3. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
Jacoby Brissett could begin the year as the Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback, but two other players are sitting behind him of note in the depth chart in Gardner Minshew, a capable backup, and Carson Beck, a third-round rookie.
The notable name here is Beck, as the Cardinals aren't going to win many games with Brissett or Minshew, who are both capable backups. While Brissett was efficient on paper in 2025, the Cardinals were behind in most games, so a lot of his production was fitting into that 'garbage time' category.
Brissett is a veteran who is who he is - Beck is a rookie who could at least have a shot to be a franchise passer. At some point, the coaching staff may want to see what they have in Beck, and the only way that happens is if Brissett gets benched.
2. Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
With Mendoza and Cousins in the room, the long-term plan is obvious. While Cousins could be capable enough to keep the starting job for the entire season, what if he isn't?
Cousins hasn't been good these past couple of seasons, so we could be seeing Father Time catch up with a quarterback who did enjoy a very efficient prime. At this point, though, Cousins is a lot closer to 40 than 30 and is nothing more than a bridge quarterback for the Raiders.
Mendoza was the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and does have a similar archetype that true pocket passers have in the league. The Raiders are clearly another year or two away, but Cousins' recent shaky play, coupled with Mendoza being in the room, could make for an eventual changing of the guard.
1. Tua Tagovailoa, Atlanta Falcons
This first one could simply be labeled as 'the Atlanta Falcons QB room,' but we'll put Tua Tagovailoa in the No. 1 slot. As of now, he would be the better quarterback over Michael Penix Jr. Tagovailoa did have some nice years with the Miami Dolphins a few years ago, so, ideally, he's able to return to that level of play.
But in 2024 and 2025, Tagovailoa has looked like an entirely different player, and not in a good way. It seems like the injuries have piled up for the former first-round pick, as they seem to be impacting his play.
He's already a quarterback with a limited ceiling, so the margin for error here is rather low. If nothing else, Penix is still rather young and only entering year three, so there could be some untapped potential to see breakout.
Even if Tagovailoa wins the starting job, Penix could quickly see starts, as the Falcons did draft him and may internally hope that he figures it out somehow.
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