The best quarterbacks in the NFL are recognized as Pro Bowlers, All-Pros, and sometimes even as the MVP. The worst quarterbacks are often replaced and forgotten about. However, the middle tier of quarterbacks–ones like Derek Carr or Jared Goff–reside in quarterback purgatory. They are not good enough to consistently make Pro Bowls (though some still do sometimes, and even better) but they are not bad enough to get replaced.
They exist on a hamster wheel of irrelevance. Sure, some hamster wheels are fancy, but it is still a hamster wheel.
Quarterback Purgatory: Broken Hamster Wheels, Including Derek Carr
There are two basic purgatories for quarterbacks. Some quarterbacks are reliably betrayed by their organizations: broken hamster wheels. Other quarterbacks could be given Hall of Famers everywhere and still be mediocre: golden hamster wheels.
This article will feature broken hamster wheels. Check out the golden hamster wheel article here.
Broken Hamster Wheels:
Cam Newton – New England Patriots
With all due respect to Jakobi Meyers, he is far from a WR1 in the modern NFL. Meyers is likely a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3 for most teams, but he is Newton’s only competent option most of the time. Newton often has good protection from New England’s great offensive line, but he is being pushed out of his comfort zone. Outside of Meyers, the Patriots do not have a reliable wide receiver or tight end.
During his 2015 MVP season, Newton was commonly heralded as doing the most with weak weapons. Now, his 2015 weapons would run circles around the pile of incompetence in the New England wide receiver room.
In fairness to the Patriots, Newton has been a wildly inconsistent passer during the season, but his weapons have offered no help.
Newton may not be the long-term option in New England regardless, but the Patriots need to correct recent draft mistakes soon.
Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens
Yes, the Ravens have Mark Andrews. However, do they have a top 50 wide receiver? Willie Snead and Marquise Brown, while productive at times, are not WR1 material in the NFL. Even with Jackson’s inconsistent accuracy, he lacks playmakers down the field. He has one reliable target, giving defenses free rein to double cover Andrews and force Jackson to throw the ball to lesser players.
Jackson is the reigning MVP and is backed by one of the better organizations in the NFL, but the erratic play calling from the offensive coordinator has often undermined the 2019 MVP’s passing game.
Baltimore could rectify the issue by pursuing one of the many wide receivers in the 2021 free agency class. The high end includes Chris Godwin, Kenny Golladay, and Allen Robinson, but someone like Corey Davis could be a slightly cheaper option. Baltimore could draft a wide receiver in the first round, but historically, Baltimore is abysmal at drafting wide receivers. The best wide receivers in team history were free agency or trade acquisitions.
Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans
While Newton and Jackson have been put into good situations with competent coaches and organizations, Watson was dealt no hand. He has had weapons, but the best weapon he has ever had (or likely will ever have) is DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins, generally regarded as a top-three wide receiver was traded for a second-round pick and an overpaid David Johnson.
However, weapons are not a problem in most games. Will Fuller (when healthy and not suspended) is a great piece and the likes of Brandin Cooks and Keke Coutee. Houston has had inconsistent production from the tight end spot, but at least they have tried with Jordan Akins and Darren Fells among others.
Even the offensive line that plagued Houston in 2017 and 2018 received a boost in the form of Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard.
The elephant in the room, Bill O’Brien, was finally let go earlier in the 2020 season. He undermined all of Watson’s stardom.
Houston can solve Watson’s spot in quarterback purgatory with a sensible hire at head coach and general manager.
Derek Carr – Las Vegas Raiders
No matter how well Derek Carr plays, the defense throws a wrench into the conversation. If Las Vegas had an average defense in 2019 and 2020, they would likely have made the playoffs in both seasons. Instead, Carr is left to be called overrated by fans that only look at the win column when judging quarterbacks. By any reasonable metric, Carr is having the best season of his career, but the Raiders are suffering at 7-7.
Derek Carr has had some talented weapons at his disposal including Amari Cooper and Darren Waller, and he has had a great offensive line for much of his seven-year tenure. However, in those seven years, Vegas has never been in the top 18 in scoring defense or total defense. Even the season that the Raiders went 12-4, they had a below-average defense.
The metronomic consistency of Las Vegas’s awful defense has set a cap on how long Carr will be the starter. With even an average defense, the Raiders would likely love Carr as their present and future starter.
Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions
In 12 years as the starter in Detroit, Stafford has been accompanied by one 1,000-yard rusher. Similarly, Detroit has had one great defense (2014), three good defenses (2013, 2016, 2018), and eight trainwrecks.
The biggest error Detroit has made in Stafford’s time was firing Jim Caldwell. Out of four seasons in Detroit, Caldwell led the Lions to three winning seasons and a pair of playoff berths. His lone losing season was 2015 when Detroit played six eventual playoff teams in the first eight weeks and started 1-7. They ended 7-9.
The hiring of Matt Patricia is the only error that comes close to the egregious firing of Caldwell. One can argue that Caldwell is not an elite head coach, but he is certainly not a bad head coach. Patricia was abysmal for his entire 2.5-year tenure in Detroit.
Stafford has had weapons including future Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson and Pro Bowlers in Golden Tate and the aforementioned Golladay, but the organization has repeatedly failed him, leaving him quarterback purgatory.
Stats are accurate as of Dec. 19, 2020.
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