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Dan Graziano
You’ve got quarterbacks, we’ve got questions.
No matter how rock-solid your favorite NFL team’s quarterback situation is right now, there’s still something about it that cries out for an answer this offseason. It might be about how he will play in 2025. It might be about the caliber of the offensive group around him. It might be about his contract. And it might even be as simple as the QB1’s identity.
As we inch closer to the start of training camps and the 2025 regular season, let’s provide answers to our annual 32 questions about 32 quarterbacks.
Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
Can the Kyler Murray-Marvin Harrison Jr. connection deliver on its first-round promise in Year 2?
Harrison’s rookie season was fine — 62 catches, 885 yards and eight touchdowns. But as the fourth pick of the 2024 draft and given his college performance, he was supposed to take the NFL by storm right out of the gate. Instead, he was the No. 2 option in the Cardinals’ passing game behind tight end Trey McBride.
More is expected in Harrison’s second season, and the same can be said of Murray in his seventh. Arizona made almost no changes on offense this offseason after finishing ninth in offensive EPA in 2024. The Cardinals beefed up on defense, hoping that will be enough to make them contenders. But Murray and the offense have to take a step forward if that’s to happen, and a breakout for Harrison will help.
Is there any shot we could see Atlanta go back to Kirk Cousins at some point, absent a Michael Penix Jr. injury?
The bulk of the offseason has come and gone, and Cousins is still with the Falcons — even though they’ve openly said Penix will be the starter in his second season. Cousins is making $27.5 million this season (and has $10 million guaranteed in 2026) to be a backup. If Penix struggles early — four of Atlanta’s first five games are against 2024 playoff teams and three of the team’s first six are in prime time — it could be tempting to go back to the veteran Cousins even after he disappointed last season. It’s the main reason the Falcons should have worked harder to unload Cousins this offseason.
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Does Josh Allen need to repeat as MVP for the Bills to get to the Super Bowl?
Last season should have put to bed the questions about whether the Bills have enough around Allen on offense, as they finished second in the league in points (30.9 per game) behind only the Lions. Still, it’s inescapable that the only first-round offensive player they’ve drafted since taking Allen in 2018 is tight end Dalton Kincaid. The wide receiver group includes Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer. It’s on Allen and offensive coordinator Joe Brady to get the most out of this group, as they did a season ago.
Are we buying Bryce Young’s mini resurgence in the later parts of 2024?
In case you missed Carolina’s somewhat forgettable 2024 season, Young — the first pick in the 2023 draft — struggled so badly that he got benched for Andy Dalton early in the season and got the job back only because Dalton hurt his hand in a car accident. But from Week 8 to the end of the season, Young posted a solid 60.8 QBR and threw 15 touchdown passes to six interceptions. (He also ran for five touchdowns in that span.) Young got better as the season went along and finished with 10 total touchdowns and no interceptions in his last three games.
If you believe in Carolina coach Dave Canales, who revitalized Baker Mayfield as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator in 2023, then you have reason to hope Young’s breakout second half was a sign of things to come.
Is it already now or never for Caleb Williams?
Well, no. Williams was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft and has two more fully guaranteed years (plus an option season) on his contract after this one. Even if this year is a disappointment, Williams is likely to get more chances.
But it’s also fair to say the honeymoon period was very short and is officially over. Once it came out publicly that he didn’t want to play for the Bears at the start of the draft process, it was clear that the fan base won’t stay patient with him if he doesn’t seem to be getting it. A seemingly loaded offense with an improved offensive line under new coach Ben Johnson means Williams should have more than enough around him to succeed sooner rather than later.
1:21
Peter Schrager: The pressure is on Caleb Williams in Year 2
Peter Schrager talks about the pressure Caleb Williams will face in his sophomore season with the Bears.
Is the Bengals’ defense improved enough to support Joe Burrow if he repeats his 2024 performance?
Burrow was ludicrously good in 2024, completing more than 70% of his passes, posting a higher QBR than anyone but Allen and Jackson (74.7) and throwing 48 touchdown passes to just nine interceptions. But a defense that finished 27th in defensive EPA rendered the offense’s performance irrelevant, as the Bengals finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs.
