Ideal Landing Spots in 2026 Free Agency: Quarterback

You should be thankful if the team you root for in the fall already knows who its Week 1 starting quarterback is going to be. If you’re a fan of one of the many other desperate franchises forced to partake in the 2026 offseason quarterback carousel, hang on tight. It’s about to be a wild ride. The incoming class of rookie quarterbacks will probably see just one player, Fernando Mendoza, take the field to start the 2026 season. His peers are likely destined for development as the immediate backup or third string option wherever they’re drafted. With this in mind, free agency could generate a lot of movement among the quarterback position with plenty of veterans available, and more to be soon. In fact, there are a few players who could get cut over the next few days and sign for the veteran minimum. $1 million to $1.3 million. Their availability at a significantly low cost will certainly shake things up. Let’s look at some ideal landing spots for free agent quarterbacks whether it pertains to NFL team needs, increased fantasy football value, or both. There are a lot of solid free agents set to sign next week, but the level of quarterback movement will undoubtedly generate the most conversation.

Ideal Landing Spots in 2026 Free Agency: Quarterback

Malik Willis

Age: 27

Perhaps this offseason’s most talked about free agent quarterback, Malik Willis has played in just 22 total career games, starting just six of them, for two different teams, the Titans and Packers, over the last four seasons. Six starts! That’s it! Willis has absolutely shown improvement as a passer, but his 155 total career pass attempts are less than what Dillon Gabriel (185), Carson Wentz (169) and even Davis Mills (159) totaled in 2025 alone. Wherever he ends up, Willis brings serious rushing upside to the table, especially for fantasy football. Albeit a small sample size, Willis posted a 9/60/2 rushing line in his lone start last season. He also rushed 10 times for 44 yards the week prior after taking over for Jordan Love halfway through the second quarter. Assuming the Jets (with their five first-round picks over the next two drafts) and the Steelers don’t target Willis, there’s only one other team currently in the top-10 in cap space that could make a splash in signing Willis to support their arsenal of weapons in the passing game.

Ideal Landing Spot

Arizona Cardinals

Daniel Jones

Age: 29 After winning the starting job over Anthony Richardson Sr. during 2025 training camp, Daniel Jones went on to average a career-high 238.5 passing yards per game with a career-high 68.0% completion rate as well. Those numbers rank ninth and fifth, respectively, last season. Obviously, Jones played in just 13 games due to tearing his Achilles, which is why signing an extension with the Colts makes sense for both team and player. Jones did spend the second half of the 2024 season with the Vikings, so there’s some familiarity there, but the Colts are his best chance at a multi-year deal. He’s nothing more than a QB2 with matchup-based QB1 upside each week due to a potential lack of rushing upside in return from injury and Jonathan Taylor leading the run game.

Ideal Landing Spot

Indianapolis Colts

Aaron Rodgers

Age: 42 The ideal landing spot for Aaron Rodgers is probably retirement. However, after the Steelers replaced long-time head coach Mike Tomlin with Mike McCarthy, with whom Rodgers spent 13 years of his career, a return to Pittsburgh feels very possible. In 16 games with the Steelers, Rodgers tossed just 24 touchdowns and threw for 3,322 yards. His average depth of target was just 6.1 yards, which ranks 37^th among 38 qualified quarterbacks per FTN StatsHub. A return to the Steelers would likely benefit any and all pass-catching running backs, including Jaylen Warren and maybe Kenneth Gainwell, who is set to be a free agent, as well. Gainwell was one of six running backs last season to average 5.0 or more targets per game.

Ideal Landing Spot

Pittsburgh Steelers

Kyler Murray

Age: 29

The Cardinals are undoubtedly moving on from Kyler Murray, though it’s yet to be determined if via trade or release. If traded, Arizona saves $34 million in cap space so there’s definitely an incentive to do so, even if for just a late-round draft pick. Murray has thrown for over 20,000 yards and ran for over 3,000 with an average of over 270 total yards per game. Moving on to a new team could present a buy-low opportunity in all fantasy formats, though he still possesses rushing upside much better than most. Unfortunately, he may not have a say in where he’s playing in 2026, but there’s still plenty of hope he can maintain or even build upon his career 19.3 fantasy points per game average. Murray would be a significant addition to the free agency pool if teams were able to sign him to a veteran minimum contract.

