10 NFL Teams That NEED To DESPERATELY Move On From Their Quarterback in 2026

By the time the 2026 NFL season kicks off, there will be 10 teams with a new head coach. That much chaos is fun and all. But if these NFL teams play their cards right, we’ll have at least 10 new Week 1 starting quarterbacks for 2026, too.

With that, let’s dive into 10 teams that desperately need to move on from their current QB this offseason.

Which NFL teams need a new quarterback?

Pittsburgh Steelers

After striking out on Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields, the Steelers rolled the dice on a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers last year. The results were mixed, as expected.

Rodgers was just fine as a game manager with a 65.7 completion percentage for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. That was enough to help Pittsburgh win the AFC North division crown with a 10-7 record, only to be humiliated by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round.

But there’s no reason for Pittsburgh to run it back with Rodgers — IF he even wants to continue playing in the first place. The four-time NFL MVP doesn’t have much left in the tank, and bringing A-Rod back in 2026 means prolonging the inevitable of bringing in a younger quarterback.

Rodgers has a limited ceiling at this phase of his career. And his constant “I might retire but probably won’t, but wait, I might, no, okay, I’ll play” offseason storylines are tiring. Pittsburgh doesn’t need that.

With Mike Tomlin resigning, the Steelers have a clear-cut path to beginning a long-overdue rebuild. That can start with moving on from Rodgers, and potentially trading franchise star TJ Watt.

The 2026 NFL Draft class is thin on QB depth. Still, Pittsburgh could bring in a bridge option and wait until 2027 to pick its QB of the future. Kirk Cousins, Malik Willis, and Tua Tagovailoa are among the QBs who could be available. A reunion with Justin Fields makes sense, too.

But the bottom line is that Pittsburgh must thank Rodgers for his service and end this partnership after one year.

Las Vegas Raiders

Allow us to get the most obvious entry out of the way early…

The Raiders took a chance on Geno Smith, and it backfired tremendously. The only good news is that his horrific play led to them getting the No. 1 pick in the draft. That’s no small feat, because Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is the only hot QB prospect in this class.

The Raiders have an easy choice to trade or cut Geno Smith and immediately rebuild around Mendoza. It’s going to take time to fix this lousy roster, yes. But an offensive nucleus of Mendoza, Brock Bowers, and Ashton Jeanty is a nice starting point.

Cutting Smith would cost the Raiders $18.5 million in dead money, but it’s absolutely worthwhile. That and drafting Mendoza will make this one of the easiest offseasons in Raiders history.

New York Jets

After pulling the plug on the disastrous Aaron Rodgers experiment, the Jets tried making Justin Fields a reclamation project. They signed him to a two-year deal worth $40 million, hoping he could run an efficient rush-heavy offense with Breece Hall as his go-to weapon.

But injuries limited Fields to nine lackluster starts in 2025. He completed 62.7 percent of pass attempts for only 1,259 yards — or 139.9 passing yards per game — for seven touchdowns and one interception.

We know the offensive line stunk, and it didn’t help having Garrett Wilson sidelined for most of the year. But this was Fields’ third NFL team in as many years. We’ve seen his ceiling. He can be an okay backup, and nothing more. The Jets can’t possibly think he’s a capable QB1.

The Jets were dealt a massive blow when Oregon QB Dante Moore announced his return to college for 2026. New York owns the No. 2 pick, but it’s simply too early to take a QB there, since Fernando Mendoza won’t be falling to them.

But the Jets could target Alabama’s Ty Simpson with the No. 16 pick from Indianapolis. They could look at a second-tier QB prospect like Trinidad Chambliss, Carson Beck, or Drew Allar in day two, as well.

In an ideal world, they bring in an experienced NFL quarterback and have him work with a rookie like Simpson or Beck.

With all those other options, there is zero reason for the Jets to run it back with Fields and Tyrod Taylor in 2026.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have the all-too-easy decision to cut ties with Kyler Murray this year. A fourth straight losing and non-playoff season will do that to ya. Not to mention that the guy has played in only 41 games since signing a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension in 2022.

