The Main Obstacle Facing Every NFL Starting Quarterback in 2025

Some are bigger than others. Much bigger. 

Some are mental, or conceptual. Others much more literal. 

Regardless, they are all obstacles. 

Here’s the key obstacle each current starting NFL quarterback faces entering 2025.

AFC East

AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes

Josh Allen

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: Expectations

Allen is an MVP now, and his Bills are favored to win every game. If he can't finally get to a Super Bowl in 2025, he will begin to take heat.  

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: Staying healthy

Kind of obvious, right? But it's got to be that or the Buffalo Bills. 

Drake Maye, New England Patriots: Uncertainty with supporting cast

Huge changes were in order, but those changes are obstacles themselves. How will Stefon Diggs fit in? Will Will Campbell have growing pains? The majority of the offensive line has turned over, and continuity takes time. 

Justin Fields, New York Jets: A short leash

Fields has steadily improved and still has a chance to become a solid NFL quarterback, but will the Jets have enough patience? This team faces plenty of pressure and the signal-caller is well-supported. He has to perform quickly, though.

AFC North

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Joe Burrow

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

The Bills, Chiefs and Bengals...Jackson is at risk of his golden career coming in the wrong place at the wrong time. He has been consistently awesome and the supporting cast is solid. Now, he needs to simply overcome the competition.

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: The Bills, Chiefs and Ravens

Burrow is at risk of his golden career coming in the wrong place at the wrong time. He has been consistently awesome and the supporting cast is solid. Now, he needs to simply overcome the competition.

Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns: Shadows of Shedeur Sanders, Gabriel Dillon and Kenny Pickett

Can the 40-year-old Flacco really afford more than a bad week or two?

Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers: To be determined

It's either the presence of Aaron Rodgers (in which case he isn't a starter) or his horrendous track record. Either way, not easy. 

AFC South

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Trevor Lawrence

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans: A sophomore slump

Stroud's production fell off a cliff in 2024. Did the team get proactive as a result? Sure. But significant changes aren't easy to navigate and now he's without a talented left tackle in Laremy Tunsil. This campaign could go so many ways. 

Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts: Everything?

Including Daniel Jones, but let's hone in on Richardson's sloppy play. If you can't get that under control, you stand no chance, and he committed a turnover-worthy play on 4.7 percent of his snaps in 2024, per Pro Football Focus. That number has to drop dramatically or he will be toast as an NFL starter.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: Third down

The well-paid 2021 No. 1 pick completed a horrendous 46.6 percent of his third-down passes in 2025. He has to keep way more drives alive for this desperate Jags team.

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans: Recent history with No. 1 picks

The last two top picks (Bryce Young and Caleb Williams) were dramatically outplayed as rookies by the next quarterbacks selected (Stroud and Jayden Daniels). If Ward suffers the same fate with Jaxson Dart, he'll be behind the eight ball. 

AFC West

AP Photo/Ashley Landis

Patrick Mahomes

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos: The receiving corps

There is talent there and Pat Bryant adds to that, but Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims feel more like No. 2 options, and we’re yet to see if someone else can emerge and sustain it. This feels like a nitpick, and that’s probably a good omen for Nix and the Broncos. 

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: The law of averages

Mahomes and the Chiefs have won 17 consecutive one-score games, which partially explains how the team has remained very competitive despite his overall mediocre play. The odds of that continuing without major improvements from the six-time Pro Bowler in 2025 are seriously low. 

Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders: Nix, Mahomes and Justin Herbert

Welcome to the AFC West, bud. 

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: Big game experience

Good news is I have a feeling many big games are coming Herbert's way. Bad news is he has two touchdowns to four interceptions in two total career playoff games, both of which were losses. 

NFC East

AP Photo/Gareth Patterson

Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: Everything that was 2024

Put simply, the league's highest-paid quarterback was one of the worst quarterbacks in football on paper, and he again failed to stay healthy. If Prescott doesn't separate himself from all of that in 2025, his future as a starter will be jeopardized.  

Russell Wilson, New York Giants: Father Time

That and the constant reminder the team traded back into the first round for Jaxson Dart. 

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: The Super Bowl Curse

There's little reason not to get behind Hurts and the stacked Eagles, aside from the fact that 19 of the last 20 Super Bowl champions have failed to repeat.  

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders: A potential sophomore slump

It got Stroud under similar circumstances in 2024, but the Commanders have at least gone out of their way to avoid the same for Daniels this offseason. Still, the rest of the league will be more than ready for him in 2025. 

NFC North

AP Photo/Mike Roemer

Jordan Love

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears: The deep ball

On throws located 15-plus yards downfield in 2024, the rookie No. 1 overall pick posted a 63.6 passer rating. Daniels' rating under the same circumstances? 109.5.

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: 59.7

That was the veteran's passer rating in a nightmare home playoff loss to Washington. Whatever he does in the regular season, Goff needs to deliver when it matters. 

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: Inconsistency

The numbers aren't quite there and the Packers aren't quite a true contender, partly because Love has extremely elevated highs combined with wildly shallow lows. He has to avoid more of the latter in 2025 and beyond. 

J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings: The unknown

McCarthy has yet to throw an NFL pass, but he is faced with the task of taking over a playoff-caliber team in 2025.

NFC South

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Bryce Young

Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons: The unknown

See J.J. McCarthy, with slightly lower expectations. Still, they're there considering that skill-position talent. 

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers: The stigma of a terrible rookie season

Because his sophomore year really wasn't bad and he showed true improvement, but the 2023 No. 1 overall pick cannot afford to struggle in 2025 or everyone will assume that rebound was a fluke. 

Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints: A lack of time to acclimate

The 25-year-old second-round rookie has plenty of experience under his belt but has just one 20-touchdown-pass season at the college level. Can he hold off Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener for a team that refuses to admit it isn't very good?

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mistakes

He threw a joint-league-high 16 interceptions in 2024, 11 of which came in an eight-game span. That's almost impossible to overcome in this day and age. 

NFC West

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Brock Purdy

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: Delivering when it matters

The handsomely paid 2019 top pick threw zero touchdown passes to five interceptions and posted an NFL-worst 31.9 passer rating in the fourth quarter of one-score games in 2025. That has to change for Murray and the Cards to take a leap.

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: Three years of mediocrity

When you're 37 and rank 19th among 29 qualified quarterbacks in terms of passer rating over the last three years, you have to overcome the assumption you're just playing out the string for a check. 

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: Higher expectations combined with weaker supporting cast

That’s what big money brings, along with the departures of Deebo Samuel, Aaron Banks and Jordan Mason. Not an easy task for Mr. Irrelevant of 2022.

Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks: One-hit wonder fears

And the fact that he was more like a 90 percent wonder before turning into a pumpkin in two critical late-season games for the Vikings in 2024.