NFL Quarterbacks Who Are on the Hot Seat in 2023
The NFL quarterback carousel is spinning and won't stop anytime soon.
There are a slew of teams with question marks under center. While some of these voids will be filled with prospects selected early in this month's draft, there will still be plenty of veterans starting in 2023 with little job security.
Whether it is fair or not, organizations are always looking for the next Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow. If a starter hasn't brought success in recent years, front offices will be eyeing replacements sooner rather than later.
While some projected starters are clearly just keeping the seat warm until a better option comes along—as Baker Mayfield seems to be doing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season—or agreed to a team-friendly contract specifically structured to give the club an out after a year in case it drafts a quarterback (such as Geno Smith's arrangement with the Seattle Seahawks), many are expecting to retain their role for the foreseeable future. That may not happen if they aren't able to deliver this year.
With that in mind, here are five quarterbacks on the hot seat heading into the 2023 campaign:
Mac Jones, New England Patriots
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It wasn't long ago the New England Patriots seemed to have their quarterback of the future figured out. After a lean year following Tom Brady's departure, the club drafted Mac Jones at No. 15 overall in 2021 and awarded him the starting job as a rookie.
While he didn't set the world on fire, Jones did well enough to guide the Pats back into the playoffs and even earned a Pro Bowl nod as an alternate. It was as good of a rookie year as anyone in New England could have hoped for, which is why it was a shock to see the signal-caller regress so much as a sophomore.
Jones finished 2022 having completed just 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,997 yards and 14 touchdowns against 11 interceptions while nursing an ankle injury that cost him three contests. It was a stark step back from the 67.6 percent completion rate, 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions he tallied as a 17-game rookie starter.
It didn't help that Jones lost his quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator when Josh McDaniels was tapped to fill the Las Vegas Raiders' head coaching vacancy. That prompted head coach Bill Belichick to assign Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to run the offense. The team's former defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator, respectively, both recently returned to the organization following failed head coaching stints
It was a questionable decision at the time and one that turned out to be a major mistake in retrospect.
Jones struggled to find his way, eventually leading him to look for assistance outside of the organization.
According to NBC Sports' Chris Simms, the quarterback reached out to the coaching staff at Alabama, his alma mater, for ideas on how to improve a stagnant offense. That drew the ire of Belichick, who reportedly put Jones in his "doghouse." NBC Sports' Tom E. Curran (h/t Boston.com's Conor Roche) recently reported that the coach is still upset about it.
The Patriots have at least taken some steps to improve their offensive output in 2023. Judge and Patricia are no longer prominently involved in the offense, with former Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien returning to New England for a second stint as the organization's offensive coordinator.
That move should aid Jones, but it's looking like his leash is now much shorter. If Jones doesn't deliver with O'Brien calling plays, it could lead to him being demoted or dealt before 2024.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
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Dak Prescott has been entrenched as the Dallas Cowboys' starting quarterback for the last seven years, but that tenure could be coming to an end if he doesn't take the team to new heights soon.
While Dallas has reached the playoffs in four of those seasons, Prescott hasn't been able to guide the club past the NFC Divisional Round.
After picking up the second wild-card win of his career in January, the 29-year-old now has a 2-4 record in six postseason games. It's the same record that predecessor Tony Romo—who was oft-criticized for his inability to win big games—compiled during his four career trips to the playoffs as the starter.
It's been nearly three decades since the Cowboys sniffed the NFC Championship Game, let alone a Super Bowl. The team last advanced past the second week of the postseason at the conclusion of the 1995 campaign, when it added the most recent of its five Lombardi Trophies.
For a franchise that built a reputation on being one of the most dominant teams of an era, it's been a tough stretch to say the least.
With owner Jerry Jones demanding success and being unable to find it despite extensive efforts, changes could be on the horizon.
The team did improve slightly in the second year of the head coach Mike McCarthy era, and it posted identical 12-5 records in each of the last two seasons. But needs to at least reach a conference title game next season to feel good about ever winning it all with Prescott under center.
It didn't help that Prescott tied for the most interceptions in the league last year while only playing in 12 regular-season games.
Despite ownership's public vote of confidence and executive vice president Stephen Jones saying that he believes Prescott could remain Dallas' starter for another decade, there are rumors that the Cowboys are interested in one of the prized quarterback prospects in the 2023 class.
According to SI.com's Mike Fisher, Dallas is "absolutely intrigued" by Ohio State's C.J. Stroud. While the team only holds the No. 26 overall pick this year and Stroud is projected to be a top-five selection, the club could still swing a blockbuster deal to jump up the board.
Even if the Cowboys don't make the type of all-in move it would likely require to land Stroud, the rumors show that Prescott's job may not be as safe as the Joneses have indicated.
One poor season could be the difference between the current starter earning another extension or being phased out in the near future.
Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons
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Desmond Ridder is one of the league's youngest starting quarterbacks at just 23 years old, but his tenure as the Atlanta Falcons' top passer could be short-lived.
