2024 Looks Like a Great Year for the Vikings to Draft a Quarterback

[Keith_Morrison]

Good read.

2024 Looks Like a Great Year for the Vikings to Draft a QB
College football appears to be loaded with great QB prospects this season.
Will Ragatz

It's still very early, but 2024 looks like a great year for the Vikings to use a top pick on a quarterback.

Kirk Cousins' contract expires after this season and neither Nick Mullens nor Jaren Hall are likely to be viable long-term replacement options. That puts Minnesota in line to add a new QB next offseason.

Luckily for them, if the opening weekend of the 2023 college football season was any indication, there are going to be a ton of intriguing options in next year's draft. That's good news because even if the Vikings end up outside the top 20 picks again, the sheer volume of talented quarterback prospects should make it easier to land someone they covet — whether that's with a trade up or not.

Let's take a look at some of the top names to know in the 2024 QB class and what they did in Week 1 (some also played in Week 0 last weekend).

Caleb Williams, USC
Williams, last year's Heisman Trophy winner, has long been the heavy favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the '24 draft. He's done nothing to change that perception so far. In wins over San Jose State and Nevada, Williams has thrown for 597 yards and nine touchdowns with no interceptions. The Vikings are unlikely to have a shot at Williams, as the Cardinals seem quite intent on tanking for the USC signal-caller.

Drake Maye, North Carolina
The consensus No. 2 prospect in next year's class, Maye would be the top pick in the draft if Williams didn't exist. The reigning ACC player of the year wasn't at his peak on Saturday — he threw for 269 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 picks — but it was enough to take down rival South Carolina for a big season-opening victory. Maye is an incredible prospect in his own right.

J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
McCarthy has been linked to the Vikings in a couple way-too-early mock drafts because he's projected to be more of a mid-first round pick than a top-ten guy. He looked the part in Saturday's opener against East Carolina, completing 26 of 30 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns. McCarthy's athletic tools are outstanding.

Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Penix is an older prospect as a sixth-year senior, but he has the tools and ability to be firmly in the discussion in a wide-open QB3 race. He began his season by torching Boise State to the tune of 450 passing yards and five touchdowns without a pick. Penix, who throws left-handed and began his career at Indiana, showed off very impressive deep ball accuracy in Washington's blowout win. He has a cannon of an arm.

Quinn Ewers, Texas
Ewers, the No. 1 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class, committed to Ohio State and then transferred to Texas, where he showed flashes of his upside in an up-and-down 2022 season. He got off to a great start to 2023, throwing three touchdowns and rushing for another in an easy win against Rice. Ewers has big-time arm talent.

Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
The biggest story, by far, from this weekend in the college football world was Colorado's thrilling upset road victory over a ranked TCU team in Deion Sanders' first game as a Power 5 head coach. With a brand-new roster of transfers, Coach Prime's group stunned a Horned Frogs team that played in last year's national championship, winning 45-42.

One of the breakout stars in the victory was Sanders' son Shedeur, who followed his father from HBCU Jackson State to Boulder this year. Shedeur was sensational in this game, completing 38 of 47 passes for a school-record 510 yards and four touchdowns. He got the ball out quickly, made great reads, and threw accurate balls to every level of the field. The younger Sanders emphatically announced himself as a QB to watch in the 2024 class.

Bo Nix, Oregon
Nix is up there with Penix as one of the top senior quarterbacks in the country. He didn't live up to the hype during his three years at Auburn, but he transferred to Oregon and broke out by scoring 44 total touchdowns in a huge 2022 season. Nix is an accurate dual-threat prospect who could work his way into the first-round conversation with another big year. He didn't have to sweat much in an 81-7 win over Portland State this weekend, throwing three touchdowns before being lifted from the game with a 50-point lead.

Others
That's just seven names. There are a bunch more that are worth tracking. Florida State's Jordan Travis and LSU's Jayden Daniels are set to face off on Sunday evening. Duke's Riley Leonard will take on Clemson on Monday night. Some of the other QB prospects to know include Joe Milton III (Tennessee), Spencer Rattler (South Carolina), K.J. Jefferson (Arkansas), Michael Pratt (Tulane), Austin Reed (Western Kentucky), and Sam Hartman (Notre Dame).

