Not even halfway through the 2023 NFL season yet, and one thing is especially evident to us: A large portion of the league’s current starting quarterbacks — one quarter, to be exact — would benefit from a change of scenery.
This isn’t to say that these quarterbacks would automatically shine anywhere else. But if they move to the right offensive system, maybe they’ll hit their full potential.
With that said, let’s dive into eight NFL quarterbacks who need a fresh start ASAP — and which teams they should go to.
Justin Fields: Atlanta Falcons
It’s hard to fully blame Fields for his lackluster performance in the Windy City. He hasn’t had a qualified head coach yet, nor a half-decent offensive line. Furthermore, the Chicago Bears waited until year three to get him a true No. 1 wideout in DJ Moore.
Fields has flashed big play abilities, as seen by his 1,143 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 2022. But he’s not in a good spot to shine as a pocket passer, and having Moore as his only game-changing weapon just isn’t going to cut it.
The Bears are in a good spot to restart and get a top 2024 QB Draft prospect like Caleb Williams, Quinn Ewers or Drake Maye. Why not restart with a new QB and grant Fields the chance to shine elsewhere?
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Fields would be a natural fit in Arthur Smith’s offense over in Atlanta, which leans heavily on the run. Imagine being an opposing defense and having to account for Fields, Bijan Robinson AND Tyler Allgeier?
Not to mention that unlike Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder, Fields would actually be able to get the ball out to Kyle Pitts and Drake London – who should be established superstars by now. Except, yanno, they’re being held back by lackluster quarterback play.
Fields would also benefit from playing behind one of football’s elite o-lines led by Chris Lindstrom and Jake Matthews. Throw in the weak state of the NFC South, and Fields would be well-positioned to succeed long-term.
Fields to Atlanta just makes too much sense to not happen.
Russell Wilson: Washington Commanders
Truth be told, there aren’t many teams that make sense as a landing spot for Wilson. He would most certainly have to agree to a restructured deal to make a trade work…but you gotta think the future Hall of Famer would happily sacrifice some dollars for a fresh start.
New Commanders’ owner Josh Harris is worth almost $7 billion and should be more than happy to shell out top dollar for a QB of Wilson’s caliber.
Let’s keep in mind that Wilson isn’t on the decline; it’s just that he’s stuck in a bad situation in Mile High City. Put him in an offense with Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Brian Robinson Jr., and you have the makings for a top-10 unit.
Denver could unload Wilson and make a play for a top QB in the 2024 draft class, while the Commanders would have a perennial Pro Bowl signal-caller to keep up with Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts in the NFC East.
Wilson might be appealed by the idea of playing in a bigger market, where he and Ciara could further promote their many business expenditures, too.
Again, a Wilson trade only makes sense if he restructures his deal. If that’s what it takes, so be it. Denver has to pull the cord on this disastrous trade, and the Commanders need to swing big — no, Carson Wentz wasn’t a big swing — if they want to be taken seriously in the NFC.
If there’s one place for Wilson to revive his career, it’s Washington.
Kyler Murray: New England Patriots
It’s becoming more and more evident that Mac Jones isn’t the guy in New England. More on that later.
Bill Belichick has to get with the real times and get a dual-threat quarterback. That’s where the game is now. It’s time to stop relying on pure pocket passers with little-to-no mobility like Jones to carry the offense.
The Cardinals should be in position to grab a new QB in next year’s draft, so it makes sense to move on from the injury-prone Murray.
The No. 1 pick of 2019 just hasn’t been able to string together any consistency, and he should especially be keen on the fresh start. The Cardinals have continuously failed to build an actual contender around him, but Murray might finally hit his full ceiling in a new offense.
We’d love to see Murray running the show in Foxborough. Though the Pats’ o-line and ground game have been shaky here in 2023, it’s simply a temporary hiccup that should be resolved by the greatest coach of all-time.
Putting Murray in a rush-first offense led by Rhamondre Stevenson and shifty wideouts Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas and DeVante Parker would lead to some special fireworks there in Foxborough.
Not to mention that Murray would be accommodated by a consistent top-10 defense, something he’s sorely lacked in Arizona. Like Russell Wilson, Murray would have to restructure his deal to make a trade work — but why wouldn’t he want the chance to win with the greatest coach of all-time?
Belichick would admire a dual-threat highlight reel machine like Murray, who just might find some form of consistency on a team that stresses smart-decision-making and ball control better than most other clubs.
Ryan Tannehill: New York Jets
The Titans may be hanging around in the four-way horse race for the mediocre AFC South, but Tannehill’s play certainly isn’t a reason why.
Tannehill can barely push for 200 passing yards a game anymore, and his turnover habits are just getting worse.
Tannehill has hit his peak in Music City, and if the Titans want to salvage their season, they oughta trade the 2019 Comeback Player of the Year and seek a QB upgrade. More on that in a bit.
No team could use Tannehill more than the New York Jets. With Aaron Rodgers out for the year, Robert Saleh has been inexplicably loyal to Zach Wilson – who’s wasting an elite defense and excellent production from Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.
Rodgers is unquestionably the Jets’ starting QB in 2024. But why should New York punt on the season when they’re an ever-so-tiny QB upgrade away from being a realistic playoff contender in the AFC?
Tannehill would simply be a huge short-term upgrade over Wilson. He’d love getting the ball out to Hall, Wilson, Allen Lazard et al. Tannehill can push the ball downfield better than Wilson and would certainly make smarter decisions in Nathaniel Hackett’s offense.
