Super Bowl 60 is now in the books, and the NFL will start to look ahead to its 2026 season after the Seattle Seahawks’ 29-13 win over the New England Patriots.
The NFL has already seen significant turnover during the 2026 offseason. Ten teams made coaching changes while a whopping 21 will have new offensive coordinators in place for the upcoming campaign.
Could the league see similar movement on its annual quarterback carousel? A damper may be put on drama at the quarterback position with the 2026 NFL Draft class largely looking like a one-man show.
That said, plenty of other veterans may find themselves available this offseason. Kirk Cousins is expected to be released ahead of the new league year; Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa could end up being trade bait; and Derek Carr may consider unretiring for the right situation.
Who might be in line to start at quarterback in 2026 once the dust is settled? Here’s a way-too-early prediction of each NFL team’s planned starting quarterback for the upcoming season.
NFL starting QB predictions for 2026
Arizona Cardinals: Tua Tagovailoa
The Cardinals will likely dangle Kyler Murray as trade bait this offseason. If they find a trade partner, they could roll with Jacoby Brissett as their starter while also looking to pair the 33-year-old with a younger quarterback.
Tagovailoa – 28 in March – would fit the bill. He had a down year in 2025, tossing 15 interceptions before being benched in favor of Quinn Ewers, but could be a bounce-back candidate after posting a passer rating of 101.1 or better across the previous three seasons.
Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix Jr.
Giving Penix one more shot to prove himself would likely be prudent for Atlanta, as the team doesn’t have many clear-cut paths to a big-time quarterback upgrade. The 2024 first-round pick has arm talent and could benefit from Stefanski’s tutelage after completing 59.6% of his passes for 2,757 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 starts across his first two NFL seasons.
If the team is worried about Penix’s potential return from a torn ACL, it could bring in a veteran stopgap to compete with him. A player like Joe Flacco, who opened the 2026 season as Stefanski’s starter in Cleveland, would be a sensible target for such a role.
Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson
Jackson missed four games due to injury last season but still posted strong numbers for the Ravens. First-year coach Jesse Minter will be happy to have the two-time MVP and three-time All-Pro first-teamer at his disposal.
Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen
Allen won the NFL MVP award in 2024 and finished third in the 2025 voting. The soon-to-be 30-year-old will continue in his quest to lead the Bills to their first Super Bowl since the 1993 NFL season, now with Joe Brady as his coach instead of Sean McDermott.
Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young
The Panthers are planning to pick up Young’s fifth-year option, indicating they are willing to trust him as their quarterback for the 2026 NFL season, and potentially beyond. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2023 NFL Draft posted career-best marks in completion percentage (63.6%), passing yards (3,011), passing touchdowns (23) and passer rating (87.8) and helped guide the Panthers to the playoffs in his second season working with Dave Canales.
Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams
Williams came up 58 yards short of being the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history, but he showed plenty of progress in his first season working with Ben Johnson. Williams led the Bears to an 11-6 regular-season record and posted a league-best seven fourth-quarter comebacks during the season.
Williams made some star-level throws – including an unbelievable 14-yard touchdown toss in the divisional round against the Rams – but will have to improve his accuracy as he continues to develop. He completed just 58.1% of his passes in 2025, the fifth-worst mark among 42 qualified quarterbacks.
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow
The Bengals posted a 5-3 record with Burrow last season. Without him, they went 1-8. The team’s main focus for the 2026 NFL season, aside from improving its woeful defense, will be to keep Burrow healthy for a full season. He has only played a complete slate three times across his six NFL seasons to date.
Cleveland Browns: Kirk Cousins
As fun as it would be to give Todd Monken a higher-ceiling quarterback like Kyler Murray, the Browns probably don’t have the budget for that. Why? Because Deshaun Watson is set to have an astronomical $80.7 million cap hit in 2026, the last season of the ill-fated five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed extension he signed in Cleveland.
With that in mind, the Browns will have to go with a cheaper option to bring in competition for Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and Watson in 2026. Cousins – who is set to be released by the Falcons before the new league year – could qualify as a solid veteran stopgap with a mid-tier price tag. He could also be a good mentor for Sanders and Gabriel as the Browns look to continue developing their 2025 draft picks.
Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott
Prescott bounced back nicely in 2025 after a rocky 2024 campaign. He completed 67.3% of his passes for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and helped lead Dallas to a top-five scoring offense.
