The first half of the 2024 NFL season has shown us many things. Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels are the real deal. The Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers are still NFL quarterback graveyards…the New England Patriots need Travis Hunter, and so on.
Perhaps the main takeaway in the first half? That exactly one-quarter of the league’s 32 teams desperately need a new starting quarterback for 2025. Their current options just aren’t cutting it, and there’s no path to a turnaround until they make a change behind center.
For this list, we’re looking at teams whose 2025 starting quarterback is not currently on their roster. They’ll either sign, trade for, or draft a new signal-caller for next year. So let’s dive right into it, starting with the…
Which NFL teams are in dire need of replacing their quarterback next year?
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers can’t sit back forever and kick themselves over the failed Bryce Young trade. The past is the past, and the 2025 NFL Draft gives David Tepper’s squad the golden opportunity to redeem themselves after completing perhaps the worst trade in franchise history.
The fact it took rookie head coach Dave Canales just two games to bench Young says it all. Carolina is done with the first overall pick, having decided quickly that he can’t be fixed and will have to attempt a career revival elsewhere.
Andy Dalton isn’t the long-term solution, either. He’s done a good enough job as a bridge quarterback, given the circumstances, but this is a young Carolina team that can’t ask a journeyman backup to start again for them in 2025.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Carolina is poised to finish with a top-5 pick, putting them in a position to get a top quarterback prospect. They’re essentially guaranteed one of the following: Georgia’s Carson Beck, Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, or Alabama’s Jalen Milroe.
Trade young, let Dalton walk, draft one of those QBs, and don’t look back. The Panthers’ path to returning to relevance is that simple as long as Tepper doesn’t try to ruin it for once.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns ruined their franchise when they made the gross mistake of trading for Houston Texans signal-caller Deshaun Watson in the 2022 offseason.
He hadn’t played in nearly two years because of his disturbing legal issues off the field, yet the Browns were so high on Watson that they sold the farm for him before handing the three-time Pro Bowler a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.
Before you criticize the coaching and Browns supporting cast…may we remind you that Baker Mayfield took this team to the playoffs in 2022? What about 2023 Comeback player of the year Joe Flacco?
Watson is done. He’s not NFL caliber. And the Browns are ignorant for giving him a million chances to prove himself.
Well, the Browns are in a similar position as the Panthers. They’re in line to finish with a high draft pick that will put the franchise in a good spot to take a new quarterback. The financial ramifications of Watson’s contract be damned. Jimmy Haslam can afford to pay Watson for two more years until they can get out of his contract — with 2026 marking the most realistic timeline.
Give Stefanski the shot to work and develop with a young, flashy QB like one of the “big five” prospects we mentioned above. Imagine Shedeur Sanders in that offense? Maybe Beck would be the savior that Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Johnny Manziel, and Watson never became.
Either way, the Browns need to pay Watson to either go away or sit on the bench and draft their new starting QB in round one.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints gave Derek Carr another chance to prove himself by bringing in Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator. But once again, the Saints are a “mushy middle” team that just isn’t good enough to compete for the postseason.
We’ve been saying for a while now that the Saints need to wave the white flag and begin a full-scale rebuild. They can start at the QB position by outright releasing Carr or simply showing him the bench in favor of a different NFL quarterback.
Spencer Rattler has shown some promise, but the Saints would be better off drafting and developing a new QB with a higher upside. The chance to get a five-star signal-caller doesn’t come around often.
Ideally, the Saints end up with someone like Beck, Sanders, or Ewers here. There are many question marks about the 2026 QB draft class, and New Orleans would be playing with fire if they thought about “tanking” a year in advance.
If the Saints can’t get their hands on an NFL quarterback prospect they like, what about taking a chance on someone like Bryce Young? Or even Sam Darnold if he prices himself out of Minnesota? Justin Fields if he doesn’t re-up with Pittsburgh?
Either way, Carr can’t keep starting and keeping the Saints in “mushy middle” territory. Rattler probably isn’t the answer. So, let’s see if the front office uses common sense this time and goes with a new signal-caller for 2025.
Otherwise, they’ll just keep setting themselves further and further backward…
Tennessee Titans
Will Levis clearly isn’t the answer in Music City. His rookie year brought mixed results, and he’s been even worse in 2024.
The Titans can’t afford to wait and be patient with Levis. They tried that with Marcus Mariota and would have been screwed if not for Ryan Tannehill’s career renaissance. It’s time to end the short-lived Levis project.
It’s only fair for Titans head coach Brian Callahan to work with a quarterback that he wants. And the Titans also look like they’ll finish with one of football’s worst records, so expect GM Ran Carthon to take the best one available when it’s his turn to pick.
If you’re a Tennessee fan on Team Tank, you’re hoping for Shedeur Sanders or Carson Beck. Otherwise, you wonder if Callahan would like to roll the dice on Sam Darnold if the Vikings turn to JJ McCarthy next year?
What if a veteran like Geno Smith became available? Could Callahan wanna take a chance on Daniel Jones? There are plenty of options, but the bottom line is to expect somebody other than Levis to be behind center next year.
Also Read: Grading All 32 NFL Teams Starting Quarterbacks After Week 6 Games Of The 2024 Season
New York Giants
It’s incredible that Daniel Jones has lasted six seasons as the Giants quarterback. Fortunately for Big Blue, Danny Dimes’ contract is structured in a way that lets them cut ties in 2025 with minimal financial ramifications.