With Tannehill in his contract year, Tennessee would probably be thrilled to unload him for a late-round pick. The Jets obviously aren’t giving up a ton of assets for a quick band-aid solution, but Tannehill would at least give them some hope this year. Give up a late-round pick for Tannehill and see if he can save your season. This Jets team has too much talent to give up on the year just because
Mac Jones: Las Vegas Raiders
We never bought the hype on Jimmy Garoppolo coming to Vegas. Sure enough, injuries and inconsistent play by Jimmy G have held back the Raiders’ offense — and it shouldn’t take them long to make a change at the game’s most important position.
IF Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler get more time to rebuild this thing? Well, the Silver and Black are the only team that realistically makes sense for Mac Jones. After all, the Alabama product had his best NFL season in 2021 as a rookie – when McDaniels was his OC.
McDaniels hasn’t cut it as an NFL coach, but Jones went from budding star with McDaniels to a below-average starter. Gotta think Bill Belichick will be happy to cut ties with a QB that he doesn’t seem to like personally or professionally.
With Jones still on his rookie deal, why shouldn’t the Raiders take a flier on him and see if he can regain his magic under McDaniels? Jones would have Davante Adams and old friend Jakobi Meyers as his main pass-catchers. 100 times better than the receiving group Jones has in New England right now.
Patriots trade for Kyler Murray and dump Jones to the Raiders. Who says no?!
Daniel Jones: Minnesota Vikings
The reigning NFC North champions look nothing like the team that won 13 games a year ago.
And with 35-year-old Kirk Cousins in his contract year, it just makes too much sense for Minny to trade the four-time Pro Bowler instead of watching him leave for nothing. The fact the Vikings wouldn’t extend Cousins this past offseason tells you all you need to know: They don’t view him as their long-term guy.
Not only do we think the Vikings should trade Cousins, but it just might be worth taking a chance on someone like Danny Dimes. It sounds crazy, but do hear us out.
Jones is on his third head coach in the Meadowlands. The Giants haven’t given him a single Pro Bowl-level pass-catcher, a top-10 defense nor a half-decent offensive line.
The oft-injured Saquon Barkley is the only game-changing weapon Jones ever had. And in their lone full season together? Lo and behold, they took the Giants to the postseason and even upset Cousins’ Vikings in the 2022 Wild Card Round.
So now imagine putting Jones in Minny. He would get to throw to the game’s best wideout in Justin Jefferson. Danny Dimes’ deep ball and ability to extend plays would go hand-in-hand with JJ’s all-world play.
Jones would also have Alexander Mattison, Jordan Addison and one of the game’s top tight ends in TJ Hockenson. And that Christian Darrisaw-Brian O’Neill-led o-line would be better than any unit Jones has worked with in New York.
An offensive genius guru head coach like Kevin O’Connell might rebuild Jones and turn him into the star the Giants never had. It’s at least worth a shot with all that offensive-led weaponry that the Vikings could offer.
Zach Wilson: Los Angeles Rams
Time for the Jets to give up on the No. 2 pick of 2021. If he couldn’t break out here in 2023 after learning behind Aaron Rodgers, then he’ll never put it all together. It doesn’t take an Einstein to figure that out.
Wilson isn’t going to get the chance to start again any time soon. But what if he went to a team with an established veteran QB and a top offensive-minded head coach? That’s where the Los Angeles Rams come into the picture.
The Super Bowl 56 champions have a steady veteran presence in Matthew Stafford, who seems to have some good football left in him after a down 2022 season. He’s not going to lose that job any time soon, but it doesn’t at all hurt the Rams to take a chance on Wilson and see if he can become Stafford’s successor.
Stafford is injury prone and in his mid-30s now, so it remains to be seen how much longer he’ll play. If you’re the Rams, why not take a former highly-touted young QB, develop him behind an established veteran and see if he becomes something for you?
If this scenario sounds familiar, it’s basically what the San Francisco 49ers did with Steve Young. He was a bust in Tampa Bay, so the 49ers acquired Young, developed him behind Joe Montana and made him a Hall of Famer.
Not many logical landing spots for Wilson, but the Rams certainly make ideal sense for him in many ways. At least a better option than what he has in New York…
Kirk Cousins: Tennessee Titans
Here’s how we conclude the musical chairs of quarterbacks: Tannehill leaves Tennessee for the Jets. The Vikings pick up Daniel Jones from the Giants. What does that mean for Kirk Cousins? Well, a fresh start with the Titans of course!
As we said on the Danny Dimes entry, Minnesota should trade their lame duck quarterback and get SOME value in return. And if you look around the league, the Titans make perfect sense for Cousins.
He’d have one of the league’s premier running backs in Derrick Henry and a Pro Bowl wideout in DeAndre Hopkins. Playing behind a stout offensive line and being assisted by a stingy defense, Cousins could basically be a game manager in Mike Vrabel’s offense.
That might better suit Cousins, because he hasn’t proved that he’s able to carry a team on his back. Put him on a team where he doesn’t have to pull as much weight, and perhaps better team results will follow.
Tennessee has Will Levis waiting in the wings. Even if they want to extend Cousins after this year, there’s no harm in a short-term extension that eventually opens up the door for Levis to take over.
So yes, the Titans should do it. Move on from Tannehill ASAP and see if they can land Cousins for the right price. He gives them a much better shot of winning something than Cousins’ fellow 2012 draftee.
Which other NFL quarterbacks need a fresh start, and where should they go?
