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Already a dozen NFL teams have new quarterbacks [url=http://www.authenticsclevelandbrowns.com/cheap-baker-mayfield-jersey]Baker Mayfield Jersey Elite[/url] , half of them starters. And next month’s draft features a deep class of QB prospects, a half-dozen of which could hear their names called in the first round.

Why such a remarkable run on prime-time passers?

”They’re hard to find,” Denver Broncos general manager John Elway said after introducing Case Keenum as his fifth quarterback since Peyton Manning’s retirement just two years ago. ”It’s a tough spot to play. There are a lot of expectations. It’s a hard position. There are a lot pressures on it. You’ve got to play with consistency and there are a lot of people that rely on that position.”

So, proven passers and projects alike see teams jockeying to throw multiple millions their way.

The harbinger of the ”Great Quarterback Shuffle” of 2018 came during Super Bowl week when word got out that the Kansas City Chiefs were sending Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins, freeing Kirk Cousins to become a free agent in his prime, one who would rewrite the conventional contract.

Cousins made the media rounds at the Super Bowl, where he secretly scouted out the city he would soon call his own.

Minnesota surged past Denver, Phoenix and New York as Cousins’ desired destination after the Vikings decided to let all three of their veteran quarterbacks hit the open market.

While Cousins was working out a three-year, ground-breaking (fully guaranteed) and record-setting ($28 million average) deal in Minnesota , the Broncos, Cardinals and Jets were picking through the Vikings’ quarterback bin:

-Coming off a $2 million deal in Minnesota, Keenum commanded a two-year, $36 million deal in Denver after leading the Vikings to an 11-3 mark and the NFC championship game.

–Sam Bradford, whose injury opened the way for Keenum’s breakout season, signed a one-year, $20 million with the Cardinals [url=http://www.ramsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-joseph-noteboom-jersey]http://www.ramsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-joseph-noteboom-jersey[/url] , who lost Carson Palmer to retirement.

–Teddy Bridgewater, once the Vikings’ established starter before a devastating knee injury two years ago, signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Jets, who also re-signed Josh McCown for one year at $10 million.

Trevor Siemian, who blew up the Broncos’ quarterback plans two straight summers by beating out 2016 first-round flop Paxton Lynch, heads to the Vikings as Cousins’ backup after going 13-11 in Denver.

Leading the Bills to their first playoff appearance in 18 years wasn’t enough for Tyrod Taylor to secure his long-term future in Buffalo. The Bills traded Taylor to Cleveland, which traded DeShone Kizer to the Green Bay Packers, where he’ll back up Aaron Rodgers.

AJ McCarron finally gets his chance to prove himself after spending four seasons in Andy Dalton’s shadow. He signed a two-year deal with the Bills and said it makes no difference if his new team adds more competition by selecting one of the highly regarded quarterback prospects in the draft next month .

”I try not to ever waste any mental thought on it because it’s something I can’t control,” McCarron said. ”… You can either let it affect you in how you go about your work and let that define you. Or you can change everybody’s thought process. My mindset is to change anybody that’s had any doubt.”

Keenum said his mindset won’t change should Elway draft a quarterback such as Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson or Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph.

”I’ve been around long enough to know that anything is a possibility in this league. I was a starting quarterback when a team drafted somebody No. 1 overall and traded a bunch of draft picks. I know how that goes,” Keenum said, recalling when the Rams selected Jared Goff in 2016.

Teams are also doling out big bucks for backups just two months after watching Nick Foles‘ MVP performance in leading the Eagles past Tom Brady’s Patriots in Super Bowl 52 while starter Carson Wentz watched from the sideline.
[img]http://www.sndpic.com//nike_nfl_jerseys/nike_washington_redskins/nike_redskins_3433.jpg[/img]
Mike Glennon went from being the Bears‘ backup to Arizona [url=http://www.authenticsbaltimoreravens.com/cheap-hayden-hurst-jersey]Hayden Hurst Color Rush Jersey[/url] , Chase Daniel went from the Saints to Chicago and Tom Savage moved from the Texans to New Orleans.

None of them got the kind of money Jimmy Garoppolo did after serving as Brady’s backup for several seasons and then getting traded to San Francisco. After sparking the downtrodden 49ers, Garoppolo was rewarded with a record-breaking deal that averaged a whopping $27.5 million a season.

That mark stood until Cousins’ deal came in at an average of $28 million, which is sure to fall when the Packers and Rodgers work out a new contract in the next year or so.

In several weeks, the NFL will be flush with a new crop of quarterbacks, some of whom may one day make today’s jaw-dropping contracts look a little less eye-popping.

They may have to start out as a backup such as Patrick Mahomes II last year in Kansas City or Rodgers did in Green Bay when Brett Favre was still going strong.

Rodgers said that although there’s an ever-widening schism between college offenses and the ones the pros run, today’s QB prospects are in many ways more prepared for the NFL because the coaching is better at all levels.

”I think you’re seeing more spread offenses in college, which give you the run-pass option a lot of times. You’re seeing the NFL incorporate some of that. But in general, I think there’s just so much more education about quarterbacks that allows these guys to be more ready to play than, say, myself or Alex Smith or Jason Campbell were in 2005 when we got pi Ron Gardenhire didn’t mind getting a beer shower from his players Wednesday night.

