NFL Teams Already Looking Toward Arch Manning and 2026 QB Class
The scuttlebutt started before the 2025 NFL draft even began: Next year's quarterback class looks much stronger than this year's.
Going by the actions of multiple teams this year, the league certainly seems to feel that way. After the Tennessee Titans selected Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick and the New York Giants traded back into the first round for Jaxson Dart, the subsequent 11 QB choices likely won't factor into next year's draft plans despite significant needs found around the league.
An early glance toward the draft in Pittsburgh on April 23-25, 2026, shows a handful of talented signal-callers potentially available and possibly becoming early selections.
South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, Texas' Arch Manning, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, Clemson's Cade Klubnik and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier are the names generating first-round buzz as the latest cycle begins.
Obviously, a lot can change over the next year. Some prospects may not perform as well as expected, and a few could make significant leaps in performance. Others may not even declare.
However, the baseline for this group appears significantly higher than the one the NFL just added, which is why certain organizations didn't jump into the QB market much early in the 2025 process.
As of now, eight general managers should already have one eye toward next April knowing they may need to pull the trigger and draft a quarterback.
Carolina Panthers
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The 2025 campaign should serve as a make-or-break season for Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
They will give Young every opportunity to claim his spot as the franchise quarterback, but they showed a lack of confidence in the 2023 No. 1 overall pick last season. Head coach Dave Canales benched his starting QB by Week 3, and he only reentered the lineup in Week 8 because of an injury to veteran Andy Dalton.
To Young's credit, he didn't allow the benching to bring him down completely. Instead, the sophomore signal-caller rebounded and played relatively well down the stretch, with a 15-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the team's final 10 games.
Despite the improvement, Carolina's real identity during the aforementioned stretch was built upon the run game, which featured Chuba Hubbard.
In 2025, Young doing enough won't be good enough. He must look like a No. 1 overall pick capable of elevating the entire offense, and he'll get help with Carolina's offseason additions of Tetairoa McMillan, Hunter Renfrow, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Mitchell Evans.
If that's not the case, the Panthers should be looking to rectify a previous mistake and reinvest in the quarterback position.
Cleveland Browns
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It's often said that if a team has two quarterbacks, then it has none. What happens when the squad has four quarterbacks, though?
While moving past the debacle of the Deshaun Watson trade and accompanying contract—still on the roster for at least another year or two—the Cleveland Browns brought in four different signal-callers to try to solve the primary issue that has bewildered for the franchise for a quarter-century.
Joe Flacco is back after winning Comeback Player of the Year in 2023 thanks to a magical run reviving his career and leading the Browns into the postseason. He's now 40, though.
General manager Andrew Berry traded for Kenny Pickett as well, but he's now on his third team in a year. Finally, Cleveland drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the third and fifth rounds, respectively.
Sanders presents the most intrigue, of course.
"Most teams had Sanders rated as a second-round pick," an NFL executive told The Athletic's Mike Sando, "but when you are building a team, you have to include the intangibles and the other stuff and decide whether you want it or not. For most teams at that stage, it was not worth it."
According to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi and Jeremy Fowler, Sanders "will get an opportunity to compete to be QB1."
So, an aging veteran, a first-round bust and two rookies all vying to finally become what the Browns haven't been able to find since the organization returned to the NFL in 1999.
Yeah, it's easy to see this entire situation implode. The Browns could well be restarting in 2026 with a significant investment in a top-shelf QB prospect, especially after acquiring an extra first-round pick as part of the Travis Hunter trade-down to ensure they hold significant leverage.
Indianapolis Colts
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The entire Indianapolis Colts organization is built around a suspect quarterback competition this fall, with the result carrying significant ramifications.
The Colts will give incumbent Anthony Richardson, who was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, every opportunity to retain his job and maximize his immense potential.
However, the organization's brains trust can't look past concerns that essentially led to the 22-year-old's benching last season, as well as his struggles to improve as a passer.
As such, Indianapolis signed Daniel Jones to push Richardson and possibly even start if the latter doesn't show marked improvement over last season.
"They've got to work through their struggles, and they have to fail, and they have to get up, and have to get better from it," general manager Chris Ballard told The Rich Eisen Show (h/t Paul Bretl of Colts Wire). "I think we have two guys that are an example of that had moments of success but also had struggles. To watch both Anthony and Daniel compete against each other is going to be good for both of them. There's nothing wrong with competition."
Richardson's upside remains sky high. But he has to become far more efficient in the passing game to move the chains. If not, Jones will enter the lineup after flaming out as the New York Giants' starting quarterback for six seasons (not including a short layover with the Minnesota Vikings).
Both could realistically fail, leading to significant organizational turnover in Indianapolis and the franchise taking another stab at addressing the game's most important position.
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Las Vegas Raiders
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The Las Vegas Raiders made arguably the best offseason move among quarterbacks by trading for Geno Smith, but the 12-year-veteran isn't guaranteed to be with the organization for more than one season.
