NEW ERA OF QUARTERBACK

Over the last few decades the NFL as we know it has evolved in many ways from media coverage, jersey revamps, rule changes and more, but one thing has remained the same- quarterback is king. Its the general of the field, the face of the franchise, the first player you think of when you want to build a championship level roster. Teams could have all world defenses or the best head coach on the planet but if the QB is subpar or worse, none of it really matters.  

We’ve been graced with an incredible run of QB play from the late 1990s all the way up til the late 2010s headlined by a slew of Hall of Fame talent including Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Brett Favre and others and made the NFL product must watch TV. While it was a privilege to watch so much high-quality play on a weekly basis, it was inevitable that the football we enjoyed as kids would change not because of technology or the sport declining but because the NFL isnt immune to father time. But while our favorites players retire and move onto greener pastures, this opens the door for the next generation of the sports best athletes, and we might very well in the presence of the next group of great QBs.  

Before we look towards the future of the 2026 season, a quick recap of the 2025 playoffs could paint the picture of how we’re in the beginning of the next era of the QB. Of the 14 teams in the playoffs, 10 of them were led by QBs who were 27 years old or younger, including the AFC Champions led by second year QB Drake Maye at just 23 who also was a finalist for league MVP. Last season was such a fun time to see young prospects begin to thrive like Maye but he wouldn't completely overshadow some of his fellow 2024 classmates including Denver’s Bo Nix who led the Broncos to the #1 seed and Chicago’s Caleb Williams who has revitalized the franchise in hopes of bringing them back to the top of the NFC. Not to mention before he got hurt, Washington’s Jayden Daniels was on a sky high trajectory making the 2024 QB class look like one potentially for the history books and if he returns to similar play like we saw in his rookie season, that statement could become reality. 

Now as we fast forward and look to the future, there are currently 16 QBs projected to start week 1 who make up that 27 years old & younger group. That’s half of the league. I cant remember recently when we’ve had so much young QB talent to start a season. Sure, we’ve had a couple take the league by storm like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen & Lamar Jackson but we havent seen it to the point when half of the league was run by young signal callers. Some of the younger names that’ll hope to join the list of Pro Bowlers and playoff performers include New York’s Jaxson Dart and Tennessee’s Cam Ward who hope to find stability in their second seasons, both with new head coaches, and projected #1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza who will look to bring some energy to the desert with Las Vegas. 

The reality is that one or more QBs could regress and unfortunately that seems to be becoming more common but even if we have out 2 or 3, that leaves us with over a dozen QBs who could be faces of their franchises. Now that’s not common but rather rare and if this continues for the next several years, we could be in the next era of a great group of QBs. Buckle up because the 2026 season and beyond is going to be fun!