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With the holiday season in full swing, in lieu of the usual weekly quarterback ranking, I’m instead exploring a topic that will dominate headlines in early 2026: The QB carousel.
Tua Tagovailoa‘s struggle-filled showing in Week 15 led to his benching for rookie Quinn Ewers. Kyler Murray hasn’t seen the field since early October. Both are candidates for a change of scenery in the offseason.
The new year is just around the corner, so why not ponder how the future might look? Here are three QB trades I’d like to see in 2026.
Murray’s retreat to the sideline (and eventually, injured reserve) was ultimately tied to a foot injury, but the move initially had the outside appearance of a soft benching for the former No. 1 overall pick. Arizona’s offensive endeavors were laborious at best with Murray at the controls in 2025. His struggles to get on the same page with 2024 first-rounder Marvin Harrison Jr. continued, and the Cardinals’ uptick in production with veteran Jacoby Brissett in the lineup signaled a change was needed.
Arizona doesn’t have a long-term replacement on the roster, but it sure seems like this pairing is headed toward a split.
So, why Miami? That’s where I return to Tua Tagovailoa, who appears destined to leave the Dolphins in 2026, especially if ownership decides to retain Mike McDaniel. After a 1-6 start to the season, McDaniel rebounded relatively well — that is, until his squad laid an egg on a national stage against the Steelers in Week 15, largely because of Tagovailoa’s failures. McDaniel’s response to that loss was to bench Tagovailoa in a manner that reminded me of Russell Wilson‘s final weeks in Denver in 2023, which preceded an unceremonious split in 2024.
There would be two paths toward ending Tagovailoa’s time with the Fins early: trade or release. The latter seems more likely, given that Tagovailoa would appear to carry almost no value as a trade chip and comes with a hefty contract that runs through 2028. The price of divorce will be expensive, though. The Dolphins have some options when it comes to spreading the money out, but they will carry a dead money hit of $67.4 million in 2026 if they release Tagovailoa after June 1, a number that only appears palatable after seeing the $99.2 million dead money hit they would incur if he’s released before June 1.
Whenever Miami moves on, it likely won’t happen until the team has acquired Tagovailoa’s replacement. Murray is due more than $42 million, with most of it fully guaranteed, in 2026, and another $19.5 million for 2027 becomes fully guaranteed if he’s still with Arizona on March 15, per NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero. So the Cardinals have an incentive to deal him before that date. They might find a very interested suitor in the Dolphins, a team that seems to have potential if it can find a competent quarterback to run McDaniel’s offense.
The idea of the elusive, squirrely Murray running McDaniel’s scheme is tantalizing for those who traffic in football fever dreams. So, too, is the thought of a unit headlined by Murray, ascending star De’Von Achane and receiver Jaylen Waddle, an explosive three-headed monster that could speed past defenses at any time. The big question that hangs over this potential pairing, however: Can Murray conform to McDaniel’s requirements in a timing-based passing attack, if McDaniel remains the head coach? Murray’s improvisational skills have produced plenty of electric moments over the years, but that’s not the style of play that suits Miami’s current system. He’d have to balance the two if he’s going to maximize such a partnership.
Still, it’s better than watching Tagovailoa appear to struggle making decisions for another season. And Murray might be just what the doctor ordered to get the McDaniel era back on track.
Despite drafting two quarterbacks in April and stuffing the room with five options (Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Tyler Huntley, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders) over the summer, the Browns have yet to show they’ve located a long-term answer at the position. Cleveland is trending toward having a top-five draft pick (along with Jacksonville’s first-rounder) in April, but if the team is not sold on any of the passer prospects entering the NFL in 2026, the Browns could choose to fill other needs early in the draft. And if they choose that route, a possible plan for 2026 becomes clear: continue to explore what they have in Sanders, keep Gabriel as a backup and add a veteran bridge quarterback.
This is where Cousins comes into the picture, but a question remains: Does this future include coach Kevin Stefanski? The Browns have just three wins in 2025 and have vacillated between appearing like a scrappy, competitive bunch and a disorganized mess, primarily on the offensive side (Stefanski’s area of expertise).
If Cleveland retains Stefanski, the pairing makes plenty of sense. Stefanski was Cousins’ quarterbacks coach and interim offensive coordinator with the Vikings in 2018 and full-time offensive coordinator in 2019, helping Cousins earn his second Pro Bowl nod in their final season together. Stefanski has proven he can make magic with experienced veterans who are still capable of slinging the rock (see: Flacco in 2023, Jacoby Brissett for part of 2022). Those who have watched the Falcons in recent weeks also understand the 37-year-old Cousins is certainly still a capable passer, checking that box for the Browns.