You get the idea. This looks like a loaded 2024 quarterback class, which lines up quite nicely with the Vikings' timeline at the position.

[Beef Supreme]

Definitely a storyline to follow with uncertainty at quarterback next year. Hopefully, they’re all awesome and we can get a good guy on even after a good year.


Thanks for posting the list. Let’s follow these guys through the NCAA season.

[RubeTube]

Meh…

That list is just a bunch more uncertainties than we had this year.

It’s a 2 QB draft just like last year with only 1 guy looking like a sure fire stud.

I would rather have Anthony Richardson than any guy off that list other than Williams. The only difference is we will probably be forced to draft one of these bustas because this team never thinks ahead at the position.

We act as if the Packers were just lucky to land 2 of the best QBs to ever play but they actually have some forward thinking. Could you ever imagine the Vikings drafting Rodgers when they Favre on roster? Hell, we won’t even draft them when we have guys like Turdwater under center. This team always thinks it’s a QB retread and draft pick away from winning it all. They should have already had Cousins replacement on roster if this is truly it.

[Offsides 97 defense]

You will see this team load up to move up and get one for this upcoming draft. There is simply no way that a young, freshly hired, QB-minded head coach doesn't want to put a stamp on a QB of his own. Even if Cousins were to come back on a cap-friendly two-year extension, he is in the death rattle of his career. I would draft two if I were Kwesi and Kevin.

But many in this fanbase don't seem to like that. They want first-round corners and wide receivers every year.

[BadTakesInc]

Just hope we get the right one so JJ doesn't force his way out of town because we're wasting his prime.

[Sportsrgreat]

We need to take a swing in the first round. What is the plan next year?

[PurpleFloyd]

We are developing Hall

[Hornets]

LOL....and the discussion about QB drafting goes on and on and on and on!!

[Butch Bradford]

I want the Vikes to draft J.J. McCarthy.

That way, when the Vikes score a passing TD, Paul Allen can make the call..."J.J. to J.J......TOUCHDOWN!'

[Oriole81]

I want the Vikes to draft J.J. McCarthy.

That way, when the Vikes score a passing TD, Paul Allen can make the call..."J.J. to J.J......TOUCHDOWN!'

Like when the Packers drafted Amari Rodgers, hoping for A-Rod to A-Rod.

[Butch Bradford]

I want the Vikes to draft J.J. McCarthy.

That way, when the Vikes score a passing TD, Paul Allen can make the call..."J.J. to J.J......TOUCHDOWN!'

Like when the Packers drafted Amari Rodgers, hoping for A-Rod to A-Rod.

Lol. Yes but that never quote panned out.

[Oriole81]

We need to take a swing in the first round. What is the plan next year?

The HOPE is that there will end up being 5+ prospects worthy of a first round pick, because then it makes it extremely more affordable to ensure you find a guy without having to trade heaven and earth.

It will be a big buzzkill if none of these guys end up being better draft day prospects than Levis, which is still very possible.

[minnemike]

We need to take a swing in the first round. What is the plan next year?

The HOPE is that there will end up being 5+ prospects worthy of a first round pick, because then it makes it extremely more affordable to ensure you find a guy without having to trade heaven and earth.

It will be a big buzzkill if none of these guys end up being better draft day prospects than Levis, which is still very possible.

I just want someone drafted. I think we can agree that KOC has so far maximized what can be squeezed out of Hall? And considering that's a 5th rounder, we have to trust that KOC can get some legit value with a higher QB pick. At some point, we just have to trust that KOC can pick out his guy and then develop him... the higher the pick, the quicker that development should be. Yes, always a chance for a bust.

[Beef Supreme]

We need to take a swing in the first round. What is the plan next year?

The HOPE is that there will end up being 5+ prospects worthy of a first round pick, because then it makes it extremely more affordable to ensure you find a guy without having to trade heaven and earth.

It will be a big buzzkill if none of these guys end up being better draft day prospects than Levis, which is still very possible.

I just want someone drafted. I think we can agree that KOC has so far maximized what can be squeezed out of Hall? And considering that's a 5th rounder, we have to trust that KOC can get some legit value with a higher QB pick. At some point, we just have to trust that KOC can pick out his guy and then develop him... the higher the pick, the quicker that development should be. Yes, always a chance for a bust.

