With wisps of black and gold smoke apparently emanating from the Steel City’s stacks, it appears all of the NFL’s QB1 jobs – whether in short- or long-term form – have now been accounted for heading into the 2026 season.
Aaron Rodgers, per multiple reports, is re-signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the upcoming campaign. With incentives, his deal could pay up to $25 million − a figure that would roughly double what he made with the Steelers in 2025. He rejoins a quarterback room that includes veteran backup Mason Rudolph plus youngsters Will Howard and Drew Allar, the Penn State product drafted in the third round last month who might one day take the reins here.
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But succession plans in Pittsburgh – not to mention Las Vegas, Arizona and elsewhere – are plot twists for another day. For now, with Rodgers back in the fold for the Steelers, here’s how the league’s projected starting quarterbacks stack up league-wide from worst to best:
The longtime backup is the projected starter going into the season – though he’s also looking for a raise from the $5.4 million he’s due to make in the final year of his contract. There’s no denying this offense performed much better during Brissett’s 12 starts in 2025 than it did under Kyler Murray, the deposed former face of the franchise. Brissett’s 23 TDs and 240.4 passing yards per game last year were easily career bests for the 10-year vet. Yet Arizona was also 1-11 with him in the lineup – meaning it’s worth wondering how much more money he’s likely to extract from an organization that can also turn to capable vet Gardner Minshew II and almost certainly will get a protracted look at rookie Carson Beck at some point as GM Monti Ossenfort weighs his options going into 2027.
Are the NYJ getting Geno circa 2025, when he threw a league-high 17 interceptions for the Raiders – which is fairly close to Geno circa 2013-14, whom the Jets quickly gave up on as their quarterback of the future? Or the guy who was a Pro Bowler for the Seahawks in 2022 and ’23? (Also, does Gang Green actually want the Seattle version of Smith, given he might compromise their chances of getting Arch Manning in 2027? Just [Julian?] Sayin …)
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
New York Jets – Arch Manning, QB, Texas
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
New York Jets – Arch Manning, QB, Texas
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Miami Dolphins – Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Arizona Cardinals – Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Atlanta Falcons – Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Tennessee Titans – Trevor Goosby, OT, Texas
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Las Vegas Raiders – Jordan Seaton, OT, LSU
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Cleveland Browns – CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
New York Giants – Cam Coleman, WR, Texas
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
New Orleans Saints – Colin Simmons, DE/OLB, Texas
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Washington Commanders – Dylan Stewart, DE/OLB, South Carolina
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Jets (from IND) – KJ Bolden, S, Georgia
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jamari Johnson, TE, Oregon
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Pittsburgh Steelers – Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Jets (from DAL) – Ellis Robinson IV, CB, Georgia
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Carolina Panthers – Quincy Rhodes, DE/OLB, Arkansas
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Cincinnati Bengals – Zabien Brown, CB, Alabama
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Minnesota Vikings – Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Detroit Lions – Will Heldt, DE, Clemson
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Baltimore Ravens – Kelley Jones, CB, Mississippi State
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Houston Texans – Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Kansas City Chiefs – Trey’Dez Green, TE, LSU
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Philadelphia Eagles – Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Cowboys (from GB) – Nick Marsh, WR, Indiana
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
San Francisco 49ers – Koi Perich, S, Oregon
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Jacksonville Jaguars – David Stone, DT, Oklahoma
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Buffalo Bills – Damon Wilson II, DE, Miami (Fla.)
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Los Angeles Chargers – A’Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Chicago Bears – Ahmad Moten, DT, Miami (Fla.)
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
New England Patriots – Whit Weeks, LB, LSU
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Los Angeles Rams – Princewill Umanmielen, DE/OLB, LSU
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Denver Broncos – A.J. Holmes Jr., DT, Texas Tech
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Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft: Quarterbacks aplenty in early look
Seattle Seahawks – Mateen Ibirogba, DT, Texas Tech
Armed with a new three-year, $67.5 million contract, Willis, previously the Packers’ highly regarded backup, gets his first extended shot at an NFL starting gig under a new Fins regime largely transplanted from Green Bay. How much reliable help Willis will enjoy in 2026, aside from RB De’Von Achane – and containing him will likely be the focal point of most defensive gameplans – remains to be seen.
