Brandon Weeden has met with a handful of curious NFL teams leading up to this month's draft. The Oklahoma State quarterback admits the question of his age comes up "sooner than later" in those conversations.
At 28, Weeden is not a fit for teams looking to groom a signal-caller long-term. Widely praised for his leadership ability and maturity (not to mention his arm strength), Weeden needs to see the field as a rookie.
He's asking teams to look past -- in fact, ignore -- the age factor.
"I can't change that," Weeden told The Dan Patrick Show on Monday. "Treat me like I am 22. ... I don't believe my age should even affect (anything). ... I don't think many people plan on playing 20 years in the NFL, but if I can go play eight, 10 years in the NFL, it's a great NFL career.
"I continue to take care of my body," Weeden said. "My body's extremely fresh ... From a maturity standpoint, I think I can handle more thrown on my plate quicker than, maybe, the next guy. ... There's a lot more positive than negatives."
If Weeden were younger, he might be seen as the third best quarterback in the draft, leaping ahead of Ryan Tannehill, widely considered too green to produce as a rookie.
It really comes down to how NFL teams view their quarterback situation. Weeden makes no sense sitting behind Philip Rivers or Eli Manning, but if you're the Miami Dolphins, the Weeden gamble isn't a wild one.
