10 NFL Quarterbacks Who Will Definitely Be On A New Team In 2026 And Where They’ll Land
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
As we gear up for a busy NFL offseason, fans left, right, and center are wondering what will happen to their favorite teams…And you know what really defines an NFL offseason more than anything else? The NFL quarterback carousel.
Every year, teams get desperate, signal callers get antsy, and suddenly, we’ve got musical chairs at the most important position in sports. And THIS offseason, we will see quite a few recognizable names from under center moving on from their current squads.
We’ve got franchise quarterbacks on the trading block, free agents looking for redemption arcs, and young guys who need fresh starts YESTERDAY.
So today, we’re breaking down ten quarterbacks who will definitely be suiting up for a new team in 2026, and we’re predicting exactly where they’ll land.
Where will these ten NFL quarterbacks land in 2026?
Malik Willis, QB, Green Bay Packers
Here is the guy everyone is watching.
Malik Willis was a third-round bust in Tennessee. That is not up for debate. In two years with the Titans, he looked lost. Inaccurate. Unable to read NFL defenses. Most people had written him off entirely.
But then Green Bay came calling… and everything changed.
In two years of backing up Jordan Love, Willis transformed. And this past year, he looked better than Love as an NFL quarterback if we are being honest… he completed 85.7 percent of his passes… threw three touchdowns with zero interceptions… added 422 passing yards and 123 rushing yards with two scores on the ground. Those numbers are absurd for a guy who looked like a bust just two years ago.
Look for a team that wants to take a gamble on a potential long-time starter to roll the dice on Willis.
Arizona, where Mike LaFleur just landed, could have a lot of success considering the success that Willis found with his brother in Green Bay.
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
What a difference a year makes. In March 2025, the Raiders traded a third-round pick for Geno Smith and signed him to a two-year, $75 million extension. They reunited him with Pete Carroll, who adored Smith in Seattle. This was supposed to stabilize the most volatile quarterback situation in football.
Instead? The Raiders went 3 and 14. Smith threw a league-high 17 interceptions. Carroll got fired after one season. And now Las Vegas holds the first overall pick, which everyone knows will be used on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
It will be tough for Geno to find a starting gig after the season he just had, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see an NFL team looking for a plus-level quarterback backup to sign him.
Washington could be interesting if they are not able to retain Mariota.
Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers
Now I know what Kyle Shanahan said he’d be “very surprised” if Jones wasn’t back in 2026. But here’s the thing about the NFL: everyone’s available at the right price—smart money says that the 49ers are being intentionally coy to drive up his value.
Because Mac Jones absolutely CRUSHED it in 2025, and his value hasn’t been this high since he was taken near the top of the draft by New England back when.
When Brock Purdy went down with that toe injury, Jones stepped up and went 5 and 3 as a starter with a career-best 69.6% completion rate, 2,151 yards, and 13 touchdowns against just 6 picks. His 97.4 passer rating ranked 13th in the league. This wasn’t just a backup keeping the seat warm—this was a guy proving he can be a legitimate NFL starter.
And with so many quarterback-needy teams out there, someone’s going to make the Niners an offer they can’t refuse. The Steelers make the most sense—if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t return, Mike McCarthy needs a competent veteran, and Jones proved in San Francisco that he can thrive in the right system.
If Pittsburgh or another quarterback-starved squad coughs up a couple of seconds or a late first, it might be enough to entice San Fran to deal their reliable backup.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
This one stings for Dolphins fans…
Tua was supposed to be their franchise NFL quarterback. The guy who finally got Miami over the hump. The fifth overall pick in 2020, who the Dolphins built their entire offense around. They gave him Tyreek Hill. They gave him Jaylen Waddle. And they gave him that massive contract extension worth over 200 million dollars.
But Tua just couldn’t perform consistently… and with the new regime that has taken over in South Beach… change feels inevitable.
The Dolphins benched Tua for the final three games of the 2025 season in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. That pretty much told you everything you needed to know—the writing is on the wall.
GM Jon-Eric Sullivan said the team is “getting close to a decision” on Tua’s future. Translation? They have already made up their minds. They are just waiting for the right trade partner.
But here is the problem for Miami… they are staring down a 56.4 million dollar cap hit in 2026. And if they cut him outright? They would eat 99.2 million in dead cap… the largest dead cap hit in NFL history. Yikes.
So the Dolphins are hoping to trade him. They have even said they are willing to absorb around 30 million of his contract just to get him out the door—and even then, his trade value is probably a fourth-round pick at best. Maybe less.
The Browns make a lot of sense here. Cleveland has been cycling through quarterbacks since the Watson disaster began… and Tua gives them a legitimate starter who can actually stay healthy… knock on wood. They have two first-round picks and plenty of cap flexibility. Tua could be the bridge they need.
Do not be surprised if the Raiders kick the tires either as a stopgap until they find their next “franchise guy” in the draft.
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Let’s talk about the guy everyone’s already forgotten. Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick in 2023, is one of the biggest disappointments in recent memory.
Look at this timeline: In 2025, Richardson lost the starting job to Daniel Jones in training camp. Then, in October, he suffered a FREAK orbital fracture when an elastic band snapped and hit his eye during pregame warmups. He was placed on IR and never came back, even after Jones got hurt.
