For the first time in a while, the NFL’s quarterback picture feels relatively settled. Most teams head toward training camp with a starter already in place or at least a clear plan for who gets the job. That leaves fewer true battles to track, but the ones still hanging out there carry real weight.
And when you sort through the most intriguing ones, the names at the top tell you everything: young quarterbacks with pressure on them, veterans trying to hold off the future, and a few teams still deciding whether to lean into evaluation or chase stability.
Here’s a look at the four starting QB battles that matter most, ranked from least interesting to most interesting.
- Las Vegas Raiders: Kirk Cousins vs. Fernando Mendoza
This one barely qualifies as a fight, at least on paper. The Raiders have already said they want Kirk Cousins to be their starter for all of 2026 if everything goes according to plan.
Still, Fernando Mendoza keeps this from being a total formality. He’s the No. 1 overall pick, a Heisman winner, a national champion, and the quarterback many in Raider Nation are waiting to see take over as the face of the franchise.
Cousins did finish the 2025 season strongly with the Atlanta Falcons, but not enough to make him untouchable heading into 2026. He’s a proven veteran who’s played plenty of good football, though the roster around him in Las Vegas still needs work.
That’s part of why the Raiders may prefer to keep Mendoza on the sideline for now. But if Mendoza starts cooking, it’s going to get harder and harder to justify keeping the much more limited Cousins in front of him.
- Cleveland Browns: Shedeur Sanders vs. Deshaun Watson
The idea of Deshaun Watson winning the Cleveland Browns’ starting job feels like a stretch. With Todd Monken now taking over as head coach, the Browns are aware that Watson is a sunk cost. He occupies a roster spot, he’s being paid a lot of money, and his main role may be to apply real pressure to Sanders.
Cleveland doesn’t seem eager to simply hand the job to Sanders, and it probably doesn’t even want him looking like the clear favorite just yet. The whole thing is as much about appearance and motivation as it is about the actual depth chart.
Watson could, in theory, win the job. But that would only drag the Browns into more of the negative noise they’ve already had to live with, and they don’t need that again.
After trading Myles Garrett, this has to be a year of evaluation. The Browns need to get as long a look at Shedeur Sanders as they can, and eventually they’ll have to move in that direction.
- Atlanta Falcons: Tua Tagovailoa vs. Michael Penix Jr.
Could Kevin Stefanski really walk into his first season as Atlanta Falcons head coach and replace 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. with Tua Tagovailoa?
Absolutely. Maybe even likely.
Penix has completed just under 60 percent of his passes across two NFL seasons, if you want to call them that, and he’s produced only 12 touchdown passes against 6 interceptions in 14 games. Now he’s also dealing with the third major knee reconstruction surgery of his career.
That injury history has followed him throughout his football life. This is the first time he’s had reconstructive surgery on his left knee, but it still doesn’t exactly point to a clean long-term outlook. And because Penix wasn’t drafted by the new regime in Atlanta, his hold on the job looks even shakier.
Tagovailoa is not exactly arriving without baggage, either. His time with the Dolphins turned into a reclamation project of its own, with injuries playing a major part in the breakdown. But when he was at his best in Miami, he played at a high level.
His 68 percent career completion rate would stand in sharp contrast to Penix’s numbers, and that could matter a lot once camp opens. If Tagovailoa keeps mistakes to a minimum, he has a real chance to knock Penix off the top spot and push the Falcons toward a change.
- Minnesota Vikings: JJ McCarthy vs. Kyler Murray
The most interesting QB battle in the league may also be the one that feels closest to being decided already.
The Vikings are giving McCarthy what could be one final shot in camp to prove he can be their franchise quarterback after being taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Even so, that feels like a long shot.
Kyler Murray looks like the favorite to take the job, especially after Minnesota moved so quickly to bring him in. This one could easily stretch into training camp and maybe even into the second week of the preseason.
Murray isn’t without his own baggage. There were reasons beyond the coaching change why the Cardinals moved on from him, so he’s hardly a sure thing. But he’s also a former No. 1 overall pick and Heisman winner, and at his best he has been a much more accomplished quarterback than McCarthy has shown in even brief flashes.
If Murray can find that best version of himself again, he has a real opportunity to restart his career at 28, with 29 coming in August.
In Other News...
This Falcons Veteran Is Suddenly Hard To Ignore Up Front
The Falcons went into the spring looking for help up front, and DaShawn Hand has quickly made himself part of the conversation. Signed to a one-year deal to stiffen the run defense and help bring along a young group of defensive tackles, the veteran has been noticeable enough during minicamp to draw attention from both the coaching staff and the beat writers covering the team.
Marc Raimondi singled Hand out as one of the defensive lines key spring performers, and that kind of buzz matters for a unit still sorting out its identity. Defensive line coach Nate Ollie has also taken a clear liking to what he has seen, which only adds to the sense that Hand is pushing toward a larger role as the Falcons continue their offseason work. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Jr. Still Has One Major Test In Falcons QB Battle
Michael Penix Jr. is still working his way back from a partially torn ACL, but the expectation is that he will be cleared for full contact before or during Falcons training camp. Until that happens, the quarterback battle has hardly had a chance to get off the ground, with Penix unable to fully take part in the kind of work that would give Atlanta a real read on where he stands.
Tua Tagovailoa, meanwhile, has already helped himself with a strong showing in offseason work, including mandatory minicamp, where his accuracy stood out. For Penix, the challenge is simple and sizable: he has to show he can throw with enough consistency to make this a legitimate competition, especially after a career completion rate that has not yet crossed 60%. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Suddenly Face A Costly Bijan Robinson Contract Dilemma
The Falcons have already locked up Drake London and Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson is next in line as Atlanta looks to keep its young core intact. With two seasons left on his rookie deal, Robinson is not in immediate danger of hitting the market, but his extension is already shaping up as one of the more important financial decisions the franchise will make as it tries to stay ahead of a rising price at running back.
The wrinkle is that Atlanta is not negotiating in a vacuum. The Falcons are in a quiet waiting game with the Lions, who are working through their own extension talks for Jahmyr Gibbs, and both sides want to be the team that does not blink first. NFL Networks Tom Pelissero has pointed out that the club that signs its back first could end up getting the better number, while the second deal may carry the heavier cost, which is exactly why this one figures to drag on awhile. [Read more 🡒]