Kurt Warner, UFA, Arizona Cardinals
The former MVP and Super Bowl winner has had a resurgent season in Arizona and has his team past the first round of the playoffs. He racked up 4,583 passing yards, his second highest career total for a season, and threw for 30 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions. Also, his passer rating of 96.9 was his best since the '01 season. Warner has not wanted his contract status to be a distraction, but he will be looking for an extension from the team once the season comes to an end. Warner could find another team willing to name him the starter if the Cardinals want to let Matt Leinart take over.
Kerry Collins, UFA, Tennessee Titans
Collins may have recently turned thirty-six, but he helped lead the Titans to the best record in the NFL at 13-3 when the Vince Young situation threatened to put a damper on the entire season. Instead, Collins stepped in and managed the offense well. He may not have looked like the quarterback he was when he led the New York Giants to a Super Bowl appearance early on this decade, but he did prove that he was capable of winning games and protecting the ball enough to allow his offense to run fairly smoothly. He may not have a lot left after this season and a potential Super Bowl run, but he may still be of interest to some teams looking for a steady game manager or an experienced backup for insurance purposes. The Titans may be looking to move forward with Vince Young, but Collins knows the system and could be offered a new contract to keep his services around.
Jeff Garcia, UFA, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Garcia could retire given that he is nearing forty years of age, but many probably expected that he would have hung up his cleats before the just completed season. The veteran just keeps going and going and has kept the Buccaneers competitive. Last season the veteran passer threw for over 2,400 yards and 13 touchdowns in 13 games. This season, in twelve games, he passed for over 2,700 yards and had 12 touchdowns tosses to just six interceptions. He can still manage a game and make things happen often enough to keep defenses honest. He may be asked to stick around somewhere in the league for another season.
Rex Grossman, UFA, Chicago Bears
With all of the criticism that Grossman has had to face, he did lead a Bears team that reached a Super Bowl in ’06. During that season he threw for over 3,100 yards and 23 touchdowns; however, he also turned the ball over 25 times. Grossman lost his starting role to Kyle Orton this season and threw just 62 passes, completing only 32 and having a pair of touchdowns and picks. Grossman may wind up being a career backup.
Kyle Boller, UFA, Baltimore Ravens
Boller has never lived up to the hype that came with him and he was placed on the injured reserve this season. In five seasons of earning sporadic playing time, Boller has thrown more touchdowns than picks just twice. The presence and early success of Joe Flacco guarantee that Boller will be gone after the season, and it is hard to imagine that he’ll be given a shot at starting anywhere. Like Grossman, he seems destined to be a career backup.
Matt Cassel, UFA, New England Patriots
Cassel will be franchised, thus ending his chance to hit the market.
Other Quarterbacks
Charlie Batch, UFA, Pittsburgh Steelers
David Carr, UFA, N.Y. Giants
Ryan Fitzpatrick, UFA, Cincinnati Bengals
Byron Leftwich, UFA, Pittsburgh Steelers
J.P. Losman, UFA, Buffalo Bills
Luke McCown, UFA, Tampa Bay Bucs
Dan Orlovsky, UFA, Detroit
J.T. O'Sullivan San Francisco 49ers
Patrick Ramsey, UFA, Denver Broncos