Quarterbacks are often the first players to be scapegoated. Well, could these three shocking QBs get benched in the 2025 NFL Season?
There aren't many truly elite quarterbacks in the NFL, but rather the 'middle class' of quarterbacks are the most prevalent, and no NFL team is going to sustain succeed with a QB of that tier.
We could see teams amp-up their aggression in 2025 and perhaps send their starting quarterback to the bench if their play is not up to snuff or if the team is struggling in general. Which surprising QBs could be sent to the bench this season?
Are these QBs at risk of getting benched?
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
It feels like the Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa are in a 'do or die' scenario in 2025. This feels like the year that he and head coach Mike McDaniel have to do something of substance, and even GM Chris Grier could be feeling the heat now.
The Dolphins have been mismanaged for a couple of years now and might be on the cusp of blowing it up. Well, with Zach Wilson as the backup, someone who does have more 'tools' than Tua Tagovailoa, you almost have to wonder if the Dolphins could turn to him in 2025 if the team is struggling a bit.
Now yes, Tua Tagovailoa is an efficient QB, but he's on a huge contract and could actually be traded next offseason, as it would be financially doable. Maybe the Dolphins would want to see what, if anything, they've got in Wilson, who spent the 2024 season with the Denver Broncos.
JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
JJ McCarthy is obviously the starting QB of the Minnesota Vikings, but he missed his entire rookie season because of a knee injury and is kind of an entire year behind because of that. The Vikings also seemed to have some level of interest in bringing Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones back, which may tell us that McCarthy is going to take a while to get up to speed.
Well, their primary backup is now Sam Howell, who has been in the league for a few years. If the rookie QB is struggling, would the Vikings leave him in to take his lumps and learn from it? They might, but they also may want to see what they have in Howell, as perhaps Kevin O'Connell thinks he could create another 'Sam Darnold' with Howell.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Speaking of Sam Darnold, the former Vikings QB signed a mulit-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks, but if you look closely at the deal, Seattle can easily move on following the 2025 NFL Season. The team also drafted Jalen Milroe in the 2025 NFL Draft, and while Milroe is quite 'raw' and has a long way to go, we can already picture what could happen.
Seattle struggles because, well, the roster just isn't great, and fans begin clamoring for the rookie QB.
This is a tale as old as time, and it would not shock me to see Darnold struggling, as he simply does not have the weaponry, coaching, or offensive line in Seattle that he had in Minnesota. Darnold seeing the bench is on the table in 2025.