The NFL is always changing, and teams will move on if you can’t keep up. For most teams, your roster is only at its peak for a couple of seasons, and in those years, you want to make sure you have the right quarterback on the roster.

The 2026 season will be a big one for plenty of veteran quarterbacks. Many of these players have shown the ability to play at a high level, but a lack of team success could put a wrench in their plans for the future. Even Super Bowl winners may not be safe.

What quarterbacks are the biggest candidates to get replaced after the 2026 season?

6. Jalen Hurts

The Philadelphia Eagles are a tough organization, and it seems impossible that they’ll move on from the quarterback who brought them to two Super Bowls in three years. But it’s exactly their winning formula that makes Jalen Hurts replaceable in 2026.

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Hurts isn’t a bad quarterback, but he has benefited plenty from the offense he’s played in. In 2026, the Eagles quarterback threw for 3,224 yards and 26 touchdowns with another 8 touchdowns on the ground. Despite his play, Philadelphia’s offense was labeled as boring, and they still finished as a bottom-10 unit. More surprising is the offense’s lack of success despite its abundance of stars on offense.

Hurts likely won’t get replaced, but if they fail to find success in 2026, Nick Sirianni could be fired, and that could lead to the Eagles looking to replace their star quarterback.

2025 stats: 3,224 passing yards, 25 TDs, 6 INTs

5. Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott has been the center of criticism since entering the league. It’s what comes with being the Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

Prescott has also played great since entering the league. While health has been a concern, he’s consistently led the Cowboys to the playoffs and played well while doing it. But that’s where the problems appear: the playoffs. The veteran quarterback has a 2-6 postseason record and has yet to reach the NFC Championship. Dallas enters the season with high expectations every season, and the continuous failure to meet them has plagued Prescott’s career.

It’s hard to imagine a Dak-less Cowboys, but he hasn’t been able to get over the hump. Not always to Prescott’s fault, as he led the No. 1 offense in 2025, but the Cowboys have proved they’re willing to move on from their superstars, trading away Micah Parsons in 2025.

Prescott still has two seasons left on his contract before Dallas has the opportunity to exercise an out, but that may not stop them from looking for the veteran quarterback’s replacement in the draft.

2025 stats: 4,552 passing yards, 30 TDs, 10 INTs

4. Matthew Stafford

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford won’t be replaced because of poor play. He was the MVP in 2025 and absolutely lit up the stat sheet. But it wasn’t certain that Stafford would return to the NFL for 2026. The veteran passer is 38 years old and could retire at any moment.

Stafford’s 2026 status wasn’t even confirmed until the night of his MVP announcement. It was during the speech that he announced he’s returning for 2026.

It’s hard to imagine that Stafford would walk off into the sunset just a year after he was named the league’s MVP. But he’s getting older and could go out on a good note by playing well. It’s also likely that he’ll retire if the Rams win the Super Bowl.

2025 stats: 4,707 passing yards, 46 TDs, 8 INTs

3. Jared Goff

Interestingly enough, on the list is Stafford’s Detroit Lions replacement. Jared Goff has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the NFL over the last four years. He has been the start of the turnaround for the Lions and a key piece to helping their young players develop.

Despite his success, Detroit has missed the playoffs in 3/5 of Goff’s seasons as the starter, and has yet to make the Super Bowl. Making it all the way to the big game isn’t an easy feat, but a team like the Lions with a plethora of young talent that they won’t be able to all pay puts them in an emergency.

Goff is a good player, not a great player. He’s not the athlete that you expect of new age NFL quarterbacks, and if he can’t find success with the Lions in 2026 may be looking for a new home.

2025 stats: 4,564 passing yards, 34 TDs, 8 INTs

2. Baker Mayfield

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be due for a reset, and it would likely start with head coach Todd Bowles and quarterback Baker Mayfield. The veteran quarterback is entering the final season of his three-year, $100 million contract.

The Buccaneers should’ve won the NFC South in 2026. The division is full of bad teams, and the Buccaneers have won it since Drew Brees retired in 2020. But in 2025, the Carolina Panthers won the division with an 8-9 record.

When Tampa Bay has won the division, it hasn’t been very convincing. The Buccaneers have only earned double-digit wins in one season since 2021. Mayfield is a good quarterback, but he isn’t a game-changer. He’ll only be as good as the roster around him is.

2025 stats: 3,693 passing yards, 26 TDs, 11 INTs

1. Tua Tagovailoa

Tua Tagovailoa‘s time with the Miami Dolphins might already be over. They’ve had a coaching staff change, and the new regime appears to be ready to move off Tagovailoa and his big contract.

But if the 27-year-old passer does remain with Miami for one more season, all the pressure will be on him. Tagovailoa has been the starting quarterback for the Dolphins for five seasons. In those five seasons, Miami has made the playoffs twice, losing in the Wild Card Round each time. On top of his lack of postseason success, Tagovailoa has dealt with plenty of head injuries in the NFL that have threatened his career.

Even if Tagovailoa does get released, he’ll likely find a new team pretty quickly. And if he can’t find immediate success with his new team, he may be doomed to be a career backup.

2025 stats: 2,660 passing yards, 20 TDs, 15 INTs