The road to Super Bowl LV starts this week when the 2020 NFL season begins.
However, some franchises would be wise to treat the Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl confetti like lava and stay as far away as possible from Tampa Bay on February 7.
That is because the 'consolation prize' for the worst team this year will likely be Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, perhaps the most complete quarterback prospect to enter the draft since Andrew Luck nearly a decade ago.
So, while 'tanking' isn't considered the done thing in the NFL, a season of struggle might be a shrewd price to pay for years of prosperity with Lawrence.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who reached the 2017 season's AFC Championship game, seemingly already have a head start in the 'race' to land Lawrence having torn down their roster, but who else should consider joining them in 'Tanking for Trevor'?
WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM
If any team could do with a reason to be optimistic about the future, it's the Washington Football Team.
Washington, who went 3-13 last year, ditched their controversial 'Redskins' moniker this offseason but the regime remains under the spotlight – and an NFL investigation – following allegations of sexual harassment from former team officials.
They drafted Dwayne Haskins in the first round of last year's draft and in his nine games, he completed only 58.6 per cent of his 203 pass attempts – the 33rd and worst percentage in the NFL for quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts – and, among QBs with at least 200 dropbacks, he had the highest sack percentage (12.5 per cent).
New head coach Ron Rivera has no ties to Haskins and Lawrence would fit the bill in the nation's capital for a team that will be starting afresh with a likely new nickname in 2021.
CHICAGO BEARS
The sight of Patrick Mahomes lifting the Lombardi Trophy in Chiefs red in February was particularly sore for Bears fans given Chicago traded up and drafted Mitch Trubisky instead three years ago.
Had Mahomes wound up in the Windy City – where his former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is the head coach – they would probably be set for the next decade plus.
Instead, they are rolling the dice on Trubisky again – even though he ranked last among qualifying QBs in yards per attempt last season – for a 2020 campaign that will likely end with general manager Ryan Pace being ousted if his chosen QB toils once more.
Trubisky isn't under contract for 2021 and free agent pickup Nick Foles is no long-term answer, so the Bears will almost certainly be in the market for another QB in the offseason. After whiffing on Trubisky, why not aim for the 'can't-miss' prospect in Lawrence?
CAROLINA PANTHERS
The Cam Newton era is over in Carolina, and former Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will get another starting shot after going 5-0 last year when Drew Brees went down.
Bridgewater has made 34 careers starts and thrown for over 300 yards on just six occasions – and half of those came in his rookie year, before his serious knee injury – and only 11 of his 196 pass attempts in 2019 were of 21 or more air yards, which was fewer than the likes of Josh Rosen, David Blough and Eli Manning.
Safe and steady is fine when you're with an uber-talented team like the Saints, but the Panthers are set to have the youngest starting defense in 10 years this season so Carolina, whose new head coach Matt Rhule has a seven-year contract, need a quarterback who can throw caution to the wind.
NEW YORK JETS
The Jets, like the Bears, have spent decades seeking a franchise passer – ever since Joe Namath departed in the 1970s having 'guaranteed', and delivered, what remains Gang Green's only Super Bowl.
They may still have one on their roster. Former first-rounder Sam Darnold, just 23, has shown flashes of brilliance in his first two years but he also had a 2.9 per cent interception rate in 2019 – worse than all but five qualifying quarterbacks – and is entering a critical juncture of his career.
With the Jets talented-starved at receiver and facing a tricky schedule, Darnold could feasibly endure another season of inconsistency. Then the Jets will have a 'Trubisky conundrum' – do they persist with a guy who has shown he can't quite be 'the guy'?
General manager Joe Douglas did not draft Darnold – or appoint head coach Adam Gase – and may want his success to be determined by men he has selected in the key roles.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
A wildcard, perhaps, but does Derek Carr really scream 'face of the franchise' for a Jon Gruden team now based in Sin City?
Carr supporters will note he had the second best completion percentage (70.4) in the NFL last year and was the best third-down passer in the league (127.4 quarterback rating, 14 touchdowns and one interception), yet the Raiders have still gone 39-55 in Carr's starts across his six years in the league.
Neither Gruden nor general Mike Mayock were around when Carr was drafted and his contract means a parting of the ways in 2021 would be easy to facilitate.
The Raiders have the misfortune of being in a division with Mahomes so they need offensive firepower. Lawrence would certainly provide that.