Franchise quarterbacks

PS: We need a definition of the term "franchise" if this thread is to make even minimal sense. Do posters mean in it the common Draft Day hooey meaning of "superstar or potential superstar" or do they mean "QB who's good enough to win with and good enough to be very difficult to replace." If the former, we have maybe seven or eight guys tops. If the latter, then indeed guys like Romo, Flacco, Wilson, Ryan, and even Stafford and Cutler qualify.

 

I think of a Franchise QB as a guy who is entrenched as a starter. It's not his job to lose. It's his job. Period. That doesn't make them elite. Or great. It just makes them the starting QB, around which an offense will be run.
By that definition I think there are a lot of Franchise QBs in the league.
Brady
Manning
Brees
Roethlisberger
E. Manning
Romo
Wilson
Luck
Stafford
Rivers
Rodgers
Flacco
Palmer

Now how long a QB is a "franchise" QB is another story. Some have longer shelf life than others.
Franchise QBs with short shelf lives:
Ryan
Newton
Kaepernick

 

Lots of ELITE takes here.

 

Go ahead, say RG3. You know you want to.

 

Nah. I'll leave this to the experts.

 

Gee needs a definition of "expert."

 

Jay Cutler needs to be on your list, too.

 

Let's not forget salary in this. Flacco's contract means the Ravens will have built around him for the first 10 years of his career whether or not they want to.

 

This thread lasts long enough and we'll name every starting QB in the league.

 

That always seems to be forgotten. And it means, well, everything.

It seems to be much better to have your "franchise" QB be someone who wasn't handed that distinction on draft day. The more time it takes for them to get their big money, the better off you'll be.

Patriots won three SBs when Brady was making seventh-round (and slightly better) money, haven't won any since his eight figures have been eating the salary cap. Seahawks won with Wilson making $650,000. How good will their defense be when he commands eight figures of salary cap money? Packers won a title with Rodgers making $6.5 million. This year he's a $17.5 million cap hit. Same thing with Flacco.

Other than the Mannings, no Super Bowl winning QB since 2001 was picked earlier than 11th. The QB who won in 2000 (Dilfer) was a No. 6 pick who never really performed (or was paid) at an elite level. And the Mannings are by far the most scrutinized for not accomplishing more. Well, perhaps that's because they commanded monster money from Day 1, forever handicapping their franchises from paying other positions the money they deserved.

Roethlisberger 11th
Flacco 18th
Rodgers 24th
Brees 32nd
Brady 199th
Johnson 227th
Warner undrafted

 

I think of a franchise guy as someone who carries their team.

I think there are five obvious franchise quarterbacks: Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Brees and Luck.

Maybe you can add Roethlisberger, so six.

There are probably a couple who are debatable.