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Watson, an unpopular player with the fan base who’s entering the final season of his widely panned, fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million deal, could get one more shot to play here … even though he’s never approached the Pro Bowl form in Cleveland he last displayed with Houston in 2020. Sanders is more popular locally but hardly distinguished himself during an up-and-mostly-down rookie season plagued by turnovers and inaccuracy. Whoever gets the bulk of the work here – and it will be unfamiliar work under first-year coach Todd Monken – better make the most of it given the quality supporting cast GM Andrew Berry has put in place … one that could very well be elevating a rookie passer in 2027.
Cousins is expected to start out of the gate – which would be sensible given he’s entering his 15th NFL season and worked with new head coach Klint Kubiak in Minnesota. But expectations for him – and Mendoza, frankly – should probably be tempered while the new offensive line tries to coalesce and a largely inexperienced group of wideouts ramps up.
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Priority one? New head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy must ensure that, entering Year 2, Dart does a much job quelling his devil-may-care approach while better protecting himself and, by extension, the franchise’s investment in him. Beyond that, the signing of TE Isaiah Likely, arrival of rookie RG Francis Mauigoa and returns of WR Malik Nabers and RB Cam Skattebo from injuries should make the offense around Dart much improved.
Yes, he experienced a career renaissance in 2025 … for two months. But don’t forget, before tearing his Achilles last December, Jones had begun reverting to the player he typically was with the Giants – the drop-off coinciding with opponents’ ability to limit RB Jonathan Taylor‘s damage. Now Indy’s offense has been stripped of veteran WR Michael Pittman Jr. and RT Braden Smith while GM Chris Ballard poured his free agency budget into re-signing Jones and WR Alec Pierce, who’s never been a No. 1 receiver. Did we mention Jones will be nine months removed from that Achilles rupture when the season starts? Good luck with that.
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Still would have liked to see GM Mike Borgonzi more aggressively pursue RB Jeremiyah Love in the draft, but first-round WR Carnell Tate might be the next-best thing to accelerate the development of Ward, the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft. His rookie numbers weren’t impressive, but his toughness and accountability were unwavering. A more effective defense and a good rapport with Tate and new OC Brian Daboll should certainly mean better results for Ward specifically – and the Titans generally – in 2026.
Penix, who’s battled a litany of injuries going back to his college days, is rehabbing an ACL tear – his third, but the first to his left knee. Tagovailoa has his own extensive medical chart since he was at the University of Alabama but has been largely healthy for two of the past three seasons. Though Tagovailoa seems likely to start the season, this situation seems to mirror Cleveland’s in some respect – however playing indoor home games and having RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts at their disposal should provide him and Penix ample opportunities to shine – even as they adapt to first-year coach Kevin Stefanski’s approach. It’s also quite feasible that Atlanta completely starts over behind center in 2027.
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The No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft, Young has steadily improved to the point that Carolina picked up his fifth-year option – which guarantees him nearly $26 million in 2027. Yet despite helping the Panthers to the NFC South title in 2025 – with an 8-9 record – he’s also been an erratic player game to game and year to year. Now that he’s enjoying continuity in Charlotte, consistency needs to follow.
Hard to slot a guy with all of nine NFL starts. Yet Shough, 26, is two years older than Young, for example, and had the Saints playing very competitively after Thanksgiving in their first year under rookie coach Kellen Moore. Now they’ve added RB Travis Etienne and G David Edwards in free agency and picked dynamic WR Jordyn Tyson in the first round of the draft. Maybe the league figures Shough out a bit in his second season … and maybe he vaults New Orleans back to the playoffs if he can maintain the trajectory from 2025.
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He’s five years removed from his fourth and most recent league MVP and Pro Bowl nod. Yet Rodgers, 42, provided pretty much exactly what the Steelers expected in 2025 – leadership and efficient play while quickly winning over a veteran-laden locker room in what was his best showing since 2021. The addition of Pittman and rookie WR Germie Bernard should nicely diversify a passing game in which Rodgers, by necessity, was overly reliant on DK Metcalf in 2025. Set to reunite with first-year coach Mike McCarthy, with whom he shared 13 seasons in Green Bay, Rodgers could very well lead Pittsburgh to its first playoff win in a decade … if a talent and expensive – but aging – defense actually shows up this season.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 09: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers meet after the Chargers beat the Steelers 25-10 at SoFi Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
He was abysmal in the 2025 playoffs, committing seven turnovers in two games and looking shell-shocked by the end of Houston’s divisional-round loss at New England. GM Nick Caserio offered full-throated support for Stroud this offseason … but has yet to grant him the lucrative extension that 2023 draft mate Will Anderson already reeled in. Make no mistake, the Texans can certainly support Stroud with better blocking and some semblance of an effective ground game that keeps him out of seemingly perpetual third-and-long situations. But Stroud also needs to belatedly build on his 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign after plateauing – at best – since.
