Football is the epitome of a team sport, but there is no doubt that the focal point on most of these squads is… the quarterback! The leader in the locker room, the general on the field, the guy who more often has the ability to sow their team’s future seemingly single-handedly. Of course, all of that assumes that a given team has the right quarterback, and as any NFL fan knows, that is far from a foregone conclusion.
But teams are so desperate to find “the guy” that it is not uncommon to see them delude themselves and hang on to a QB for way too long, sometimes even years after anyone with half their sense about them knows it is time to move on.
Let’s take a look around the NFL landscape and tell 10 teams the hard truth—that it is time to let go of their signal caller!
Should these 10 NFL teams look for another quarterback to lead them in 2025?
Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Richardson
Man… The quarterback situation has been a mess in Indianapolis ever since Andrew Luck broke the city’s heart by walking away at the peak of his NFL powers… Perhaps enduring this carousel of mediocrity is their just dessert for subjecting Luck to the constant physical beating that pushed him out of the game he loved…
That said—the Anthony Richardson experiment has been… let’s just say less than ideal. The Colts spent a top-five pick on the Florida product, hoping his rare combination of size, athleticism, and arm strength would translate into superstardom. Spoiler alert: it hasn’t.
Not by any stretch of the imagination.
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Sure, there have been flashes of brilliance—those deep bombs and jaw-dropping runs—but Richardson’s inconsistency has been maddening.
Whether it’s the erratic accuracy, untimely interceptions, or the fact that he tapped out of a game because he was tired, drawing the ire of his teammates in the trenches and the fans alike, Richardson hasn’t exactly inspired confidence in Indianapolis.
If they don’t do it ahead of the 2025 season, don’t be shocked to see a couple of bad starts result in a shocking midseason divorce!
New Orleans Saints: Derek Carr
Derek Carr arrived in New Orleans with hopes of stabilizing a franchise that has been desperate for some semblance of consistency following the conclusion of the Drew Brees Sean Payton era…
And for a hot minute, it looked like he might be the guy in the Big Easy.
To his credit, Carr opened the 2024 season on fire, throwing for 443 yards and five touchdowns in back-to-back blowout wins. Saints fans started dreaming of playoff runs, especially considering the lackluster competition in the NFC South.
But then—reality hit. The Saints cooled off, and so did Carr and once again he missed significant time due to nagging injuries forcing New Orleans to turn to the likes of Spencer Rattler and even worse… Jake Haener.
By the end of the season, it was impossible to ignore that Carr is not the long-term solution… though with a massive $51 million cap hit looming in 2025, the Saints are stuck between a rock and a hard place. A roster move or contract adjustment seems inevitable—especially if the front office decides to hit the reset button altogether now that they’ve moved on from head coach Dennis Allen at long last.
Las Vegas Raiders: Aidan O’Connell
The quarterback carousel in Las Vegas has been spinning out of control ever since NFL star Derek Carr left town, honestly, even before that—though Carr was a relative improvement… And unfortunately for Raider Nation, it hasn’t stopped on a winner. Aidan O’Connell became the latest name to take a turn under center in 2024, following the Gardner Minshew Turnover Machine disaster that had fans pulling their hair out on a weekly basis. When O’Connell stepped into the spotlight, hopes weren’t exactly sky-high, but the thought was that he could at least steady the ship, but he was another disappointment in a long line of them for the Silver and Black.
Let’s call it like it is: O’Connell is fine—for a backup. He’s the guy you want in the game for a series or two if your starter gets dinged up, not the guy you’re pinning your season on.
His pocket presence is shaky, his arm strength is average at best, and his decision-making? Let’s just say it leaves something to be desired. In a division that features Patrick Mahomes lighting up defenses every week, Justin Herbert throwing laser-guided missiles, and Bo Nix adding a dual-threat dimension in Denver, the Raiders are bringing a butter knife to a gunfight.
If the Raiders want to climb out of the basement of the AFC West, they need to do what teams like the Chiefs and Chargers have done: find their guy. A quarterback who can not only compete with the division’s elite but elevate the team in moments that matter. O’Connell isn’t that guy, and the sooner the Raiders accept that, the sooner they can start rebuilding in earnest.
Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson
Well… I think this one goes without saying, but it has to be a wrap for Deshaun in Cleveland… No matter what it does to Jimmy Haslem’s wallet. He made this bed, now he has to lay in it!
The Deshaun Watson experiment in Cleveland has been one of the most spectacular failures in NFL history—on and off the field. When the Browns handed Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, they essentially bet their entire future on him. Fast forward to 2024, and that gamble has left the franchise in ruins.
On the field, Watson has been a shadow of his former self. The quarterback who once shredded defenses with his combination of pinpoint accuracy, pocket presence, and mobility has been replaced by a hesitant, erratic, and overwhelmed version of himself in the NFL. The tape doesn’t lie: Watson struggled mightily in 2024, missing wide-open receivers, making boneheaded decisions, and showing no signs of the elite athleticism that once made him a nightmare for opposing defenses—before it was mercilessly ended with an Achilles Tear.
But the problems don’t stop there. Watson’s massive contract now stands as the worst in NFL history, hamstringing the Browns’ ability to improve the roster around him. The cap hit is astronomical, and the guarantees make it almost impossible to move on without absorbing a financial gut punch.
Watson’s presence on the team—both his poor play and the baggage he brings—has become a black cloud over the franchise, and it is time for Haslem to bite the bullet and cash the check his bad decision-making wrote.
