Among the projected starting quarterbacks as of now, it's clear that a few of them are getting benched during the 2025 NFL Season. That's the name of the game in the NFL, and quarterbacks being sent to the bench is talked about way more than other positions.
Teams typically win or lose a game depending on how their QB plays, as it is the most important position in all of sports. Well, the 2025 NFL Season is now in view and starting up in about three weeks. We're truly almost there.
Among the projected starting quarterbacks we know with reasonable certain right now, which are the three most obvious getting benched at some point during the season?
NFL Predictions: 3 starting QBs obviously getting benched in the 2025 season
Russell Wilson, New York Giants
Russell Wilson signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants in the 2025 NFL Offseason, but Jameis Winston also signed with the team, and they weren't done just yet, as the Giants traded back up in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft for Jaxson Dart.
Right now, Russell Wilson has to already be feeling the heat, as there could be two QBs in their QB room who may currently be better than the veteran passer. Wilson is already on his third team in as many years and fourth in five seasons. He is clearly not the player he once was and just isn't a starting-caliber QB anymore.
Given that the Giants have a pretty brutal situation on offense outside of Malik Nabers, Russell Wilson leading the unit is a ticking time bomb, and it's going to go off at some point before the halfway point of the 2025 season. It would not shock me to see Jameis Winston and Jaxson Dart getting starters in 2025.
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Wow. Where do we begin with Anthony Richardson? Taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Richardson is still just 23 years old and is already in his third year in the NFL, but his issues as a QB in the NFL are honestly too big for him to overcome at this point.
As an athlete, Richardson might be all-time at the QB position. He's about 6'4" and nearly 250 pounds with 4.4 speed. It's really uncanny how fast and how good of an athlete he is, but that only goes so far in the NFL, as he's been a disastrous and perhaps a historically bad passer since entering the league.
He's in a QB battle with Daniel Jones for the Colts' QB1 job, but most people seem to think that the Colts want and will end up starting Richardson. While he does have a winning record as a starter, that isn't because he's a good QB.
The inexcusable decision-making and failure to establish any sort of legitimate consistency is what will end up ruining the young passer. At this point, you have to wonder when the benching will happen? Daniel Jones isn't any better, though, but he does have a better track record of success. The Indianapolis Colts totally botched this latest attempt at fixing the QB room.
Richardson was not a first-round talent, and GM Chris Ballard is just totally incapable of fixing this room. As bad as it may sound, the Colts might be best off swinging a major trade for Kirk Cousins, who is currently backing up Michael Penix Jr on the Atlanta Falcons.
It's also quite a shame, as the Colts' roster is quite good and is absolutely good enough to win the AFC South. Expect Anthony Richardson to get benched during the 2025 NFL Season.
Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
This is pretty obvious, isn't it? The Cleveland Browns have what might be the most dysfunctional QB room in the NFL, and perhaps the most dysfunctional the NFL has seen in quite some time. Signing Joe Flacco and trading for Kenny Pickett weren't terrible moves by any means, but drafting both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders was the icing on the cake.
And unsurprisingly, Sanders looked quite good in the Browns' first preseason game, a win over the Carolina Panthers. That only threw more uncertainty in the team's QB room. As we all know, Joe Flacco is not a long-term solution, and I would assume that an ideal scenario is one of Sanders or Gabriel actually looking competent.
However, the other layer to this is that the Browns have the Jacksonville Jaguars' first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, so Cleveland could have a ton of ammo to make a huge trade up the board in 2026 to land a rookie QB.
For those who do not know, the 2026 NFL Draft's quarterback class is projected to be quite deep, but back to Flacco for a second; while Flacco might not be terrible for the Browns, the team's front office and coaching staff will want to see what they have in Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel at some point.
One of the most fascinating and potentially encouraging players in all of professional sports is that rookie quarterback. Overall, the 2025 Cleveland Browns aren't likely to win many games or be competitive week to week. Sure, the defense could be good and keep them in games, but the offense is just such a wild card with the quarterback room.
The team should largely be looking toward the 2026 NFL Draft for their future franchise quarterback, as it's likely not on the roster in any capacity, but both Sanders and Gabriel should end up seeing starts in the 2025 season.