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Fans in the Mile High City will always rue the broken ankle he suffered in last season’s playoffs, an injury that possibly – probably? – prevented the Broncos from reaching Super Bowl 60. Nix, who threw a league-high 612 passes last season for a 10th-ranked offense and basically maintained the solid production he provided as a rookie in 2024, returns to a unit that’s been upgraded by the addition of WR Jaylen Waddle but will be adapting to rookie OC Davis Webb, who is also assuming play-calling duties from coach Sean Payton.
The 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year and former Pro Bowler is essentially on a one-year trial deal here as he attempts to resurrect his once-captivating career, as Sam Darnold did two years ago, under head coach Kevin O’Connell. Murray is certainly a far more dangerous player out of structure than Cousins or Darnold, but he’ll need to prove he can maximize the playbook, too, while given the opportunity of leveraging gifted WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
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2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades
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2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades
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2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades
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2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades
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2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades
His numbers have declined since he led the Niners to Super Bowl 58 two years ago, injuries the biggest culprit on that front last season. Yet HC Kyle Shanahan also ran the offense through RB Christian McCaffrey in 2025 but might need to broaden his approach this year – and he should be able to with WRs Mike Evans, Christian Kirk and rookie De’Zhaun Stribling coming aboard while the team awaits TE George Kittle’s return from the Achilles tear he suffered in the playoffs. What it all means for Purdy? TBD.
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He’s been solid since taking the GB QB1 baton from Rodgers in 2023 – and played more than well enough in last season’s wild-card round at Chicago for the Pack to advance. (They didn’t.) Maybe a less-is-more approach to the wideout room and better-defined roles for those players will help Love and this team, which hasn’t hosted a playoff game since the 2021 season, find another gear. And maybe not.
After a scintillating rookie year in 2024 − maybe the best ever from a QB − injuries derailed him last year. Moving forward, similar to Dart, Daniels must do a better job staying out of harm’s way. Yet it’s also worth wondering if he has adequate weaponry around him beyond WR Terry McLaurin – even if Daniels’ former Arizona State teammate, Brandon Aiyuk, eventually finds his way to the nation’s capital. Daniels is also among several passers this year who must adapt to a green OC/play caller, former league backups David Blough in this case.
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He finally looked like a player undisputedly worthy of the No. 1 overall pick (in 2021) with a breakout 2025 campaign under coach Liam Coen, Lawrence finishing fifth in the MVP balloting and resembling Josh Allen-lite. But can he maintain it in 2026, especially after losing longtime teammate Etienne, his backfield mate since their days together at Clemson?
Remarkably, he’s about to work with his seventh play caller – Zac Robinson – in a six-season span. Yet Mayfield almost always seems to rise to the occasion, playing at an MVP level midway through last season before a bevy of injuries and consequential inconsistency derailed him and the team.
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Has he converted everyone? Certainly not. Did anyone think he’d be the first QB from the vaunted 2018 draft class to win the Super Bowl? Certainly not. Can Darnold still cut down on some bad plays? Sure, but who can’t? Will there be another adjustment period with Kubiak now in Vegas and first-time coordinator Brian Fleury running the Seahawks offense? Yep. But make no mistake, Darnold was awesome during Seattle’s Super Bowl run and no mere game manager. He’s also beloved in this locker room and has the total trust of the team – more than sufficient reasons to believe the ‘Hawks are a bona fide threat to repeat.
The spotlight is going to be trained – still trained? – on the Super Bowl 59 MVP as Philly reimagines its offense, perennial Pro Bowl WR A.J. Brown apparently on the way out of town while yet another new offensive coordinator, unproven but promising Sean Mannion, takes over in one of the league’s most unforgiving crucibles. Never known as a pinpoint passer, Hurts’ reduced role in the running game in 2025 seemed to hinder the offense at large, so his utility on the ground under Mannion could be predictive. But if matters don’t improve this season, questions about Hurts’ future in Philly are only going to mount – particularly since he’ll be out of contractual guarantees after 2027.
