QB Musical Chairs

Smell The Glove

Item: Los Angeles Rams release Nick Foles at his request.

On the one hand, there was clearly zero faith in Foles coming from the Rams. They traded up and gave a king's ransom to take Jared Goff, who will be force-fed as the new face of a new franchise. Goff's even got mild home-field advantage as the ex triggerman at Stanford, and unlike Foles, he has the belief of more than a few scouts, along with better footspeed than a dead animal, which is something you can't always say about Foles.

On the other... um, dude, you do realize that there might not be a single NFL franchise that honestly wants you, even as a backup, right now? And that you got beat out for the job last year by Case Keenum, who is somehow still in the NFL?

I think Foles is among the top 65 QBs in the world, which is all you need to be to get paid by, well, someone. But he's not getting a gig again in Philadelphia with their three guys under contract. Maybe Kansas City, if Andy Reid is still enamored. Perhaps Dallas, because, um, Dallas. But I wouldn't be so certain about his continued ability to get paid.

Item: New York Jets sign Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one year contract for $12 million.

If there's a bigger stopgap situation in the NFL... well, there is, because the Eagles exist. But still, this is the total Jets move.

Fitz actually gave them great production and value last year, assuming, of course, that you don't count the most important week of the year, when he crapped the bed in Buffalo in week 17 with the playoffs on the line. Which is kind of the whole problem with Fitz.

Well, that and the age, and the fact that he's been everywhere, and aging, and prone to taking big hits from his better than average mobility, and his willingness to sell out for plays. His ceiling has always been extremely good back-up QB and extremely ordinary starter, and the Jets have nothing better in the present, but hope to have something better in Christian Hackenberg in a year. But unlike Bradford/Wentz in Philadelphia, the Jets didn't totally mortgage the future for Hack, and second-round QBs are not exactly a sure bet.

So what we've got here is short-term relief for the fantasy value of the Jet wideouts, a chance in Hell that there might be a team that can break the Patriots stranglehold on the division, and a deal that probably should have gotten done four months ago and with no drama.

But, well, didn't.

Because Jets.

And if you have a hankering for the jersey of either of these guys?

You'll be able to get it cheap. Respectively, sooner and later...