New defensive coordinator Al Golden should be able to overhaul some things and make improvements. But if the Trey Hendrickson contract dispute drags into the season, it’s going to be tough for Cincinnati to stop opposing offenses once again.
Can any of the Browns’ four QBs actually emerge as the answer?
Anything’s possible, but the minimal extent to which the Browns have invested resources in the quartet of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders leaves them in a position to recover if the answer turns out to be no.
Flacco’s guaranteed money is $3 million. Pickett’s is a little over $2.6 million. Neither is signed beyond 2025. Gabriel was a third-round pick, while Sanders was taken in the fifth round. Sure, the Browns still owe Deshaun Watson $92 million over the next two years, but there’s nothing they can do about that now, and they’re clearly looking for a post-Watson answer. Picking up an extra 2026 first-round pick in their draft day deal with the Jaguars puts them in position to move on from their entire QB room next year if they want to do so.
Which version of Dak Prescott will we get this season?
The Cowboys hope it’s the healthy version. Prescott has played six fully healthy seasons in his nine-year NFL career, and the Cowboys won the NFC East in four of those seasons. Even after losing Prescott to a hamstring injury midway through last season, Dallas still managed to finish 7-10.
Prescott is expected back healthy to start training camp, and the team added WR George Pickens to pair with top wideout CeeDee Lamb and expand Prescott’s options in the passing game. If the post-Zack Martin offensive line holds up the way the Cowboys expect, Dallas has plenty of reason to think it can contend with Philadelphia and Washington in the NFC East.
Can Bo Nix be the quarterback who ends Patrick Mahomes’ streak of seven straight AFC West titles?
Many have tried, all have failed. The Chiefs have won the division each of the past eight seasons, the past seven of which Mahomes has been their starting quarterback. Nix and the Broncos were a blocked field goal away from winning in Kansas City last season, and they made the playoffs with a 10-7 record.
This offseason, Denver has added veteran tight end Evan Engram and second-round rookie running back RJ Harvey to the offense, and a pair of Super Bowl-seasoned former 49ers defensive players in Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga to an already strong defense. The offensive line is good. The young WR group around Courtland Sutton shows promise. Nix shouldn’t have to worry about last September’s rookie growing pains anymore, too. The Broncos (as well as the Chargers) look poised to offer a real challenge to the Chiefs in what could be a very tough division.
1:09
Why Graziano believes Chiefs will get challenged in AFC West this year
Dan Graziano and Mike Tannenbaum debate whether the Chiefs will win the AFC West for the 10th consecutive season.
Can Jared Goff overcome all of the changes in Detroit?
Three of Goff’s top four QBR seasons came the past three years with Ben Johnson as his offensive coordinator, and Johnson has left to coach the Bears. Several other members of the Lions’ coaching staff have moved on to other jobs, too. Center Frank Ragnow just retired.
The Lions have had a lot of success since Goff and coach Dan Campbell got there, and they should still be expected to be one of the top teams in the league. But things will look significantly different around Goff in some key aspects this season, and he’ll need to answer some of the questions himself.
Can Jordan Love reach another level?
Love has been very, very good as the Packers’ starter the past two years. He finished last season fifth in QBR (69.3) and threw 25 touchdown passes. But Green Bay’s 11-6 record in 2024 led only to a third-place finish in the brutally tough NFC North. The Packers lost in the second round of the playoffs two seasons ago and then the first round last season.
Again, Love has been very, very good, and the Packers have been very, very good with him. But they would certainly like to be championship good and progress toward that goal would be nice to see from Love and Green Bay in 2025.
What do the offensive coordinator and O-line changes mean for C.J. Stroud in Year 3?
Stroud’s outstanding rookie season came under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who conducted head coach interviews in the 2024 offseason as a result. But a surprising step back by the offense resulted in Slowik’s even more surprising firing this offseason, and Nick Caley comes in with a new scheme for Stroud to learn. Houston also overhauled its offensive line after allowing 54 sacks and finishing 22nd in pass block win rate. Gone is veteran left tackle Laremy Tunsil, and Stroud’s protection will look significantly different in 2025.