The Cowboys went 7-9-1 last season, largely due to their ineffective defense. If they can make improvements on that side of the ball in 2026, they could re-emerge as a playoff contender with Prescott at quarterback.
Denver Broncos: Bo Nix
The Broncos asked Nix to do a lot last season, as his 612 passing attempts led the NFL. He delivered, leading Denver to a 14-3 record, the AFC’s No. 1 seed and an AFC championship game appearance before a broken ankle sidelined him for the season.
Nix wasn’t always efficient or consistent – as evidenced by his pedestrian 63.4% completion rate and middling 6.4 yards per attempt – but he is an ideal fit in Sean Payton’s offense, which relies on the short passing game to carry it.
Detroit Lions: Jared Goff
Many wondered how Goff would fare after Ben Johnson left the Lions during the offseason. Goff silenced his doubters, completing 68% of his passes for 4,564 yards, 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions while ranking fifth among quarterbacks in EPA, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love
Love has led the Packers to nine wins and a playoff berth in each of his three seasons as the team’s starting quarterback. Last year, he posted a career-high 101.2 passer rating while throwing just six interceptions, his lowest across any of his seasons as a full-time starter.
Love is still just 27 years old, so the Packers will be happy to see if he can grow under yet another season under Matt LaFleur’s tutelage.
Houston Texans: C.J. Stroud
Stroud’s stock has fallen slightly since his 2023 Rookie of the Year campaign, and it took a major hit during the 2025 NFL playoffs. Across two games, Stroud looked frazzled, completing just 51.9% of his passes for 462 yards, two touchdowns and a playoff-worst five interceptions while taking six sacks.
While Stroud’s postseason performance will give many pause when evaluating his future, he has still led the Texans to playoff appearances and a postseason victory in each of his first three seasons. The Texans will chalk up the 24-year-old’s recent struggles to growing pains and expect him to bounce back in 2026.
Indianapolis Colts: Daniel Jones
Jones had one of the surprise breakouts of the 2025 NFL season. He beat Anthony Richardson for the Colts’ starting job and proceeded to have a career-best season, completing 68% of his passes for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions across 13 games.
Jones is set to be a free agent, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which he and the Colts don’t agree to a deal to extend their partnership. The only complicating factor is that the 28-year-old tore his Achilles in Week 14, but odds are the two parties will find a middle ground.
If not, keep an eye on the Vikings – with whom Jones had a cup of coffee in 2024 – as a potential landing spot.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence’s first season with Liam Coen was nothing short of excellent. The 2021 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick posted his third 4,000-yard passing season while adding a career-best 29 passing touchdowns to go along with 359 rushing yards and nine rushing scores.
Expect the 26-year-old’s growth to continue as he, Coen and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski prepare for a second season together.
Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes had just an 89.6 passer rating last season – his worst in eight seasons as a full-time starter – but the two-time MVP remains one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. The only questions are whether he will be ready for Week 1 after suffering a torn ACL in Week 15, and – if not – who will be his replacement with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew set to be a free agent.
Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza
Any doubt about Mendoza being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft was effectively erased when Dante Moore decided to go back to Oregon. The Raiders are looking for a franchise quarterback, and Mendoza is, far and away, the best quarterback in the 2026 draft class.
Mendoza completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions in his lone season at Indiana. He won the Heisman Trophy for his efforts and led the Hoosiers to an undefeated, 16-0 season and a national title. First-year coach Klint Kubiak will relish a chance to develop Mendoza after helping Sam Darnold become a Super Bowl champion.
Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert
Herbert helped the Chargers to a playoff berth despite playing behind one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines. Their goal in the offseason will be to improve their interior offensive line to prevent Herbert from being pressured as often as he was in 2026.
Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Stafford
Stafford just won the NFL MVP award in 2025 and announced during his acceptance speech he would be back for his age-38 season. The Rams will be happy to get another bite at the Super Bowl apple with him.
Miami Dolphins: Malik Willis
The Dolphins’ new brain trust of coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan came to the team from the Packers. That could make Miami the ideal organization to take a flier on Willis as a young quarterback with starter upside.