Rookie Riley Leonard and 44-year-old Philip Rivers finished the season instead. Richardson played exactly 14 garbage-time snaps all year.
The Colts aren’t picking up his fifth-year option. That’s basically confirmed at this point. His trade value is minimal—maybe a Day 3 pick—but that raw athletic talent is still there.
The Steelers or Raiders make sense as a landing spot. Richardson could be a low-cost project.
Sometimes you can’t help it when a former top-5 pick with elite physical tools becomes available for pennies on the dollar.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Remember when Kyler Murray was the future of the Arizona Cardinals?
First overall pick in 2019. Offensive Rookie of the Year. Two-time Pro Bowler. The guy who was supposed to turn the desert into a contender for years to come.
Yeah… that feels like a long time ago now.
Murray still has talent, though. He is an electric playmaker when healthy. The question is whether any team is willing to take on that contract and that injury history. The ACL tear in 2022. The hamstring issues. Now the foot. It is a lot.
The whispers that he’ll end up in Minnesota or Indianapolis keep getting louder… but who knows. It will all come down to what organizations think they have the infrastructure in place to get the most out of the talented but controversial quarterback.
Kirk Cousins, QB, Atlanta Falcons
Whelp… this one ended about as badly as it possibly could have.
Kirk Cousins signed that massive four-year, 180 million deal with Atlanta back in 2024. And now? The Falcons are expected to release him before the new league year begins on March 11.
The contract restructure in January says it all. Atlanta converted his 2026 base salary from 35 million down to just 2.1 million… and moved the rest to a fictional 67.9 million dollar number in 2027 that vests on March 13.
At 37, Cousins has other options besides suiting up and taking the pounding that pro football players do… TV is apparently on the table… he even appeared on CBS during the postseason and looked pretty natural doing it.
Stepping away from football entirely could also be a move…
But if Kirk wants to play? Someone will come calling for the veteran NFL quarterback.
The Dolphins could be a sneaky fit. Cousins gives them a veteran bridge quarterback while they develop a young guy in the draft.
The more likely option, though? Pittsburgh. If Aaron Rodgers retires—and all signs point to yes—the Steelers will need a quarterback. Or a reunion with the Vikings? This will be an interesting one to follow.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Washington Commanders
Marcus Mariota just cannot quit the NFL, no matter how many times he fails trying to secure a starting quarterback job.
The former second overall pick returned to Washington on a one-year, 8 million deal in 2025 to back up Jayden Daniels. When Daniels went down in Week 14, Mariota stepped in and… did fine. Not spectacular. But fine.
At 32, Mariota is still a viable backup option. He can move. He knows multiple systems. And he has that been-there, done-that veteran presence that teams value.
But anyone who knows the dual-threat quarterback knows that he still thinks he has what it takes to deliver as a starter in the NFL.
Washington might try to bring him back… The coaching staff loves him as a mentor for Daniels, and the price would be reasonable.
And for Mariota, it might make sense considering Daniels’s injury-prone nature.
But if he really wants a chance to start for real, he’ll have to look elsewhere, and he knows it. Minnesota could bring him in as an insurance policy behind J.J. McCarthy… Or the Colts might take a flier on him, given the success they had with Daniel Jones.
The other squad that could make sense for the Raiders. They are expected to select a quarterback in the draft, but Mariota could serve as a bridge for them—and he’d get the chance to start meaningful games that he’s after.
Justin Fields, New York Jets
The Jets’ experiment with Justin Fields might be one of the worst free-agent signings in recent memory. They gave him two years, $40 million, with $30 million guaranteed.
What did they get in return? Not much…
A 2 and 7 record as a starter, a benching, and a season that ended on injured reserve with a “knee injury” that everyone knows was more about the team being done with him than any actual ailment.
Fields’ time with the Jets is OVER. The question is just how much dead money they’re willing to eat. A pre-June 1 release costs them $22 million in dead cap. Post-June 1 spreads it out more favorably. Either way, Fields will be looking for work.
Here’s the thing, though—Justin Fields is only 26 years old. He still has that electric athleticism. Someone’s going to take a shot. The Cardinals make sense—they’re moving on from Kyler Murray, they’ve got a new coaching staff with Mike LaFleur coming from the Rams, and Fields’ running ability would fit their offense.
It would be a prove-it deal, maybe one year with incentives, but don’t be surprised if Fields finds new life in the desert.
Russell Wilson, QB, New York Giants
Russell Wilson is heading into his THIRD consecutive free agency.
The guy who was once a perennial MVP candidate… who won a Super Bowl with Seattle… who signed a massive extension with Denver… is now bouncing from team to team on one-year deals, hoping someone gives him a chance.
Wilson signed with the Giants in 2025 for 10.5 million guaranteed. And… look, it did not go well for the veteran NFL quarterback. He completed just 58 percent of his passes for 831 yards across six games—only three of which he started. The Giants benched him in favor of rookie Jaxon Dart shortly thereafter.
At 37, Russell Wilson is not the same guy who carried Seattle for a decade. The deep ball accuracy has dipped. The mobility is not what it used to be. And the whole “Let Russ Cook” thing feels like a distant memory.
Retirement has to be on the table at this point. How many more one-year prove-it deals does Wilson want to sign?
That said, if anyone was going to try to recapture the magic of days gone by, it feels like Cleveland would be a likely choice.
