Predicting each NFL team’s starting quarterback for Week 1 of 2021 season

Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray

It feels like forever ago that the Cardinals made the brazen decision to move on from former top-10 pick Josh Rosen to select Kyler Murray first overall. There have certainly been mixed results over that time but it does look as if Arizona made the right bet in that scenario as Murray continues to develop and look like one of the most promising young quarterbacks in the league.

Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Stafford

There’s little drama about who is going to start for the Los Angeles Rams when the 2021 season begins. After making the assessment that Jared Goff wasn’t going to take the franchise where they wanted to go, the Rams made the bold move for Matthew Stafford. Now that he’s in tow, it would be one of the biggest shocks of the year if he wasn’t under center in Week 1 and for the majority of the year.

San Francisco 49ers: Jimmy Garoppolo

Though every available quarterback has been connected to the 49ers this offseason with the belief that the team would move on from Jimmy Garoppolo, I ultimately don’t think that’s the case. The franchise has been adamant that they are sticking by him (for now, at least) and there’s no reason not to believe them.

The only thing that would change this is if a Deshaun Watson trade became a viable possibility for San Francisco. However, that seems unlikely at this point and especially with the prediction that Watson will be in Carolina. Thus, Jimmy G remains with the Niners.

Seattle Seahawks: Derek Carr

If the Seahawks do trade Russell Wilson, it’s going to be for a mountain of draft picks. But that doesn’t answer the question of who will be starting in Week 1. So to sweeten the pot, the Raiders will send Derek Carr to Seattle.

Carr has quietly been better than people realize over recent years and, though Seattle will lament losing Wilson, they will still have stability under center with the longtime Raider at the helm.