He just didn’t know why it was happening.

”They ambushed me, and they really got me,” he said after his Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2. ”I wasn’t expecting it, and now I’m dripping all over the place.”

While Gardenhire didn’t realize he had just won his 1,100th game as a manager, someone – he suspects bench coach Steve Liddle – tipped off James McCann. McCann rounded up his teammates and raided the cooler.

”We soaked him,” Tigers third baseman Nicholas Castellanos said. ”He didn’t know what hit him.”

The milestone had a little extra meaning for Gardenhire because it came against the Twins [url=http://www.authenticsoaklandraiders.com/cheap-johnny-townsend-jersey]Johnny Townsend Color Rush Jersey[/url] , the team he managed from 2002-14.

”I have this big D on my chest now, and it was the Tigers who won this one, but an awful lot of them came with the team on the other side of the diamond tonight,” he said.

For most of the night, it appeared the Tigers weren’t going to get the win. Playing for the first time since Miguel Cabrera’s season-ending biceps injury, they stranded eight batters in the first seven innings and trailed 2-1.

The Twins then failed to add an insurance run in the eighth, stranding Eduardo Escobar after a one-out triple, and it came back to haunt them.

With one out in the bottom of the inning, John Hicks, Niko Goodrum and Grayson Greiner hit consecutive singles off Addison Reed (1-5) to tie the game. Jose Iglesias popped out, but Victor Reyes grounded an RBI single to left.

”I had everyone where I wanted them – 0-1 or 0-2 – but I wasn’t finishing the job,” Reed said. ”Jose (Berrios) threw a hell of a game, and I let him down. That’s the worst part of this.”

Reyes, a Rule 5 pick, started the night hitting .196 with four RBIs in 30 games. Used mainly as a pinch runner, he has only accumulated 50 plate appearances.

”We were going to be thrilled no matter who got the hit [url=http://www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com/authentic-rasheem-green-jersey]http://www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com/authentic-rasheem-green-jersey[/url] , but everyone feels great for Victor,” Hicks said. ”He’s in a really tough situation because he doesn’t get many at-bats, but he never complains and works harder than anyone. There are nights where he’s getting swings in during the game.”

Leonys Martin followed with an RBI single and Reyes scored on right fielder Robbie Grossman’s throwing error to make it 5-2.

”I didn’t contribute anything and Miggy can’t help us right now, but we still won the game,” Castellanos said. ”That’s how you can tell this team is good. Every guy in this room is picking up the slack.”

Joe Jimenez (3-0) got the win with a scoreless eighth. Shane Greene, Detroit’s fifth pitcher, threw a perfect ninth for his 16th save.

Berrios allowed one run on seven hits and a walk in six innings. Detroit’s Matthew Boyd gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in five innings.

The Twins scored twice before Detroit recorded an out in the first inning. Boyd hit Brian Dozier, Eddie Rosario doubled and Escobar hit a two-run single.

The Twins, though, only got two more hits in the game.

”When it’s 2-0 that fast, I can’t afford to get mad at myself,” Boyd said. ”I’ve just got to get the next guy out and start posting zeroes.”

Goodrum made it 2-1 with a second-inning homer off Berrios, his friend from their minor league days in the Twins system.

”It’s just part of the game,” Berrios said. ”We’re still friends, but now we’re competing. He got me that time.”

Like Boyd, though [url=http://www.authenticsnewenglandpatriots.com/cheap-troy-niklas-jersey]Troy Niklas Color Rush Jersey[/url] , Berrios settled in to keep Detroit off the board for the rest of his outing. The Tigers had runners on second and third with one out in the third before he struck out Castellanos and Jeimer Candelario.

Dozier appeared to make a spectacular play with one out in the fifth, using his glove to scoop Reyes’ drag bunt to Logan Morrison at first. The Tigers, though, challenged the call and it was overturned after a lengthy review. Martin followed with an infield single, and after Castellanos struck out, Berrios hit Candelario to load the bases.

Victor Martinez fell behind 0-2 and grounded out to end the inning with the Twins still up 2-1.

The Tigers missed another opportunity in the sixth. Hicks started the inning with a single and took third on Goodrum’s ground-rule double, but Berrios struck out Greiner and Iglesias before retiring Reyes.

”In a situation like that, you just hope that someone is eventually going to get the big hit,” Gardenhire said. ”It took a while, but they finally came through.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: OF Byron Buxton (toe) took batting practice on Wednesday, while Joe Mauer (neck and head) played for Triple-A Rochester on his rehab assignment.

Tigers: With McCann still sidelined by the flu and Hicks moving to first base in the wake of Cabrera’s injury, Greiner was the starting catcher. McCann was feeling well enough to warm up pitchers between innings and could be back on Thursday.

UP NEXT

The teams finish their three-game series on Thursday afternoon, with Minnesota’s Lance Lynn (4-4, 5.0 facing Detroit’s Michael Fulmer (2-5, 4.40).

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