Subscribe
Follow Us
If there's a quarterback worth tanking for, it might just be USC football's Caleb Williams.
Tanking in the NFL doesn't work very well. When a team is in a position to get a high draft pick, it often means the current coach, quarterback and/or players are in jeopardy of not making the team the next season under a new regime. This means that the remaining players still need to play well to keep their jobs or get signed to a new team.
The Houston Texans proved this last season when Lovie Smith and Davis Mills won the last game of the season, allowing the Chicago Bears to get the No. 1 overall pick instead. Smith likely knew he was getting fired and did not care about tanking for a quarterback. Things worked out anyway for the Texans as they drafted C.J. Stroud second overall, but it goes to show that most players and coaches don't care about tanking.
However, there are a few organizations that could certainly benefit by drafting Caleb Williams. The Heisman trophy winning quarterback is projected to be a generational talent at the position. One general manager even considers him a better prospect than Joe Burrow or Trevor Lawrence!
Here are four teams that should tank for the Trojans quarterback:
4. New England Patriots
The Patriots look the worst they have in decades. They are officially out of the dynasty years which spanned almost two decades after coach Bill Belichick just suffered the two worst losses of his career in back-to-back weeks. Yikes. Quarterback Mac Jones looks far from the decent QB he was his rookie season and the Patriots barely look competitive.
It may simply be time for New England to turn a corner and look to the future after dropping to 1-4. With just one win, the Patriots are in great shape to acquire a high pick in the draft. Getting Williams could be huge for the Patriots, who have been decimated since losing Tom Brady. The Patriots may not be willing to give up on Mac Jones just yet, but it would be hard for them to turn down a prospect like Williams if available. After all, the Patriots know how beneficial having a generational quarterback can be.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders should also be in the Caleb Williams race. The Derek Carr-Las Vegas tenure came to an end this offseason when Carr signed with the New Orleans Saints. Since, the Raiders added Jimmy Garoppolo as presumably a bridge quarterback.
Article Continues Below
The Raiders have not had consistent success in a long time. They had a couple playoff appearances in the Carr years, but have not won a division title since 2002! Adding Williams would be a huge boost for Silver and Black as it would give them a good chance at overtaking Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC West.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, they are already 2-3. They might not be in the best shape to “tank” if they keeping winning occasionally, like they did when they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. Despite Garoppolo throwing at least a couple questionable throws every game, he does have a contradictory habit of winning. This will not bode well for the Caleb Williams sweepstakes.
2. Minnesota Vikings
Unlike the Raiders, the Vikings are a team in perfect shape to tank for Williams. Despite seemingly playing competitive to the very end of every game, they are just 1-4. Kirk Cousins and the offense continually put up monster numbers that result in losses. Though Cousins is a good quarterback, he is 35-years-old and Minnesota sounds like they want to move.
Cousins has already been the subject of many trade rumors, so the team is probably ready for another option. The success isn't Cousins' fault fully. Minnesota certainly needs to build a more competitive team if they're going to bring in a young quarterback. However, pairing Williams with Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison would be too enticing to pass up.
1. Denver Broncos
The Broncos are a disaster as they dropped to 1-5 following a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. Denver brought in Sean Payton to save Russell Wilson and the offense, but Payton has failed to do so through six games.
It's unlikely that the Broncos will cut ties with Payton after the season since they signed him to a huge five-year contract, but they likely will part with Wilson — barring a remarkable turnaround — after two unsuccessful seasons.
In this scenario, Payton would love to bring in a young quarterback with the immense potential of Caleb Williams. Working with Williams would be a dream for Payton, who could work to mold Williams into the next NFL superstar like he did with Drew Brees in New Orleans.
