to the Jaguars signing a veteran quarterback to lead their squad in 2019. But which one(s) will the team choose?

Nick Foles

The love story between the Jaguars and Nick Foles has been being written for months. It was always clear that, despite their best attempts, the Eagles weren’t going to be able to franchise tag Nick Foles in an effort to trade the veteran QB — not with their current salary cap situation — and Foles to Jax makes too much sense. He’s worked with and had his greatest success with Jaguars’ OC John DeFilippo. Flip was Foles’ QB coach during the Eagles magical run to the Super Bowl in 2017. Among the QB needy teams, the Jaguars are the closest to making a run at the Lombardi. With the signing of Nick Foles and any luck, the Jaguars should be be able to avoid the catastrophic amount of injuries that they suffered along the O-Line in 2018, and compete for the AFC South Crown, once again. Foles will be the most expensive option, but he’s also the best option and comes with the least amount of risk on the field.

Teddy Bridgewater

Risk? That’s what the Jaguars would be taking if they elected to roll with Teddy B as their starter in 2018. Bridgewater hasn’t completed a full season as a starting QB since 2015. His lengthy injury history derailed his development after being selected in the first round of the 2014 draft. Still, Bridgewater does offer some upside. At just 26 years old his best football may be in front of him. But betting that Bridgewater won't get hurt during the course of a season would certainly be a risky proposition. Bridgewater will cost significantly less than Foles, but if Teddy B is the QB the Jaguars elect to sign, they’ll need to have a backup plan in place. 

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The Others

While Nick Foles and Teddy Bridgewater are seemingly the most likely candidates to become the Jaguars next starting QB, it’s still possible that the media has been duped by Deceptive Dave Caldwell and the rest of the Jaguars front office. There are a couple of other free agent QBs set to hit the market that make sense. Tyrod Taylor is an experienced veteran with a strong arm and excellent mobility. He’s turnover averse and is excellent when it comes to extending plays, a quality that Doug Marrone recently said he looks for in QBs. Then there’s Josh McCown, who had his best season under, you guessed it, John DeFilippo. McCown would represent the cheapest and most veteran option for the Jaguars, but he’s a smart QB that could find success once again with Flip. The rest of the guys on the market don’t make much sense from where I’m sitting. Ryan FitzMagic is too much of a gunslinger and doesn’t seem to operate well in a controlled offensive attack. The rest of the guys on the market are just that: guys. 

My Suggestion 

The Jaguars should sign Nick Foles. Having just turned 30 the Jaguars should sign him to a five-year deal, with an out after two-three seasons, worth around $17-20 million per year. They should offer him a signing bonus in 2019 that gets prorated over the course of his contract, which would free up some cap space for the Jaguars to make more moves in 2019. Foles could easily have five plus strong years of play left in him and could be more than a stop gap QB. The Jaguars should then sign Josh McCown to a team friendly deal. At 40 years old McCown isn’t likely to find a ton of teams interested in his services as a QB, especially in a market that sees very few teams in need of a veteran at the position. With Foles and McCown in the building, the Jaguars get immensely better at the QB position and have two guys that John DeFilippo knows he can win with. ​