How much does a good backup quarterback cost?

[dolphins4life]

$10 million?

$20 million?

$30 million?

If the third, too bad we signed X the human mauling machine to all that money

[DenverFinFan]

Backups you never need one until you do. Teddy is in contention for this years SotY had he been able to hold it together maybe we get a different seed and maybe we get a playoff win for once.

Being a backup QB has to be the best job in the world lol

[dolphins4life]

Backups you never need one until you do. Teddy is in contention for this years SotY had he been able to hold it together maybe we get a different seed and maybe we get a playoff win for once.

Being a backup QB has to be the best job in the world lol

Doesn't answer my question.

Therefore, I will respond with something equally irrelevant.  If the officiating in the NFL wasn't so horrid, NE makes it, and Miami does not make it.

Now back to the thread.

How much does a good backup quarterback cost?

[fyo]

Doesn't answer my question.

Therefore, I will respond with something equally irrelevant.  If the officiating in the NFL wasn't so horrid, NE makes it, and Miami does not make it.

Now back to the thread.

How much does a good backup quarterback cost?

TLDR: About $5 million

Stop being so sensitive. Unlike your mini-rant, Denver addressed a very central issue to your question: Backup quarterbacks are players you hope you never need, but if you do need them (especially for an extended period of time), they need to perform at a starting quarterback level.

So a good starting point in answering the question is, what's a lower-tier starting quarterback worth? Looking at 2023 numbers (which could obviously change), the median salary of the top 32 quarterbacks is $15 million (meaning half make less, half make more). Rookie contracts obviously skew those numbers, but it gives us a good starting point (and we can therefore easily throw out two of your three "guesses"). Once you get outside the top 32 highest-paid quarterbacks, you are actually below $2 million.

To get any closer than that, you have to really look at the team in question and what they need in terms of a QB2. Teams with an aging but durable QB1 who still has some time left in him will often want a young guy as the backup. That's usually someone they drafted, probably not in the first round, but not necessarily a "project" pick, either. Those players make very little. The Patriots have taken quite a few of those over the years with varying levels of success (Stridham, Jimmy G, Ryan Mallett, etc). They can certainly also be really long-shot picks that the team likely expects to be QB3 / practice squad for a while (like Skylar Thompson or Brock Purdy). Sometimes even QB3s have to step up, obviously, and running out of players capable of throwing the ball isn't fun.

If your veteran quarterback is getting really old and you get a chance for some 1st round talent, that's obviously something teams will want to do as well. Packers picking Aaron Rodgers to sit behind Brett Favre or Jordan Love to sit behind Aaron Rodgers would be two examples of that and those players are going to be more expensive, closer to the $5 million mark, by virtue of being first round picks.

If you go the Free Agent route, you again have to make a choice. Are you willing to pay starting money to a quarterback who might get a starting gig elsewhere? If the plan is to stick him on the bench, you will probably have to pay a bit of a premium, but we're obviously not talking crazy money and we're clearly going to be in the lower end of the top top 32. The very high end of this would be Jimmy G with the 49ers and Teddy Bridgewater with the Dolphins at $6.5 million each (Garoppolo wound up getting a lot more by virtue of starting so many games - had he stayed QB2, he would have gotten $6.5 million).

If you are willing to take a FA quarterback who clearly isn't getting a starting gig, but is still going to be okay for a few series or maybe even a game or two (at most), then it gets a bit harder, because the dropoff in quality is pretty steep and how the quarterback does is probably mostly going to be a product of the team around them as opposed to any stellar talent of the QB. In terms of money, we're talking something like $2 to $5 million. Foles (Colts), Henne (Chiefs), Minshew (Eagles), and Tyrod Taylor (Giants) would be typical examples in that category.

Ultimately, however, salaries don't exist in a vacuum and not all teams need the same things. Take the 2023 Dolphins. Skylar Thompson is set to earn all of $900k. A great salary for a normal job, but practically nothing in the NFL. Likely, the Dolphins would want to bring in another backup, but if you have someone who can go in and not bomb, how much *more* are you willing to pay? Do you go out and get a Baker Mayfield for something probably closer to $5 million than $2 million? Do you go completely nuts and get a "starting caliber" player like we did last year (*cough*)? That would bump the cost and you would probably have to wait until the QB1 market shakes out. This year is going to see quite a few reasonably talented quarterbacks hit free agency. Obviously, we're not talking top-tier talent, but still.

