2026 NFL Free Agency: Prescribing Plan A and B for 9 QB-Needy Teams

This is the worst offseason for a team in need of a starting quarterback. The draft is “razor-thin” as one scout told me. And the free-agent and trade markets “suck,” the scout said, “unless you’re looking for broken down old guys, or a backup who’s had a couple of good starts.” Those are harsh assessments, to be sure, but not atypical of what was heard around the rest of the league at the NFL Scouting Combine. Teams with decent quarterbacks are gripping them tightly because the alternatives are unimpressive. And teams without a decent quarterback … As another scout told me: “They’re pretty screwed.” So what are those teams to do, other than wait until the 2027 draft when help could be on the way (maybe)? They better have a plan, even if it’s not a very good one. With free agency starting next week and the draft rapidly approaching, here is a Plan A and a Plan B for what each of those teams should do to address their QB issues this offseason. Atlanta Falcons Plan A: Sign Joe Flacco to back up a healthy Michael Penix Jr.Plan B: Sign Tua Tagovailoa There’s no guarantee Penix (torn ACL) will be ready for the start of the 2026 season, and even if he is, new coach Kevin Stefanski can’t be sure he’s their long-term answer. He needs to take a look at him if he can, though, so they know what they have before the 2027 draft. But they need a veteran backup to both mentor him and to step in, if necessary. Who better than the 41-year-old Flacco, who embraced both those roles multiple times for Stefanski in Cleveland, and who lit it up for six starts in Cincinnati last year? He’ll not only help Penix, but he’s the perfect bridge to 2027, too. Tagovailoa doesn’t really fit that mold, but at 28, he’s an interesting reclamation project if the Falcons are already doubting Penix’s long-term future. His injury history is definitely a concern, but his talent is undeniable. If Stefanski is the quarterback guru the Falcons hope he is, he might be able to fix him. This, of course, is assuming the Dolphins release him, which would make Tagovailoa available on a minimum-salary deal. Arizona Cardinals Plan A: Sign Tua Tagovailoa and keep Jacoby BrissettPlan B Draft Alabama QB Ty Simpson in Round 2, and sign Jimmy Garoppolo Their actual Plan A should be to sign Malik Willis, but since he’s going to be the hottest quarterback on the market, he’s surely going to have better options than this dysfunctional franchise. Tagovailoa might not, so he could take a deal in the desert out of desperation. Of course, the Cards have been down the road of dealing with an oft-injured quarterback before, so Tagovailoa can’t be their only answer. That’s why they would need to keep Brissett, who was good statistically last season (3,366 yards, 23 TDs, 8 interceptions) but not good enough to win (1-11). Together they could stabilize things, play decent and competitive football, while the Cards keep their eyes on the 2027 draft. With that in mind, I’m not so sure that signing the 35-year-old Garoppolo and drafting a non-first-round QB shouldn’t be their Plan A. New coach Mike LaFleur really likes Jimmy G after spending the past two years with him with the Los Angeles Rams. At the combine, multiple sources speculated LaFleur would bring him along. But Garoppolo hasn’t been good since 2022, so he’d have to come in as part of a pair. Simpson is a risk, especially at Pick No. 34, and his stock has been slipping in NFL circles, mostly due to his lack of college experience. But if LaFleur can work with him while a veteran starts and maybe plays most of the season, maybe Simpson can develop into something. The Cards may still have to draft someone in 2027. But Simpson could end up as insurance, or perhaps a future trade chip if he works out well. Cleveland Browns Plan A: Give Shedeur Sanders (or Dillon Gabriel) a full season and sign Russell Wilson as a backup.Plan B: Sign Wilson and let Russ cook The weirdest, most dysfunctional quarterback room in the NFL isn’t likely to be cleared up anytime soon. In fact, at the combine, GM Andrew Berry hinted they might even add to a group that includes last year’s two rookies (Sanders, Gabriel) and whatever is left of Deshaun Watson. For what it’s worth, Sanders is the incumbent, but Berry and new coach Todd Monken made it sound like that title wasn’t worth much. But really, instead of the “open competition” Monken promised, he should pick a favorite and give them the offseason, the summer, and the first few months of the season as the No. 1 quarterback. Sanders is probably the better choice, but it doesn’t matter. Pick one and see what he’s got. Then they can make an informed choice before the 2027 draft. And they should resist every urge to go with Watson. Their only goal with him should be to wait out his contract. Let some other team try to fix him and revive his career. That said, their not-so-dynamic rookie duo could use a leader in that room. That’s where Russell