Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith are primary recent examples of how it’s never too late to find success as an NFL quarterback…even if you were wrong by the team that drafted you.
Since 2019, there has been no shortage of former highly-touted NFL quarterbacks who haven’t panned out with their respective teams. So the solution is simple: Give them a fresh start with a team that can maximize their skill sets, and they may enjoy Mayfield and Smith-like career renaissance.
So, with that said, let’s examine 10 recent NFL quarterback draft busts who need a new team and where they should go to revive their careers.
Who are the ten quarterback draft busts that need to change teams soon?
Bryce Young: Las Vegas Raiders
The first-overall draft pick of 2023 will go down as a mega bust in Carolina, especially considering how much they gave up to snag him in the first place. The fact Andy Dalton is producing with the same supporting cast as Young goes to show just how badly the former Alabama QB needs a fresh start.
Given Young’s upside and status as a recent first-overall pick, he’s gotta join a team that will let him start ASAP. No team makes better sense for him now than the Las Vegas Raiders, who have a lackluster QB room of journeyman Gardner Minshew and 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell.
A player-friendly coach like Antonio Pierce could immediately rebuild Young’s confidence. And a supporting cast of Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, and rising star Brock Bowers? Please sign us up!
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The Raiders have a stout offensive line and a formidable defense, something Young hasn’t had in Carolina. Playing behind the Raiders’ o-line, with Adams and Bowers as his top two weapons? Not hard to imagine Young finally breaking out in Sin City.
Trevor Lawrence: Cleveland Browns
We know this idea is crazy. But what if the Jaguars and Browns agreed to a QB swap? What if Jacksonville took on Deshaun Watson’s awful $230 million contract and released him within a year or two?
Financially, that’s a much better deal than having to pay Trevor Lawrence’s — whose disastrous $275 million extension doesn’t kick in until 2026. Now, the Jags can tank and get a top QB prospect of their liking in 2025 or 2026.
And if you’re the Browns? Well, you made the playoffs last year with Joe Flacco as your QB. So yes, the 2021 first-overall pick could very well hit his ceiling in Cleveland.
Imagine what Lawrence would walk into. Nick Chubb as his running back. Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku and Amari Cooper – if he’s re-signed — as Lawrence’s weapons. A top-10 offensive line, a championship-caliber defense, and a two-time Coach of the Year in Kevin Stefanski.
Thing is, Lawrence wouldn’t have to be Superman to give Cleveland a chance. Their ground game and defense carried the way last year and could do so again. But T-Law, at the very least, would be a big-time upgrade over Watson.
Cleveland would probably ask Lawrence to restructure his contract to make this deal work, but it’d be worthwhile. Way better than paying Watson to stink it up every week and prevent the otherwise star-studded team from reaching their potential.
Trey Lance: Tennessee Titans
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Trey Lance simply because he hasn’t been given a fair chance to succeed. He started two games in 2022 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury, and nobody could have seen Brock Purdy rising to stardom in his place.
Instead of getting a second chance, the No. 3 pick of 2021 was traded to the Dallas Cowboys to serve as a third-stringer behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush. Not great, Bob.
With Will Levis looking like a draft bust in Tennessee — more on him later — we’d like to see the Titans take a chance on Lance — who’s slated to hit free agency in 2025. Or, you know, they could trade for Lance now and see what he can do.
I mean, this would be a pretty good situation for Lance to walk into. A young, offensive-minded coach in Brian Callahan with three quality receivers in Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyler Boyd, plus a 1,000-yard rusher in Tony Pollard.
Peter Skoronski and JC Latham are two potential cornerstones at offensive tackle, too.
Lance dazzled at North Dakota State as a dual-threat QB, but he hasn’t had a fair opportunity to showcase his talents at the NFL level. Maybe the Titans could save his career the way they saved Ryan Tannehill’s a few years back?
Not saying I would definitely happen, but it’s worth a shot — especially seeing how Levis has flopped.
