The Giants benched Manning on Tuesday for rookie Daniel Jones. It is hard to say anything is the end for Manning, but this feels like it. Pair this with Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending elbow injury, and it feels like the famed 2004 quarterback draft class, which includes Manning, Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers, is nearing the end of its reign. Drew Brees, drafted three years earlier, is out six weeks with a hand injury. Manning, Roethlisberger, and Brees are three of the top five earners in the history of the sport—a testament to their longevity, success and fame—and none will play this weekend. This feels like the end of something.
The QB position will evolve just like every other position in the game.
Before the Forever QB the mobile guys were everywhere. Culpepper, McNabb, Vick, etc.
My hope is that the new blood doesn’t turn into a bunch of d-bags like Roethlisberger with women and Eli whining to be traded on Draft Day.
The real studs of the Forever QB class are Rivers (his numbers are unreal) and obviously Brees. All four QBs are HOF’ers.
This is a pretty exciting time in the league right now with all the young promising QBs: Biscuit, Mahomes, Jackson, Mayfield, Watson, Goff and Wentz. I’m probably missing somebody accidentally. None of those guys are d-bags. OK fine Mayfield talked smack about the Giants QB weeks ago. Big deal. I’m talking about stuff on the level of Roethlisberger and Eli Manning.
There’s also the hope of a changing of the guard. Brady isn’t going anywhere for years so NE will still be around. But GB will disappear as will the Steelers. The Giants won’t be a factor for years. Rivers will play until he’s 40 so he’s got some time. But it’s in the league’s best interest to get some new teams at the top of the heap especially in big markets like Chicago and LA. I prefer the new crop of QBs to the old guard that’s retiring.
I've read in a few places that Wentz is a d-bag. Not a rapist like Ben, but a prima donna that's supposedly really hard to work with. An ass-hat if you will.
There are some exciting young QB's in the NFL right now. It's been a really long time since you could say that.
Mahomes
Jackson
Mayfield
Watson
Trubisky
Wentz
Goff
Murray
Allen
Prescott
Garoppolo
Darnold
Hell, even guys like Daniel Jones, Mason Rudolph, Josh Rosen, Teddy Bridgewater (it blows my mind that he's still only 25), Mason Rudolph, Jacoby Brissett, Jarrett Stidham, and Gardner friggin Minshew have the opportunity to succeed when the vets in front of them step down for good.
It'll be interesting to see whether the number of exciting younger QBs is a product of their ability or the way offences in the NFL are going. I've been banging this drum for a while but I think there's a window now for a brave GM to back themselves, avoid paying their QB and instead getting whomever, knowing they'll be average but trusting the extra cap space will be better for the team.
"I wouldn't take him for a conditional 7th. His next contract will pay him more than he could possibly contribute.".
