{"id":412916,"date":"2026-01-14T18:58:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T18:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/412916\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T18:58:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T18:58:15","slug":"from-steelers-plan-after-mike-tomlin-to-jaxson-dart-breaking-down-9-biggest-qb-questions-for-every-head-coach-needy-nfl-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/412916\/","title":{"rendered":"From Steelers’ plan after Mike Tomlin to Jaxson Dart, breaking down 9 biggest QB questions for every head coach-needy NFL team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: This story was originally published Jan. 9. It has since been updated to reflect Mike Tomlin\u2019s resignation from the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With more than a quarter of the league\u2019s head coaching jobs opening, the NFL\u2019s winter chaos<\/a> is extending far beyond the wild-card playoff round kicking off this weekend. Already, nine clubs are searching for their next head coach. Candidates will in turn want to ask franchises: What plan is in place for stability at the all-important position of quarterback?<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s early to predict resolutions to all quarterback questions without knowing who will coach these teams and, in some cases, which general manager will oversee personnel decisions. But what\u2019s not too soon to say: The right coach-quarterback pairing can catapult a franchise to the postseason in its coach\u2019s first year.<\/p>\n

The Chicago Bears<\/a>\u2019 Ben Johnson and Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>\u2019 Liam Coen reached the playoffs this season as first-time head coaches. Mike Vrabel has similarly elevated the New England Patriots<\/a> from a four-win team to the AFC\u2019s No. 2 seed in his first year at the Patriots’ helm (Vrabel previously led Tennessee Titans<\/a> teams to the playoffs).<\/p>\n

The rapid success of each hinged heavily on top quarterbacks already in place. The Bears, Jaguars and Patriots had each already invested in a quarterback with a top-three overall draft pick.<\/p>\n

So what will 2026\u2019s first-year head coaches encounter at the most impactful position in sports? Let\u2019s break down each franchise\u2019s biggest questions, from the ones that warrant the smallest to the biggest question marks:<\/p>\n

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9. Baltimore Ravens\u2019 top question: A system fit?<\/p>\n

As the most attractive opening of the bunch, the Ravens offer the chance to work with a two-time MVP in Lamar Jackson<\/a>. General manager Eric DeCosta has some work to do on Jackson\u2019s contract, which includes only one more year of guarantees and two more years of control. A $74.5 million salary cap hit looms each of those seasons, per Spotrac<\/a>, which should further incentivize the Ravens to pursue an extension. But from an on-field perspective, Jackson is by far the most talented, proven and settled quarterback across the eight openings. His dual-threat abilities routinely thwart defenses. Even in a season-ending loss, he threw multiple touchdowns of 50+ yards in the fourth quarter, including one that required escaping two defenders who had wrapped up Jackson for a seeming sack.<\/p>\n

League coaches and executives don\u2019t question Jackson\u2019s rung in this group. Health is somewhat of a question (Jackson missed four games this year with hamstring and back injuries) but not enough to mute excitement around his ability. One caveat league sources point to as worth following though: the value of pairing Jackson with an offensive play-caller who will maximize his skill set. While the timing-predicated Shanahan\/McVay system has delivered success to many coaches and teams across the league, one high-ranking NFC executive said it would not maximize Jackson\u2019s dual-threat ability.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s real,\u201d an assistant from another NFC team told Yahoo Sports. \u201cIt would be silly to put him in that system. Just like it would be silly to put [Joe] Burrow<\/a> in a QB-run system. Each are great players that could probably operate within the offense \u2014 but they are losing their superpowers.\u201d<\/p>\n

8. New York Giants\u2019 top question: Can Jaxson Dart be saved from himself?<\/p>\n

Before the Ravens and John Harbaugh dissolved their 18-year marriage<\/a>, the Giants had a case for best opening. The club has promise coming off the rookie season of 25th overall pick Jaxson Dart<\/a>, who accounted for 24 touchdowns to seven turnovers and averaged 230 offensive yards per start \u2014 even as star receiver Malik Nabers<\/a> suffered a torn ACL in Dart\u2019s first start.<\/p>\n

Nabers joins a talented core that includes left tackle Andrew Thomas<\/a>, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II<\/a> and edge rusher Brian Burns<\/a> as pieces to build around. But the No. 1 responsibility for the Giants\u2019 next head coach must be to rein in Dart\u2019s recklessness. His dual-threat abilities and toughness energize the team and fuel production. But routine concussion checks, and two games missed due to concussion, is unsustainable. Dart needs an adult in the room who can shape his appetite for danger and remind him when the risk is worth the reward (think: game-winning drives, touchdowns, occasional third downs). Reduce the risk a bit, and the Giants\u2019 quarterback can be a bright spot on their roster after exceeding expectations as a rookie.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you’re looking at the course of the entire season, he was dynamic,\u201d one talent evaluator whose team faced Dart told Yahoo Sports. \u201cHe was a guy that after our game [we said,] \u2018Holy smokes, this Dart kid’s for real.\u2019 He created issues for our defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. Tennessee Titans: Develop the reigning top draft pick?<\/p>\n

Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi spoke this week about eliminating Chiefs \u201cbias\u201d from his head-coaching search<\/a>. But Borgonzi, whose 16 years in Kansas City included the first eight of Patrick Mahomes\u2019 career, will also benefit from the front-row seat he had to the development of a first-round quarterback flashing tantalizing out-of-structure plays and creative arm angles. Ward entered the NFL with that playmaking ability. Over the course of his rookie year, even after the Titans fired head coach and offensive mind Brian Callahan six games in, Ward demonstrated acclimation to the NFL. Across his first 12 games, Ward completed 59.7% of pass attempts, throwing for seven touchdowns to six interceptions while averaging 196 passing yards per game. In his next four games (an AC joint sprain sidelined him most of the finale), Ward\u2019s yardage and completion percentage remained similar (192 yards, 59.2%) but he improved to eight passing touchdowns to just one interception. Ward\u2019s passer rating jumped from 75.2 to 95.0 between those stretches. That growth should intrigue coaching candidates, though anyone taking this job should feel sold on Ward as their future given he\u2019s one year into the Titans\u2019 investment of the first overall pick.<\/p>\n

One talent evaluator whose team faced Ward noted his decision-making speeding up.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe’s been good extending plays outside of structure all year,\u201d the evaluator told Yahoo Sports. \u201cIn December, he’s really just settled in [and] starting to click within the designed plays. He’s taken a positive step playing with more anticipation, patience and decisiveness from the pocket. He’s doing a better job of taking easy completions and yards. His surrounding cast is below average, so all of that is impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. Las Vegas Raiders: Do you believe in Fernando Mendoza?<\/p>\n

The Raiders will have a tough time selling candidates on coaching stability after they\u2019ve cycled through five coaches (full-time and interim) the last five seasons. Talent gaps loom, too. And yet the Raiders can offer coaching candidates the top overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. League sources thus see Raiders upside with an expectation that the club will soon welcome Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.<\/p>\n

Mendoza impresses scouts with his ideal size and frame, athleticism and good arm strength, talent evaluators across the NFC and AFC told Yahoo Sports.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy comp was Jared Goff and I feel really good about that,\u201d one NFC talent evaluator said. \u201cMechanics look similar, athleticism and pocket manipulate do too. See him as a winning, good-not-great starting QB at his ceiling. Comfortable floor.\u201d<\/p>\n

An AFC offensive assistant believed Raiders\u2019 decision makers would gravitate toward Mendoza. The franchise announced that general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady would lead their head-coaching search<\/a>. The Raiders\u2019 clearest admission yet that Brady is intimately involved in key decision-making is unlikely to be checked at the door when picking a player at the position he played and knows arguably better than anyone in the organization. Raiders brass will need to decide what to do about Geno Smith, who has one year and a $26.5 million cap hit left on his deal (which would reduce if he\u2019s cut). Smith\u2019s top advocate is gone after the Raiders fired head coach Pete Carroll. Mendoza increasingly seems to be the answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMendoza just seems like a real cerebral guy,\u201d the AFC assistant told Yahoo Sports, \u201cand that is what the Patriots guys love and what Brady was.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Atlanta Falcons: Will in-house guys cut it?<\/p>\n

The Falcons\u2019 answer at quarterback next season has plenty of question marks with turnover at head coach and general manager, as well as the expectation that 14-year Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will be heavily involved in football operations. But with two possible quarterbacks under contract, the Falcons aren\u2019t starting from scratch as some of their counterparts appear poised to be.<\/p>\n

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Michael Penix Jr. still has potential to become a strong NFL quarterback two years after the Falcons selected him eighth overall. But as four of the six 2024 first-round quarterbacks have already clinched a playoff berth, Penix has averaged 227 passing yards per start, throwing for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. Credit Penix for playing well against tougher opponents this season, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots. But he\u2019s yet to establish consistency. And most concerningly, Penix suffered his third ACL tear in November. He tore his right ACL twice in college and now will add his left ACL to the surgically repaired list. An AFC talent evaluator said repetitive injury to a similar part of the body raises more of a red flag in evaluation than scattered injuries.<\/p>\n