You could argue that all of this has to be a good thing, considering the way the offense performed last season. But this is still a lot of change for a QB who has won playoff games in each of his first two years and is expected to help elevate Houston into the top tier of AFC contenders sooner rather than later.
Have we seen the last of Anthony Richardson as the starter in Indianapolis?
The Colts already brought in veteran Daniel Jones to compete with Richardson for the starting QB role, and now Richardson is dealing with an injury to his throwing shoulder — the same one that ended his rookie season early in 2023. If Richardson continues to struggle with health issues and Jones shows he can operate the offense, it’s possible the Colts roll with Jones this season and look into moving on from Richardson — the fourth pick in the 2023 draft — as early as next offseason.
1:28
Why Daniel Jones is Peter Schrager’s favorite’ for Comeback Player of the Year
Peter Schrager shares why he believes Daniel Jones could thrive in Indianapolis and take home Comeback Player of the Year honors.
How could Liam Coen jump-start Trevor Lawrence’s game?
QB-centric coaches often say that the first thing they work on when they get with a new quarterback is his feet. To that end, Coen has this offseason emphasized an overhaul of Lawrence’s footwork.
The idea is that everything about the offense works off the quarterback’s ability to time up his feet with the play that’s called. If Coen and Lawrence are already making positive progress on footwork, that bodes well for Lawrence’s chances of getting back on track.
What needs to happen for Patrick Mahomes’ stats to return to an elite level?
Well, it would certainly help if the Chiefs could protect him better. Can the combination of free agent signee Jaylon Moore and first-round rookie Josh Simmons help shore up the tackle position? Will second-year lineman Kingsley Suamataia be better at guard than he was last season at left tackle?
Getting Rashee Rice back from his knee injury will help the WR corps, as should a full season from Hollywood Brown. The Chiefs may never again be as explosive as they were in the early Mahomes days with Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt and prime Travis Kelce. But the offense has shown it can be efficient and effective when the O-line is right.
What should we expect from the Geno Smith-Chip Kelly pairing?
The Raiders acquired Smith, the well-traveled veteran quarterback, from the Seahawks in one of the sneaky-strong moves of the offseason. Based on the way he played the past couple of seasons in Seattle, Smith is probably the best QB addition any team made this spring or summer. Kelly, making his return to the NFL as Raiders’ offensive coordinator, has hit it off early with his new QB, with whom he’s apparently had a relationship for some time. And coach Pete Carroll was the Seahawks’ coach when Smith took over the starting QB job from Russell Wilson and outplayed everyone’s expectations.
This AFC West division had three playoff teams last season, and all three of them seem to be better this year, so it’s an uphill climb for the Raiders. But don’t be surprised if they make it tough on the teams that finished in front of them last year.
Is Justin Herbert’s protection going to be good enough?
The Chargers are working on a contract extension for left tackle Rashawn Slater, and while there doesn’t seem to be any reason to think it won’t get done, the longer it drags on, the more concerning it becomes. Newly signed Mekhi Becton is being counted on to be an upgrade at right guard, while Zion Johnson and Bradley Bozeman are rotating between left guard and center this offseason. Right tackle Joe Alt played well last season as a rookie, but there are some questions elsewhere along the line.
It feels like we can trust coach Jim Harbaugh and coordinator Greg Roman to get it figured out, especially if the Slater negotiations don’t result in any kind of holdout. A strong and reliable line is key to getting the most out of Herbert and his run game.
Catch up on the NFL offseason
Is this definitely the final year for Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles?
Remember when the offseason started with questions about whether Stafford was going to be traded to the Giants? Fun times. He wasn’t dealt, of course. He stayed with the Rams on a new contract that’ll pay him $40 million this year and then allow him and/or the team to go their separate ways next offseason. Rinse, repeat.