Willis was a third-round pick by the Titans in 2022 but has spent the last two seasons with the Packers. In limited action in place of Jordan Love, Willis has posted a 2-1 record as a starter while completing 78.7% of his passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Willis also has excellent mobility and will only be 27 in May, giving him plenty of time to blossom into a dual-threat starter. Don’t be surprised if he draws a lot of interest from quarterback-needy teams as he hits free agency.
Minnesota Vikings: Derek Carr
OK, let’s get a little crazy. The Vikings aren’t going to give up on J.J. McCarthy, but they are expected to bring in a veteran quarterback to challenge him, much like the Colts did with Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson last season.
Could that be a player like Carr? The veteran retired ahead of the 2025 NFL season due to a labral tear in his shoulder, but recent rumors from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo indicate the 34-year-old could consider coming back for the right situation.
Minnesota could represent that, as the Vikings are a ready-now team with plenty of talent at receiver and a solid offensive line. There are plenty of obstacles to this deal – including that Carr would have to be acquired via trade from the Saints, would likely need a restructured deal and would need to be open to the idea of competing with McCarthy for the starting job – but it doesn’t seem completely far-fetched.
New England Patriots: Drake Maye
Maye enjoyed a breakout second season with the Patriots, finishing second in the NFL’s MVP voting after leading the league in completion rate (72%), passer rating (113.5) and EPA (151.2). His playoff performance wasn’t as strong, and he struggled in his team’s Super Bowl 60 loss to the Seahawks, but the Patriots will remain encouraged by what the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft accomplished in his second season.
New Orleans Saints: Tyler Shough
Shough turned 26 during his rookie season but he showed that he has plenty of upside across 11 starts with the Saints. He led the team to a 6-5 record while completing 67.6% of his passes for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. Kellen Moore and Mickey Loomis should be excited to continue building around the Louisville product.
New York Giants: Jaxson Dart
Dart showcased plenty of upside in his first NFL season. He was one of the league’s best runners at quarterback, generating 489 yards and nine touchdowns across 14 games, and completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Now, he will get a chance to play for John Harbaugh.
New York Jets: Kyler Murray
The Jets are in a tough spot at quarterback. They have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but unless they love Ty Simpson, there won’t be a signal-caller worth selecting that early. That could lead the team to explore the veteran quarterback market and potentially take a swing on a player like Murray.
Murray was unspectacular across five starts last season, but he has a powerful arm and the mobility needed to be a dual-threat playmaker. He also wouldn’t cost much via trade, as he has two years – plus a club option – remaining on the five-year, $230.5 million contract he signed with the Cardinals.
Few NFL teams will want to give up a big-time draft asset for Murray and pay that amount, so Arizona may be forced to sell low on him. The Jets are armed with $83.3 million in cap space – fourth-most in the NFL, per OverTheCap.com – and 10 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, so they may be uniquely positioned to target Murray.
Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts
Hurts is an efficient quarterback who completed 64.8% of his passes for 3,224 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions last season. He also isn’t overly explosive, as his 4.6% ‘big time throw’ percentage ranked 17th among 43 quarterbacks with at least 150 dropbacks last season, per Pro Football Focus.
Still, he has led the Eagles to five consecutive playoff berths and a Super Bowl title, so they will continue to trust one of the architects of the ‘Tush Push.’
Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers
San Francisco 49ers: Brock Purdy
Purdy has led the 49ers to the playoffs in two of his three seasons as a starter and had a Super Bowl appearance in his second season. Expect Kyle Shanahan to continue rolling with Purdy while keeping the trusty Mac Jones around as his backup.
Seattle Seahawks: Sam Darnold
Darnold led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win and became just the second quarterback in NFL history to win 14 games in back-to-back seasons. The other was Tom Brady. Enough said.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield
The Buccaneers were victims of an epic collapse in the second half of the season, but Mayfield wasn’t entirely to blame for that. He still enjoyed a solid season – completing 63.2% of his passes for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions – while battling a shoulder injury. Perhaps new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will get more out of him than Josh Grizzard did in his lone season in that role.
Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward
The Titans didn’t spend the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Cam Ward to give up on him after one season. The Miami product showed growth over the final month of his rookie season as well, so it will be interesting to see what he can do with an improved supporting cast in 2026.
Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels
Daniels played in just seven games amid an injury-plagued sophomore season after posting one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history. The Commanders will hope he can return to his 2024 form next season as David Blough takes over for Kliff Kingsbury as Washington’s offensive coordinator.