What's Next: Which NFL Quarterbacks Might Be on the Move in 2026?

Maybe he just needs a change of scenery?

That's what several NFL teams could be saying this offseason as they contemplate parting ways with their quarterback to welcome another veteran castoff. The 2026 NFL Draft features an underwhelming quarterback class, with some of the top QBs returning to school for another year of NIL. The veteran market might be the best bet to find a starter. 

Which quarterbacks might become available?

Potentially, 12 quarterbacks from 11 different teams could be on the move after disappointing seasons. And keep in mind that it's not just the team that could be disappointed in the quarterback. It could also be the quarterback who is disappointed in the team. (Looking at you, Joe Burrow.) 

Let's dive in.

A Breakup Is Imminent

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

The Tua situation in Miami isn’t exactly like the Russell Wilson situation was in Denver, but that does give you a sense of scale — and a sense of hope — for a team that would like to move on from a fading pocket passer. Tagovailoa's contract has the Dolphins on the hook for $54 million in 2026. Moving on from him will likely stall a rebuild. But it feels like that's what the Dolphins are going to do anyway, in large part because his poor play has given them no choice.

As for Tagovailoa, he was asked about looking for a fresh start after being benched for the final three games of the season in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers.

"That would be dope," Tagovailoa said of a move. "I would be good with it."

Tua Tagovailoa is looking for a fresh start after being benched in Miami. The Dolphins seem eager to oblige despite the contract complications. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders have already broken up with head coach Pete Carroll. Now the team appears headed for a breakup with its quarterback. This whole Carroll-Smith experiment went so poorly that it feels like Las Vegas will cut its losses and move on. 

And yes, that means starting over — again. But how could owner Mark Davis look at the 2025 Raiders and think it’s a good idea to give it another go? Smith is headed into journeyman backup territory again.

Justin Fields, New York Jets 

Undrafted rookie QB Brady Cook started the Jets' final four games, and it wasn't exactly pretty. But he’s not getting a real shot at being the QB of the future. It’s more that the team wanted to make it clear that the Fields era is over after one season. 

Last year, Fields had a few nice games for the Steelers that, it turns out, provided false hope for his future prospects. I suppose we should’ve known that when Pittsburgh decided not to retain him. Now the Jets will surely do the same and continue their everlasting hunt for a true QB1.

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals 

Injuries happen in the NFL. But then there are … "injuries." I’m not saying that’s what happened in Arizona, but I heard from multiple front-office folks around the NFL late in the season that Murray was probably healthy enough to play. The Cardinals may simply have benched him in favor of journeyman Jacoby Brissett.

Saying that Murray had a lingering foot sprain might have made it easier to sit him until next year — if there is a next year. 

Murray might benefit from a change of scenery and, given how much better the Cardinals played with Brissett, they’re probably not thinking they need to go back to Kyler. They're probably thinking they need to figure out how to replace Kyler — and Brissett.

A Breakup Is Probable

Michael Penix Jr./Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons 

The old adage is that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. I never believed that. Really, I thought it was silly. When you have two quarterbacks, you have two quarterbacks. In the NFL, where QBs are the most important asset, you can’t have too many. 

But the Falcons are the perfect example of why it’s — at the very least — dangerous to have two QBs. In 2024, they tried starting Kirk Cousins to let the rookie Penix develop, but Cousins played poorly enough that the team made a late-season switch. In 2025, Penix’s play gradually got worse as the Falcons asked him to do more.

And then the oft-injured QB suffered a torn ACL, his fifth season-ending injury in eight years (between college and pros). Penix's injury history is so severe that it’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever have a chance to be a franchise QB, for the Falcons or anyone else. 

To make matters even more complicated in Atlanta, Cousins played well down the stretch this season. I could see a scenario where one of these quarterbacks starts for the Falcons in 2026. More likely, it’ll be neither of them.

Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins have provided plenty of drama in Atlanta, and now the Falcons are facing the distinct possibility that neither will get them where they want to go. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns 

I really liked what Sanders said about how "this is the worst it's going to be" in Cleveland. He wants to build a winning organization. He's confident and honest in the way that QBs are usually not in the NFL. What’s wrong with acknowledging the problem and declaring yourself a part of the solution? Nothing. It’s actually refreshing. 