Wilson comes in, especially if they can find a way to get rid of Watson. He’s close to done at age 37, but he’s still smart enough to play, and a great leader who was a big help to Jaxson Dart last season after the rookie took his job. Wilson won’t have a lot of options. But the Browns might be able to offer him at least a path to the field, if he’s willing to be a good influence off of it. And if they secretly don’t like Sanders or Gabriel, then just let Wilson play and kill time until the 2027 draft. Indianapolis Colts Plan A: Ride with a healthy Daniel Jones, sign Tyrod Taylor as his backupPlan B: Sign Kirk Cousins The Colts made their preference clear by giving Jones the “transition tag” worth $37.8 million, even though he’s recovering from a torn Achilles. The timeline for his return is murky, though. Also, Jones doesn’t have a great history when it comes to recovering from injuries. With the Giants, after tearing his ACL, he did not quickly bounce back to his old self. But if the Colts are convinced he’ll be ready, that’s fine. They just need to make sure someone more capable than Anthony Richardson is backing him up. The 36-year-old Taylor would be perfect. Not only does he have a good relationship with Jones dating back to their days with the Giants, he’s also proven to be a capable, short-term replacement wherever he’s been. If they’re worried about Jones not being ready for the start of the season, or missing a significant chunk of it, they’ll have to do better than Taylor. That’s where the oft-traveled, well-compensated Cousins comes in. He’s not a perfect solution either. But he’ll be a short-term one, maybe even at a minimum salary once the Falcons release him. He probably still wants to start, but he’s not likely to be given a clear shot at doing that anywhere else. The Colts might at least be able to entice him with the possibility of a few games. Las Vegas Raiders Plan A: Draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall, and sign Russell Wilson or Joe Flacco as his backup. Plan B: Trade the pick, if they can get multiple first-rounders in return; draft Ty Simpson in Round 2 and sign Wilson to be a temporary starter. They’re obviously going to draft Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, even if he isn’t the blue-chip prospect most QBs taken No. 1 are. It’s the gift and the curse of that pick this year. The real question is what else they do. They need a veteran QB in their room, and maybe even one who can play until Mendoza is ready. They seem likely to cut Geno Smith, which is smart since they want to distance themselves from last year’s misery. Wilson is a better fit as a backup/mentor to a young quarterback anyway, especially since he filled that role with the Giants so well. Flacco would be perfect in the role, too. And both can still play on a limited basis. But there’s always the possibility of an “offer they can’t refuse,” and they should at least make calls to the Jets (at No. 2 overall), Cardinals (at No. 3), and even the Browns (at No. 6 overall) to see if they’re willing to pay an extraordinary price for the rights to Mendoza. In that case, they’d pivot to Simpson in Round 2, even though there are legitimate fears he needs some time before he’s ready to be an NFL starter. If the Raiders do that, though, the offer better be big — big enough to ensure they have the ammo to get up near the top of the QB-rich draft in 2027. Think multiple first-round picks. Probably three. They’d be punting on a chance to take a franchise quarterback. If they do that, they better be sure they’ll be in position to take one next year. Miami Dolphins Plan A: Sign Malik WillisPlan B: Sign Kyler Murray They seem rightfully prepared to take the huge cap hit and part with Tua Tagovailoa, and their replacement target seems obvious. New GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and new coach Jeff Hafley both come from Green Bay, where they had a front-row seat to the development of Willis, who figures to be the top free agent on the market (despite making just three starts in the past three years). Willis is only 26, so he’s definitely worth a short-term investment and the Dolphins don’t have a lot of better options. Willis could be enticed by the familiarity, as well as the speed Miami has on the offensive side. And if he’s not, then taking a short-term shot at fixing Murray is worth it, too. He will also have options, but he could see two years of playing time in Miami, or even just one year to rebuild his market value. Either one gives the Dolphins short-term value and a quarterback who could end up with them relatively long-term, too. Minnesota Vikings Plan A: Sign Kyler Murray to start over J.J. McCarthyPlan B: Sign Geno Smith or acquire Derek Carr, and trade for Anthony Richardson. Let them all compete with McCarthy McCarthy has made only 10 starts in his career, so it’s too soon to give up on the former No. 10 overall pick (2024). But the Vikings also have the pieces in place to be a