It's never too early to start looking ahead to the 2026 NFL season – and that’s especially true for the nine teams (with more likely to follow in Week 15) that have already been officially removed from playoff contention in 2025.
Some of them – the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and others to be determined – will be focusing on their culture at large as they set out to identify new head coaches and, by extension, a change of direction overall.
But other clubs will be prioritizing that most important of roster assets as they strive to solve festering quarterback problems and shed their current – and perhaps perpetual – plight into irrelevance. And while the upcoming draft will doubtless provide options for some teams, what projects as a fairly limited (and still undefined) supply of top-tier passing prospects seems likely to force several franchises into more creative and/or expensive alternatives.
While not every circumstance is created equal, here are seven* quarterbacks who should draw extensive attention for the squads likely to have a hole to address next season:
Maybe it’s apt that the newly anointed Heisman Trophy winner has drawn comparisons to recently resurrected Philip Rivers. Mendoza’s size (6-foot-5, 225 pounds – similar to Rivers, in his prime anyway) accuracy, poise, toughness in the pocket and ability to push the ball downfield all speak to that. Mendoza does not have Rivers’ shot put delivery yet does offer better mobility – especially when it comes to pulling the ball in the red zone … though NFL defenders may limit his efficacy as a scoring threat in those circumstances moving forward. Mendoza, 22, is the prohibitive favorite to be the first QB off the draft board next spring with the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets projecting as likely options. However other teams might jockey to acquire him given the probability a team like the Giants or Titans, who don't need young QBs, could be looking to vacate the No. 1 spot.
