Its a mind-blowingly simpleminded take. Not all QBs are equal.
Yes, if you pay your Jimmy G quality QB, Jimmy G money - you are screwed for a few years.
You overpay for Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers? Then you have a few down years, followed by being a top contender and playoff team for years.
If you are stupid enough to pay a QB the quality the Vikings had that kind of money? Yes, you are screwed.
But it would be interesting to contrast that with teams that don't pay their top tier QBs, but I think we are the only team stupid enough to do that. We will see. Sounds like the NFL version of the Randy Johnson trade all over again to me - but the ideal outcome is I am completely wrong.
Because ask teams like the Browns or Saints, you don't have a QB...then you don't have a chance.
Or ask the Bengals what happens when you GET a good QB.
No QB. Nobody cares about you. Because you don't matter until you not only get one - but get a top tier one.
This is why nobody cares about the Titans, Vikings, or WFT. Even though they do some good things occasionally during the regular season. Because they don't matter. Neither do we. For the same reasons.
Nobody that pays Cousins or Tannehill gets to do anything. Neither does any team going into the season with Lock or Geno Whashisname.
You can hope to get a bad record and use to get a good draft pick to get a good young QB. You have about a 1 in 4 chance for that one (ie high pick in the right year since they tend to come in batches).
But you usually pay your top tier QBs, because if you don't someone else will.
Also, Carroll has to have a great QB to make up for his many shortcomings. The poor gameplanning alone requires an exceptional QB to overcome. Carroll is a gameday negative, you have to have a gameday positive to offset it.