This might be the first and last time that Seneca Wallace, the undersized quarterback with the crafty footwork and knack for escaping trouble, is ever compared to Scott Mitchell, the lumbering ex-quarterback who only liked to scramble when he had an egg-beater and a dozen Grade-A’s.
It’s the only time you’ll ever see Wallace, who played college football in rural Iowa and made his most important NFL play to date as a receiver, mentioned along with Rob Johnson, who spent his college days at hoity-toity USC and only liked to run when holding a surfboard under one arm.
But as Wallace prepares for what might be his final start of the 2006 season, Mitchell and Johnson are among the players he’ll be patterning himself after. Not because of their inability to move in the pocket, but because of their ability to fatten their wallets.
Mitchell and Johnson were among the first backup quarterbacks to cash in on NFL free agency, each earning multimillion-dollar contracts after spending their early years behind higher-profile starters.
Mitchell left the Miami Dolphins’ bench for the starting job in Detroit in 1994, getting an $11 million contract from the Lions despite spending most of his Dolphins career behind Dan Marino. Johnson got a $25 million contract from the Buffalo Bills in 1998 after throwing just 35 passes in three seasons with Jacksonville.
Neither signing worked out in the long run, but that’s not the point. The point is that NFL teams are desperate for starting quarterbacks, meaning a backup can give a quick glimpse of promise and turn it into a big payday.
And Wallace, who is scheduled to be a free agent after this season, has that opportunity.
As many as 10 teams could be looking for new starters next season. Teams like the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers – to name a few – might give Wallace a long, hard look in the offseason. He won’t make Matt Hasselbeck money, but Wallace could probably expect quite a pay raise.
With another solid outing Sunday, Wallace might see his first seven-figure offer. Cincinnati backup Jon Kitna signed a four-year, $11 million deal just to compete for the starting job with the Lions last spring. Career backup Jake Delhomme signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Carolina Panthers before leading that team to a Super Bowl a few years ago.
Those numbers might not sound like much to the Peyton Mannings and Tom Bradys of the world, but they’re quite an improvement over the $380,000 Wallace will make this year. In fact, the $1.45 million in base salary that Kitna will earn in 2006 – a dirt-cheap price for a starting quarterback – is more than Wallace has made in his first four NFL seasons combined.
So is one game really worth millions of dollars? In Wallace’s case, it could well be. He’s done enough in his first two starts to open some eyes, yet he hasn’t knocked anyone’s socks off yet. In what might be his final audition before Hasselbeck returns from injury, Wallace has the opportunity to prove whether he’s capable of being a long-term answer or just another long-range backup.
Based on his first two starts, Wallace looks like he has the tools be the next Delhomme. But it’s just as likely he could be another Scott Mitchell or Rob Johnson … or A.J. Feeley, for that matter.
Which way will he go?
Sunday’s game will go a long way toward answering that question. If he matches St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger’s numbers, Wallace could find himself lined up for a starting job somewhere.
If not, he might have to spend a few more years waiting for Hasselbeck to get hurt again.
Scott M. Johnson is The Herald’s pro football writer.
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