NFL offseason: Through NFL draft or free agency, ranking the neediness of 6 teams looking for a starting QB

Rumors will start to fly when the NFL combine kicks off a multiple teams seek answers at quarterback

The NFL draft is not until late April but will get a lot of attention between now and then. Prior to that, the NFL combine at the end of February will kick off the rumor mill for both the draft and NFL free agency. Mock drafts will litter the landscape of sports conversations despite free agency happening more than a month earlier.

With the Super Bowl behind us, the NFL gives folks a couple of weeks to catch their breath before the 2025 NFL offseason commences.

As always, the quarterback position will get the majority of attention with this year’s draft class having just two players sitting at the top but a myriad of interesting quarterbacks after that. There are some unknowns around veterans that could become available, including Kirk Cousins, but if a talented quarterback is a free agent there is probably a reason to stay away.

While there are a number of teams that probably need to start planning for the future at the most important position (looking at you Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints), there are six teams that seem to have a clear void at their starting spot. A seventh could be included but the Indianapolis Colts seem set on giving Anthony Richardson another shot.

In ranking the six QB-needy teams, a look at their rosters, salary cap and coaching situation played a role. A rebuilding team that could tear it down doesn’t have the same urgency at the position as a veteran team with not a lot of salary cap space and/or with key decision makers on the hot seat:

1. Cleveland Browns - Older roster, very little cap space and a need to win quickly
2. New York Giants - Head coach and GM are clearly on the hot seat this season
3. Pittsburgh Steelers - Fan base is not happy with “settling” for making the playoffs
4. Las Vegas Raiders - Maxx Crosby wants to win and Tom Brady is running the show
5. Tennessee Titans - Brian Callahan’s first season didn’t go well and a new front office is in place
6. New York Jets - A whole new regime with the Jets. New York media, fans won’t give them grace after this year

If we assume that two of those teams will add Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward in the draft, that leaves four other spots looking for a starting quarterback for 2025. There are some names that the Browns could find interesting in the veteran market, which doesn’t include Cousins yet, but the reality is there are only one or two true starters on that list.

If Sanders, Ward, Cousins, Sam Darnold and Aaron Rodgers are starters someplace next year, that still leaves one team looking for a quarterback. The three veterans, which could be just two if Rodgers retires, are not certain to be quality starters in...