AFC East starting QBs in 2026
New England Patriots: Drake Maye
Folks are calling Drake Maye "The Schedule" with the way things ended for the Patriots this past season, but aside from meme culture coming after him, Maye was fantastic in his second NFL season. Clearly, the Josh McDaniels offense is a fit for his skills, and the Patriots are working hard to surround him with the best talent possible. As good as his season was, the amount of sacks, fumbles, and turnovers in the playoffs were a major cause for concern.
Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen
Josh Allen is an MVP candidate year after year. Now, the Bills have added a big-time weapon for him in DJ Moore after seeing how bad the receiver group was last season. Allen's clock is ticking, but he's still going to be expected to be one of the best all-around quarterbacks in the NFL this coming season.
Miami Dolphins: Kirk Cousins/Davis Mills
The Miami Dolphins have a new GM in Jon-Eric Sullivan and a new head coach in Jeff Hafley. Of course, that also means they've got a new OC in Bobby Slowik, who just came over from the Houston Texans. Slowik has connections throughout his career with a number of quarterbacks, and the Dolphins make a ton of sense for a couple of them. With Tua Tagovailoa likely on his way out, the Dolphins could bring in both Kirk Cousins (free agent) and Davis Mills (trade) to give Slowik some experienced options in 2026.
New York Jets: Derek Carr/Carson Wentz
Behind the Cleveland Browns, the New York Jets were the toughest team to project on this list. It just feels like there are so many different directions they could go. The Jets have been linked to Carson Wentz because of his connection to Frank Reich, but they've also been one of the most talked about teams if Derek Carr wants to come out of retirement. Ultimately, we all know they're punting this position 2027.