The Cardinals already made one big change by firing head coach Jonathan Gannon. It’s hard to imagine Arizona’s next coaching staff wanting to work with the oft-injured Murray. A guy with inconsistent production, zero playoff wins, and an apparently unhealthy “Call of Duty” obsession.”

Arizona can find a trade partner for Murray if he agrees to a restructured contract. Otherwise, releasing him would cost $57.8 million in dead money. A hefty charge, yes. But you think the Denver Broncos have regrets over biting the $85 million dead money bullet after releasing Russell Wilson?

There’s just zero reason for Arizona to keep Murray on its roster in 2026 unless they want to secretly tank even further and try to get the top pick next year. Then again, we can’t envision a scenario where Murray happily agrees to return to The Desert in 2026.

We know the 2026 draft class is weak on QBs, but the Cardinals can always bring in a veteran or attempt a reclamation project. Maybe Daniel Jones, if he leaves Indianapolis? Kenny Pickett? The options are there.

Miami Dolphins

The only reason Tua Tagovailoa should stay on Miami’s roster for 2026 is if he’s on the bench. 

Tagovailoa was benched in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers for Miami’s final three games. He admitted he was open to a trade, too. Oh, and head coach Mike McDaniel — one of Tua’s few defenders and believers — was given his pink slip.

GM Chris Grier, who gave Tagovailoa the mind-numbing four-year extension worth $212.4 million, didn’t even make it to the end of the season. If owner Stephen Ross thinks there’s a reason to keep Tua as his starter in 2026, then he’d better just sell the team and get out.

Miami’s best bet would be to trade, release, or just bench Tagovailoa and give someone else the starting keys. Maybe Ewers gets an extended look? And if not, how about just signing a mid-level bridge quarterback and tanking for Arch Manning in the 2027 NFL draft?

Bottom line: Anyone BUT Tua behind center in 2026.

Cleveland Browns

Shedeur Sanders’ giant fanbase won’t like this. But remove “Shedeur Sanders”, the name, for just a second. Think about the quarterback. If he weren’t Deion Sanders’ kid and such a media darling, who would actually bat for him to remain the starting QB in 2026?

Sanders had seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a laughable 68.1 passer rating in the eight games of action he saw. Two of his three wins were against the hapless Raiders and Bengals. Hardly impressive.

Since this is a lackluster draft class for quarterbacks, the Browns should follow the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ route with Baker Mayfield. Take a chance on a reclamation project. Don’t bring in some fading veteran like Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers, that would only be a one-year solution.

If Daniel Jones doesn’t return to Indy, he’d be the perfect target in free agency. Malik Willis could be a fascinating fit in the Browns’ rush-heavy offense, too.

The Browns may as well roll the dice on an experienced QB and see if he can be the new “late bloomer” story. If not, there’s no harm in using a day-two pick on one of the other quarterback prospects.

But putting all the eggs in the basket of Shedeur Sanders? That’s only smart if Cleveland wants to get a leg up on the Arch Manning sweepstakes.

New Orleans Saints

If the Saints were miles away from contention in the NFL, we would make the case to keep Tyler Shough as their starting quarterback in 2026. But there’s a clear window of opportunity now, thanks to the state of the hapless NFC South.

For the second time in four years, the NFC South was won by a team that finished 8-9. And by the way, the 2025 Saints swept the Carolina Panthers, who won the division with an 8-9 record.

New Orleans’ 6-and-11 record is hardly impressive at first glance. Then you remember they were a trendy pick to finish as football’s worst team at the start of the year. This Kellen Moore guy is a rising rockstar at head coach, folks.

So instead of waiting and hoping for Tyler Shough to come around? Why not roll the dice on a superior quarterback and make a run at the NFC South? Not like the Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or Atlanta Falcons are world-beaters here.

