PETER KING EXAMINES POTENTIAL OFFSEASON QUARTERBACK MOVES IN THIS WEEK’S “FMIA” COLUMN

PLUS MORE FROM MIKE FLORIO AND CHRIS SIMMS EXCLUSIVELY ACROSS NBC SPORTS

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“For now, I’ll go against the grain and say my gut feeling is he’ll settle on the Patriots. It seems the most reasonable solution to the Brady free-agency dilemma.” – King on Tom Brady

“Of all the players and all the QB-needy teams…Philip Rivers playing for Frank Reich is the most perfect fit to me.” – King on Rivers and the Colts

“Brees knows he’ll have 20 years to do football on TV if he wants…and only one or two to be a quarterback at a high level with a legitimate chance to win a Super Bowl.” – King on Drew Brees’ future

“Maybe the Bucs will think (Jameis) Winston deserves another chance…But I won’t be surprised if they go after (Teddy) Bridgewater or Ryan Tannehill, the best free-agent quarterbacks on the market.” – King on the Buccaneers

STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 17, 2020 – Peter King shares his thoughts on how offseason quarterback movement may shake out, including potential landing spots for Tom Brady and Philip Rivers, in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses Drew Brees’ possible retirement, changes to the upcoming scouting combine and more notable offseason storylines.

Additionally, across NBC Sports, NFL insider Mike Florio and analyst Chris Simms discuss reports of the Raiders preparing to offer Brady a contract on PFT Live, and Simms chats with former Georgia quarterback and NFL prospect Jake Fromm on Simms Unbuttoned.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

QUARTERBACK MOVEMENT
King on Tom Brady: “I can’t tell you with any confidence whatsoever that Brady re-signs with New England, but it does make the most sense to me one month out...for now, I’ll go against the grain and say my gut feeling is he’ll settle on the Patriots. It seems the most reasonable solution to the Brady free-agency dilemma.’”

King on Brady and the Patriots: “What if Brady makes it known he’d return if they signed one of the top two free-agent tight ends, Austin Hooper or Hunter Henry, and then a couple of the free-agent wide receivers…Then, while backup Jarrett Stidham is being groomed, Brady gives New England two more years of a championship window.”

King on Brady: “I think, in the end, Brady will make the decision mostly because of football, and what gives him the best chance to win another Super Bowl. Staying, with some offensive upgrades, gives him that.”

King on the Patriots: “(Bill) Belichick might want to begin anew with a quarterback he feels is good and who costs significantly less – someone like 32-year-old Andy Dalton...Belichick would love Dalton. He’s a quiet, intense, lunchpail Texan who makes no excuses. And Dalton would embrace the Patriot ethos.”

King on Drew Brees’ retirement decision: “I think it’s more likely than not that Brees returns…Brees knows he’ll have 20 years to do football on TV if he wants (or to do politics, or to be anything other than a quarterback), and only one or two to be a quarterback at a high level with a legitimate chance to win a Super Bowl.”

King on Taysom Hill: “I think Hill will have the chance to return (to the Saints) in 2020 even if Brees retires. I think the Saints would probably give him the shot to win the starting job...Somehow, the Saints will make it worth Hill’s while to stay for one more year, and let him know he’s next in line when Brees leaves.”

King on Teddy Bridgewater: “I just don’t see the Saints, in the event Brees retires, paying Bridgewater to be the man for the next three or four years, thus forcing Hill to take almost any offer in restricted free-agency.”

King on the Buccaneers: “Maybe the Bucs will think (Jameis) Winston deserves another chance with (Bruce) Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. But I won’t be surprised if they go after Bridgewater or Ryan Tannehill, the best free-agent quarterbacks on the market.”

King on Philip Rivers: “I think two teams make the most sense, in this order: Indianapolis and Carolina. Rivers would be perfect for the Colts…If I were (Colts GM Chris) Ballard, I’d go hard after Rivers, the perfect bridge to whatever’s next (Jacoby Brissett or otherwise) in Indiana.”

King on Rivers and the Colts: “I think, of all the players and all the QB-needy teams I wrote about, Philip Rivers playing for Frank Reich is the most perfect fit to me.”

King on the Chargers: “Tyrod Taylor, who was Rivers’ backup and is well-respected inside the Chargers, could get the first snaps of 2020 in new So-Fi Stadium while the quarterback of the future (Justin Herbert?) marinates for a few months or a season.”

King on Ryan Tannehill: “If I were (Titans) GM Jon Robinson, I wouldn’t let him out the door.”

King on Cam Newton: “I’d look into him thoroughly if I were the Chargers…and I wouldn’t close the door on him if I were the Panthers.”

King on draft trades: “A bunch of teams could theoretically jump Miami (picking fifth) in the first round if (Tua) Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert becomes the object of affection between now and the draft…But Miami, with four picks in the top 40, could trump them all. I doubt Miami exits this draft without a quarterback it likes very much.”

King on Jalen Hurts: “I keep hearing Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts is going to go higher than people think.”

SCOUTING COMBINE
King: “The NFL will gather in Indianapolis beginning next weekend for meetings and then the medical and physical and mental testing of more than 300 prospect prior to what projects to be a good draft, especially rich at wide receiver.”

King on timing changes at the Combine: “The difference this year: When the on-field workouts begin Thursday, Feb. 27, there will be three straight days of prime-time workouts – instead of on-field workouts and sprints being done in daytime hours.”

NFL Network VP of Production Charlie Yook to King on the changes: “Point-blank, it’s about the eyeballs. We should get a larger consumption of the combine in all platforms.”

King: “NFL Network will likely have some current players working on the shows with their college position groups being tested. When the defensive backs perform Sunday, Jets safety Jamal Adams will be giving analysis. Same with Saints defensive end Cam Jordan on the show Saturday, when defensive linemen and linebackers work out.”

Read the rest of the FMIA column BELOW and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast BELOW.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ Super Bowl LIV coverage:

PFT Live: Mike Florio and Chris Simms react to reports linking the Raiders and Tom Brady, discuss the XFL’s second weekend, and more. Click BELOWfor clips.

Simms Unbuttoned: Simms has a catch with Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm as the two discuss his draft outlook and mirroring his game after Drew Brees. Click here to watch.

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on NBCSN’s and NBC Sports Radio’s PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

--NBC SPORTS--

Source NBCUniversal

February 17, 2020 12:39pm ET by NBCUniversal  

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