The NFL Draft reveals the ultimate goal for an organization moving forward. The Green Bay Packers, for instance, are more focused on building for the future and a life after Aaron Rodgers, while the New Orleans Saints used their first-round pick on an offensive lineman to protect their aging quarterback, Drew Brees.
The point is, this is a week where organizations can no longer hide and show their hand.
Continuing with the Saints, quarterback Jameis Winston is to be signed to a one-year contract to be the backup for Brees. This is alarming because the Saints are now experiencing the same realization as the Philadelphia Eagles; that their starting quarterback can’t complete an entire NFL season.
Winston finished last season as the only quarterback in NFL history to be in the “30-30 club”, passing for 30 touchdowns and throwing 30 interceptions. In that same time, he passed for over 5,000 yards and led the league in passing. Winston still has upside, but teams are weary to sign him due to his high turnover rate. What other famous gunslinger had a high turnover rate (higher than Winston) in his first five seasons? Peyton Manning.
At the same time, the Saints signed quarterback Taysom Hill to a two-year contract worth $21 million, with $16 million guaranteed. This could be telling. The Saints believe in Hill, but not enough to give him the keys to the dome.
Another franchise who was active was the San Francisco 49ers. The recent Super Bowl runner-up traded running back Matt Breida to the Miami Dolphins (who are actually going to be a competitive team) for a draft pick that was used on an offensive lineman. Hours prior to this trade, the 49ers traded with the Washington Redskins for offensive lineman Trent Williams, who spent all of last season in a disagreement with the Redskins organization.
These transactions can mark a change in scheme for the 49ers, who were a run dependent team en route to the Super Bowl last season.
