With the arrival of the postseason comes the preparation for the roster-focused action of the offseason. Those who are spending January at home are already looking ahead, taking stock of team needs and assessing players who might be available. Of course, no position is more valuable than quarterback.
More than 60 quarterbacks have started a game this season, emphasizing the importance of the entire room, not just the QB1. With this in mind, I'm spotlighting eight impending free-agent signal-callers who should be priority re-signings for their current teams -- even if it's primarily to prevent them from joining a rival.
Willis has all but graduated from Matt LaFleur's QB finishing school after two seasons in Green Bay -- and he successfully defended his thesis in a Week 17 start against Baltimore, delivering a truly mesmerizing performance that should resonate with quarterback-needy teams well beyond January. That showing -- plus Willis' ability to maintain Green Bay's offensive effectiveness even in games that he entered at a moment's notice -- has likely convinced a number of suitors that the former Titans third-round pick can handle the job of a starter. But he's also arguably the most valuable backup in the NFL. The Packers shouldn't just let that walk out the door, not with Jordan Love missing time over the past two seasons with injuries.
Mike Tomlin is gone. The Steelers don't have a concrete plan for what they'll do at quarterback in 2026. It sure seems like Pittsburgh is entering the bad place under center just days after bowing out of Wild Card Weekend (again) in lopsided fashion. Steelers owner Art Rooney II even suggested Rodgers may not be interested in returning now that Tomlin has departed, potentially pouring cold water on the QB's inclusion on this list. But if any team desperately needs a 42-year-old future Hall of Famer to delay his expected retirement and make one more go at it, it's Pittsburgh, where Rodgers enjoyed a relatively resurgent 2025 season and proved he can still sling it. Convincing him to run it back, however, might be too steep of an ask.
Jones' 2026 outlook is murky -- at best -- after he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in December. That said, it was rather refreshing to hear the Colts throw their full faith and confidence behind the quarterback who appeared -- at least for a few months -- to be the savior they've sought since the abrupt retirement of Andrew Luck. GM Chris Ballard knows the pressure is on and has reason to believe Jones is the team's long-term answer at the position. He also doesn't have the luxury to wait for Jones to return to form. Ballard even admitted the 28-year-old probably won't immediately be back to his normal self whenever he does make it back to the field, making it crucial to have another option under center for the upcoming season. However, as far as the long haul is concerned, the Colts would be wise to sign Jones to a reasonable multi-year deal, allowing the two sides to resume their partnership at some point in 2026 and beyond.
Jayden Daniels suffered three separate injuries in 2025, costing him a significant chunk of his second NFL season. Washington was not a good football team as a result, but the Commanders would have been exponentially worse if Mariota hadn't been available in relief. Mariota and Washington have taken the noncommittal approach over the last two seasons, with the quarterback signing consecutive one-year deals. He received a $2 million raise last March and is once again approaching free agency after making eight starts and appearing in 11 games, his highest totals in both categories since 2022. He posted respectable numbers and wasn't the reason the Commanders lost most of his starts. This regime just got a season-long taste of life without a star quarterback; the powers that be should know quite well how valuable Mariota can be for them.
Oh, look: We could be headed toward yet another offseason in which the Ravens let Huntley walk to a seemingly better opportunity, keep tabs on him as he misses the cut in Cleveland's quarterback battle royale (as he has in each of the last two summers), then add him to their practice squad before ultimately elevating him to the starting lineup when Lamar Jackson is sidelined by injury. Ideally, Jackson never leaves the field, but recent history has proven Huntley to be a valuable backup for the Ravens -- more valuable, in fact, than their strange experiment with obvious poor fit Cooper Rush -- so why not save us all the time and paperwork and just keep Huntley in house this offseason?
It seems unlikely Patrick Mahomes will be able to return from his December ACL injury in time to start Week 1 next September. Chris Oladokun failed to capitalize on his opportunity to claim a backup spot on the Chiefs' depth chart entering 2026. Minshew suffered a season-ending knee injury of his own, but it wasn't an ACL tear. He should be ready to play sooner than Mahomes, bringing veteran backup experience to a Kansas City team that suddenly needs it more than ever. If the Chiefs receive optimistic news on Mahomes' timetable for return, they might only temporarily need a steady hand to keep the offense afloat to start the season. Minshew proved his worth as an injury replacement in 2023, when he filled in for Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis and kept the Colts in postseason contention.
Matthew Stafford turns 38 in February. He might win NFL MVP, but he won't find the fountain of youth and already had to overcome nagging back issues just to be able to play in 2025. It's always wise for a Super Bowl contender to supply itself with a veteran backup who possesses extensive big-game experience. Garoppolo is that guy for the Rams and should continue to be that for them beyond this season.
This may seem a bit outlandish to those who watched Lance's final outing in a backup-filled Week 18 loss to the Denver Broncos, or to anyone who has scanned Lance's small sample size of a statistical recap for 2025. That's fine; Lance admittedly didn't do much to prove to the average fan that he should be considered a valuable asset. But the former No. 3 overall pick looked miles ahead of where he'd been for most of his career during 2025 preseason action -- and in a league that has seen more than 60 quarterbacks start a game this season, backups are important. With another year of learning under his belt, Lance could be positioned to keep the ship afloat if Justin Herbert -- who suffered significant carnage in 2025 -- is forced to miss time at some point next season. Ideally, the returns of Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt reduce the possibility of that happening, but it's better to have Lance available than a lesser option.