I’m with you, but even if there is 5 first-round QB prospects, that doesn’t mean there are 5 that O’Connell will consider “his guy.” If he only likes one or two of them, we’d better hope those two are not the top-5 pick guys. We know that he won’t take a QB he doesn’t believe in just because he’s considered a top prospect by others. If he did, we’d have Levis or Hooker on our team now.

[Oriole81]

We need to take a swing in the first round. What is the plan next year?

The HOPE is that there will end up being 5+ prospects worthy of a first round pick, because then it makes it extremely more affordable to ensure you find a guy without having to trade heaven and earth.

It will be a big buzzkill if none of these guys end up being better draft day prospects than Levis, which is still very possible.

I just want someone drafted. I think we can agree that KOC has so far maximized what can be squeezed out of Hall? And considering that's a 5th rounder, we have to trust that KOC can get some legit value with a higher QB pick. At some point, we just have to trust that KOC can pick out his guy and then develop him... the higher the pick, the quicker that development should be. Yes, always a chance for a bust.

The ultimate hope is that KOC is LESS particular about the specific QB that they ultimately invest in, because it becomes cheaper if you're comfortable casting a wide net. Considering there may not be much difference between QBs 4-6, roughly the range we'll be able to get into, it would be nice if they would be relatively content with any, and then just trust that KOC is capable of getting the most out of them.

I don't know if that's the case though considering we have already passed on Pickett and Levis in back to back years.

[Beef Supreme]

The HOPE is that there will end up being 5+ prospects worthy of a first round pick, because then it makes it extremely more affordable to ensure you find a guy without having to trade heaven and earth.

It will be a big buzzkill if none of these guys end up being better draft day prospects than Levis, which is still very possible.

I just want someone drafted. I think we can agree that KOC has so far maximized what can be squeezed out of Hall? And considering that's a 5th rounder, we have to trust that KOC can get some legit value with a higher QB pick. At some point, we just have to trust that KOC can pick out his guy and then develop him... the higher the pick, the quicker that development should be. Yes, always a chance for a bust.

The ultimate hope is that KOC is LESS particular about the specific QB that they ultimately invest in, because it becomes cheaper if you're comfortable casting a wide net. Considering there may not be much difference between QBs 4-6, roughly the range we'll be able to get into, it would be nice if they would be relatively content with any, and then just trust that KOC is capable of getting the most out of them.

I don't know if that's the case though considering we have already passed on Pickett and Levis in back to back years.

Right. Recent behavior suggests he is picky, but there’s not a lot of data points to confirm that for sure.

[ForCaleb]

We are developing Hall

Correct. This is the way.

[Oriole81]

We are developing Hall

Correct. This is the way.

I mean, that would be fantastic.

It's hard to trust that working, and I'd certainly be questioning things if they let Cousins go and don't draft someone because they have faith in Hall, but if they can pull that off it's a total game changer.

[PurpleFloyd]

We are developing Hall

Correct. This is the way.

I mean, that would be fantastic.

It's hard to trust that working, and I'd certainly be questioning things if they let Cousins go and don't draft someone because they have faith in Hall, but if they can pull that off it's a total game changer.

How many of the top 4 QBs in this past draft do you trust?

How many of the top 4 in the past 5 drafts did you trust that have become better than Kirk is right now?

Would you take Mayfield straight up? He was the #1 pick.

[Oriole81]

Correct. This is the way.

I mean, that would be fantastic.

It's hard to trust that working, and I'd certainly be questioning things if they let Cousins go and don't draft someone because they have faith in Hall, but if they can pull that off it's a total game changer.

How many of the top 4 QBs in this past draft do you trust?

How many of the top 4 in the past 5 drafts did you trust that have become better than Kirk is right now?

Would you take Mayfield straight up? He was the #1 pick.

I'm not saying it. I've said on here that I would have done a two year/$70M extension this offseason if it was on the table.

However, its a very real possibility that Kwesi/KOC want to pursue a rookie scale QB, so for the sake of having something to talk about, I'm trying to as well work within that narrative. It's no fun to shut out the entire narrative, especially when there's a whole season to let things play out.

I do think there is value though in having a rookie scale QB, even if its just someone like Teddy that you don't want to break the bank for on a 2nd contract, so if they think they can get one of the prospects to at least Teddy level quick, then I'm open to that notion.

