I guess it should not come as much of a surprise that Aaron Rodgers is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers for what clearly is going to be one more season. Rodgers gets to reunite with new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, as both spent a ton of time together with the Green Bay Packers.
With Rodgers back in the mix, it's very likely that all 16 teams in the AFC know who they plan on starting for the 2026 NFL Season. Sure, there could be some 'quarterback competitions' across the league, but those don't usually amount to anything substantial.
You know what they say - "if you have two quarterbacks, you have zero." Now with Rodgers back in the mix and the Steelers quarterback situation sorted out, let's power-rank the 16 starting quarterbacks in the NFL for the 2026 season. Our rankings will primarily come from the latest on-field action we saw from each passer.
Power-ranking all AFC starting quarterbacks with Aaron Rodgers back in the mix
16. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
It's been quite some time since Deshaun Watson last played decent football. He's been flat-out horrendous for the Cleveland Browns his entire tenure, and you get the sense that 2026 could be the final year that Watson gets to prove he can still play in this league.
Watson has largely looked lost on the field and is now coming off multiple major injuries. This could get ugly.
15. Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
Kirk Cousins did fill in nicely for the Atlanta Falcons in 2025, tossing 10 touchdowns against five interceptions. Cousins is likely going to play rather competent football for the Las Vegas Raiders, but nothing special. He's clearly not physically there anymore and was never a physical specimen to begin with.
This is likely the last year that Cousins could realistically get as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
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