Stafford will turn 38 in February, and if he decided to retire, it’d be hard to blame him. But to try to predict what will happen feels foolish in a situation where the player and the team seem to have agreed to take it year-by-year. If the Rams had a clear-cut replacement on the roster, that might be a clue, but they don’t. Having two first-round picks in next year’s draft gives them the ability to find said replacement if they so choose. It’s hard to really answer the question of whether Stafford has one year or more than one year left, and there’s certainly no reason to say anything is definite.
Is this a make-or-break year for Tua Tagovailoa?
Not really, since he has $54 million in guaranteed money coming in 2026. But the Miami offense took a step back last season, and the Dolphins missed the playoffs for the first time in three years under coach Mike McDaniel. Tagovailoa’s 60.3 QBR ranked 15th. How and whether Tagovailoa and McDaniel recover from a down year will go a long way toward determining how pointed next offseason’s questions will be about Tagovailoa.
Should we expect immediate success for J.J. McCarthy just because of the Kevin O’Connell effect?
Kirk Cousins had one of the better seasons of his career in 2022 under O’Connell, who was in his first year as the Vikings’ coach. O’Connell got something out of guys like Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens after Cousins got hurt in 2023. Sam Darnold revived his career under O’Connell last year. So it’s clear why hopes are high for McCarthy, even after he missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury. We have no reason to doubt O’Connell based on what we’ve seen in his first three seasons in Minnesota.
Does Drake Maye have the supporting cast to make the Patriots a playoff team in Year 2?
After landing Mike Vrabel as their coach, the Patriots got to work building up the roster infrastructure around Maye, who showed a great deal of promise after taking over as the starting QB six weeks into his rookie season. The offensive line looks like it will be a lot better (it sort of has to be, right?). But there are still questions about the wide receiver group after the Pats swung and missed on Chris Godwin in free agency and ended up with Stefon Diggs off a torn ACL. Joining Diggs are DeMario Douglas and rookie Kyle Williams.
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Is this a real QB1 competition?
When the Saints drafted Tyler Shough in the second round and then Derek Carr retired a few months later, it certainly was fair to assume Shough would be in line to take over as the starter. And he absolutely might be the QB1. But there are people in the Saints’ building who like Spencer Rattler and want to give him a chance to compete with Shough for the starting job. And so far this offseason, Rattler has shown improvement over his poor 2024 rookie performance.
As of now, expect the Saints to set up training camp as a true competition between Shough and Rattler. Could Shough have the edge as the player the new coaching staff drafted with the 40th pick? Absolutely. But it doesn’t sound like anything is already a done deal.
Can the Giants resist Jaxson Dart temptation all season?
Every year, it seems there’s at least one team telling us it wants to sit its rookie quarterback as long as possible — all year if necessary. The Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to make double sure they had capable veteran options while Dart developed into an NFL-ready starter.
But the reality is, it rarely works out. Last season’s Patriots were starting Jacoby Brissett and saying many of the same things, but they were so bad early on that Drake Maye took over the starting job in Week 6. Unless the Giants are scoring points and winning games at a surprising rate early in the season, it feels inevitable that they reach a point where it’s time to see what Dart can do.
Is Justin Fields a bridge to the 2026 draft … or a potential longer-term solution?
It sounds like the Jets are going to give Fields a real chance to answer this question, one way or the other. They certainly haven’t ruled out the idea that he can be their long-term starter at quarterback. He’s still only 26 years old and has a unique combination of experience and upside. That said, the $10 million in guaranteed money on his contract for 2026 won’t stand in the way of the team drafting or acquiring someone it sees as a better option next spring if Fields doesn’t play well enough to convince it otherwise.
How will the Eagles’ annual coordinator change affect Jalen Hurts this time?
The 2022 Eagles reached the Super Bowl with Shane Steichen as offensive coordinator, but then Steichen got hired to coach the Colts, and Hurts and the Philly offense regressed badly in 2023 under Brian Johnson. The Eagles brought in Kellen Moore last season, built one of the all-time great run games and won the Super Bowl as a result. But now Moore is coach of the Saints, and Kevin Patullo has been promoted to offensive coordinator.
