There are a few brand-new starters for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season. Let's power rank their situations by supporting casts for 2025. The most important position in all of sports is quarterback, and there was definitely some major change at the position this offseason.
We saw veterans sign with new teams, get traded, and obviously saw a QB go first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. There were even a few rookie quarterbacks who played their tails off, and two of them found themselves in the postseason.
There are a handful of new starting quarterbacks when Week 1 rolls around in about a month. Let's power rank them by their supporting casts.
Power ranking supporting casts for quarterbacks in their first year starting
4. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Tyler Shough will likely be the New Orleans Saints starter for the 2025 NFL Season. He was their second-round draft pick and really isn't in an ideal situation. It just feels like the Saints are a ticking time bomb about to explode at any given time.
The roster is old, brittle, and bad, and they've got a first-year head coach in Kellen Moore to top it all off. There isn't going to be much success for Shough and the Saints in 2025.
3. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans will absolutely take some time to get going, so I would caution Titans fans to not think that Ward is going to play like Jayden Daniels or Bo Nix did during their rookie seasons. Ward is definitely on the more raw side of things, and Tennessee still needs another offseason of adding talent. The offensive line appears solid, which is a massive plus, but things are going to go as they usually go for a rookie QB this season.
2. Michael Penix Jr, Atlanta Falcons
Michael Peni Jr did start late in the season for the Atlanta Falcons, but this is his first year as a full-time starter in the NFL to begin the season, so we're putting him on this power ranking list and giving him the no. 2 spot, as the Falcons do boast a top offensive line and quite the backfield.
Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier is an elite duo, and the WR room consisting of Drake London and Darnell Mooney is also quite good. Overall, this is a very solid situation for any young QB, and if Penix does not success, that's a huge tell for his future as a starter.
1. JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
JJ McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings are first in our power rankings. The Vikings added a ton of talent to their offensive line and boast weapons like Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, TJ Hockenson, Justin Jefferson, and Jordan Addison. This is one of the best supporting casts of any team in the NFL. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury, so he is essentially a de-facto rookie.
His first year as a starter in the NFL could bring modest success and could set the stage for a wild breakout season in 2026.