While most teams across the league see finding an elite quarterback as one of the most important steps in ensuring a team’s long-term success, Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera is hoping for some success with a different approach: paying a quarterback less money so there’s cap room for other players.
Last year, the Commanders used a significant portion of their cap space on veteran quarterback Carson Wentz, and it didn’t exactly work out. So this year, the team is not pursuing a veteran quarterback. Instead, the team is hoping that the cheaper quarterback contracts of Jacoby Brissett and Sam Howell will allow the team to bolster the rest of its roster.
“We’re in a position right now that we can sign guys because of the quarterback situation,” Rivera said according to Pro Football Talk. “We have Jacoby with his contract and Sam on a rookie’s contract. So we have a moderate hit from that position, which allows us to do some of the things that we did. We were fortunate that we were able to work with Daron [Payne] and his agent and get a contract that was friendly for us and helps us out with his contract.”
This plan could work, but it’s become clear in recent years that quarterback play is important for a team to succeed. So the Commanders will undoubtedly be hoping for a strong season from either Brissett or Howell despite the cheaper contracts.
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