I know you brought up Baker as a joke, but he does have the same number of playoff wins as Cousins. The rookie scale QB contract is a thing.

[hategreenticemase]

I mean, that would be fantastic.

It's hard to trust that working, and I'd certainly be questioning things if they let Cousins go and don't draft someone because they have faith in Hall, but if they can pull that off it's a total game changer.

How many of the top 4 QBs in this past draft do you trust?

How many of the top 4 in the past 5 drafts did you trust that have become better than Kirk is right now?

Would you take Mayfield straight up? He was the #1 pick.

I'm not saying it. I've said on here that I would have done a two year/$70M extension this offseason if it was on the table.

However, its a very real possibility that Kwesi/KOC want to pursue a rookie scale QB, so for the sake of having something to talk about, I'm trying to as well work within that narrative. It's no fun to shut out the entire narrative, especially when there's a whole season to let things play out.

I do think there is value though in having a rookie scale QB, even if its just someone like Teddy that you don't want to break the bank for on a 2nd contract, so if they think they can get one of the prospects to at least Teddy level quick, then I'm open to that notion.

I know you brought up Baker as a joke, but he does have the same number of playoff wins as Cousins. The rookie scale QB contract is a thing.

I'm still slightly bewildered they didn't extend him. If they could have gotten him at the numbers you just listed and they didn't that's an asinine decision. I doubt they would have gotten him for that but holy s*** if they would have that would have been fantastic.

Anyway, I think the right move was drafting a guy like Hall, committed to developing him for a year and assessing where you're at at the end to see is this guy something that could be a franchise quarterback within another year or so? Extend cousins and get another two or three years out of them and then hand the ball off to Hall or whoever they selected. If at the end of the first year the guy is not looking like you has the chops to be a big time quarterback then cut bait and draft someone else.

There is no signs of wear on cousins at all. His arm strength is still very good. I think it's reasonable he could play three strong more years.

[Oriole81]

How many of the top 4 QBs in this past draft do you trust?

How many of the top 4 in the past 5 drafts did you trust that have become better than Kirk is right now?

Would you take Mayfield straight up? He was the #1 pick.

I'm not saying it. I've said on here that I would have done a two year/$70M extension this offseason if it was on the table.

However, its a very real possibility that Kwesi/KOC want to pursue a rookie scale QB, so for the sake of having something to talk about, I'm trying to as well work within that narrative. It's no fun to shut out the entire narrative, especially when there's a whole season to let things play out.

I do think there is value though in having a rookie scale QB, even if its just someone like Teddy that you don't want to break the bank for on a 2nd contract, so if they think they can get one of the prospects to at least Teddy level quick, then I'm open to that notion.

I know you brought up Baker as a joke, but he does have the same number of playoff wins as Cousins. The rookie scale QB contract is a thing.

I'm still slightly bewildered they didn't extend him. If they could have gotten him at the numbers you just listed and they didn't that's an asinine decision. I doubt they would have gotten him for that but holy s*** if they would have that would have been fantastic.

Anyway, I think the right move was drafting a guy like Hall, committed to developing him for a year and assessing where you're at at the end to see is this guy something that could be a franchise quarterback within another year or so? Extend cousins and get another two or three years out of them and then hand the ball off to Hall or whoever they selected. If at the end of the first year the guy is not looking like you has the chops to be a big time quarterback then cut bait and draft someone else.

There is no signs of wear on cousins at all. His arm strength is still very good. I think it's reasonable he could play three strong more years.

Supposedly the talk was he was willing to go under the Jones/Carr range of guys, but wanted multiple years and we would only do one year.

[hategreenticemase]

I'm not saying it. I've said on here that I would have done a two year/$70M extension this offseason if it was on the table.

However, its a very real possibility that Kwesi/KOC want to pursue a rookie scale QB, so for the sake of having something to talk about, I'm trying to as well work within that narrative. It's no fun to shut out the entire narrative, especially when there's a whole season to let things play out.

I do think there is value though in having a rookie scale QB, even if its just someone like Teddy that you don't want to break the bank for on a 2nd contract, so if they think they can get one of the prospects to at least Teddy level quick, then I'm open to that notion.

I know you brought up Baker as a joke, but he does have the same number of playoff wins as Cousins. The rookie scale QB contract is a thing.

