Few NFL prospects have generated as much hype about their arrival in the league as USC's Caleb Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Scouts have ordained Williams as not only the top choice in April's draft if he leaves school but arguably the top quarterback prospect to leave college since Andrew Luck.
At the beginning of the year, most assumed the Arizona Cardinals would be a lock to land Williams, but they have proven to be more competitive than expected and already have one win on the board. If the Cardinals aren't going to take advantage of the opportunity to land Williams, an opportunity has emerged for 3 NFL teams off to surprisingly slow starts to pivot toward a franchise-altering tank.
3. Minnesota Vikings
No one expected the Vikings to be as good as their 13-4 2022 campaign, but a 1-3 start to 2023 has raised the tanking question for Minnesota. Games against Kansas City Sunday and San Francisco in Week 7 could have the Vikings in a 2-5 hole at the trade deadline, which would lead to a possibility of shopping Kirk Cousins while looking to go in the tank for Williams.
Taking advantage of a team in need of quarterback help right now, such as the New York Jets, would allow the Vikings to make a clean pivot from paying Cousins a ton of money and trying to win with a potential generational quarterback on his rookie contract. Handing Williams a receiving corps headlined by Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison would be an incredible start to his pro career while the cap savings from a rookie contract would allow the Vikings to fortify their defense.
It would definitely be painful for Minnesota to give up on this season, especially since the NFC is the weaker conference, but the Vikings have been a close-but-no-cigar organization for a while. Taking some short-term pain for a massive long-term gain has to be a consideration for Minnesota's front office.
2. New York Giants
The big leap that the Giants were hoping to take in Year 2 of the Brian Daboll era simply hasn't happened. New York has been outclassed throughout the season, needing a miraculous second-half comeback in Arizona to avoid an 0-4 start, and their brutal early schedule has put the Giants into a big hole it may be too difficult to come out of.
One of the big culprits for the Giants' poor performance has been some regression from Daniel Jones, who had a breakout year under Daboll in 2022 and was paid handsomely for it. Jones' turnover problems have returned, which is not ideal for a quarterback getting paid $40 million a year, but it is important to note that the Giants can get out of the contract after next season with minimal salary cap pain.
If the Giants' brain trust isn't convinced that Jones is their long-term answer at quarterback, it would be irresponsible not to at least consider a tank for Williams, who could easily become the most talented passer to ever wear a Giants uniform. Daboll has demonstrated his ability to coach talented quarterbacks, as evidenced by his work with Josh Allen in Buffalo, and would love the opportunity to get his hands on a player as gifted as Williams.
Adding a young quarterback on a rookie contract would also give Giants' GM Joe Schoen the opportunity to continue adding talent to a roster that was heavily depleted from years of bad drafting by his predecessor, Dave Gettleman. The NFC East is beast and the Giants have the third-best quarterback in the division right now, so taking a shot that Williams can live up to his potential would make a tank worth it in the form of long-term success.
1. New England Patriots
Throughout the offseason, it became clear that Patriots fans were hoping that the reason Mac Jones regressed in his second season was due to Bill Belichick's bizarre decision to replace Josh McDaniels with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge as essentially co-offensive coordinators. The offense that the pair came up with was extremely mediocre, forcing Belichick to hire Bill O'Brien away from Alabama to give Jones a competent playcaller in 2023.
The returns haven't been good for Jones, who has guided New England to a 1-3 start that could easily be 0-4 if the Jets hadn't been terrified to try moving the ball with Zach Wilson in Week 3. Jones has also made his fair share of critical mistakes, throwing pick-sixes in back-to-back weeks that put New England in early holes as they were blown out by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 and fell behind the New Orleans Saints quickly in Week 5.
While it is true that Jones' weaponry leaves a lot to be desired, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that his upside isn't nearly as high as we thought after his rookie season. Jones' best-case scenario may be a career where he is an Andy Dalton-like game manager who needs a lot of help around him to win at a high level.
Belichick can still coach a defense as well as anyone in the league but the franchise needs to find a long-term answer at quarterback after being blessed with 20 years of Tom Brady. There is no chance this depleted New England roster can make the playoffs in the stacked AFC so Belichick would be wise to consider a strategic tank in order to ensure the Patriots can land Williams and restore their status as perennial contenders in the future.