While there’s still five weeks to go in the regular season, a handful of teams are already eyeing the 2026 campaign. These bottom dwellers will have a quarterback atop their list of offseason needs, and these franchises will also be primed to pursue the position via the first round of the draft.
A recent ESPN article took an early look at the 2026 draft and identified three organizations that could turn to first-round quarterbacks: the Jets, Raiders, and Browns.
The Jets are an obvious suitor for a quarterback. However, with the front office now armed with multiple first-round picks in both 2026 and 2027 (thanks to the Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades), Rich Cimini says there’s a chance the Jets decide to kick the can down the road a bit. Both coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey will naturally feel some pressure to improve the team’s outlook ASAP, but Cimini notes that they’d only pursue the position if they have “conviction” in a particular player.
The Raiders are another obvious landing spot for a quarterback considering Geno Smith‘s struggles in 2025. Ryan McFadden says that even if Smith is leading the depth chart in 2026, the front office will strongly consider “a succession plan.” Plus, with Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers in place, it’s in the organization’s best interest to add a young signal caller to the mix sooner than later.
The Browns’ situation is a bit more complex. Deshaun Watson will surely be back considering his hefty dead cap hit, and the team is also evaluating rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel as potential options at the position. Daniel Oyefusi notes that the front office may find themselves behind a handful of QB-needy teams in the draft, but with two first-round picks in their possession (and 10 picks overall), the Browns will be well positioned to move up if necessary.
Two other teams were mentioned as suitors for quarterbacks, although reporters weren’t as convinced that those front offices would actually pull the trigger. Sarah Barshop acknowledged that Matthew Stafford‘s retirement is rapidly approaching, and the team will be well positioned to select a QB since they have a pair of first-round selections. Considering the Rams’ contender status, Barshop is ultimately skeptical if the franchise will pursue the position in the first round. Even if they do, the reporter doesn’t believe the hypothetical QB would start as a rookie.
Meanwhile, Field Yates lists the Cardinals as a franchise that could pursue the position, and the reporter points to the fact that the front office could easily get out of the Kyler Murray contract. Yates believes the Cardinals may be a better fit for a veteran signal caller, although the reporter says the front office will at least “do its quarterback homework in the draft.”
A handful of highly touted quarterbacks like Arch Manning, LaNorris Sellers, and Cade Klubnik have slipped a bit in 2025, leading to some question marks atop the positional draft class. ESPN’s Jordan Reid believes there will be three QBs with first-round grades: Oregon’s Dante Moore, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, and Alabama’s Ty Simpson.
Evetyone, pretend to be shocked!
Don’t forget to include Minnesota in the group looking for a QB.
Ty Simpson to the jets confirmed!!!
I’d really prefer they not spend a top ten pick on a one year starter.
lol one year
It’s the Jets, probably more like a 10 game starter while the owner’s kids play video games with the next crop of College QB’s
I mean it’s his first year starting in college.
True
I’m mean this is the usual suspects who need QBs are we suprised
Lmao good point
You forgot the Steelers. They’re still trying to replace Big Ben
Do you think that they’ll do it this year? Something tells me that they might do it next year and grab some other players. They have so many needs that the best player on the board could fall in to a spot that Pittsburgh could use.
I think a lot is going to depend on this finish Ak
Because if it is indeed a train wreck then I tend to foresee Tomlin moving on and a new regime coming in. At that point, I would think a house cleaning transpires.
But you’re right. It’s hard to know where to start here. So many needs. I wasn’t thrilled by last year’s QB class and even more so with this year’s.
I agree with all of that. Depending on how strong or disastrous these last few weeks go, we’ll know a lot.
I’m not a Steelers fan, so it’s not exactly painful for me to watch, but it’s definitely not satisfying to see the situation deteriorate as these older players start falling off and the staff can’t make adequate adjustments or find substitutes on the roster. The Steelers have a lot of work ahead, no matter which direction they go. The team just looks flat.
Browns should just draft a QB in every round.
And still nothing to show for it.
What an astonishing list of teams!
Seems like I read that headline every year
No duh Sherlock
I hope the Jets don’t pick another quarterback, it’s like when you’re a kid & the nicest toy goes to the kid that you know is going to break it. You hate to see it happen, but you know it’s inevitable. It kind of makes you feel bad for guys like Zach Wilson when they get drafted, because you already know it’s not going to end well.
Half the fun of being a kid is being able to break things and say “Sorry…it was an accident”.
Zach Wilson was going to be Zach Wilson no matter where he went. I dont feel bad he got a 1st round contract while being an unplayable talent.
The Jets doing their best to to win as many meaningless games as they can so that pick is less and less competitive
The problem is, there are no real first round QB’s this year talent wise. It’s an awful year for teams needing to draft one.
And yet NFL coaching staffs keep bloating in size to such an extent that you would think there is so much talent coming into the league that teams just cant keep pace…lol.
3 of the premier dumpster fire franchises in the NFL go figure
Frustrating thing as a fan in today’s NFL is if a QB is taken in the top ten there’s an expectation they have to be that teams’ savior and that rarely happens immediately.
Packers were criticized for taking a 1st round QB when they didn’t “need” one (twice), as did the Chiefs and Ravens.
Manning’s likely not coming out and after Mendoza I don’t know there’s anyone I would depend on to start right away. Teams like Jets, Brown should try to trade at least one their multiple firsts for a 1st in 27.
Mendoza probably has the highest floors out of all QBs coming out to the draft this year. Most years of consistent play is valuable experience that you can trust a lot more to start immediately than say, Ty Simpson, whos played like 10 games
saints?
Cleveland can’t figure their way out of anything. They are literally drafting qb’s every year in hopes that one will work. And have been for 20 years. Horrible franchise.