While he was the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's highest-rated quarterback last year, Ridder ultimately didn't come off the board until Atlanta used a third-round pick to nab him at No. 74 overall.
Ridder didn't hide his disappointment with the fall, telling Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot that rival front offices "done f'd up" and "it shouldn't have taken this long."
The second-year quarterback wasn't able to back up those bold statements last year. He failed to beat out Marcus Mariota for the starting job in training camp and wouldn't replace the wildly ineffective veteran until Week 15.
During his four-game trial as a starter, Ridder completed 73 of 115 passing attempts for 708 yards and two scores while adding another 64 yards on 16 carries. He managed to avoid throwing any interceptions but took nine sacks and lost two fumbles.
Ridder may not have earned much more than an "incomplete" mark for his rookie season, but he did show enough promise for Falcons head coach Arthur Smith to publicly commit to him as the team's starter for 2023.
Barring an unexpected move from the front office—such as acquiring Lamar Jackson or using the No. 8 overall pick on a quarterback—Ridder should get a real chance to prove himself this year.
It's going to be an important trial for Ridder. If he fails to raise his game, the Falcons likely won't have the patience to stick with him beyond the upcoming campaign.
Smith should be feeling the pressure to deliver a postseason berth after consecutive 7-10 seasons, and the club has too much young talent—including a pair of pass-catching weapons with top-10 pedigrees in wideout Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts—to squander multiple formative years with an inefficient signal-caller.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
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The Los Angeles Rams' bold decision to mortgage their future in exchange for a championship paid off in 2021.
While a series of high-profile trades—headlined by a blockbuster deal that sent Jared Goff and a pair of first-round picks to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford—resulted in a quick Super Bowl title, the team is now feeling the adverse effects of giving up so many early draft selections.
With a 5-12 campaign, the Rams lost more games than any other reigning champion in NFL history and became just the eighth Super Bowl winner to miss the playoffs with a losing record. The club is now being forced to switch gears from a buyer to seller as it desperately tries to orchestrate a rebuild.
The team has already parted ways with key contributors such as Leonard Floyd, letting him walk in free agency, and Jalen Ramsey, whom it traded for a third-round pick. And more veterans could soon be on their way out as well.
Although general manager Les Snead prefers to call his strategy a "remodel" and cited how stars like Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald will remain as "weight-bearing walls," there have been rumors that the Rams were open to demolishing the foundation but weren't able to find a taker.
According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, L.A. would have "welcomed the opportunity" to deal Stafford this offseason. The New York Jets would have been a potential landing spot for the veteran if Gang Green hadn't been able to convince Aaron Rodgers to join them.
With no buyers emerging for Stafford and his massive contract, the Rams won't have a better option than going to bat again in 2023 with the 35-year-old as their QB1.
Retirement doesn't seem to be in the cards either—even after an injury-plagued 2022 campaign in which the quarterback regressed significantly. Not only would Stafford be losing millions in guaranteed money if he did so, but he would also owe L.A. as much as $48 million in signing-bonus reimbursement, per Florio.
Although Stafford's deal runs through the 2026 season and dealing him will incur a massive dead-cap hit in any of the years leading up to it, the Rams may end up just taking their lumps and finding a way to move on from the aging thrower if he can't return to form this year.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
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The Miami Dolphins could have one of the most potent offenses in the NFL but need a healthy Tua Tagovailoa to unlock it.
The team looked strong in many of the quarterback's starts last year, but multiple concussions caused Tagovailoa to be sidelined for five games, including the team's lone playoff contest, and hindered his effectiveness in some of the contests he did appear in.
While Tagovailoa had a career-best season despite the injuries, throwing for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns against eight interceptions, there are some non-health-related reasons to be concerned about his long-term viability.
Despite having two of the NFL's top wideouts in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at his disposal, Tagovailoa only completed 64.8 percent of his passes. His last four starts were all costly losses that nearly dropped the 'Phins out of playoff contention, and he nearly threw as many interceptions (five) as he did touchdowns (six) in those matchups.
Miami's ownership could be partially responsible for Tagovailoa's hot seat. Before the regular-season finale, OutKick's Armando Salguero reported that head coach Mike McDaniel may not be retained if the team misses the playoffs despite displaying great promise during his first season.
General manager Chris Grier, who drafted Tua at No. 5 overall back in 2020, was also reportedly on the chopping block.
While the Dolphins did keep the current regime in place following a big Week 18 win that snapped a five-year playoff drought, they now must build on that in 2023.
If Tagovailoa can't stay healthy or regresses, it's hard to envision Miami contending. The team won just one of the four regular-season games he missed last year and doesn't have a great backup option. If he performs the way he did during his last few starts, the Dolphins could also be in trouble.
Even though the 'Phins recently picked up Tagovailoa's fifth-year option to keep him under contract through the 2024 season, if they bottom out this year, it would be hard to blame them for putting an end to the Tua experiment by selecting a quarterback near the top of the 2024 draft.
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