With a few exceptions, you don’t really go out looking for a quarterback these days via free agency or trade, unless it’s for a backup role and/or competition for the job. The vast majority of teams in the league have used the draft to get their starting signal-caller—many of those performers chosen in the first round.
While there were a total of 10 quarterbacks selected in the 2026 draft, one on this list, the No. 1 spot here belongs to a veteran.
Power ranking the 5 best offseason moves at quarterback
5. Fernando Mendoza (Las Vegas Raiders)
The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and national champion became the 30th quarterback selected first overall in the history of the common draft, and he wasn’t the only signal-caller the franchise added this offseason. The big question is how long it will take for Mendoza to crack the starting lineup for new Raiders’ head coach Klint Kubiak’s team? The Las Vegas’ offense gained the fewest yards in the NFL in ’25.
4. Malik Willis (Miami Dolphins)
The 2022 third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans inked a three-year, $67.5 million deal with the new regime in South Florida. New Dolphins’ head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan know Willis from his brief stay with the Packers (2024-25). In four NFL seasons, Willis has played in 22 games and made just six starts. He’s thrown for six scores and run for four TDs, but has committed eight turnovers.
3. Tua Tagovailoa (Atlanta Falcons)
The fifth overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft struggled early in his career. It all came together for Tagovailoa in 2023 as he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards and threw for 29 scores. But there were too many mistakes in 2025 and Miami parted ways with him this offseason. He looks to rejuvenate his career under new Falcons’ head coach Kevin Stefanski while Michael Penix Jr. (torn ACL) remains on the mend.
2. Kyler Murray (Minnesota Vikings)
After seven seasons in the desert, the Arizona Cardinals parted ways with the top pick in the 2019 draft. The two-time Pro Bowler started the first five games this past season, suffered a foot injury and never took the field again. Just like Tagovailoa in Atlanta, Murray will be in “competition” with another 2024 first-round pick in J.J. McCarthy. Kevin O’Connell’s team won its final five games this past season.
1. Kirk Cousins (Las Vegas Raiders)
He was a fourth-round pick by the then-Washington Redskins in 2012, and is preparing for his 15th NFL season. This is Cousins’ fourth stop in the league, which includes a six-year stint in Minnesota and the past two seasons with Atlanta. He’s the Raiders’ starter at the moment via Klint Kubiak, and it will be intriguing to see how it plays out. The four-time Pro Bowler has thrown for 44,700 yards and 298 touchdowns.
Add us as a preferred source on Google