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He – and the team – took a quantum leap in Year 1 under coach Ben Johnson. So what’s next for Williams, given the relative familiarity he now has with his coach and the playbook? There’s certainly room for upward mobility for an unusually talented and fearless player – most especially if Williams can get his 60.3% career completion rate to start ticking up. Yet it’s also hard to believe he can continue to pull rabbits out of his helmet with such frequency, particularly against what should be a more formidable first-place schedule in 2026.
Listen to coach Jim Harbaugh, and you’d think Herbert is Superman – and the comparison has some merit given his extraordinary skill set and Clark Kent demeanor off the field. Herbert might also shoulder as heavy an offensive burden as any QB in the league west of Allen. However the playoffs remain Herbert’s Kryptonite.
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For whatever it’s worth – which isn’t much – Prescott has dealt with a significant injury in every even-numbered season dating back to 2020. However if he and his defense can remain healthy in 2026 – and WR George Pickens can stay on task while continuing to play for a long-term contract – this team could be sneaky dangerous. Prescott led the league in completions in 2023, when he was the MVP runner-up, and 2025. However the Cowboys will likely be better off if he can throw less frequently and hand off more often while protecting more fourth-quarter leads.
The Lions weren’t great in 2025. Don’t blame Goff, his 4,564 yards and 34 TDs through the air last year second only to league MVP Matthew Stafford, and his 105.5 passer rating trailing only Stafford and MVP runner-up Drake Maye. Remarkably consistent, if not flashy, Goff mostly needs a little more help from Detroit’s D.
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A two-time MVP – and he probably should’ve won the award three times – Jackson is coming off the most disappointing season of his career, injuries and a team failing to fulfill Super Bowl expectations prologue to an organizational overhaul in 2026. If healthy, Jackson can cure a lot of ills … assuming he doesn’t have a bumpy assimilation into first-year OC Declan Doyle’s playbook.
Don’t interpret this as shade. If you needed to win one game and could have your pick of any QB in the league? Personally, I’d take Mahomes. But this ranking is indicative of the unknowns he carries into 2026, namely the efficacy of his rehabilitation for a knee shredded last December. Also, will Mahomes, however compromised he is or isn’t this season, get better protection than he did last year, when he was so frequently running for his life? Almost literally? Stay tuned, but it stands to reason that vintage Mahomes might not surface in September … and maybe not at all until 2027.
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Second to Stafford in the 2025 league MVP voting, when Maye piloted the Pats all the way to the Super Bowl before getting trampled by Seattle, there should still be plenty of room before a 23-year-old entering his third NFL season bumps up against the ceiling of his potential. However the expected arrival of Brown – eventually – might give Maye the boost to elevate him to the MVP throne this season.
From an individual perspective, the reigning MVP’s 17th NFL season was his best, his 46 TD passes easily a career high while his 4,707 yards through the air paced the league. Stafford’s play was more than championship-caliber, even if the Rams’ special teams and defense, at the end of the season anyway, weren’t quite at that level. His age (38) and occasionally creaky back aren’t going away, but the Rams have learned how to manage such concerns. Yet it is worth wondering how anomalous Stafford’s 2025 season is, given it’s only his second in the last decade when he’s thrown at least 30 TDs or for at least 4,500 yards. Conversely, it’s also worth pondering if he’ll have a Rodgers-esque reaction – meaning even more inspired play – after the Rams tabbed his heir apparent, Ty Simpson, in the first round of the draft rather than getting Stafford another weapon with the 13th overall selection. Maybe that comes later, maybe not, but should be a fascinating situation to monitor from many perspectives.
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He’s healthy. Presumably. A revamped defense should be much better than the unit that consistently let Burrow and the offense down in recent years. Presumably. Stability and continuity could be a boon in Cincy that no other AFC North team has this year. Presumably. But if the worst thing that happens to Burrow in 2026 is a fashion faux pas or two, then a player who’s so often willed the Bengals to victory could get the Stripes all the way back to the Super Bowl.
Will the arrival of WR DJ Moore and some defensive reinforcements get Allen and Co. to a long-awaited Super Bowl return? Will the promotion of Joe Brady from offensive coordinator to head coach further the effort? Or impede it? What will new OC Pete Carmichael Jr., long the lieutenant of Payton, bring to the table? What we do know is that Allen, the MVP in 2024, remains at or near the peak of his powers and may be as indispensable as any player in the league … and one who can’t afford an average performance in the playoffs, his off day in the 2025 divisional round sinking the Bills and, ultimately, former HC Sean McDermott. But if Buffalo’s offseason changes produce even incremental improvements, this might be the year.
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