I don't know which way the Dolphins will elect to go. Personally, I'd rather not get the expensive high-end backup. The risks just seem too great and the option we do have (Skylar) good enough that I don't think it would be worth it.

[Dave Gray]

I don't think there's a money answer.  I think it's a talent issue and figuring out who the player is, in general.

I believe it's maybe trying to find a person who compliments your staff with his existing play-style, so there's as little dust-up, should they have to come in for a few plays.  ....either that or someone that can do things like scramble and make things happen on their own, in desperation.

Teddy just wasn't good / wasn't a good fit, regardless of money.  He wasn't able to contribute anything at any time.  You might as well have paid him 0.

To directly answer the question as much as possible, it would be just less than whatever the lowest starting QB salary is.

[EDGECRUSHER]

If we are in a cap crunch, we might go with Skylar as the backup. He could've won us the playoff game if not for the dropped passes.

[Downunder Dolphan]

I don't think there's a money answer.  I think it's a talent issue and figuring out who the player is, in general.

To be honest I have no solid idea, but I would go as far to say it's probably a combination of both, and there are differences for each team depending on their cap space and QB situations.

Case example would be the Philadelphia Eagles, when Foles came on to replace an injured Wentz to win a Superbowl, followed up by getting them deep into the playoffs the following season. His contract was heavily incentive laden, so if he stayed on the bench he was affordable - once he started hitting particular targets he became very expensive. Despite being the perfect backup based on game results, it turned out he was just too expensive for them too keep.

[Dave Gray]

^ Yeah, I guess there are exceptions.

But I always think that there are about 25 good QBs in the league and some bums who are holding down the fort during a rebuild.  So, if a backup was truly good, he's either home grown and undiscovered as of yet or he would be starting somewhere else.

I suppose the exception are journeyman guys.  There are people who maybe started for a while, were decent, but aged out and a team doesn't want to rebuild with you, like Fitzpatrick was.  He wasn't awful, but he wasn't the future.  I think we were hoping Teddy could be that and he just wasn't.

[Sunstroke]

I think that if you can get a quality back-up veteran QB at a reasonable salary, then great, but I think a good strategy to follow is to try to constantly draft a mid-late rd QB, then try developing your young QBs during camp and keep the best "ceiling" QB as your back-up going into the season...and stash 1-2 on your practice squad.

[masterfins]

I think that if you can get a quality back-up veteran QB at a reasonable salary, then great, but I think a good strategy to follow is to try to constantly draft a mid-late rd QB, then try developing your young QBs during camp and keep the best "ceiling" QB as your back-up going into the season...and stash 1-2 on your practice squad.

I think this is true, but if you want more of a veteran presence then FYO is right, about $5M. 

[Dave Gray]

It's also easy to bring in young mid-round talent when you have an established starter.  When you're developing a young QB here, like in Tua's first couple of years, the Twitter crowd would be calling for the young backup to "see what this kid can do".  That's a bad environment.  But if we're talking about someone to back up Mahomes, sure.

[masterfins]

It's also easy to bring in young mid-round talent when you have an established starter.  When you're developing a young QB here, like in Tua's first couple of years, the Twitter crowd would be calling for the young backup to "see what this kid can do".  That's a bad environment.  But if we're talking about someone to back up Mahomes, sure.

Well if your preferred starter is not playing well, then the fans are going to be calling for the backup no matter who is next in line, whether it's a young guy or a veteran.  After all that is the reason Miami let Fitzpatrick go, and he wasn't a young kid.

[CF DolFan]

Anyone you would want to back up Tua is going to be starting for someone. The best we can do other than Skyler is going to be an Andy Dalton or similar. The NFL is starved for QBs right now.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Anyone you would want to back up Tua is going to be starting for someone. The best we can do other than Skyler is going to be an Andy Dalton or similar. The NFL is starved for QBs right now.

For this reason and the cap, it's very likely going to be Skyler. Why bring in someone who was last productive in 2013? It's a name only.

No matter who we bring in, we're going to be in trouble if Tua only plays 10 games so let Skyler do it after another year under McDaniel's system and practicing with his teammates. Very likely the best option forward.

[CF DolFan]

For this reason and the cap, it's very likely going to be Skyler. Why bring in someone who was last productive in 2013? It's a name only.

No matter who we bring in, we're going to be in trouble if Tua only plays 10 games so let Skyler do it after another year under McDaniel's system and practicing with his teammates. Very likely the best option forward.

In all reality we have the best back up. He will be resting up and playing with the kids in Miami until needed but Brady should be fine when he gets that call! hahahah