Every great team needs a great quarterback. The man throwing the ball between 30 and 40 times a game is responsible for the offense of his team on the field, and he is also responsible for his teammates behind the scenes as the ideal QB is also the ideal locker room leader. Every franchise is in the search for the quarterback who will be a transcendent player on the team for the next decade.
These franchises have put their faith in young quarterbacks to take them back to playoff prominence. All of these teams have experienced letdowns in recent years, and they are looking to return to relevance in 2015 and beyond.
Be sure to check out this week's other "Franchise Quarterback" articles for in-depth analysis of additional QB categories.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The current starter at QB: Blake Bortles
Bortles was the first QB taken off the board in 2014, which leaves him with high expectations to fulfill for the Jaguars' front office. With Bortles succeeding Chad Henne in the starting lineup in Week 4 of 2014, the Jags wasted no time in getting their first round pick into action. Bortles impressed early on in the season, putting up solid numbers despite the team's poor record, including a 78.4 percent completion percentage against San Diego in his first start. He also notably lead the Jags to a 22-point comeback victory over the New York Giants in Week 13. However, he faltered late in the season and ended the year tossing only 11 touchdown passes to 17 interceptions. Bortles has impressed the Jags early on in training camps this season, and with nobody truly threatening Bortles for the starting job this year, it is very likely that Bortles will be under center for all of the Jags' 16 games this year.
Minnesota Vikings
The current starter at QB: Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater snuck into the first round of the 2014 draft, taken 32nd overall by the Minnesota Vikings. Like Bortles, he was not projected to be the starter at the beginning of 2014, and actually sat the first quarter of the season in favor of veteran Matt Cassel. However, an injury to Cassel gave Bridgewater the opportunity he needed to impress the Vikings and make him their long-term starter. He took the opportunity and ran with it tossing 14 TDs against 12 INTs and showing the Vikings' coaching staff what he can do. The Vikings' front office was undoubtedly impressed, trading away Cassel and letting third-string QB Christian Ponder join the Raiders in the offseason. With these movements, the Vikings have made it clear that Bridgewater is their guy under center. With Pro Bowl RB Adrian Peterson returning to action, Bridgewater should see some of the focus shift away from him, giving him the chance to put up big numbers for a Vikings team that is looking to make a return to the playoffs.
Oakland Raiders
The current starter at QB: Derek Carr
Derek Carr quietly had the best season of all the rookie QBs to enter the NFL last season, and he did it on a team known to have QBs who underperform mightily. He started out the season beating out veteran Matt Schaub for the starting job and made history by being the first QB to start all 16 games in a season for the Raiders since Rich Gannon in 2002. People may overlook his stats because of the Raiders 3-13 record overall, which included a nine-game losing streak to start the season, but Carr threw for 3,270 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Even though the team signed Christian Ponder, it's clear that Carr has no challengers for his job. Oakland has added pieces around him to potentially improve his numbers, with Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and Clive Walford joining Carr on offense.
Carr may play in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL in the AFC West, but he should help the Raiders to improve on their three wins of last year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The current starter at QB: Jameis Winston
If there was ever a team that needed a change at the game's most important position, it's the Buccaneers. Dating back to the beginning of the 2013 season when Josh Freeman, their most recent long-term option at QB, was released due to unhappiness with the team, the Bucs have never found their passer. They thought they found something in the second half of 2013 with Mike Glennon, but the team still wanted more. They signed Josh McCown to a two-year deal and named him the starter over Glennon immediately, but they released him after only one season.
The team took Winston first overall in this year's draft and named him the starter immediately, again at the expense of Glennon. He beat out Marcus Mariota for the No. 1 pick after months of speculation. After a two-year career at Florida State where he threw for nearly 8,000 yards, 65 touchdown passes and 28 interceptions, Winston was high on the Bucs' radar. Now, Winston is being asked to bring the Buccaneers up from the cellar of the NFC South and improve on the two wins that they got last year.
Tennessee Titans
The current starter at QB: Marcus Mariota
When one came off the board, the Titans went right after the other. After the Bucs took Winston, the Titans went for Marcus Mariota with the second pick in the draft. The decision was met with some question marks, considering that the Titans already had a QB from the 2014 draft in Zach Mettenberger. Mettenberger took over in the middle of 2014 and had a solid finish to the season, though it apparently wasn't enough to stop the Titans from taking another signal caller this year. Mariota also was named the unquestioned starter for the upcoming season by head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who when asked about the QB depth in Tennessee, responded with "After Marcus?" Much like the Bucs, the Titans are leaning on Mariota and fellow rookie Dorial Green-Beckham to get the team out of the cellar in 2015.