Atlanta has been fortunate to have Cousins on the roster following Michael Penix Jr.‘s injury-related exit, but Cousins is an expensive backup, and the Falcons could use the cap space he occupies to improve their roster elsewhere in 2026. Moving Cousins would save them $32.5 million in space in 2026, a number that jumps to $45 million if he’s traded after June 1. There’s incentive on both sides to get a deal done, even if Cleveland’s current cap constraints (brought on by their dreadful trade for Deshaun Watson) might present a few hurdles.
Again, this pairing likely falls apart if Stefanski isn’t the coach in 2026. But if the Browns are willing to give him some grace for a quarterback situation he was handed three years ago (and still can’t escape), Cousins could provide them with some security.
This is where we get a little wild.
Indianapolis has been home to the most active quarterback carousel in the NFL since the surprise retirement of Andrew Luck in 2019. It began with backup-turned-starter Jacoby Brissett” data-link=”/players/jacoby-brissett/” data-slug=”jacoby-brissett”>Jacoby Brissett, continued with Philip Rivers” data-link=”/players/philip-rivers/” data-slug=”philip-rivers”>Philip Rivers in 2020, then just kept on spinning from 2021 to ’24, adding (and ejecting) the likes of Carson Wentz” data-link=”/players/carson-wentz/” data-slug=”carson-wentz”>Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan” data-link=”/players/matt-ryan/” data-slug=”matt-ryan”>Matt Ryan and Gardner Minshew” data-link=”/players/gardner-minshew/” data-slug=”gardner-minshew”>Gardner Minshew, while 2023 fourth overall pick Anthony Richardson” data-link=”/players/anthony-richardson/” data-slug=”anthony-richardson”>Anthony Richardson continues to cling to the high-speed attraction.
Daniel Jones” data-link=”/players/daniel-jones-x5302/” data-slug=”daniel-jones-x5302″>Daniel Jones‘ arrival and subsequent success in 2025 seemed to finally give the Colts a long-term answer (while steadying things for coach Shane Steichen, who’d gone 17-17 in his two prior seasons on the job) — and then Jones’ season-ending Achilles injury in Week 14 quenched that fire of optimism. Indy could retain the veteran, who was signed to a one-year contract, on an extension, but the team likely can’t count on him being available for the majority of next season, and he isn’t guaranteed to return with the same physical abilities, based on what we’ve seen from other players who’ve suffered the same injury. It looks like Jones is in line to be the latest to go for a ride on the carousel and exit a bit dizzied.
This would be fine for a team with low expectations. But if the Colts’ decision to pull Rivers out of retirement this month didn’t say it, I will: They are not playing for moral victories.
Mac Jones filled a vital role for the 49ers in 2025, stepping in for the injured Brock Purdy” data-link=”/players/brock-purdy/” data-slug=”brock-purdy”>Brock Purdy and steadying a ship that initially seemed destined to meet a watery demise. The former Patriots QB1 led the 49ers to thrilling (and important) divisional wins over the Rams and Cardinals and guided them to triumphs over the Falcons, Giants and Saints, proving himself at minimum to be a plus backup while playing well enough at times to suggest the 27-year-old might still have quality starting snaps in his future.
Jones could be the latest rehabilitation project to emerge from Kyle Shanahan’s School of Second Chances, following Sam Darnold” data-link=”/players/sam-darnold/” data-slug=”sam-darnold”>Sam Darnold, another former first-round pick who spent a year on the Niners’ bench before leaping to new, eventually lucrative opportunities. Jones might also be the perfect fit for Steichen, whose stunning choice of a 44-year-old quarterbacking expert who hadn’t played football since 2020 to be his late-season starter proved the coach values risk-minimization and quick decision-making more than physical potential.
Yes, the team would still have to sort through what to do with Richardson; he carries uninspiring career marks in TD-to-INT ratio (11:13) and passer rating (67.8) but is on his way back from the orbital bone fracture that interrupted his season and will be under contract at least through 2026. There’s also no guarantee Jones would thrive with the Colts in 2026, but they’ll likely be desperate enough to consider it, especially if GM Chris Ballard is still trying to get them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. San Francisco, meanwhile, would surely thank Jones for his contributions and happily accept whatever offer Indy could make for the QB, who has one year left on his current contract and is set to cost almost nothing ($2.3 million) against the cap in 2026.