Crazy as it sounds, why not take a chance on Kyler Murray or Tua Tagovailoa if they hit the trade block and can be had at the right price? Certainly, it’s worth going after Daniel Jones if the Colts don’t keep him.

Is signing Aaron Rodgers the WORST idea if he keeps playing? I mean, these Saints have more weapons than what he worked with in Pittsburgh. Just saying.

Houston Texans

I mean, you all saw what we saw in the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots, right?

Stroud’s regression over the last two years is one of the great NFL mysteries with no clear-cut explanation. He was in the MVP race during his lights-out 2023 rookie season. He’s been nothing close to that ever since.

Stroud single-handedly wasted a historically special Houston defense in their Divisional Round defeat. Don’t screw up all game, and you’re in the AFC Championship Game. Stroud screwed up all game, though, so the Texans didn’t advance.

Now is the time to decline Stroud’s fifth-year option and either trade or bench him ASAP. The QB trade market should be deep this year. Don’t mock us for suggesting Houston even go after Kirk Cousins or Kyler Murray and move on from Stroud.

Stroud clearly isn’t a big-game quarterback in the NFL. He can’t elevate his team even with a historically good defense on his side. Houston’s best bet is to ditch him now and find a better QB.

Minnesota Vikings

In 2024, the Vikings went 14-3 with Sam Darnold as their starting QB. In 2025, Sam Darnold went 14-3 as the Seattle Seahawks’ starter. And in 2025, Minnesota went 9-8 with JJ McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer.

What does that tell you? One, Minnesota should have never let Darnold walk in the first place. Secondly, maybe JJ McCarthy isn’t the guy.

McCarthy basically single-handedly cost the Vikings a chance at returning to the postseason. This roster was actually better than the 2024 group that won 14 games, having added Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Will Fries, and Ryan Kelly. 

The Vikings’ QB play was so bad that Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson had the most disappointing seasons of their careers. Even Justin Jefferson barely cracked 1,000 receiving yards, for crying out loud.

Minnesota would be better off accepting that drafting McCarthy and choosing him over Darnold was a mistake. Let the Broncos remind you of how quickly things can turn when you strike out on a big-name QB. In their case, Russell Wilson.

The options are plenty for a Minnesota team in win-now mode. A reunion with Kirk Cousins? Why not! How about Kyler Murray or Tua Tagovailoa, if either guy is willing to restructure his deal to facilitate a trade?

If Aaron Rodgers wants to keep playing, bringing him in for one year isn’t that crazy of an idea, either. Imagine him throwing to that star-studded Vikings’ pass-catching corps.

With Minnesota’s competitive window open, they can’t waste another season on JJ McCarthy. They need to punt on him ASAP and bring in a more proven veteran to run the offense in Kevin O’Connell’s QB-friendly system.

Dallas Cowboys

Just hear us out for a second…

The Cowboys are nowhere close to championship contention. The Micah Parsons trade was Jerry Jones’ nice way of admitting the team he’s built just isn’t good enough to go on a Super Bowl run.

The Parsons trade netted Jerry two first-round picks. One of his 2027 firsts, however, will go to the New York Jets via the Quinnen Williams trade.

This is a prime opportunity for Jones to get gutsy and hit the rebuild button. Trade quarterback Dak Prescott NOW, get even more draft capital, and set yourselves up to tank for a QB in the much-deeper 27 class. Arch Manning in Dallas, anyone?!

Dallas would get at least one first-round pick for Prescott, and maybe more. Imagine having four or more first-rounders over 2026 and 2027. And, the Cowboys could start over with a quarterback on a rookie contract to open up a new long-term title window in the NFL.

Prescott has played 10 seasons now. Dallas has five playoff appearances and two postseason wins. Ahead of his age-33 season, this just feels like the perfect time for the Cowboys to reset and enter a short-term rebuild.

Keeping Dak helps in the short-term, sure. But Dallas’ ceiling with him is a playoff berth and nothing more. Jerry’s better off trading Prescott, committing to one year of tanking, and then reloading with his bundle of draft picks. No?