But the Browns' coaches clearly tried to protect Sanders from himself — perhaps handling him with so much care that some people think fired head coach Kevin Stefanski actively interfered with Sanders’ potential breakout (which … just … no). 

What's true is that the coaches didn't trust Sanders completely. So I suspect if he gets another shot in Cleveland under a new staff, and it doesn't work out, Sanders will have to hope that someone out there thinks he has grown enough on and off the field to alleviate the concerns that landed him in the fifth round of the draft.

Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts 

This poor guy. He was having the season of his life before hurting his leg. And no, I’m not talking about the Achilles injury. I’m talking about when he fractured his fibula in Week 11 and played through the injury — prior to the Achilles. And now, there’s more doubt than ever about whether Jones will recapture the magic from those early weeks of the season. 

Not only did his play decline (before and after the fibula injury), but it’s also fair to wonder whether he’ll come back from the Achilles ready to play in 2026. It’s far more likely that he won’t be himself until 2027. 

The Colts can't wait that long. They’ve needed a quarterback now ever since Andrew Luck retired in 2019. Even if they retain Jones, they'll have to figure out another legitimate starting QB option.

Daniel Jones was in the MVP conversation early in the 2025 season, but injuries ended that dream along with the Colts' hopes of making the playoffs. Will head coach Shane Steichen wait for Jones to recover? (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

A Breakup Is Possible

J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings 

Coach Kevin O’Connell has talked extensively about how the league has gone awry with quarterback development. And for a time this season, it felt like the path he’d charted for McCarthy was actually an example of failed development. But to conclude the season, McCarthy’s play improved to the point where he went from unplayable — to the 30th best quarterback in the league. 

That’s not where you want to land with a QB at the end of year two. But some quarterbacks need three years — and McCarthy’s rookie season really didn’t count, given he was recovering from an ACL tear. So, unless there’s something about McCarthy’s mentality and learning style that O’Connell simply doesn’t like, it’s hard to imagine these two going in separate directions (outside of Joe Burrow coming available).

One thing is for sure: McCarthy won't be the unquestioned starter next year. Minnesota is going to bring in veteran competition, per The Athletic's Dianna Russini. The quality of that competition might indicate how much faith the team has in McCarthy. Bringing in Aaron Rodgers, for example, would show that the Vikings have no faith in McCarthy, while signing Geno Smith might indicate they think McCarthy could actually become a QB1.

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers 

If you’re looking for progress in Young’s game, you’ll see it this season. Progress is never perfectly linear. Young has seen setbacks here and there, but he's adding to his tools, and he’s establishing command of coach Dave Canales’ system. 

It feels like forever ago, but Russell Wilson was once a dangerous QB in Seattle. That’s probably what Young is growing toward. Will he ever get there? How long will it take? We don’t have those answers yet, and the Panthers are probably comfortable with that. But if you look at what just happened to Tagovailoa in Miami, the Panthers might also be wary of Young, who will always be small (5-foot-10) and will never be a world-beater. 

Can Carolina live with Young's limitations?

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles  

Howie Roseman is an agile general manager, metaphorically speaking. He fired Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson and the Eagles got back there — twice — in Nick Sirianni's first four seasons. Could Roseman, essentially, fire Hurts and then engineer a return to the Super Bowl with a new quarterback? 

It’s bold. But that’s Roseman. For years, we’ve seen the Eagles serve as a lightning rod of conversation. The guy at the center of the drama — Hurts — almost never says anything. But if the head coach and the star players on the team don’t like dealing with Hurts, then maybe there’s an outside chance the GM finds a new QB.

Would the Eagles actually move on from Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts? Well, they moved on from Super Bowl-winning coach. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals 

Burrow isn't happy. He seems to have realized that the Bengals are wasting his prime. The question is whether he'll do anything about it. Because if he really wanted to, he could probably force his way out of Cincinnati. If he outright demanded a trade this offseason, some team would trigger the biggest deal in NFL history — bigger than even the Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson deals. 

I'd only give it a 10 percent chance of happening. But there is a chance.

Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna. 

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