The 2026 quarterback carousel is set to be a wild one, full of reclamation projects with big questions, aging veterans, intriguing youngsters and seemingly everything in between.
It also comes at an interesting and unprecedented time. The Seahawks are fresh off winning Super Bowl 60 with Sam Darnold at quarterback. The journeyman veteran became the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl after playing for at least five different NFL teams. That’s the unprecedented part. But it also shows the way teams are willing to build their rosters; he’s the third quarterback in the past six years to win a Super Bowl in his first year with a team. Teams are finding a “bridge” quarterback who be much more than that, and the financial benefits of finding a solution at the game’s most important position in this way are immense.
With just a cursory glance, we can find a handful of teams potentially looking for a starter or a player who can compete to start. Sorting out who will fill those roles, though, is the challenge.
Starting quarterbacks
Kyler Murray: Jets
Kyler Murray’s‘s time in Arizona is all but over after an up-and-down seven seasons in which he won Rookie of the Year, made two Pro Bowls, suffered multiple significant injuries and never won a playoff game. Murray is about as polarizing as it gets. He has tremendous physical tools but also several clear limitations.
In New York, Murray would be part of a rebuild in its early stages, though he also needs to do some rebuilding himself; his Cardinals tenure ended strangely, and he hasn’t played a full season since 2020. For as bad as the Jets were offensively in 2025, they do have the makings of a solid offensive line with some young pieces, a top wide receiver in Garrett Wilson and a top running back in Breece Hall, who received the franchise tag. Murray could get a short deal that would give him a chance to prove he’s the answer. If he’s not, the Jets are scheduled to have three first-round picks in 2027, when they can take their shot on a quarterback and continue to build up the rest of the roster.
Malik Willis: Dolphins
There’s an easy connection to make here between Malik Willis and the Dolphins. Miami’s new general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, and new coach, Jeff Hafley, both come from Green Bay, where Willis impressed several times relieving Jordan Love. The Dolphins are in the midst of a complete overhaul right now, having released several players from the Mike McDaniel era that at one point showed great promise but never delivered anything more than a pair of winless playoff trips.
Willis, 26, could get a deal similar to Justin Fields‘ two-year, $40 million contract from the Jets last offseason, per ESPN, and that feels about right. Frankly, the Dolphins might not be able to go much higher than that given how much dead money will accompany a Tua Tagovailoa release. Willis can run and showed great improvement as a passer under Matt LaFleur in Green Bay. If he’s the answer, great. If he’s not, the Dolphins were already in for a long rebuild anyway.
Aaron Rodgers: Steelers
This is another easy Green Bay-related connection. The Steelers hired Mike McCarthy, who was Aaron Rodgers‘ longtime Packers coach. In his introductory press conference, McCarthy said he’d “definitely” want Rodgers as his quarterback, and recent reporting points to Rodgers returning rather than retiring.
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Potential competitors for starting spots
Kirk Cousins: Vikings
As J.J. McCarthy’s disastrous 2025 unfolded, the Vikings quietly showed what they could have been. They finished 9-8, they had a top 10 defense almost across the board, and they won their final five games, all against fellow NFC teams. Flip a couple of their one-score losses the other way, and this is a team that would have made the playoffs.
Alas, it wasn’t, and that’s why a Kirk Cousins reunion could be in the making once he’s released by Atlanta. He wasn’t anything special by any means last year, but he still does all the things Kevin O’Connell wants to do in his offense: get under center, run play action, go through progressions and stand in the pocket. He’s not his previous, pre-Achilles-tear self, and he never will be. But now, more than two full seasons after the injury, he can return to a place he was quite productive.
Joe Flacco: Falcons
In this scenario, Joe Flacco would reconnect with Kevin Stefanski, who took the Falcons‘ job this offseason after getting fired by the Browns. Michael Penix Jr. is coming off yet another ACL tear, and between that and his uneven showings when he has played, he might be penciled in as the 2026 starter, but it’s not written in ink yet. Flacco is willing to give his wide receivers a chance downfield (hint, hint, Drake London) and could push Penix.
