During the 2023 NFL season, an astonishing 54 quarterbacks have taken a meaningful snap, with a league record nine rookies having started. Numerous injuries and poor performances have contributed to this astounding QB shakeup leaguewide. Only a handful of teams have used only one quarterback so far this year, while others have cycled through as many as three different signal callers. Names no NFL fan had ever heard before are now becoming commonplace, such as Tyson Bagent, Aidan O’Connell, Josh Dobbs, and Jake Browning. The bizarre quarterback landscape comes at an interesting time in the league’s history, a point at which the longest tenured QB for the same team is Dallas’s Dak Prescott, having only been a Cowboy since 2016. Noticeably absent are the veteran quarterbacks still starting who have been staples in the league. Few are left, and those that remain have been playing poorly or are battling the injury bug. What has caused this sudden shift across the league?
To understand the difference of the QB landscape a decade ago to the one of today, it’s important to observe the relative stability many franchises enjoyed at the sport’s most vital position during the 2000s and 2010s. The New England Patriots built a dynasty around Tom Brady that lasted almost twenty years. He won six Super Bowls and led a team that was always a threat to advance deep into the playoffs. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints boasted in their own franchise quarterback Drew Brees, who arrived in Louisiana right after Hurricane Katrina and brought hope to the city. He won a Super Bowl and had the Saints in contention yearly. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers also won a Super Bowl and established himself as one of the best in the game, as did Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, a two-time champion in his own right.
Other significant contributors to this period were Seattle’s Russell Wilson, a one-time champion, and of course the Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli, who won a combined four Super Bowls as they established themselves as faces of the league. In addition to all these champion QBs, many others were recognized as solid veterans who led their teams to consistent contention and respectability throughout their careers. These included Philip Rivers, Donovan McNabb, Matt Ryan, Carson Palmer, Matthew Stafford, Kirk Cousins, Tony Romo, and Alex Smith. Most of these quarterbacks have retired and the ones still playing are either injured or far removed from the best versions of themselves.
In today’s NFL, most teams have been scrambling to find their next franchise quarterback. It’s a win or bust league, and often the preferred results do not arrive quickly enough to keep one’s job. The Carolina Panthers have cycled through the likes of Teddy Bridgewater, Baker Mayfield, and are now testing rookie Bryce Young. The Indianapolis Colts have moved from veteran to veteran until drafting Anthony Richardson only for him to get hurt immediately. The Atlanta Falcons have had no stability since Matt Ryan and could soon move on from Desmond Ridder, while the Jets prematurely dismissed Geno Smith only to see him flourish in Seattle. The Washington Commanders have been constantly rotating through quarterbacks since 1993, trying to find the one to lead them and hoping it’s Sam Howell. Every franchise has seemingly become that much more Super Bowl hungry, leading to less and less patience.
The teams that have found recent success have not been subject to a long wait to discern whether they had their offensive leader. Patrick Mahomes was named MVP in his first season as a starter and instantly led the Kansas City Chiefs to five straight AFC Championship Games and two Super Bowl wins. Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow are stars and have led the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl appearances respectively. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills have seen enough potential from Josh Allen as have the Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens with Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson to fully commit to them. However, all these players are still very young, having not yet reached their prime, signaling a changing of the guard.
Seven years ago, when Dak Prescott was announced as the Dallas Cowboys starting QB to replace the injured Tony Romo, every other team’s starter has changed, with some teams cycling through more than five since then. In the 2000s, organizations took time to develop their young quarterbacks. The Manning brothers, Drew Brees, Alex Smith, Kirk Cousins, and more recently Josh Allen, had rocky starts to their careers, failing in ways that might not allow for second chances if they were rookies in 2023. Not every QB can set records and win MVPs instantly, the way Mahomes and Brady did. It’s a process that requires trust, development, and patience.
Only five current starters have been in the league since 2015. Mahomes, still regarded as a young player, is already an old veteran compared to his peers. Hopefully, the league will soon have restored quarterback consistency as today’s young talents become veterans instead of multiple teams restarting the process annually. The path to committing to a franchise cornerstone should be taken within reason, but the truth still stands that the NFL is better when teams at least attempt to build around their quarterback.