I'm still slightly bewildered they didn't extend him. If they could have gotten him at the numbers you just listed and they didn't that's an asinine decision. I doubt they would have gotten him for that but holy s*** if they would have that would have been fantastic.

Anyway, I think the right move was drafting a guy like Hall, committed to developing him for a year and assessing where you're at at the end to see is this guy something that could be a franchise quarterback within another year or so? Extend cousins and get another two or three years out of them and then hand the ball off to Hall or whoever they selected. If at the end of the first year the guy is not looking like you has the chops to be a big time quarterback then cut bait and draft someone else.

There is no signs of wear on cousins at all. His arm strength is still very good. I think it's reasonable he could play three strong more years.

Supposedly the talk was he was willing to go under the Jones/Carr range of guys, but wanted multiple years and we would only do one year.

Man, that's really disappointing if true. I don't understand that at all. That was your formula. Get cap relief you need, solidify the QB for 2-3 more years AND allow yourself the chance to cheaply resolve the QB of future issue potentially, if you hit on a guy like Hall.

Awful decision.

[witljon]

Meh…

That list is just a bunch more uncertainties than we had this year.

It’s a 2 QB draft just like last year with only 1 guy looking like a sure fire stud.

I would rather have Anthony Richardson than any guy off that list other than Williams. The only difference is we will probably be forced to draft one of these bustas because this team never thinks ahead at the position.

We act as if the Packers were just lucky to land 2 of the best QBs to ever play but they actually have some forward thinking. Could you ever imagine the Vikings drafting Rodgers when they Favre on roster? Hell, we won’t even draft them when we have guys like Turdwater under center. This team always thinks it’s a QB retread and draft pick away from winning it all. They should have already had Cousins replacement on roster if this is truly it.

There’s always going to be some Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Mac Jones, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Mitch Trubisky, Carson Wentz, Jameis Winston, Blake Botrles, types.

[Beef Supreme]

The cool thing about right now is that we no longer have to look at theoreticals and “typical drafts.” We can start watching these guys play and evaluating them for what they are.

[Beef Supreme]

I'm still slightly bewildered they didn't extend him. If they could have gotten him at the numbers you just listed and they didn't that's an asinine decision. I doubt they would have gotten him for that but holy s*** if they would have that would have been fantastic.

Anyway, I think the right move was drafting a guy like Hall, committed to developing him for a year and assessing where you're at at the end to see is this guy something that could be a franchise quarterback within another year or so? Extend cousins and get another two or three years out of them and then hand the ball off to Hall or whoever they selected. If at the end of the first year the guy is not looking like you has the chops to be a big time quarterback then cut bait and draft someone else.

There is no signs of wear on cousins at all. His arm strength is still very good. I think it's reasonable he could play three strong more years.

Supposedly the talk was he was willing to go under the Jones/Carr range of guys, but wanted multiple years and we would only do one year.

Man, that's really disappointing if true. I don't understand that at all. That was your formula. Get cap relief you need, solidify the QB for 2-3 more years AND allow yourself the chance to cheaply resolve the QB of future issue potentially, if you hit on a guy like Hall.

Awful decision.

Someone else mentioned it and I think there’s truth to it.


Kwesi and O’Connell are young guys. They almost certainly want to select and groom a young quarterback to hitch themselves to. It does make some sense from some points of view to extend Kirk for another 3 years (fully-guaranteed, I’m sure), but from their point of view it doesn’t. If they ride Kirk out for another 3 years, they might not get to select and groom a young QB.


If Kirk would stick around year-to-year, I think they’d do it. But I’m sure he doesn’t want to do that.


So I think that’s what they’re going to do. They’d just better get the right guy.

[hategreenticemase]

Supposedly the talk was he was willing to go under the Jones/Carr range of guys, but wanted multiple years and we would only do one year.

Man, that's really disappointing if true. I don't understand that at all. That was your formula. Get cap relief you need, solidify the QB for 2-3 more years AND allow yourself the chance to cheaply resolve the QB of future issue potentially, if you hit on a guy like Hall.

Awful decision.

Someone else mentioned it and I think there’s truth to it.


Kwesi and O’Connell are young guys. They almost certainly want to select and groom a young quarterback to hitch themselves to. It does make some sense from some points of view to extend Kirk for another 3 years (fully-guaranteed, I’m sure), but from their point of view it doesn’t. If they ride Kirk out for another 3 years, they might not get to select and groom a young QB.