Smith turns 35 later this year. The Raiders can also save $18.5 million next year with his release. That number escalates to his entire $26.5 million cap charge if he's traded.
Considering the quarterback's age and the fact that not a single cent of his 2027 salary-cap hit is guaranteed, the 2026 draft feels like the perfect time for the Raiders to revisit quarterback in an attempt to find a long-term solution.
Obviously, Pete Carroll's age—he'll turn 75 during the 2026 season—makes everything the team does a short-term solution as the Raiders enter win-now mode. But the same doesn't apply to general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady. Their vision will drive the organization's direction. An opportunity to bring in an actual top quarterback prospect has to be at the forefront of their minds.
This year's addition of running back Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick will provide the team with an offensive focal point that can help minimize any steps back upon going from an established to a veteran a first-round investment.
Los Angeles Rams
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The Los Angeles Rams are operating under Matthew Stafford's clock, with no real indication of when the quarterback's timetable officially ends.
Stafford is already operating by a year-to-year basis and his contemplation of retirement is well-known. In the near future, GM Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay must seriously entertain the idea of bringing in the veteran signal-caller's heir.
The 16-year-veteran will be 38 next year, and he's taken a significant beating throughout his career that led to serious injuries. Stafford's shelf-life has to be at the forefront of the team's actions.
Typically, Snead and his front office are aggressive with their draft approach. The team went in the opposite direction this year by trading out of the first round entirely to add a 2026 first-round selection to the team's future assets.
The pick acquired from the Atlanta Falcons has a good likelihood of falling higher in the order than the Rams' own pick. Either way, two open-round selections allows greater flexibility to use both or move around the draft based on the team's preferred targets.
Unlike other teams on this list, Los Angeles won't be searching for an immediate replacement unless Stafford decides to retire. Otherwise, it can invest in a first-round quarterback and let him learn for a season or two behind one of the NFL's best.
New Orleans Saints
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The New Orleans Saints enter the 2025 campaign tied for the longest odds to win the Super Bowl, per DraftKings. A better way to phrase that is: The Saints will be in contention for the NFL's worst team during the upcoming season.
The team's unsettled quarterback setup is a significant reason why.
Derek Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury "that threatens his availability for this season," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Saints knew this entering last month's draft.
However, the organization remained patient and passed on a quarterback with the ninth overall pick. Instead, they chose Louisville's Tyler Shough with this year's 40th selection.
"I'd be surprised if the quarterback is not starting for them," an NFL executive told The Athletic's Mike Sando. "He has the arm talent. He is really smart. He comes across as a veteran already. With him, it's about staying healthy."
Shough should be starting out of the gate since he'll turn 26 as a rookie after spending seven seasons bouncing between the Oregon Ducks, Texas Tech Red Raiders and Louisville Cardinals.
As mentioned, he has a significant injury and only one season as a full-time starter. His traits may be impressive, but his resume doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.
Shough's draft status also doesn't dictate a look beyond the upcoming campaign, especially if the Saints find themselves among next year's top-five draft picks.
New York Jets
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Justin Fields wanted another chance to be an NFL starting quarterback without looking over his shoulder. As such, he chose to sign with the New York Jets as a free agent.
The 26-year-old may have signed a two-year deal, but he's truly operating under a one-year tryout.
The Jets fulfilled their end of the bargain. They didn't bring in anyone to challenge Fields. He's the clear starter, and the Gang Green offense should be built around his unique athletic skill set.
At the same time, New York can't look at its quarterback room and think it's been solved. Fields has to prove he belongs. Until he does, the position remains on the table going into next offseason.
The Jets can release Fields next year and designate him as a June 1 cut to save $10 million of his $23 million salary-cap charge. They can then come in and operate a more traditional offensive scheme under coordinator Tanner Engstrand, who spent the last three seasons as the Detroit Lions' passing game coordinator.
Unless the Jets fully embrace the running aspect of Fields' game and lean on their talented stable of running backs, they will almost certainly be looking for another quarterback in less than a year.
Pittsburgh Steelers
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The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to have some sort of agreement with free-agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers to lead the team's offense next fall.
Nothing about that should have prevented the team from selecting a quarterback with starting potential during the 2025 NFL draft. Somehow, it did.
Rodgers turns 42 later this year. He's not the quarterback he once was. No team should be resting its fortunes on his shoulders at this point in his career. Yet the Steelers waited until this year's sixth round before finally investing in a signal-caller.
Truth be told, Pittsburgh continued down the same path it always has by investing in its defensive front seven and rushing attack. Nothing the organization did this offseason moves the needle to change the squad's trajectory or make it anything more than a slightly above-average team that's not much of a threat once the postseason begins.
If and when Rodgers signs, no one should expect him to be with the team beyond the upcoming season anyhow. Maybe rookie Will Howard gets an opportunity to play and impresses. However, the organization passed on him five different times before selecting the national championship-winning quarterback, which indicates Pittsburgh's level of investment in his future.
One primary reason exists why the Steelers can't find a way out of NFL limbo, a.k.a. mediocrity, and it's the quarterback position.
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