Commanders HC Ron Rivera hints at new QB entering the fray in 2022 NFL season

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera made it pretty clear in a recent interview with The Athletic that he expects his team to be in the market for a quarterback during the 2022 NFL offseason. He believes the Commanders are an attractive option for available quarterbacks, implying that he could be hoping to potentially land one this year.

“We’d like to believe that we would be a viable option for a lot of [quarterbacks],” Rivera told Ben Standig of TheAthletic.com. “We understand what the capital will take to bring a type [of] player like that here. We believe that we have a lot to offer.”

Prior to the start of the 2021 NFL season, the Commanders signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick to be their starting quarterback. They already have Taylor Heinicke on their roster, but they didn't believe in him enough to name him the starting quarterback prior to the 2021 season. They instead chose to sign Fitzpatrick and name him the starter.

Fitzpatrick was unfortunately injured in the very first game of the season for the Commanders, opening the door for Taylor Heinicke to take over as the starting quarterback anyway. He had a decent season but probably didn't do quite enough to solidify himself as the starter for the 2022 season. He threw 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while recording just an 85.9 passer rating.

With Heinicke a borderline option and Fitzpatrick set to hit free agency, Ron Rivera believes that Washington could be active in the quarterback market this offseason. He also said that he understands the type of capital it requires to land one. With the free agent class lacking elite options at the position, he could be implying that they will seek to trade for one of the superstars that may be available.

Are the Washington Commanders an atrractive destination for an elite quarterback?

Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke

Several elite quarterbacks could potentially be traded during the 2022 NFL offseason, including Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson. They all have a say in where they are potentially traded because of the way their contracts are structured. Ron Rivera believes Washington has a lot to offer.

They have a ton of young talent on defense, including Chase Young, Montez Sweat and Jonathan Allen. Their offensive line is solid and they have some offensive weapons like Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson, who are both rising stars. They also have the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and $30 million in available cap space to play with, the ninth most in the entire NFL.