The quarterback position remains the most critical role in today’s NFL, yet surprisingly few teams feature truly elite passers, leaving many franchises scrambling for upgrades during the 2025 offseason. Numerous teams lacked even minimally effective quarterbacks throughout 2024, leading them to pursue solutions via the draft, free agency, or both in hopes of filling their glaring voids at the position.
As training camps begin, all teams believe their current quarterback rosters can compete, but only the best will prevail come postseason. While rookies like Bo Nix and C.J. Stroud have propelled their teams into contention early in their careers, most playoff-bound NFL squads will continue to rely on proven, top-tier quarterbacks. Given these factors, this article ranks the weakest quarterback rooms in the league based on past production, projected growth, and depth, showing why these teams head into 2025 facing uncertainty at the most crucial position.
Teams Narrowly Missing the Bottom Tier of QB Rooms
New York Giants
The Giants enter 2025 potentially at the end of the Brian Daboll-Joe Schoen era, with their quarterback situation entwined with the franchise‘s future. The team once showed promise, yet the failure to cultivate Daniel Jones into a steady starter—despite his lucrative $160 million extension after reaching the 2022 divisional playoffs—has resulted in back-to-back losing seasons and his release midway through 2024.
While Jaxson Dart offers hope as a long-term solution, New York’s success largely hinges on the resurgence of Russell Wilson, who struggled in his last five starts with the Steelers and looks far removed from the player who led Seattle to two Super Bowls.
The Giants’ front office assembled this blend of veterans and young talent out of desperation, yet the outlook for 2025 success remains unclear.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh’s quarterback room has undergone sweeping changes over the past two seasons, a stark contrast to the stability the franchise once maintained. The Steelers moved on from Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, signing veteran Aaron Rodgers and re-signing Mason Rudolph as backups.
However, Rodgers is an aging star coming off one of his poorest seasons, and the team added only a sixth-round developmental quarterback, Will Howard, in the most recent draft. This lack of a credible successor to Ben Roethlisberger leaves the Steelers flirting with mediocrity—likely aiming for a .500 record and potentially a playoff berth but not much further.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings capped off 2024 with a strong 14-3 record, but instead of opting for a veteran signal-caller like Sam Darnold, they are placing their hopes on rookie J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft.
McCarthy’s potential is unquestioned, yet he suffered a significant setback by missing a large portion of his rookie reps due to an ACL injury sustained in last year’s preseason opener. If McCarthy’s recovery slows or his development falls short of expectations, the Vikings lack a reliable backup option.
Though Sam Howell appears set to take the QB2 spot, his past performance raises concerns, with more interceptions than touchdowns in three NFL seasons and a dismal showing during his brief tenure backing up Geno Smith in Seattle.
New York Jets Struggling to Develop Justin Fields as a Franchise QB
The Jets place their 2025 ambitions largely on Justin Fields evolving into a true franchise quarterback. Having signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million free-agent deal, New York is wagering heavily despite his inconsistent past performances.
Fields showed flashes of his 2021 first-round talent when filling in as Pittsburgh’s starter, securing a 4-2 record and demonstrating improved passing skills—a welcome change after accuracy troubles and turnovers plagued his time in Chicago. Yet, his status remained unstable; although he posted a career-best 65.8% completion rate for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns, and only one interception, Fields lost the starting role to Russell Wilson upon Wilson’s return from injury and was unable to reclaim it afterward.
Now in his third team in as many seasons, Fields faces mounting pressure to overcome doubts about his long-term viability as a starter. The Jets offer significant offensive weapons, namely running back Breece Hall and rising star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, but Fields must consistently threaten defenses with his arm for New York to seriously contend and end the league’s longest active playoff drought.
Why These Teams are Vulnerable Heading into the Season
Across the NFL, several teams are entering 2025 with quarterback rooms that raise more questions than confidence. Injuries to key players like Will Levis have further exposed this fragility and underscored that depth and proven ability under center are critical to sustained success.
Without stability or a clear path forward at quarterback, franchises face heightened pressure to develop young talent rapidly or risk another lost season. The impact of quarterbacks’ performances will reverberate strongly on each team’s overall competitiveness, particularly in tightly contested divisions.
The 2025 season is likely to see only a few rookies ascend to starter roles effectively, while experienced quarterbacks and the depth behind them will determine which teams maintain playoff status or fall short.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. How much is Will Levis salary?
A. Will Levis has a rookie contract with the Tennessee Titans from 2023 to 2026. The contract is for four years and totals $9,542,165.
He received a signing bonus of $3,939,756. The deal includes $8,730,961 in guaranteed money. His average yearly salary is $2,385,541.