Anthony Richardson: Browns
Remember him? The Browns are arguably the greatest unknown on the quarterback carousel with the presence of two 2025 draft picks — Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel — and the quarterback from arguably the worst trade in the sport’s history, Deshaun Watson. New coach Todd Monken was complimentary of Sanders’ playmaking and also emphasized the Browns will have an open quarterback competition in 2026.
Why not add Anthony Richardson to the party? A former No. 4 overall pick, Richardson has dealt with a bevy of injuries and has been granted permission to seek a trade. There’s not a ton standing in front of him if he were to land in Cleveland. Considering the Browns are replacing their entire offensive line, Richardson’s mobility could be helpful. Monken likes to attack downfield — he was once the offensive coordinator for Jameis Winston and helped Lamar Jackson improve as a downfield thrower — and Richardson fits that bill. It’s an imperfect fit on an imperfect team, but Richardson is an imperfect player at this point.
Backups
Tua Tagovailoa: Cardinals
Could Arizona really go from one highly picked quarterback who’s had a confusing, up-and-down career to another? In this simulation, it does. The Cardinals are starting over with coach Mike LaFleur, but they might not have to completely start over at quarterback. Jacoby Brissett is still under contract, and while he’s not exactly the long-term answer, he did play some reasonably effective football in 2025. LaFleur shouldn’t be in a rush to solve every problem overnight, and Brissett is a viable starter for 2026.
What about Tagovailoa as a backup, though? When the pocket and the throwing windows are clean, Tagovailoa can be a very accurate passer, and he can handle play action and motion concepts well. He’s not Brissett, who is much bigger and more willing to hang in there and take a hit, but what if LaFleur uses 2026 as a building year around his quarterbacks and, halfway through, simply wants to see what Tagovailoa has? It’s not easy to go from face of the franchise making more than $50 million per year to backup on a rebuilding team, but if Tagovailoa can make that transition successfully, his prospects could start to rise again in the future.
Geno Smith: Bengals
Worry not, Bengals fans. Joe Burrow isn’t leaving for another team. But if the past few seasons have shown us anything, it’s that he is a good bet to leave a game or two with injury. He played in just eight games in 2025 and just 10 in 2023. The Bengals have been unable to tread water without him: 19-16 in Burrow’s starts and 5-11 in games he misses. Much of that is due to a struggling defense, but Jake Browning and Flacco haven’t exactly been the perfect answers after a Burrow injury either.
Geno Smith had a brutal 2025, but the same could be said for the Raiders as a whole. It was a mess. The offensive line was awful, the receiving corps was among the league’s most underwhelming, and Smith suffered because of it. He’s an aggressive downfield thrower that could replicate some of Burrow’s play if called upon in a pinch. It’s past time for Cincinnati to invest legitimate money at this position.
Russell Wilson: Raiders
The Raiders are expected to draft Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall, but they don’t have much in the way of a backup should Smith leave, as expected. Add in Kenny Pickett being a free agent, and Aidan O’Connell is the lone player left in the room. Adding Russell Wilson would provide a veteran presence, and he knows Klint Kubiak from their time together with the Broncos. It didn’t produce the best results, but sometimes a veteran familiar with the offensive play-caller is a boon for a rookie learning the ropes.
Marcus Mariota: Chiefs
Placed in the tough position of playin in place of the Jayden Daniels multiple times in 2025, Marcus Mariota performed well, all things considered. He’s still too loose with the ball, but he also still has legitimate mobility and creativity, something many other players his age don’t have. With Patrick Mahomes on the mend from a torn ACL, the Chiefs‘ only other active roster quarterback is Chris Oladokun. If the Chiefs need someone other than Mahomes to start the season — even if just for a game or two — it’d make sense to have Mariota in the fold.