Desmond Ridder: Los Angeles Rams
The No. 74 pick of 2022 was the second quarterback taken that year — after Kenny Pickett. Ridder was regarded as a boom-or-bust draft prospect, but his tremendous 2021 season with the Cincinnati Bearcats was tough to overlook.
Ridder spent most of his rookie season as the Atlanta Falcons’ backup behind Marcus Mariota. He eventually took over the starting duties late in the season and was subsequently named the starting QB for 2023.
Ridder’s play was inconsistent at best: A 64.2 completion percentage for 12 touchdowns and as many interceptions, prompting then-head coach Arthur Smith to flip-flop between Ridder and Taylor Heinicke at QB.
After signing Kirk Cousins, Atlanta traded Ridder to the Cardinals — forcing him to accept third-stringer duties for now.
The Los Angeles Rams may as well roll the dice on Ridder and see if they can turn him into something before labeling him completely as a draft bust. Sean McVay is one of the brightest offensive-minded coaches the game has ever seen, and the Rams need to have a long-term plan in place with Matthew Stafford entering the twilight years of his career.
The idea of Ridder eventually assuming a McVay-coached offense with Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams is enticing enough to us. Stetson Bennett doesn’t seem to be in LA’s long-term plans, so they might as well take a shot at Ridder and try to get a head-start on the Stafford succession plan.
Also Read: 10 NFL Draft Busts We All Wanted To Be Great
Kyle Trask: New York Jets
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted the Florida Gators product with the No. 64 pick in 2021, hoping he could eventually succeed Tom Brady after the GOAT’s retirement.
But two years of learning from Brady did nothing to help Trask, who was assigned third-stringer duties behind TB12 and Blaine Gabbert. After Brady retired in 2023, and after Gabbert left for the Kansas City Chiefs, Trask got the chance to compete for the QB1 job with Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield beat out Trask, of course, and went on to revive his career with the Bucs in 2023 before signing a long-term extension.. So Trask, a pending free agent, needs a fresh start after missing his opportunity in Tampa.
The New York Jets are the ideal fit for Trask for one simple reason. They have a future Hall of Famer at QB in Aaron Rodgers — albeit a 41-year-old who probably won’t play more than two more seasons after this.
If you’re the Jets, why not roll the dice on Trask and see if he can learn behind the four-time league MVP? We’ve seen Trask’s rocket arm in college, and the skill set is there for him to succeed in college.
In an ideal world, Trask would learn behind Rodgers for a couple of years before eventually taking over the offense with young cornerstones Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and Olu Fashanu.
Even if Trask doesn’t stay with the Jets long-term, the benefit of learning from both Brady AND Rodgers could go a long way in helping him eventually grow into a capable starting QB.
Kenny Pickett: Jacksonville Jaguars
This hypothetical pairing can only work if the Jaguars can somehow unload Trevor Lawrence’s contract. The point is that Kenny Pickett isn’t going to start for the Philadelphia Eagles with Jalen Hurts under center, and the kid needs a second chance somewhere else.
Ideally, the Jags would clear out T-Law’s contract and draft a top QB prospect in 2025. If they want a bridge quarterback, though, it makes sense to give a shot on the former Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 first-round pick.
Pickett wasn’t atrocious in Pittsburgh by any means. He was like the fourth and fifth “Terminator” movies. I mean, it’s nothing sexy and mind-blowing, but there are worse movie options out there — just like how there are better QBs than Pickett.
But in Pickett’s defense, he was stuck with an awful offensive coordinator in Matt Canada. If he came to Jacksonville, he’d be free of Matt Canada and have a deep set of offensive weapons in Brian Thomas Jr., Christian Kirk, Evan Engram and Travis Etienne.
Jacksonville would hopefully have a new competent coaching staff to help Pickett out. The bottom line is he’d have a better set of playmakers compared to what he had in Pittsburgh’s rush-first offense.
Again, this is all hypothetical. And the Jaguars just feel like a good audition for Pickett to attempt a career revival.