contender, as they showed two years ago with Sam Darnold at QB. In Year 3, it’s time to put a little pressure on McCarthy to make sure he’s the guy. Murray, at age 28, is the perfect one to do that. There are a lot of questions that come along with him, but Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell might be the top quarterback whisperer in the league. If he gets his hands on Murray, maybe he can turn him into the player he once was, or at least a still-serviceable version. If not, there are already some indications that O’Connell sees the 35-year-old Smith as a quarterback he can fix, after two erratic seasons. He’s a talented quarterback who has already proven he can thrive in the right situation. And there are also whispers that Carr, at 34, is willing to unretire for the right opportunity. There are injury/age issues and he missed all of last season. Plus, the Saints still own his rights. But if the Vikings can get him, he’s got the talent that could blossom again in O’Connell’s hands. No matter which direction O’Connell goes, though, it also makes sense for him to hedge the Vikings’ bet by sending a low draft pick to the Colts for the rights to the strong-armed Richardson, too. He’s only 23, and it would be an interesting investment to let him sit in O’Connell’s Quarterback School for a season. If KOC can fix him, Richardson could end up as an all-time steal. New York Jets Plan A: Trade for 49ers backup QB Mac Jones (if the price is right)Plan B: Sign a stop-gap veteran, draft Ty Simpson in Round 2 and start counting the days until the 2027 draft. They are redefining Quarterback Hell after their disastrous experiments with Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields the past few years, and picking second in a one-quarterback draft. Add in a possible lame-duck head coach who just turned over his entire coaching staff, and it’s hard to imagine which available QB might see them as anything other than a place where quarterback careers go to die. So let’s assume no free-agent options (like Willis or Murray) would choose to sign with them, and let’s assume older vets (like Carr, Flacco, Cousins) don’t want to finish their careers in this kind of purgatory. The 27-year-old Jones, who has revived his career in San Francisco, at least wouldn’t have a choice. And he’d be a great quarterback for the Jets to try to build around for the next few years. The problem with Jones is that the 49ers don’t seem to want to trade him. Multiple sources at the combine said they heard the asking price was at least a second-round pick, likely more. The Jets have the draft capital to do it. And if they can get him without dealing a first-rounder? It’s probably worth a shot. If not … well, they’re a bit stuck. There are a lot of indications that the Jets are going to go the mid-veteran route, which will not make their fans happy. Think Marcus Mariota, Andy Dalton, maybe even Spencer Rattler. Even Mitchell Trubisky would make some sense if they go in this direction. The idea would be to just get through the 2026 season with their eyes on the 2027 draft. But if they do that, they should still draft a quarterback — maybe with their later second-round pick (No. 44), which could be a decent spot for Simpson. It seems counterproductive if their intent is to just draft a quarterback in the first round next year anyway, and maybe it is. These are the Jets, though. They don’t exactly have a great track record for finding young quarterbacks. Maybe having a couple to choose from in 2027 won’t be the worst idea. Pittsburgh Steelers Plan A: Sign Aaron Rodgers and draft Ty Simpson on Day 2Plan B: Sign Kyler Murray The best move for the long-term health of the franchise would be to move on from the 42-year-old Rodgers and start developing a young quarterback for their future. But they don’t have one of those yet, and new coach Mike McCarthy likes his old Packers QB, so here we are. It does make some sense. The Steelers won 10 games and the AFC North last year with Rodgers, and maybe McCarthy can squeeze even more out of him this year. But they really, really have to start thinking about the future. That’s why they should be the team that takes the risk on Simpson, the Alabama quarterback with only one year of starting on his résumé. He’s a good prospect, but few in the NFL think he’s ready. In Pittsburgh, he can wait, watch and learn from one of the best. If Rodgers decides to retire (or go elsewhere) — and assuming he decides to do that in a timely manner — the Steelers still won’t completely punt on the 2027 season. That makes Murray the next-best fit. He’s the most talented quarterback available, as long as he’s healthy. And McCarthy will surely believe he can win with him, too. Murray also is young enough that the Steelers could skip taking a quarterback in this draft, or take a later flier on someone like Penn State’s Drew Allar. If Murray works out, they’ll be competitive for a few years. If he doesn’t, the 2027 draft will loom large.