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Meet the 2020 offseason NFL quarterback market: Early predictions on 16 players

It's never too early to start thinking about the offseason quarterback carousel. All around the league, we're seeing teams whose ups and downs are being influenced by the decisions they made at quarterback. Ryan Tannehill is sparking the Titans into the AFC playoff race, while Jared Goff's precipitous decline has dropped the Rams to the outside of the postseason hunt in the NFC.

Let's run through the quarterbacks who have a big decision coming due this offseason, both starters and backups who could be on the move. Some are free agents-to-be. Others have their fifth-year option ahead. Some veterans are candidates to be released from their deals. There might be a lot of turnover, and the decisions we see could influence other choices those teams make for years to come.

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Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

This should be a simple one. While Brees isn't quite playing up to the MVP-caliber form he showed during the first 12 weeks of the 2018 season, the 40-year-old is doing just fine. Despite missing five weeks with a thumb injury, Brees has shown little rust upon his return and ranks in the top 10 in both passer rating and Total QBR. He'll be at the helm in the Saints' most important game of the regular season on Sunday, when they'll take on the 49ers in a battle for the top seed in the NFC.

While Brees technically has two years remaining on his contract, those seasons are strictly for cap purposes. His deal automatically voids on March 18, and the Saints can't franchise tag him to keep him around. That sort of flexibility would give Brees the ability to go wherever he wants, but I can't envision a scenario where he goes to play anywhere else. It seems likely that he would walk off into the sunset if the Saints win the Super Bowl, but if they don't, Brees is still playing well enough to justify another year of this fruitful relationship.

Most likely 2020 status: Saints starter. The Saints have an 88.7% chance of missing out on their second Super Bowl of the Brees era, which would likely bring Brees back for one more shot at glory next year.

Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans Saints

Bridgewater's future obviously depends upon what happens with Brees. Like the starter, Bridgewater's contract will void after the 2019 season, making the Louisville product a free agent. After a successful 5-0 stretch as the starter while Brees was injured, the Saints would almost surely turn to Bridgewater as their new starter if Brees retires.

If Brees returns to the team, though, Bridgewater's future suddenly becomes cloudier. The 27-year-old was a free agent last season, but the only starting option he was presented on the free-agent market last spring was in Miami. He understandably preferred a chance to prove his worth with the Saints, and after posting a passer rating of 103.7 across his five starts, he did just that. He should have a larger market this offseason.

Given that the most likely outcome for the Saints is that they don't win the Super Bowl, my suspicion is that Bridgewater would leave if Brees returns. The Saints were lucky that more teams didn't pursue him as a starter last offseason, and as a quarterback with a serious knee injury in his past who is yet to make starter money in the NFL, this could be his best chance at that sort of contract. At the very least, Bridgewater will likely test the waters of free agency.

Most likely 2020 status: Free agent. It's difficult to find the ideal fit for Bridgewater, as teams like the Broncos, Buccaneers and Jaguars typically prefer quarterbacks with prototypical size and arm strength. He worked under Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner when they were both with the Vikings, and if Carolina moved on from Cam Newton, he could slide into the starting role for the Panthers. Even given his success, it's not impossible to imagine a scenario where Bridgewater sees his options and chooses to stick with the Saints as the starter-in-waiting behind Brees.