Best and Worst NFL Landing Spots for Potential QBs Changing Teams in 2024
As four teams prepare for conference championship games, there are plenty of others preparing to make big decisions at the game's most important position.
Last year's quarterback carousel produced storylines galore, as Tom Brady retired, Aaron Rodgers was finally traded and veteran starters such as Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo changed uniforms.
This year's cycle might not see quite as many big names on the move, but it's going to be intriguing nonetheless. From recent first-round picks who haven't found their way (Justin Fields and Mac Jones) to established veterans like Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson, there's reason to believe some quarterbacks will be on the move.
How much success they each have in their new destinations will depend on fit. Talent is key, but context matters for quarterbacks. The right scheme, coaching, supporting cast and franchise direction are all important.
Here, we'll take a look at five quarterbacks who could be on the move and what their best and worst landing spots are based on those factors.
Kirk Cousins
1 of 5
Best Landing Spot: Minnesota Vikings
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Kirk Cousins' future is murky. He suffered a torn Achilles in Week 8, which leaves questions about what he will look like by Week 1 of the 2024 season. Aside from the injury, he's the top quarterback on the free-agent market.
That could mean there are multiple teams interested in his services next season, but the best-case scenario for him is that he winds up right where he left off as the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings.
After all, just about every quarterback would love to be throwing the ball to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. There are no questions about whether Cousins fits into the system or can have success with their offensive line. He's already done it.
Cousins was among the top quarterbacks statistically when he went down with the injury. Assuming his recovery goes well, it would make sense for him to want to keep things rolling with Kevin O'Connell and Co.
Worst Landing Spot: Washington Commanders
The Commanders have the opportunity to draft a franchise-altering quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick. It's a great chance at a clean slate for an organization that is looking to put the days of Dan Snyder behind them and forge ahead under Josh Harris' ownership.
So while it could be tempting to use their league-leading $84.3 million in cap space to sign Cousins and have an elite mentor for their new rookie signal-caller, it would be bad for all parties involved.
First, it would be a clear downgrade in terms of weapons. All due respect to Terry McLaurin, but he isn't Justin Jefferson, and Jahan Dotson isn't Jordan Addison.
Beyond that, it would just set up an awkward situation. The biggest upside to both Caleb Williams and Drake Maye is that either is a Day 1 starter. They both have incredibly high ceilings, but neither will need the ramp-up time to become a starter.
Justin Fields
2 of 5
Best Landing Spot: Atlanta Falcons
There's more to the fit between the Atlanta Falcons and Justin Fields than a cool homecoming story that would feature the Kennesaw, Georgia, native playing for his hometown team.
The Bears have the No. 1 overall pick, and Fields is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal. He hasn't quite done enough to prove he's worth building around in the Windy City, so trading him seems like a logical move this offseason.
The Falcons roster is well equipped for him to have success. With Bijan Robinson and a strong run-blocking offensive line in place, whoever becomes the new head coach could easily build a run-heavy offense that would utilize Fields' tremendous athletic ability.
The weapons are there for Fields to continue his progression as a passer, too. Drake London is a big target coming off a strong second season, and Kyle Pitts still has time to live up to his draft billing as the No. 4 pick in 2021. While Atlanta has not hired a new head coach yet, there would surely be plenty of coach who would be excited about the prospect of orchestrating an offense built around Fields and the Falcons' supporting cast around him.
Worst Landing Spot: Denver Broncos
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported back in December that Russell Wilson expects to be cut by the Broncos in March. Regardless of what cap gymnastics they can pull off, it's going to be a devastating salary-cap move. A pre-June 1 cut would lead to an $85 million dead-cap charge. A post-June 1 move would split that up over the next two years.
Regardless, it's going to create a need for the Broncos to find a starter on a budget. Justin Fields is due $6 million in 2024, so there's a match on paper.
However, the same problems that Sean Payton had with Wilson are going to exist with Fields. Payton runs a timing-based West Coast-heavy offense that requires precision and accuracy. Fields is at his best on the move and has a penchant for holding onto the ball longer than he should.
This move would frustrate Fields and move the Broncos no closer to finding the right fit.
Mac Jones
3 of 5
Best Landing Spot: Los Angeles Rams
Mac Jones needs a career reset. The former No. 15 pick put together a solid rookie campaign and has delivered diminishing returns for the Patriots ever since.
This year, he was benched for Bailey Zappe and his attitude reportedly frustrated some in the organization. The Patriots are set to start a new era under Bill Belichick-replacement Jerod Mayo, and they might decide it's best to move ahead without Jones.
Jones isn't likely to be in the market to be a starter. It's probably not even in his best interest to pursue that kind of opportunity. Instead, he should be looking to go to a solid organization with a strong coach and an appealing backup job.
