Quarterbacks make the NFL go 'round. Yes, they're often only as effective as their supporting casts. But no player affects the game quite like the signal-caller. No other spot warrants more acclaim for victory or criticism for defeat. All 32 starters, then, whether entrenched or embattled, face steady, heavy pressure.
Which quarterbacks have the most to prove entering Week 1 of the 2024 season, though? Factoring in both the weight and immediacy of each passer's expectations, here's our pick for the top 10:
Honorable mention
- Jalen Hurts (Eagles) has already shown he can be an MVP candidate and Super Bowl contender, but after a streakier 2023, he's out to prove he can fully make use of an all-star supporting cast.
- Jordan Love (Packers) has everyone abuzz thanks to his electric 2023 finish, but now that he's cashed in with a big deal, he's got to prove he can keep growing as Green Bay's leader.
- Kyler Murray (Cardinals) is entering Year 6 still in search of a fully healthy season and/or meaningful playoff appearance, though the external pressure on him has appeared to cool.
- Dak Prescott (Cowboys) is a bona fide top-10 pocket passer who does all the little things well, and yet he could be playing for a new contract either in Dallas or elsewhere as a 2025 free agent.
- Caleb Williams (Bears) will get a long leash in the Windy City, as he should, but as one of the most anticipated No. 1 picks in years, the rookie-season expectations are already pretty high.
Tua Tagovailoa
MIA • QB • #1
10.
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In two years under Mike McDaniel, the former first-round draft pick has been nothing if not MVP-caliber as a big-play precision thrower, lacing one deep shot to the Miami Dolphins' speedsters after another. And yet, freshly crowned a top-five quarterback according to his new contract, he's got to prove he's worth the elevated price tag, especially when he's forced off-schedule in McDaniel's friendly system and the lights get brighter down the stretch of the season. Why? Because for all his growth and video-game production, there remains an understandable skepticism about his ceiling as a starter for a contender.
Trevor Lawrence
JAC • QB • #16
9.
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Speaking of former first-rounders recently earning top dollar, Lawrence is right alongside Tagovailoa in terms of young gunslingers now under additional cash-inspired scrutiny. Has he shown enough to be "the guy" in Jacksonville? Sure. Has he stumbled enough to raise questions about his ultimate value? Also yes. He's got a chance, with a restocked wide receiver corps, to prove that he does, in fact, belong in the company of elite passers, and that he can get the Jaguars back into the deep-playoff conversation. Until then, he carries more of a mercurial label -- a tale of untapped upside -- despite his immense salary.
Daniel Jones
NYG • QB • #8
8.
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Jones was particularly hard to place, because on one hand, everyone and their mother has all but already written him off as a reliable starter. That includes the very team set to deploy him as their Week 1 quarterback; the New York Giants practically spent all offseason trying but failing to replace him. Still, it puts the former first-rounder in a position to once again rewrite the narrative of his injury- and turnover-laden career, just as he did in his first team-up with coach Brian Daboll back in 2022. With an electric outlet now onboard in Malik Nabers, perhaps he can defy the odds and win back Big Blue again.
Sam Darnold
MIN • QB • #14
7.
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Six years of NFL experience may well be evidence enough that Darnold is better-suited on the bench, where he spent all of 2023 for the San Francisco 49ers. Yes, his setups with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers were less than ideal, but often so was his decision-making. Even so, he's got a prime opportunity -- surely the best he's had since coming out of USC -- to at least hold a starting gig for a competitive team now that he's working with Justin Jefferson and under Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota. The Vikings should give him a decent leash with rookie J.J. McCarthy on the mend, helping his cause.
Will Levis
TEN • QB • #8
6.
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When the Tennessee Titans used a second-round pick on Levis in 2023, only some believed the club was committed to him as Ryan Tannehill's successor. General manager Ran Carthon was pedal to the metal in upgrading Levis' supporting cast this offseason, though, signaling Tennessee is prepared to give the bulldozing youngster a true audition for the long-term job. In a way, Levis not being a first-round investment could make the Titans more likely to pursue a replacement in the event he doesn't take a major leap forward, which means the bold Kentucky product has even more motivation to ball out in 2024.
Anthony Richardson
IND • QB • #5
5.
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The supersized Florida product was considered a long-term project even when he opened his 2023 rookie season as the Indianapolis Colts' starter. Then he barely made it four games before repeated nicks and bruises prompted Indy to shut him down for the year. So, for all intents and purposes, we're back at square one with the former No. 4 overall pick. He's got all the size, speed and arm talent in the world, but we've yet to see anything resembling steady, consistent, reliable NFL-level quarterbacking. Despite a young wide receiver corps, Richardson has a chance to answer those questions in style.
Bryce Young
CAR • QB • #9
4.
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Is it possible for a No. 1 overall pick to be on the hot seat going into his second season? We're not quite there, to be clear, but just like Trevor Lawrence between 2021 and 2022, Young is under some pressure to showcase some -- any -- of the skills that made him such a coveted prospect. New coach Dave Canales and an upgraded receiver corps and interior line should help, but at the end of the day, the Carolina Panthers are in Young's hands. With his historically small frame, he would go a long way to winning back outsiders if he simply accelerates his trademark pocket presence to NFL speed in 2024.
Russell Wilson
PIT • QB • #3
3.
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A few years back, Wilson was destined for Hall of Fame consideration, still the focal point of a Seattle Seahawks team that had once vied for back-to-back titles. Now? It feels like Pittsburgh will be home to the final say on No. 3's legacy, as Wilson seeks to reclaim respect following a sluggish and ill-fated two-year run with the Denver Broncos. Settling for a one-year, prove-it deal and fending off fellow outcast Justin Fields in a summer competition, Wilson once boasted dual-threat magic for a contender. At 35 on a perpetually scrappy but often unspectacular Steelers squad, this might be his last crack at a top job.
Aaron Rodgers
NYJ • QB • #8
2.
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Rodgers has little to prove from a career perspective; he's already a safe bet for the Pro Football Hall of Fame as one of the game's most accomplished precision passers. In terms of late-stage legacy, however, it all boils down to whether he can live up to the Super Bowl aspirations that instantly flooded into New Jersey upon his trade from the Green Bay Packers in 2023. Going on 41, coming off an Achilles tear that robbed him of all but four snaps in his Gang Green debut, Rodgers is looking to show the world once and for all that he's still got gas in the tank as the headlining leader of a playoff-caliber lineup.
Deshaun Watson
CLE • QB • #4
1.
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No other quarterback has drawn a more lucrative commitment from his team, with the Cleveland Browns infamously guaranteeing Watson $230 million at the start of their union in 2022. And here's what the former Houston Texans star has provided since: Barely 12 games of healthy availability, a 59% pass completion rate, and nearly as many turnovers (11) as touchdown throws (14). Financially speaking, he's a virtual lock to stay put, with the Browns unable to move on and avoid a major blow to their salary cap until after 2025. But coach Kevin Stefanski and a talented defense are itching to make an actual playoff run, and one year after the team had arguably just as much juice with an aging Joe Flacco under center, it's not out of the question the Browns could eventually turn to new backup Jameis Winston for a jolt of relief.
