No one ever wants to lose a starting quarterback in the NFL. Even if a team isn’t in the mix for a Super Bowl, a serious injury under center can derail a lot more than playoff hopes; it might also set a franchise back in its long-term building plan.
And the harsh reality is that every year, several teams will inevitably suffer the absence of their top signal-caller. Football is a physical sport, and protected as they may be in today’s game, quarterbacks can’t fully escape the consequences.
The 2024 season alone saw notable names like Dak Prescott, Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence miss multiple games due to injuries, leaving aspiring contenders like the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers on the brink of the postseason, if not out of the big dance entirely. Just two years prior, a record 66 different quarterbacks started at least one game during the season.
This all begs the question: Which NFL teams are best positioned to weather a potential loss at quarterback?
We reviewed all 32 backup situations around the league, identifying 10 of the best emergency setups going into 2025:
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Howell looked a bit lost in limited snaps with the Seattle Seahawks, but he profiles as a discount version of Sam Darnold in Minnesota, boosted by some of the game’s top coaches and skill weapons. A zealous arm with a full year of starting experience thanks to his time with the Washington Commanders, he’s both young enough to grow (24) and tested enough to give the Vikings a scrappy Plan B behind J.J. McCarthy, the young man now in charge.
This is almost exclusively about the Kyle Shanahan fit. Famously pegged a favorite of the San Francisco 49ers coach ahead of the 2022 draft (before the team pivoted to the more athletic Trey Lance with its first-round pick), Jones has yet to replicate the smooth touch of his New England Patriots debut. He’s a stylistic match as a take-what’s-given point guard, though, even if he’s nowhere near as elusive as starter Brock Purdy.
Again, this is mostly about fit. So much of the backup game has to do with the setup. Mariota has never really been a steady passer at the NFL level. He’s still got chain-moving legs at 31, though, and played admirably in relief of Jayden Daniels in 2023. Throw in the vast experience, which includes an early-career playoff win with the Tennessee Titans, and he makes sense in a Kliff Kingsbury attack that prioritizes dual-threat quarterbacking.
Willis has a very small sample size as a fill-in, but relocating from the Titans’ crumbling offense to Matt LaFleur’s Green Bay Packers outfit quickly proved his gifts are transferable to the NFL. A former Liberty standout, he was ultra-efficient both using his legs and dealing the rock in place of an injured Jordan Love in 2024. Green Bay has to feel pretty good about his upside after how seamlessly he entered the lineup last time around.
This could just as easily be rookie Shedeur Sanders, depending on how Cleveland’s crowded quarterback room shakes out. Either way, the Browns are in a peculiar position: They don’t necessarily boast any high-end prospects, nor do they have an inspiring supporting cast, but they won’t be lacking in serviceable options to throw the ball. Pickett is gritty, if streaky, while Flacco is aging and immobile but has a penchant for letting it rip.
A top-five ranking for a backup with literally one career start? Yes, you read that right. If any team deserves the benefit of the doubt at this position, it’s the Eagles, who won two Super Bowls turning backup quarterbacks into title-game heroes. McKee has also looked the part at every turn, be it at practice, in preseason or regular-season relief, with the frame (6-6, 231), accuracy and world-class Eagles weaponry to give Jalen Hurts a promising No. 2.
Known as much for his quirky personality as his on-field results, Minshew flamed out quickly with the rival Las Vegas Raiders, but he’s back in cozier confines with the reigning AFC champions. Ball control isn’t his strength, but his backyard spirit is a perfect fit behind Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid, who could surely squeeze a postseason run out of the veteran if needed. Remember, he nearly led a playoff bid as a starter in 2023.
Like the Browns, it’s not so much that the Colts are loaded with star power as much as they don’t have a clear gap between their presumptive starter (Anthony Richardson) and the rest of the room. Jones, in fact, could even open 2025 as QB1, though we’d bet he’ll function more as an in-season audible. The ex-first-rounder never became a steady downfield passer for the New York Giants, but he weathered poor infrastructure with toughness and mobility.
Maybe this is why Atlanta has stubbornly delayed his long-anticipated exit. While Cousins looked fairly depleted in much of his failed debut as the Falcons’ starter and his post-benching departure has been telegraphed for months, he’s still a borderline starter in this league. When healthy and protected, he’s been one of the game’s most reliable play-action vets of the last decade. That counts for something, even as he approaches age 37.
Los Angeles is once again betting that Matthew Stafford, 37, can stay healthy enough to lead Sean McVay’s latest race for a Lombardi. Fortunately, even if Stafford can’t, the Rams aren’t without a quality alternative. Garoppolo has his own checkered medical history, of course, but this is also a guy who’s shepherded offenses to big stages, reaching two NFC title games and a Super Bowl in a three-year stretch as the rival 49ers starter. He may be dependent on his system, but McVay’s setup is among the game’s friendliest. L.A.’s playoff hopes wouldn’t be dashed if he’s called upon.
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