“We say two ACLs is a scary thing,” the evaluator told Yahoo Sports. “You’ve got three? That scares the hell out of me.”<\/p>\n

If the Falcons have questions about Penix\u2019s readiness for Week 1 in 2026, they may be wise to keep veteran Kirk Cousins in the house \u2014 especially after he quarterbacked five wins, including the final four games of the season, following Penix\u2019s injury. Cousins\u2019 performance this season suggested that his 2024 campaign may have been more about his proximity to a 2023 Achilles tear than irreversible aging. That also gives Cousins trade value. The Falcons\u2019 next head coach and general manager will have full plates.<\/p>\n

4. Cleveland Browns: Is Shedeur Sanders the guy?<\/p>\n

The Browns drafted two quarterbacks last spring. Do they feel confident enough in either to not spend a pair of first-round picks, including the sixth overall selection, on a thrower? Given Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry\u2019s philosophy on drafting quarterbacks nearly every year \u2014 and more often than one thinks because of its importance and the need to retool quickly if missing on a dart throw \u2014 it\u2019s fair to guess the Browns draft a quarterback. Cleveland\u2019s evaluation of the 2026 class, in concert with its next head coach, will determine how serious a consideration Sanders gets up against the newest addition. The level of patience from Browns team owner Jimmy Haslam could also influence whether the Browns chase a free-agency Band-Aid or try to run it back one last time with Deshaun Watson.<\/p>\n

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NFL history indicates coaches prefer quarterbacks they selected themselves. The Browns won three of Sanders\u2019 seven starts, but his 193 passing yards per game and 59.2% completion rate in those starts weren\u2019t significantly stronger than fellow draft classmate Dillon Gabriel\u2019s 153 and 58.9% mark in six starts. Sanders threw seven touchdowns to nine interceptions in his starts: Gabriel, six to two. Sanders is considered to have a higher ceiling of the two, but his lower floor was also on display at times.<\/p>\n

Some league voices question whether Sanders\u2019 personality and skill set will be enough to entice a new coach to bet on him. Others think a coach giving Sanders more opportunity than Cleveland did this past season could turn things around.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many levers,\u201d one AFC talent evaluator told Yahoo Sports. \u201cWill a more adaptive coach help him? Does he just need the full offseason? Is just entirely not it? \u2026 He\u2019s clearly more talented than [Gabriel].\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Arizona Cardinals: What\u2019s going on with Kyler Murray?<\/p>\n

Arizona has one of the three big pillars intact, as general manager Monti Ossenfort outlasts head coach Jonathan Gannon. That\u2019s notable given Ossenfort was involved in the decision to place Kyler Murray on injured reserve in November for a foot injury, a designation the Cardinals chose not to remove. Perhaps Murray\u2019s foot was simply not ready, but this would not be the first time a club sidelined its quarterback beyond the necessary health period in order to avoid triggering injury clauses in a contract. Murray\u2019s five games this season, in which he posted two wins and a 6:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, do not inspire confidence for his 2026 job security. Fill-in Jacoby Brissett posted a better passer rating than Murray even as the Cardinals lost 11 of 12 games with Brissett.<\/p>\n

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Ossenfort endorsed neither of them Monday, which was telling particularly with his high-priced former first overall draft pick in Murray.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you come off a season like we have,\u201d Ossefnort said, \u201cI\u2019d say all options are on the table, whether it\u2019s quarterback or any other position.\u201d<\/p>\n

League voices believe the Cardinals will use the capital of the third overall pick either directly or indirectly to find a quarterback, giving a new coach a chance to reset at the position. If the Cardinals feel strongly enough about a rookie, a market-efficient contract could offset the dead money likely to carry over from Murray\u2019s contract. As of now, Murray is due $36.8 million in guarantees next season. More guarantees, including his $19.5 million 2027 salary, are due the fifth day of the league year in March, per Spotrac.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t imagine someone trades for him, although maybe [given] there are QB needy teams,\u201d one NFC executive told Yahoo Sports.<\/p>\n

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Added another: \u201cIf you\u2019re him, why not just get cut and get to hit the market?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PITTSBURGH,<\/p>\n

Aaron Rodgers’ lone season in Pittsburgh ended in a wild-card defeat against the Texans. (Photo by Cooper Neill\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

(Cooper Neill via Getty Images)2. Pittsburgh Steelers: What\u2019s the Aaron Rodgers succession plan?<\/p>\n

When the Steelers beat the Ravens to win the AFC North title the final week of the regular season, star edge rusher T.J. Watt said: \u201cThis is why he\u2019s here.\u201d But after a 24-point home loss in the wild-card round, and the resignation of head coach Mike Tomlin, But after a 24-point home loss in the wildcard round, and the resignation of head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers know he\u2019s unlikely to return.<\/p>\n

