NFL hot seat: 5 quarterbacks who could lose starting jobs in 2019
By Peter Panacy
More than a handful of starting quarterbacks have found themselves on the NFL hot seat in 2018, meaning these five likely lose starting jobs next year.
It’s going to be a bad offseason for teams with quarterbacks on the NFL hot seat in 2018. There aren’t exactly a lot of big names on the pending free-agent market, and the 2019 NFL Draft is awfully thin at quality signal-callers.
That said, there are plenty of changes under center that could happen between now and Week 1 of next year.
There’s a small microcosm with the San Francisco 49ers, who saw Nick Mullens all but take over starting duties from C.J. Beathard, who assumed them from the injured Jimmy Garoppolo. But that doesn’t matter much for the long-term plans, as Garoppolo will get his job back once he’s fully recovered from his ACL injury.
Other teams, however, will likely be looking to make changes this offseason. And that means some quarterbacks will be on the hot seat.
Before we dive into the top five, let’s bring up a few names some may think would be on the NFL hot seat right now but are probably safer than they are not.
Eli Manning, New York Giants
With just one win on the season, the New York Giants are an absolute mess. And while running back Saquon Barkley, the Giants’ top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, looks to be a crucial cornerstone piece, the G-Men are probably wondering if picking a quarterback at No. 2 overall would have been the smarter move.
That’s likely what the Giants will have to do with yet another early pick in 2019 — find someone who can take over for the veteran, Eli Manning.
Manning hasn’t been great at all. But one has to consider New York’s offensive line has been atrocious, and Manning is still completing 68.3 percent of his passes — seventh best among qualifiers.
Expect the Giants to take a quarterback with their first draft pick, but Manning will get at least one more year to act as a mentor with the rookie developing.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton seems to be on the NFL hot seat every year, and each season the Bengals continue to retain their faith in him.
This year, however, Dalton has his Bengals off to a 5-3 record and has 17 pass touchdowns against eight interceptions. It’s not a bad stat line, even if Dalton isn’t going to be making any Pro Bowls anytime soon.
He’s safe for now.
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
Who knows what’s going on with head coach Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders right now. Veterans want out, the latest being EDGE Bruce Irvin, top players have been traded and Gruden’s Raiders just got embarrassed 34-3 by the 49ers on Thursday Night Football in Week 9.
So, with the strip-down in talent, Oakland quarterback Derek Carr has to be on the hot seat too, right?
Carr’s numbers this season haven’t been great, sure. And he’s on pace to surpass his career high in interceptions (13) with eight already thrown halfway through the season. But he’s still completing over 70 percent of his passes this year. Plus, outside the Week 9 debacle, the Raiders offense hasn’t been the No. 1 problem.
Gruden will need to use his first pick to find something, anything for the league’s worst defense. That’ll keep Carr in place for at least another year. So will some pretty hefty contractual numbers.