The Los Angeles Rams would be a nice setup. Sean McVay has a way of getting the best out of his quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield's brief stint there helped him land a shot in Tampa Bay this season.
Matthew Stafford played well this season, but he's going to be 36 years old with some injury history. A few solid performance from Jones as his backup would do a lot to restore some of his reputation.
Worst Landing Spot: Pittsburgh Steelers
The worst thing that Jones could do is try to prove himself as a starting quarterback in a less-than-ideal situation.
Head coach Mike Tomlin has already said that there will be competition for Kenny Pickett at quarterback next season. However, the Steelers are going to have to get creative to find QB options, because they are $6.7 million over the cap heading into the offseason.
Trading for a player like Jones—whose salary is only $2.8 million next season—could be a tempting addition. But it's only going to put Jones in a position where he has to start on an offense without a well-founded identity and questions on the offensive line.
Baker Mayfield
4 of 5
Best Landing Spot: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield might just be the most nomadic former No. 1 overall pick of all time. He's taken snaps for four different teams over the past three seasons. His divorce from Cleveland was well-documented amid the Browns' pursuit of Deshaun Watson. He was traded to the Panthers who then dealt him to the Rams before he signed as a free agent with the Buccaneers this season.
That marriage turned out to be mutually beneficial. The Buccaneers got reasonably good quarterback play for a budget price in the wake of Tom Brady's departure. Mayfield only cost $4 million this season but will require a significant pay bump in free agency.
For his part, Mayfield has made it clear that he wants to be back next season.
"I love this group," Mayfield said, per Mike Jones of The Athletic. "I said that all year, and that's authentic. I mean that. So it would mean a lot for me to be back and for one or two pieces to get brought back and keep this together. To get into Year 2 in the system, you can make huge strides, and so I would love that. Obviously, who knows how it's going to play out, but I can't say enough about this organization, the opportunity they gave me this year, so just thankful."
One of the pieces he's referring to is most likely Mike Evans. Evans and Chris Godwin are far better than any receiving tandem he had with the Browns. A return to throwing to that duo would mean continuity for all involved.
Worst Landing Spot: New England Patriots
The Patriots are a quarterback wild card this offseason. With the third pick in the draft, they are most likely out of range for Drake Maye or Caleb Williams. That leaves them to either take another quarterback with the third pick, sign or trade for a veteran or a combination of both.
Mayfield has never shied away from admitting that he wears his emotions on his sleeve. One of the reasons for his success in Tampa is that he was dropped onto a veteran roster with a veteran head coach.
The Pats are going through a full-on rebuild, which includes Jerod Mayo moving up to be a first-time head coach. Inserting Mayfield into an uncertain quarterback situation with a weak receiver group is a recipe for disaster.
Russell Wilson
5 of 5
Best Landing Spot: Pittsburgh Steelers
Several NFL executives told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that a lot of Russell Wilson's problems in Denver this season stemmed from a bad fit with Sean Payton. The former Saints head coach employs a timing-based offense that requires a lot of precision. Wilson thrived in a Seattle offense that utilized a lot of play action but also gave him the freedom to make plays.
Fowler also reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers are a "sleeper" team to watch should Wilson become available, noting that they might not be sold on Kenny Pickett. The 25-year-old did not show much, if any, growth in his second season, and the team elected to start Mason Rudolph in its wild-card game despite Pickett being healthy enough to play.
Unlike Mac Jones, Wilson needs to find a place where he has a reasonable shot at starting. He's 35 years old and is already losing some of the athleticism that made him a special quarterback.
The Steelers haven't hired a new offensive coordinator after firing Matt Canada in the middle of the season, but head coach Mike Tomlin recently dropped some vague hints about what he'd like the offense to look like.
"I want us to be versatile and dynamic," Tomlin said, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "Obviously, we've got to score more points. I want to be able to keep defenses off-balance."
Wilson has just enough dynamic ability left to help bridge them to the next quarterback if they aren't sold on Pickett.
Worst Landing Spot: Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are going to be a popular speculative landing spot for quarterbacks this offseason. Jimmy Garoppolo didn't work out, and new head coach Antonio Pierce might not want to pin the success of his first full season on Aidan O'Connell becoming a star after being a fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft.
They aren't really in position to draft one of the top prospects this year, so signing Russell Wilson to a bounce-back contract might be a tempting proposition for them.
However, the Raiders should consider what it looked like when Wilson was paired with a first-year head coach. The relationship between Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett produced one of the veteran's worst seasons.
The Raiders have an opportunity to start fresh on offense in 2024. Pierce did a good job as the interim coach, but he is inexperienced for an NFL head coach and managing a veteran quarterback like Wilson is not an easy task.
Going to Pittsburgh would give Wilson the chance to help build a new offense with a team that has an established culture. Going to Vegas would set him up for failure with a team that is trying to establish who they are.
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