Five Possible Destinations For USC Star Caleb Williams In The 2024 NFL Draft

We take a look at the five teams who could, and should be, considering ‘tanking for Caleb’ in 2023!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady has retired again (this time for good) and that has left Tampa Bay with one of the most underwhelming quarterback rooms in the NFL. Baker Mayfield was signed as a free agent on the back of a brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams, and at this time he appears to have beaten out Kyle Trask in the race for the starting job.

Mayfield has had his moments in his NFL career, but they have been few and far between. His signing feels very much like the Buccaneers were looking for a serviceable place-holder for the 2023 season – one that tries to say “look, we are not tanking”.

A league-worst record is unlikely for the Bucs, who still have a decent amount of talent on the roster, but a poor record will put them in the position to trade up to get their man. And after seeing division rivals make their long-term move at QB in the 2023 draft, the pressure is on Tampa to find theirs.

New England Patriots

Mac Jones remains the starter heading into 2023, but he has found himself under increasing pressure from backup Bailey Zappe, who went 2-0 as a starter last season and replaced Jones during a humbling Monday Night Football loss at home to the league’s worst team, Chicago.

There were reports before the draft that New England were trying to trade Jones, so even though he is QB1 at this time, it feels very much like his days are numbered.

And just look at the rest of the division. Buffalo has their man in Josh Allen. Miami seemingly have their guy in Tua Tagovailoa. And New Yew York have lured Aaron Rodgers to the ‘Big Apple’. So when it comes to QBs in the AFC East, one of them is not like the other.

Jones is simply on borrowed time and head coach Bill Belichick has earned himself more than enough credit to embark on a tanking season that could result in the Patriots finally landing the long-term successor to Tom Brady.

Washington Commanders

If you want to hide a tanking season in plain sight, there are not many better divisions to do it in than the NFC East.

Philadelphia are expected to be contenders again in 2023 against Stake, and both Dallas and New York are likely to be in the postseason shake-up at the end of the season. That just leaves Washington, whose QB depth chart reads Sam Howell, Jacoby Brissett, Jake Fromm.

That will not have the rest of the NFL shaking in their boots. The Commanders simply have to find their long-term signal-caller and what better way to start the post-Dan Snyder era than to land one of the most talented quarterbacks to come out of the draft in recent memory.

It will take a season of many losses to do it, but Washington have to think about the bigger picture in 2022. With Williams they would start to become a major threat in the NFC East. Without him they could find themselves spending the next several years looking up at Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Denver Broncos/Las Vegas Raiders

AFC West rivals Denver and Las Vegas have to be lumped together because they find themselves in the same boat. These two teams have to contend with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert in the AFC West, so the need for a franchise quarterback is huge for both of them. They will send out veterans with a track record of winning in 2023, but neither man instils a huge amount of confidence.

Russell Wilson stunk up Mile High in his first season following the trade from Seattle, while Jimmy Garropolo has had real issues staying healthy in recent years.

Forget Super Bowls, neither man is going to make their team a threat to Kansas City or Los Angeles in the division, so the quarterback position is something they simply have to address in the very near future.

Hiding a tanking season in the AFC West should not be a difficult task, so if these two teams are not in the hunt for Williams next year, it would be a major surprise.