The 2026 NFL offseason is shaping up to be the year of the bridge quarterback. Fernando Mendoza is already written in Sharpie as the #1 overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders, and as of right now, there is no other quarterback receiving legitimate first-round hype.
The free agent crop of quarterbacks is almost exclusively bridge or risk/reward options as opposed to any legitimate names truly being available. Therefore, teams in need of long-term solutions at quarterback could be looking at the most ideal short-term play this offseason. One of the names that has been floated out there as a solid potential option is Texans backup Davis Mills.
Mills played really well this past season when CJ Stroud had to miss some time due to a concussion, and he's played a lot of football in his career. Still just 27 years old, the Texans could get decent trade value for Mills while he could get a great opportunity to showcase what he can do as the starter for some team. What would be his most ideal landing spots in a potential trade this offseason?
3 ideal landing spots if Texans trade quarterback Davis Mills in 2026
1. Miami Dolphins
We've already named the Dolphins as the ideal landing spot for a number of quarterbacks this offseason, including Malik Willis and Kirk Cousins. But they also may be the ideal landing spot for Davis Mills.
The Dolphins have a new brain trust in GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley. Their offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik, just came over this offseason from the Houston Texans. And the recent relationship between Slowik and Mills could be more of a factor than Slowik's history with Kirk Cousins (early in Washington) or the connections to Willis in Green Bay with Hafley and Sullivan.
Mills has literally run Slowik's offense as recently as last year. And with Tua Tagovailoa expected to be gone soon, that familiarity could help raise the proverbial floor for this team in 2026.
2. Minnesota Vikings
Kevin O'Connell and Bobby Slowik are from the same NFL coaching tree (Mike Shanahan), so the verbiage and transition from Houston to Minnesota would likely not be overwhelming at all for someone like Mills.
The Vikings are looking to bring in some veteran competition for JJ McCarthy this offseason, and while the ideal pickup might be 49ers backup Mac Jones, Mills would be a bad fallback option by any means.
3. Atlanta Falcons
Just like the Vikings are looking to bring in competition for JJ McCarthy, the Atlanta Falcons are likely going to be looking for competition for Michael Penix Jr. The 2024 1st-round pick is coming off of a season-ending knee injury, and with a new GM and head coach in place, you have to assume it's only a matter of time before the Falcons make wholesale changes at QB once again.
Kevin Stefanski will need an experienced backup one way or another with the team poised to let Kirk Cousins go in the near future, so Mills would make sense as a short-term bridge, backup, and true competition for Penix.