Quarterbacks in the NFL are incredibly talented athletes. No kidding. But being a successful NFL quarterback takes so much more than physical talent. It takes intelligence, and most quarterbacks are a lot smarter than fans think. Unfortunately, some are not.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has been front and center. As Athlon Sports’ Doug Farrar pointed out this weekend, Watson lacked self-awareness when he called Browns fans “disrespectful” for booing him. He could have saved himself a ton of grief if he instead apologized and took the blame for throwing a bad interception against the Buffalo Bills’ backups.
Despite all the negative vibes, Browns head coach Todd Monken still named Watson his team’s Week 1 starter, a move that likely has more to do with Watson’s contract than his ability.
Alas, Watson is not alone when it comes to quarterbacks who say or do things off the field that might indicate they are not going to be the best leaders on the field.
Diego Pavia wrote himself a triumphant story last year in college football when he led Vanderbilt to its best season ever. Pavia overcame his small frame (5-10, 203 pounds) with a fiery will to win and a knack for making big plays. His size would be an even bigger obstacle in his bid to play in the NFL, but there was a thought that maybe his grit and determination might land him a shot.
I knew Pavia wasn’t NFL material, and it wasn’t because of his size.
Pavia was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season, the first Vanderbilt player ever to receive that honor. Of course, everyone knew that Fernando Mendoza was going to be the runaway Heisman winner after leading Indiana to an undefeated season and No. 1 ranking heading into the playoffs. So there was no shame in being the Heisman runner-up, right?
And yet Pavia’s first reaction to the Heisman decision was a tweet that said “F — ALL THE VOTERS.”
Classy.
Pavia went undrafted. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens after the draft, but the Ravens waived him before training camp even began.
It’s not a guarantee that quarterbacks who say and do dumb things off the field can’t be winners on the field. It is, however, a cause for concern. And there are three current starting NFL quarterbacks whose recent actions have raised some red flags. All three of these players have already flashed great potential and have proven to various degrees that they are worthy of NFL stardom. I’ve just got some concerns worth noting.
Jayden Daniels
The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year took the Washington Commanders to the NFC title game in his first season, passing for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for 891 yards and six more scores. Injuries limited him to just seven games last season, and he struggled to lift the fortunes of a mediocre supporting cast.
With Daniels’ style of play, it was already a concern that he might take too many hits in the NFL and was susceptible to injury. That’s a reasonable concern, but I’m more disappointed about Daniels wasting time this offseason worrying about whether or not his alma mater, LSU, was going to give another player his No. 5 jersey. Daniels, who won the Heisman at LSU, had his lawyers send the school a cease-and-desist letter, suggesting that the jersey number was part of Daniels’ name, image and likeness.
Really?
Daniels insists that he is entirely focused on his job with the Commanders and this is not a distraction. Still, it’s quite petty. At least it’s resulted in some great trolling…
Jaxson Dart
The New York Giants’ second-year QB generated plenty of excitement last season. He’s already bagged a few endorsement deals and has the potential to be a big sports personality in the Big Apple. That said…
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Don’t get me started on the whole Trump rally thing, but that’s not the concern here. The big issue for Dart after last season was that he took too many big hits, preferring to take on defenders rather than slide and avoid those collisions. Dart was no stranger to the blue tent. He was checked for concussions five times, with one official concussion that caused him to miss two games.
In this summer’s preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings, Dart got walloped — not because of his own recklessness but because of bad pass protection — and he found himself back in the blue tent. He checked out fine, but wasn’t happy.
“I’m still puzzled by it just feeling like every time that I get hit, I find my way in there,” he said after the game.
So instead of appreciating that maybe they’re trying to keep his brain working properly, Dart sounds like he is being inconvenienced. Let’s hope that doesn’t make him want to make a statement by continuing to be reckless.
EA Sports
Caleb Williams
Williams’ sophomore season was spectacular. He passed for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns, leading the Chicago Bears to an NFC North title. Along the way, he made some jaw-dropping plays worthy of a video game — so it was no surprise that he is the cover star for EA’s Madden 27.
Williams’ cool-under-pressure play earned the nickname “Iceman.” But instead of being humbled to share that nickname with NBA legend and Hall of Famer George “Iceman” Gervin, Williams decided he didn’t want to share.
It was reported in March that Williams’ business team filed a trademark for “Iceman.” Williams told Front Office Sports that it was a matter of controlling his brand, nothing against Gervin.
In June, the trademark request was denied. It had nothing to do with Gervin — “Iceman” was trademarked in 1988 by a shoe company that makes insulated boots.
The Bears haven’t won the Super Bowl since 1985. You’d like to think Williams is more focused on that than his nickname, and maybe that’s the case. Still, not great.
All three of these quarterbacks could become the face of the NFL for years to come. And that would be good for football, because they are very exciting players. Let’s hope I’m reading too much into their off-field actions.
Better yet, let’s hope they stop saying and doing stupid things.
