NFC North - Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams has begun his NFL career in a great way, as he helped the Chicago Bears win 11 games and the NFC North in the 2025 season. Right now, he has the entire city of Chicago at his fingertips, which is awesome.
With that being said, Chicago is a football down and has been desperate for a functional team for years. The Bears also got reasonably close to the Super Bowl during the 2025 season, so the next logical step for this team would be a Super Bowl run.
Not only that, but Williams is another young quarterback who is eligible for an extension after the season so in terms of personal legacy and financial reward, Williams has a lot on the line.
NFC South - Bryce Young
Bryce Young played the best football of his career during the 2025 season, but he only went 8-8 as a starter and threw for 200 yards or more just four times. Simply put, Young still didn't play all that well and has not been given a long-term deal from the Carolina Panthers.
If one does not come before the season, it would surely signal that the front office needs to see a bit more from Young, which is reasonable, but with his physical limitations, his ceiling might honestly be what we saw in 2025.
Either way, Young is going to prove himself. If he plays well enough, he'll land a long-term deal, but if not, the Panthers would have no reason to hang onto him.
NFC East - Jayden Daniels
Yet another quarterback who has financials on the line, Jayden Daniels is a bit different, as he struggled to stay healthy, so for him, it's first about being able to stay on the field and help this team get back into the playoffs.
But, a secondary avenue for pressure is that financial reward. With how close Washington got to the Super Bowl in 2024, it would not be a shock if they again got close in 2026 if Daniels remains on the field and plays well.
NFC West - Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford has a Super Bowl title, an MVP, and is a future Hall of Famer, but with how loaded this roster is, there is a ton of pressure for Stafford to play well enough to get the Los Angeles Rams ovfer the hump one last time during his career.
He's also getting up there in age, so this could truly be Stafford's last act in the NFL. Outside of the quarterback position, the Rams have everything a team needs to win it all. While Stafford was just the best quarterback in the NFL, the 2025 season does not guarantee any sort of 2026 success. The pressure is absolutely on Stafford.
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