Tennessee Titans: Will Levis
Oh, Will Levis… When the Titans handed him the keys to the franchise in 2024, the hope… or shall we say… cautious optimism was clear. Maybe he’d find a way to protect the football, capitalize on that big arm of his, and establish himself as this NFL squad’s quarterback of the future.
Instead, what they got was a year-long roller coaster of frustration, inconsistency, and head-scratching decisions.
But those glimpses of potential were overshadowed by the mistakes. Shockingly bad ones for an NFL player like the Week 1 backhand-flipped pick-six that immediately went viral and turned him into a meme.
The play set the tone for a season marred by self-inflicted wounds, including ill-advised throws into double coverage and questionable reads that left fans—and head coach Brian Callahan—scratching their heads.
Callahan’s frustration with Levis was written all over his face as the season progressed, and evidenced by the coach benching him for Mason Rudolph. Yes, Mason Rudolph. That’s where the Titans are now—a quarterback room full of question marks and no clear answers.
The AFC South isn’t the pushover division it once was, and Tennessee needs a quarterback who can go toe-to-toe with Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Stroud. As it stands, Levis isn’t that guy. It’s time for the Titans to hit the reset button and find a quarterback who can lead them out of this spiral.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Russell Wilson
For a brief moment, it seemed like Russell Wilson’s career was back on track in Pittsburgh. After an early-season injury sidelined Justin Fields, Wilson stepped in and immediately turned heads with a vintage 400-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Bengals. The whispers of “Let Russ Cook” started up again, and Steelers fans dared to dream.
But as the weeks wore on, the dream turned into a nightmare. Wilson’s play declined sharply, and the Steelers’ offense ground to a halt. His decision-making became questionable, his accuracy spotty, and his once-pristine deep ball seemed to vanish. Even his leadership—once considered his greatest strength—began to wear thin on teammates and fans alike.
It isn’t just his wideouts like the eternally mercurial George Pickens that he’s been butting heads with either… the tension is palpable with the guys in the trenches, both sides of the ball, everywhere!
The reality is Wilson simply isn’t the quarterback he used to be at the NFL level. At 35, his best days are behind him, and while he may still have the occasional flash of brilliance, the consistency just isn’t there anymore. The Steelers are still in the playoffs, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that Wilson has been more of a hindrance than a help down the stretch.
With Justin Fields waiting in the wings and showing promise earlier in the season, it might be time for Pittsburgh to make a change. Wilson’s stint in Steel City was supposed to be a fresh start, but instead, it looks like a last hurrah, and it would be wise for Pittsburgh to call it a day.
New York Jets: Aaron Rodgers
The Jets sold their soul to land Aaron Rodgers, and the results have been… underwhelming, to say the least. The four-time MVP was supposed to be the missing piece that would elevate this team to Super Bowl contention. Instead, Rodgers has looked every bit of his 40 years, struggling to stay healthy and failing to deliver the magic he once routinely provided.
Rodgers’s numbers in 2024 aren’t horrible, but they’re not nearly good enough to justify the massive gamble the Jets took on him. His arm strength is still there, but his mobility is nonexistent, and his decision-making—once his calling card—has been suspect. Even worse, the locker room chemistry seems off, with Rodgers failing to connect with a roster that’s significantly younger and hungrier than he is.
The Jets are at a crossroads… Again…
They’ve spent years cycling through failed draft picks and stopgap veterans, and the Rodgers experiment feels like the culmination of their desperation. It’s time for them to stop patching holes and start building for the future.
Atlanta Falcons: Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins’s tenure in Atlanta has been a textbook example of fool’s gold.
Early in the 2024 season, it looked like he might validate that monster deal Atlanta gave him during free agency, leading the Falcons to a 6-3 record and torching the Buccaneers for eight touchdowns in two head-turning victories.
There was even a faint belief around the NFL that Cousins might finally shake his reputation as a quarterback who’s just good enough to break your heart.
But as the season wore on, the flaws that have dogged Cousins throughout his career came back with a vengeance. His immobility, significantly worsened by the Achilles Tear the year prior, became a glaring issue, especially when opposing defenses started dialing up pressure, which time and time again caused Cousins to crumble.
The writing is on the wall in Atlanta. Penix has shown enough flashes to warrant a full audition as the Falcons’ starter moving forward, while Cousins looks destined for a backup role—or the trade block. It’s a tough pill to swallow for a team that once believed Cousins could lead them to the promised land, but the reality is clear: it’s time to move on.
Seattle Seahawks: Geno Smith
Geno Smith’s resurgence in Seattle has been one of the NFL’s feel-good stories over the past few years, but all good things must come to an end. At 34, Smith is still out there competing, but regression is unavoidable, and the Seahawks are facing a critical juncture regarding their future at quarterback.
Because difficult as it may be, the Seahawks need to start thinking about life after Geno. He’s done an admirable job leading the team, but his ceiling is limited, and the Seahawks should be aiming higher if they want to return to contention in the NFC West.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence
This one hurts. Trevor Lawrence was supposed to be the savior of the Jacksonville Jaguars, a generational talent who would finally lift the franchise out of the doldrums. But after another injury-plagued and inconsistent season in 2024, it’s fair to wonder if Lawrence and the Jaguars are simply a bad match.
To be clear, the talent is still there. Lawrence has shown flashes of brilliance, delivering pinpoint throws and jaw-dropping plays that remind everyone why he was the first overall pick. But those moments have been far too infrequent, and the factors working against him—poor coaching, a lack of playmakers, and a franchise that just can’t seem to get out of its own way—have stunted his development.
At this point, both sides could probably use a fresh start—otherwise we may risk seeing Jacksonville outright waste a generational prospect in Lawrence due to its relentless incompetence.
