In this series, we're putting our couch GM skills to good use, taking a stab at whether certain key free agents will be back in red and black next fall. The franchise will probably surprise us, but it's the off-season, and this is what we do during the off-season.
Rojo Hombre - as he's affectionately known - might be the best backup QB in the league. But he's 34, and that means we need to move on, or something like that.
In any case, here are the top five reasons he's done as a Falcon:
(5) Need to groom a long-term replacement
Koetter intends to establish a new system. New terminology, new schemes, et cetera. Given Redman's age, if the team wants a long-term backup who can fill in capably if needed, then it makes sense to acquire and groom that person now.
(4) $
Redman doesn't make a lot of money (he made 2.3 million last year), but if we can pay someone the league minimum to do the same job, then it may allow the franchise to make some other needed moves.
(3) Versatility
Redman took less than five percent of our snaps last year. It might be a stretch, but if we could acquire an athletic QB with a decent arm, then perhaps we could give opposing defenses some interesting looks in the coming years. Then again, the last time we had a player who fit that description on the roster, things didn't play out so well.
(2) We don't need a "veteran" QB on the roster anymore
Ryan is certainly a work in progress, but he will be a fifth year QB this year. Having a vet holding the proverbial clipboard seemed necessary two or three years ago. But that's no longer the case.
(1) He's a commodity
As I stated above, he's pretty good. He's not a starter, but there are far worse backups in this league. He will complete at least sixty percent of his passes and despite his mediocre touchdown to interception ratio, he's been surprisingly efficient over the years. Other teams will give him a look.
So there you have it!
I think the determining factor here is his contract. Two million dollars in savings doesn't seem like a deal breaker, and maybe it isn't under normal circumstances. But given the number of free agents the team will look to resign, I see us going in a different direction.