\u201cAaron came here to play for Mike,\u201d team president Art Rooney II said. \u201cSo I think it will most likely affect his decision.\u201d As Rodgers hit 42 years old, retirement was the most likely chapter after this season<\/a>; a reality Tomlin\u2019s resignation seems more likely to cement<\/a>. In house, the Steelers have under contract veteran backup Mason Rudolph, who has a career 9-9-1 record in six years, and 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard. Hosting the NFL Draft may seem like it would tempt a splash move, but the Steelers\u2019 late spot in the draft order and a shallow quarterback class suggest that route is unlikely to produce better results than when the Steelers selected Kenny Pickett 20th overall in the 2022 draft.<\/p>\n

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Perhaps the Steelers\u2019 next head coach will suggest a bridge quarterback to general manager Omar Khan, or perhaps Pittsburgh will feel Howard is readier than his draft pick and rookie injury history would suggest. The Steelers have no clear answer at quarterback, just as they haven\u2019t since Ben Roethlisberger retired in 2022. On the bright side for its next head coach, Pittsburgh has a rare history of patience at the position.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe longer runway is obviously huge,\u201d an AFC assistant said of the roster retool ahead, \u201cbut you are going to need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

1. Miami Dolphins: Is anything sure?<\/p>\n

The Dolphins win the award for biggest question mark at quarterback given they currently have no head coach, a brand-new general manager in Jon-Eric Sullivan and a costly quarterback whose play lost the team\u2019s confidence. Quinn Ewers, a seventh-round rookie thrown into a tough situation, unsurprisingly did not secure his future during three end-of-year starts.<\/p>\n

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Tua Tagovailoa is just two years into a five-year extension, so $99.2 million in dead cap looms on a contract that was not structured to offer its first \u201creasonable\u201d out in 2027. Perhaps the Dolphins\u2019 next coach will feel they can salvage Tagovailoa like Mike McDaniel did when he replaced Brian Flores. But Tagovailoa\u2019s 20-touchdown, 15-interception performance this season will hurt his case and his history with concussions will give future leaders pause.<\/p>\n

And while Sullivan\u2019s 23 years with the Green Bay Packers showed him the value in drafting and developing quarterbacks, that\u2019s unlikely to prove an immediate salve: The Dolphins don\u2019t pick until 11th.<\/p>\n

McDaniel will not make this decision after Miami dismissed him Thursday. But his postseason comments on Tagovailoa likely hint at the sentiments of some team brass who will continue on in decision-making roles.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor the first time, I assessed, as my job, whether or not [Tagovailoa] should be the starting quarterback on the team,\u201d McDaniel said Monday. \u201cThat was a result of an inability to get some things done. Does that mean that\u2019s a forever thing for him in terms of being able to execute stuff that he\u2019s executed in the past? No, it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201c[But] he\u2019ll have to work to get himself back to where we\u2019re all used to seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s note: This story was originally published Jan. 9. It has since been updated to reflect Mike Tomlin\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412917,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[626,17795,1258,1276,64,63,631,85190,55396,1261,1248,5386,1238,21977,55397,1266,103353,1279,1243,5330,54980,1237,55564,6585,1274,1264,1280,5380,628,1250,5371,51277,35234,1233,107871,174855,42500,42502,1231,1242,593,6584,5132,1241,61251,42813,1244,85,1284,1247,3018,1253,5359,30663,5379,71934],"class_list":["post-412916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-aaron-rodgers","tag-andrew-thomas","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-atlanta-falcons","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-baltimore-ravens","tag-ben-roethlisberger","tag-brian-burns","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-chicago-bears","tag-chiefs","tag-cleveland-browns","tag-deshaun-watson","tag-dexter-lawrence","tag-dillon-gabriel","tag-fernando-mendoza","tag-geno-smith","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-head-coach","tag-head-coaches","tag-jacksonville-jaguars","tag-jacoby-brissett","tag-jared-goff","tag-jaxson-dart","tag-kenny-pickett","tag-kirk-cousins","tag-kyler-murray","tag-lamar-jackson","tag-las-vegas-raiders","tag-malik-nabers","tag-mason-rudolph","tag-matt-ryan","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-michael-penix","tag-mike-borgonzi","tag-mike-tomlin","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-new-york-giants","tag-nfl","tag-patrick-mahomes","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-quarterback","tag-quinn-ewers","tag-shedeur-sanders","tag-sports","tag-t-j-watt","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-team","tag-tennessee-titans","tag-texans","tag-tom-brady","tag-tua-tagovailoa","tag-will-howard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}