Zach Wilson: Miami Dolphins
Wilson couldn’t beat out rookie Bo Nix or veteran Jarrett Stidham for the Denver Broncos’ starting QB job this year. And so, yawn, we’re here to suggest another change of scenery for the 2021 second overall pick and perceived draft bust.
But here us out: Maybe the Dolphins can unlock Wilson’s potential after his three wasted years with the Jets. Just maybe.
The Dolphins need to upgrade their QB depth behind Tua Tagovailoa, who will, unfortunately, always be an injury risk. Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle, ain’t it?
Maybe Wilson would get close to hitting his ceiling on a star-studded Miami offense with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert, and De’Von Achane. A player-friendly coach like Mike McDaniel might help restore Wilson’s confidence the way he did with Tagovailoa — whom Brian Flores vocally criticized time and time again.
Wilson wouldn’t be the long-term starter in Miami, but finding his accuracy, rhythm, and confidence in a loaded Miami offense could go a long way in fixing his career. Hey, it’s better than being the Broncos’ third-stringer.
Will Levis: New York Giants
The big-armed QB just hasn’t been able to find his game with the Tennessee Titans. Some might argue that they should give him one more year behind center, but they’re poised to land a top-five pick that would allow them to get a top QB prospect like Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers, or Shedeur Sanders.
And if you’re the Giants, well, it’s long past time to get rid of Daniel Jones. But if a top 2025 QB prospect isn’t on their radar, GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll should get the chance to rebuild another NFL QB like Will Levis.
Daboll unlocked Josh Allen’s potential in Buffalo and got one good year out of Danny Dimes in 2022. Levis’s arm and strength made him a deadly passer at Kentucky, so the talent is there to be a star in this league.
Having Malik Nabers as his WR1 would be a nice luxury to begin with. Add another stud receiver or two, and Levis would be in a great position to finally break out under Daboll and end the Giants’ search for a long-term solution behind center.
Mac Jones: New Orleans Saints
We all saw what Jones did as a rookie with the New England Patriots in 2021 — AKA the one year where Bill Belichick gave him a competent supporting cast and OC in Josh McDaniels.
We know the Saints drafted Spencer Rattle as a potential succession plan to Derek Carr, but we’d view Jones as potential competition to Carr. The $150 million man has a limited ceiling and won’t get any better at this phase of his career…whereas Jones could hit a level of consistency in this New Orleans offense.
Jones isn’t as mobile and athletic as most of today’s young QBs, but he could flourish in Klint Kubiak’s system, which uses a lot of motion and play-action. Jones’s best attribute is his accuracy, and he’d have a nice set of playmakers in Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, and Chris Olave.
Jones isn’t going to get his shot to shine in Jacksonville, but New Orleans makes sense as a landing spot — especially if the Saints want to replace Carr before his four-year deal runs up.
Daniel Jones: Seattle Seahawks
If the Seahawks could turn Geno Smith into a Pro Bowler and capable stater in his 30s, why can’t they turn Daniel Jones into something?
As much hate as Danny Dimes gets, let’s remember he’s never had a half-decent offensive line to work with. And until the Giants drafted Malik Nabers this year, Jones didn’t have a single game-changing pass-catcher to throw to — not to mention the three different head coaches.
But we can see a scenario where Jones revives his career after being labeled as a draft bust as Geno’s successor in Seattle. His dual-threat game and beautiful deep ball are tailor-made for a Seahawks offense led by star wideouts DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett, and running backs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet.
Metcalf would be Jones’ deep threat, and the Seahawks’ dynamic rushing duo would open the door for a lot of play-action and bootleg plays that best suit Jones’ skill set. Laugh at us if you want, but again, who saw Geno Smith shining in Seattle?
If the Giants cut Jones loose as expected in 2025, the Seahawks should take a chance on Jones and see if his career can be saved in Emerald City.
Also Read: Which Highly Anticipated Sons Of NFL Players Didn’t Meet Expectations?