Ideal Landing Spot

New York Jets (via trade) Indianapolis Colts (if released)

Tua Tagovailoa

Age: 28 Tua Tagovailoa’s 15 interceptions and 5.2% turnover worthy throw rate both rank second among qualified quarterbacks from last season. After averaging 268.5 yards per game in three seasons prior, Tua managed just 190.0 yards per game in 2025. His deep throw rate, of passes 20 or more yards downfield, has decreased from 14.7% to 11.4% to 7.0% then back up to 8.6% over the last four seasons, though the latter ranked 33^rd among qualified quarterbacks. There’s not a ton of upside from Tua himself, but in the right system with multiple big playmakers, he could course correct his career and sustain fantasy success for those around him. We’ve seen it before early on in the Mike McDaniel era with the Dolphins.

Ideal Landing Spot

Minnesota Vikings or Atlanta Falcons

Kirk Cousins

Age: 38 There are enough teams with quarterback vacancies that could be calling Kirk Cousins, especially if (when) he’s released by the Falcons and able to sign for the veteran minimum. A reunion with the Vikings is a fun piece of fan fiction, but Minnesota may be more interested in a younger, healthier veteran that they view as a potential long-term solution. Cousins could have a better opportunity signing on as a backup to a competitive roster whose starter has health concerns or may not be ready to start the 2026 season.

Ideal Landing Spot

Kansas City Chiefs or Cincinnati Bengals

Geno Smith

Age: 35 Last season was a complete disaster for Geno Smith and the Raiders. His 17 interceptions and 55 sacks taken led all quarterbacks. The offensive line deserves a sizeable amount of the blame. Smith had a clean pocket rate of 66.8%, which ranks 32^nd among qualified quarterbacks. Just one season prior with the Seahawks, Smith threw for 4,320 yards, fourth most in the league. It’s been a while, but Smith threw for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2022, as well. The Raiders are highly probable to draft Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick. That, and the $18.5 million saved toward the 2026 cap, indicate an imminent release for Smith. Interested teams will be looking to forgive and forget what we saw in 2025 with the hopes he can elevate an already established group of playmakers.

Ideal Landing Spot

Atlanta Falcons or Minnesota Vikings

Justin Fields

Age: 27

Specifically as the starting quarterback for his respective teams, Justin Fields finished as the fantasy QB5, QB8 and QB7 in 2022, 2023 and 2024 in points per game. In 2025, he played in just nine games for the Jets, finishing as a top-seven fantasy quarterback in four of them. Fields has a career average of just over eight rush attempts with no less than 62 in a single season despite playing no more than 15 games ever in his career. It’s hard to imagine Fields finding a team willing to sign him as their starter, so serving as a high-upside option in a backup role, on a team looking to fill such a vacancy this offseason, is best for Fields.

Ideal Landing Spot

Green Bay Packers

Honorable Mentions

Derek Carr is apparently mulling over the decision to unretire, though he’s still under contract with the Saints if he does. If he were to make a return in 2026, it would be with an understanding that he is heading elsewhere via trade. Carr claims he would only return to compete for a Super Bowl. The Vikings are arguably a quarterback away from returning to the playoffs, but unfortunately for Carr, Minnesota doesn’t have to give up any draft capital to sign most of them to a cheap deal. Joe Flacco is 41 years old and, if he’s going to have any impact in 2026, it’s probably on the Atlanta Falcons, where Kevin Stefanski is now the head coach. Flacco notably led the Stefanski Browns to the playoffs in 2023 then return to Cleveland briefly in 2025. This isn’t a declaration of hope or even interest in Flacco joining the 2026 Falcons, but it’s perhaps on the table in the event all others listed in this piece sign on elsewhere. Russell Wilson is a notable free agent name who not many want to talk about, but he has a chance to start in 2026. He lit up the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 of last season, completing 30 of 41 passes for 450 yards and three touchdowns. He was benched two weeks later in favor of rookie Jaxson Dart. At 37 years old, Wilson won’t cost much to sign, and a team like the Miami Dolphins, who are expected to significantly lead the league in dead money, may not have many other options for 2026.