How many of the consistently good teams (teams that for the last decade you've seen make regular playoff appearances) have QB's who haven't been in place for a while/aren't getting second contracts?
I can't think of any.
No team has ever done this though.
This meaning that we have a championship caliber roster and choose to let the QB go and keep most everyone else.
It usually goes like this:
Bad team drafts high for years and accumulates talent, finds a QB, wins prior to that QB getting huge payday. Pay the QB, slowly crash and burn over the years:
Falcons
Packers
Saints
Colts
Rams (premature to say we're slowly crashing and burning, but we were obviously worse this year than last)
Eagles (see Rams comment)
Seahawks
Ravens
Niners (Harbaugh)
Panthers
All of these teams made at least one Super Bowl, and after paying their QBs (new mega bucks money, not what QBs got in the early 2000s), have slowly or abruptly gotten worse.
The Saints, Packers and Manning-Colts are sort of exceptions to this - although it's worth noting that the Saints and Packers, with top 6 all time QBs, have each only made ONE Super Bowl. And Rodgers, Brees, Manning and Brady are four of the best to ever do it.
QB contracts are like NBA Super star max contracts - whether they are worth the money or not, players are going to get it - because teams have it and QB is the toughest position to play. But having LeBron, Steph, KD, etc. is a HUGE advantage to this -I mean we're paying Jared Goff similar money to what Drew Brees is being paid. C'mon guys.
My proposal would be to build a contender around a QB and let him go, while replacing him. I contend that Tim Couch, David Carr, Derek Carr, Teddy Bridgewater, Nick Foles, hell even Ryan Fitzpatrick - can all be good enough to win it all in the right circumstance. Well, having an elite OL and group of WRs fits the bill.
Case Keenum in Minnesota is a PERFECT example of this. He had arguably the best WR duo in the NFL that year, and lo and behold, they went 13-3 and made the NFCCG. And they lost to.......Nick Foles.
All these players that get drafted and turn out to be "busts" - so many GMs, fans and draft experts unanimously agree that they are first round picks - is everyone in the world wrong? Or did they go into a bad situation?