New homes for some NFL quarterbacks

September 11, 2026

Key points from this story:

• Season opens with Super Bowl rematch
• Tua Tagovailoa released, signs with Atlanta
• Malik Willis takes over in Miami
• Kyler Murray named Vikings starter
• Geno Smith returns to New York Jets
• Watson starting ahead of Shedeur Sanders

When the 2026 National Football League season kicks off this week with a New England-at-Seattle Wednesday night classic, the same quarterbacks who battled Feb. 8 in the Super Bowl won 29-13 by Seattle, Sam Darnold for the Seahawks and Drake Maye for the Patriots, will both be under centre. The status quo at QB will be in effect at most other stadiums around the league, too, but there are a number of QBs wearing new NFL uniforms.

A handful of journeymen quarterbacks played a game of musical chairs in the National Football League’s off-season and many fans are asking ‘who’s starting where’? Let’s examine the movement.

Perhaps the most significant change involves Tua Tagovailoa, for six years the starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins. Tua, whose actual first name is Tuanigamanuolepola, was a Pro Bowl QB in 2022 and led the NFL in passing yardage in 2023. But his star dimmed during the last couple of years and in 2025, he led the league in interceptions. In March, he was flat-out released by the Dolphins, and the Atlanta Falcons snapped him up, signing Tagovailoa to a one-year contract worth $1.215 million, close to the league minimum. Tua is likely to be the Falcons’ starter, but will compete with Michael Penix, drafted two years ago, for the top job.

Suiting up in Miami to try to fill Tagovailoa’s shoes is Malik Willis, who was a backup in Green Bay last year. He signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins worth $67.5 million.

Kyler Murray, who was picked No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft by Arizona Cardinals, didn’t lead them to the promised land, as had been hoped, and was released in March. Minnesota Vikings, who are hoping that their most recent top draft pick, J.J. McCarthy, will eventually develop into a star, snapped up Murray, signed him to a minimum salary on a one-year contract and abruptly named him the starting QB.

Geno Smith is expected to be the starter with New York Jets, marking a return to the team which drafted him in the second round in 2013. Smith has bounced around without much success, playing for the Giants, Chargers, Seahawks and the Raiders, before being dealt back to the Jets. The Raiders deemed him expendable when they chose No. 1 in the draft and selected hotshot college star Fernando Mendoza, who led Indiana to an unbeaten season and the 2026 NCAA championship.

Finally, another quarterback situation of interest will unfold in Cleveland, where Deshaun Watson is expected to be the No. 1 man ahead of last year’s rookie hopeful, Shedeur Sanders. The son of Deion Sanders played in eight games for the Browns in 2025, throwing seven TD passes and 10 interceptions. Watson, in the final year of a five-year $230 million contract but plagued in recent years by injury and serious legal problems, has all-star potential and a terrible reputation.

Some will succeed. Some will fail. And the quarterback carousel is almost certain to continue again next year.

• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Cleveland Browns choosing Deshaun Watson as the starting quarterback over Shedeur Sanders is the NFL equivalent of looking in the refrigerator, seeing nothing but expired milk and deciding, ‘Eh, what the hell, it’s only five days past due.’”