Underestimating Hurts is clearly a foolish endeavor at this point, but he and the team are surely hoping things go better than they did the last time they promoted from within to fill the coordinator spot.
Does Aaron Rodgers really make the Steelers an AFC contender?
Honestly, I don’t see how Rodgers’ signing makes a big difference. If the Steelers really think their 2025 season just got saved by signing a QB who was 25th in QBR, 26th in completion percentage and 13th in TD/INT ratio last season, won five games and got released by the Jets, they have to step back and ask themselves what they’re doing. A 41-year-old Rodgers may not make the Steelers substantially better than they were without him, and even if he does, they’re likely to still be looking for their QB answer next offseason.
2:01
RC: Rodgers is an upgrade, not a championship solution for Steelers
Ryan Clark weighs in on Aaron Rodgers being an upgrade for Pittsburgh to compete, but not enough to win a championship.
Is all the pressure on Brock Purdy now that he got that contract?
It was an offseason of change in San Francisco, where the 49ers said goodbye to receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and a couple of key defensive stars. The Niners are carrying more than $92 million in dead money on their cap this season for players no longer on the roster, as they decided to use 2025 to reset their spending while granting a five-year, $265 million contract to Purdy.
The whole plan indicates that they’ll be asking even more of Purdy, who has been more than they ever could have expected when they took him with the last pick of the 2022 draft. This roster still has Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, so it’s not like it’s all on Purdy’s shoulders. But this offseason of change is a sign of things to come. Those guys won’t all be around forever, and the pivot into the future will depend on Purdy’s ability to continue to deliver as a high-level franchise QB — even as the players around him shift and change.
What happens if the Sam Darnold resurrection wasn’t real?
The somewhat tepid market for Darnold in free agency indicates that there was a fair bit of skepticism around the league about the sustainability of his breakout 2024 season. Seattle got a pretty nice deal — three years, $100.5 million and just $37.5 million guaranteed — and if Darnold does play the way he did in Minnesota, it’ll look like a massive steal. If Darnold reverts to the jittery, turnover-prone ways of his early career, Seattle is likely in for a rough campaign. But at least the Seahawks aren’t committed to him beyond this season.
Drew Lock and third-round rookie Jalen Milroe are the other options on the roster if Darnold falters. As of now, coach Mike Macdonald has been very clear Darnold is the starter and that it would take an injury to change that. Expect Darnold to get the year, or at least the bulk of it, to prove that 2024 was not a fluke.
Is Baker Mayfield underpaid?
The three-year contract that Mayfield signed with the Bucs last offseason pays him $33.3 million per year. He has $30 million coming this season and $40 million in 2026, though none of the 2026 money is guaranteed. The deal is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but consider that the top of the QB market right now is $55 to $60 million per year. Consider also that no quarterback in the NFL has thrown more touchdown passes over the past two regular seasons than Mayfield (69).
If Mayfield has another big season — with a third different offensive coordinator in three years — he could be in line for an even bigger contract extension next offseason.
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How soon can Cameron Ward live up to his No. 1 draft pick status?
The Titans were convinced on Ward early in the process. Coach Brian Callahan was instrumental in Joe Burrow’s transition to the league when he was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator in 2020. Is Ward’s rookie season going to look anything like Burrow’s first year did before suffering a season-ending knee injury? Is Ward going to struggle to acclimate? Have the Titans built a strong enough infrastructure around Ward to help him succeed early in his career? And what would success even look like for this season’s Titans?
Tennessee is at the beginning of something, but the fans and the coaching staff certainly would like to see a glimpse this season to give them confidence in a quick turnaround.
Will we be talking about Jayden Daniels in the MVP race this season?
The second pick of the 2024 draft, Daniels was a revelation as a rookie, leading the Commanders all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Washington added Laremy Tunsil at left tackle and Deebo Samuel Sr. at wide receiver. It kept the coaching staff together. And it now enters Daniels’ second season with high hopes to go even further. (Not that there’s much further it could go!) Will the league figure out Daniels in Year 2, or will he build on his historic rookie season and establish himself as one of the NFL’s elites right away?