There was a time when Jones looked like he could be the guy in New York. He and first-year head coach Brian Daboll took a flawed Giants team all the way to the postseason, even winning a Wild Card Game over the 13-win Minnesota Vikings.
But it’s clear as day that Jones will never pan out with the Giants. If Daboll is the offensive-minded genius that so many people make him out to be, imagine if he got the chance to work with a better signal-caller.
Truth be told, we’re not sure if the Giants will end up out-tanking other teams to guarantee themselves one of the top QBs in the draft. If they can’t get one of the big five quarterbacks, GM Joe Schoen can look at the trade or at the NFL free agent market.
Are there other teams on this list that need a new signal caller? The Giants are better off taking a chance on one of those QBs than keeping Danny Dimes around.
Seeing what Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold have done with their new teams, we could see Schoen and Daboll looking for the next reclamation project. Bryce Mac Jones, Trey Lance, and even Will Levis would be enticing options here.
What if a veteran like Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, or Geno Smith was available? Could they consider a bold move for someone like Matthew Stafford? Hmm…
But maybe the Giants’ tank job succeeds, and they DO get their hands on one of the top QBS in next year’s class? Either way, it’s long overdue to replace Danny Dimes next year.
Seattle Seahawks
Some Seahawks fans are going to question this entry, and we get it. But the Seahawks’ current reminds us of where the Vikings were with Kirk Cousins.
The quarterback alone is good enough to make you an NFL playoff team, but the roster isn’t good enough to win a Super Bowl. Because the QB play is stellar, that also means you’re not bottoming to land a top quarterback prospect.
The Vikings moved on from Cousins and got their new guy in JJ McCarthy before Sam Darnold came out of nowhere to enjoy a career revival. The Seahawks need to do something similar and roll the dice on a younger quarterback.
Smith has been a fun story in Seattle, but he’s hit his ceiling. He’s a top-15 QB when he’s not, but consistency issues will always be there. Now, in his age-34 season, Smith isn’t the type of player a young Seattle team should build around.
They have several cornerstone players in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, DK Metcalf, Charles Cross, Kenneth Walker, Devon Witherspoon, and Riq Woolen. So, it’s not logical to put your future in the hands of an aging QB like Smith.
Seattle realistically won’t get to draft a top prospect in 2025 unless they trade up. So, the other choice is to trade for or sign another QB, and we’ve outlined many intriguing options on this list. Imagine Bryce Young getting a shot in this star-studded offense. Just saying.
The Seahawks’ other option is to keep going with Smith and keep their ceiling at 10 wins and a playoff berth. A team that won the Super Bowl over a decade ago should aim higher and think long-term here by replacing Smith with a better QB.
Las Vegas Raiders
Good thing for Raiders fans that Tom Brady was finally approved to become a minority owner of the franchise. Now that Brady has a say in this team, owner Mark Davis will hopefully stop embracing long-term mediocrity.
Gardner Minshew II, surprise, surprise, wasn’t the answer and got benched after five games. Second-year signal-caller Aidan O’Connell hasn’t at all shown that he can be the guy in Sin City, either.
The scenario is easier said than done, but we’re obsessed with the idea of Shedeur Sanders coming to the Raiders. Imagine Deion’s son playing in a big market like the Raiders, with Brady there to serve as a mentor and leader for Shedeur.
The Raiders might not end up bad enough to get Shedeur anyway, but the odds of them finishing with a top-10 pick to get an elite prospect are still solid. Or what if Brady and Davis decide to get bold and make a blockbuster trade for a veteran?
Not sure who would be available, but they could consider placing a call for someone like Geno Smith or Matthew Stafford? What if Brady spearheaded the idea of bringing Bryce Young to town to see if his career could be salvaged?
The point is that the Raiders will mercilessly have a new starting QB next year. No question about it.
Los Angeles Rams
The Matthew Stafford-for-Jared-Goff blockbuster trade was everything both sides could have dreamed of. Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl 56 title in his first year with Sean McVay and company.
He did his job, but Los Angeles must get younger and start a new era with a different QB. Stafford is too injury-prone and past his best-before date, and an offensive guru like McVay must be trusted to develop a new signal-caller.
Stafford’s contract makes a trade or release in 2025 highly unlikely unless he agrees to a giant restructure of some sort. Never say never, but he’s likely on this roster for at least one more year. If the Rams play their cards right, he’ll be an expensive clipboard holder instead of their starting QB.
Like most other teams on this list, LA will be in a good spot to draft a quarterback in round one. Otherwise, we’d love to see McVay attempt a career revival with someone like Bryce Young, Mac Jones, or even Kenny Pickett if the Philadelphia Eagles are open to moving the latter.
If the Rams start Stafford again in 2025, they’re just pushing back the inevitable rebuild. Also, he’s still good enough to prevent them from bottoming out and potentially snagging a top QB in the 2026 Draft.
McVay and Stafford have formed a special relationship over their four years together in La La Land. But this is a business, and the Rams need to make 2024 Stafford’s last year as their starter and go with someone younger, healthier, and cheaper in 2025.
Also Read: Who Are The Top-Paid NFL Quarterbacks Still Searching For Their First Playoff Win?
