A look at who is starting under center and who is holding a clipboard on the sidelines for every NFL team.
The legal tampering window officially opened on Monday ahead of the onset of the new NFL league year, which will. Already, we’ve seen a flurry of free agent activity take place in the hours after the tampering period opened.
Among those moves were multiple agreements between teams and free agent quarterbacks. A handful of teams were aggressive in addressing the quarterback position, with the likes of the Dolphins, Cardinals, Falcons, Bills and Panthers wasting no time in locking down pacts with new arms. Let’s take a look at how the early agreements made in the legal tampering have impacted quarterback rooms across the league. Of course, there will be more moves to come as free agency gets going, but the first day of action caused quite the stir for various teams.Drake Maye and Josh Allen will be the only returning starting QBs in the AFC East in 2026. | David Butler II-Imagn Images, Maye is a lock to start for the Patriots. The team re-signed Tommy DeVito to a new two-year contract this offseason, while Dobbs remains under contract for one more season.The Bills saw Mitch Trubisky agree to depart for Tennessee on Monday, so in turn they’ve reunited with a familiar face to serve as Josh Allen’s backup. Buffalo agreed to a one-year deal with Kyle Allen on Monday, who played for the team in 2023.Fields is still under contract with the Jets, though he likely won’t be with the team next season. New York hasn’t made its move for a quarterback just yet, but they’re expected to bring in one, or possibly even two, veterans in free agency. Carson Wentz and Geno Smith are a pair of names they’ve been linked with.The Dolphins quickly replaced Tua Tagovailoa with Willis, reportedly agreeing to sign the former Packers backup to a three-year, $67 million contract. Willis will take over as Miami’s QB1, with Ewers set to return to backup duties.The Ravens re-signed Huntley on a new contract that locks him in as Jackson’s backup for the next two seasons. Huntley started two games for Baltimore last season and has spent five of his six seasons in the NFL with the team.. He’s set to hit free agency after signing a one-year contract last offseason, but the team would welcome him back. If he retires, Rudolph would move up in the depth chart, though they’d likely sign a veteran, too.Both Joe Flacco and Jake Browning are set to hit free agency. It’s possible one will be brought back to Cincinnati, but as it stands the team is in the market for a new backup for Burrow this offseason.The Browns will head into training camp with Watson and Sanders under contract, as well as 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel. The situation at quarterback remains fluid in Cleveland, though it’s expected that Sanders and Watson will compete for the top job, and Gabriel will be QB3.in free agency, but he’s still the most likely player to open the season as Indianapolis’s QB1. Leonard, who got some opportunity last season, is next on the depth chart as the backup.Lawrence had a career year in 2025, and he’ll be back in the starting role for Jacksonville next season. Mullens is also expected to return, signed for another season at a rate of $2.5 million.Tennessee acquired a veteran backup to aid in Ward’s development, signing Trubisky to a one-year deal at the start of the legal tampering period. Ward will remain the starter heading into his second season, but Trubisky’s experience will be valuable as he continues to develop.There’s still a possibility a team comes sniffing around for Mills after he impressed in relief of Stroud for a short spell last season. As it stands, however, Houston will run it back with the same quarterback duo as last season.Denver’s quarterbacks room will likely look the same as it did last year. Nix is entering his third season in the NFL, while Stidham still has one more year left on his contract at $8 million. Meanwhile, Zach Wilson is set to enter free agency.and are also anticipated to be in the market for a veteran quarterback. It is possible Mendoza doesn’t open the season as Las Vegas’s starting quarterback, too. As it stands, O’Connell is the only quarterback currently on the roster.Mahomes is expected to be ready to go for Week 1 of the 2026 season after suffering a torn ACL in December. After Minshew signed with the Cardinals, Oladokun is currently projected as the backup, though that could certainly change.Trey Lance will be a free agent this offseason, but it’s possible he’ll be brought back to L.A. to back up Herbert. If Lance doesn’t return, the Chargers will be one of several teams in the market for a veteran backup.Dart will be back under center in 2026 and Winston is expected to return in backup capacity, under contract for one more season. Russell Wilson will head to free agency after his one-year stint in New York.The Eagles seem likely to run it back in 2026 with Hurts as the starter and McKee as the backup. McKee remains under contract for one more season before becoming an unrestricted free agent next offseason.The Commanders agreed to re-sign Mariota to a one-year deal on Monday. Daniels has had Mariota as his backup for his entire career in the NFL and the duo will be back together for a third season in 2026.Milton still has another two years left on his rookie contract, so he’ll be back in the mix for Dallas in 2026 as the backup to Prescott.With Malik Willis set to take over as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback, the Packers are left with a quarterbacks room consisting of Love and Ridder, the latter of whom is entering the final year of his contract.Goff is the only quarterback currently on the Lions’ roster after Kyle Allen agreed to return to the Bills. Detroit will likely look to free agency for a veteran backup.The Vikings remain one of the top landing spots for a veteran quarterback this offseason and have been linked to Kyler Murray. For now, however, no deal has been reached, and their current QB room consists of McCarthy and Brosmer.Both Williams and Bagent are set to return in 2026, though there has been some rumored trade interest in Bagent, who is considered one of the premier backups in the league.Andy Dalton is likely out as a Panther this offseason after Carolina agreed to sign Pickett to a one-year deal in free agency. Young returns for his fourth season as the Panthers’ starting quarterback.Teddy Bridgewater is set to hit free agency and likely won’t be back with the Buccaneers in 2026, leaving Tampa Bay with Mayfield and Bazelak as the lone quarterbacks under contract. It’s possible a veteran addition will be the Bucs’ preference.on a league minimum deal worth $1.3 million. After departing from Miami, Tagovailoa will compete with Penix for the Falcons’ starting role in 2026.Shough emerged as the Saints’ starter last season and is projected to start the 2026 season atop the depth chart, too. Rattler is still under contract for two more years, so he’ll likely return as the backup.Jones filled in brilliantly for Purdy when he went down with an injury. Both players remain under contract in 2026, and barring a significant trade offer from a quarterback-needy team, Jones will return next season as Purdy’s backup.Jimmy Garoppolo is set to hit free agency, so Los Angeles will be entering the season with Stafford as its starter and Bennett as the backup. There’s a chance they’ll look to add another arm in free agency, too.With Kyler Murray out in Arizona, the Cardinals agreed to sign Minshew to a one-year deal. He’s projected to be the backup behind Jacoby Brissett, who looks set to take the reins for the Cardinals’ offense in 2026 after starting 12 games last season.After winning the Super Bowl last season, the Seahawks have both Darnold and Lock under contract in 2026. Jalen Milroe will return as the third-stringer, and could potentially be in the mix to be the backup.Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.
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