If Kirk would stick around year-to-year, I think they’d do it. But I’m sure he doesn’t want to do that.


So I think that’s what they’re going to do. They’d just better get the right guy.

They had an elite offense with him at QB. Period. And as I stated, they get to groom a guy my way also, in fact they get to groom them longer.

There's no reason to believe this team isn't in the mix to compete after winning 13 games last year. If it took a major step back they still would be able to then move on from cousins and draft the guy. There's very little downside to us extension like Oriole pointed out.

[Sportsrgreat]

We should be drafting a QB every year. We’re bound to hit on somebody.
Think about this. We drafted Christian Ponder in the first round!
The football gods owe us for that one don’t they?

[Beef Supreme]

Man, that's really disappointing if true. I don't understand that at all. That was your formula. Get cap relief you need, solidify the QB for 2-3 more years AND allow yourself the chance to cheaply resolve the QB of future issue potentially, if you hit on a guy like Hall.

Awful decision.

Someone else mentioned it and I think there’s truth to it.


Kwesi and O’Connell are young guys. They almost certainly want to select and groom a young quarterback to hitch themselves to. It does make some sense from some points of view to extend Kirk for another 3 years (fully-guaranteed, I’m sure), but from their point of view it doesn’t. If they ride Kirk out for another 3 years, they might not get to select and groom a young QB.


If Kirk would stick around year-to-year, I think they’d do it. But I’m sure he doesn’t want to do that.


So I think that’s what they’re going to do. They’d just better get the right guy.

They had an elite offense with him at QB. Period. And as I stated, they get to groom a guy my way also, in fact they get to groom them longer.

There's no reason to believe this team isn't in the mix to compete after winning 13 games last year. If it took a major step back they still would be able to then move on from cousins and draft the guy. There's very little downside to us extension like Oriole pointed out.

Grooming a QB longer reduces the amount of years you get the benefit of a rookie-scale QB.

Jordan Love is taking over this year in GB. This is the last year his deal is cheap for the Packers; about $4.4M His contract goes up to $22.5M next year. Then he’s a FA and GB will have to give him a big contract to keep him if he’s any good. The Packers are currently dealing with $40M in dead money from Aaron Rodgers. So they’re getting no value from Love’s rookie contract.

The Vikings have over $40M of dead cap next year. If they move on from Kirk and draft a new guy, they can bite that bullet and have three years of rookie salary advantage left.


Again, it’s all about identifying and acquiring the right guy.

[hategreenticemase]

Someone else mentioned it and I think there’s truth to it.


Kwesi and O’Connell are young guys. They almost certainly want to select and groom a young quarterback to hitch themselves to. It does make some sense from some points of view to extend Kirk for another 3 years (fully-guaranteed, I’m sure), but from their point of view it doesn’t. If they ride Kirk out for another 3 years, they might not get to select and groom a young QB.


If Kirk would stick around year-to-year, I think they’d do it. But I’m sure he doesn’t want to do that.


So I think that’s what they’re going to do. They’d just better get the right guy.

They had an elite offense with him at QB. Period. And as I stated, they get to groom a guy my way also, in fact they get to groom them longer.

There's no reason to believe this team isn't in the mix to compete after winning 13 games last year. If it took a major step back they still would be able to then move on from cousins and draft the guy. There's very little downside to us extension like Oriole pointed out.

Grooming a QB longer reduces the amount of years you get the benefit of a rookie-scale QB.

Jordan Love is taking over this year in GB. This is the last year his deal is cheap for the Packers; about $4.4M His contract goes up to $22.5M next year. Then he’s a FA and GB will have to give him a big contract to keep him if he’s any good. The Packers are currently dealing with $40M in dead money from Aaron Rodgers. So they’re getting no value from Love’s rookie contract.

The Vikings have over $40M of dead cap next year. If they move on from Kirk and draft a new guy, they can bite that bullet and have three years of rookie salary advantage left.


Again, it’s all about identifying and acquiring the right guy.

A bird in hand. A very good bird.

Rookie scale is nice. It's also way overrated over talked about and over emphasized here. A very good QB at least than market price is absolutely as beneficial as rookie scale QB.