The 2025 QB carousel is as simple as the Titans, Browns, Giants, and Raiders fighting over the same 3 players in the NFL Draft and free agency: who has the upper hand?
These four teams are fighting over these same three players
The Tennessee Titans are patiently waiting for the beginning of free agency, when the biggest dominoes on the 2025 QB carousel will—or won’t—fall. All eyes are on Matthew Stafford with the Los Angeles Rams and Derek Carr with the New Orleans Saints. These are the top-2 QBs currently under contract whose futures with their current teams are uncertain.
If either of those guys is on the move in March, it could shake some things up. But if neither moves, the quarterback picture seems much simpler than some are making it out to be.
I think right now, we’ve got 4 teams fighting over 3 QBs: The Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and Las Vegas Raiders are fighting over Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, and Sam Darnold.
These teams are drafting at 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th respectively. And unless a QB currently under contract can be pried away from their current team, this is the league consensus on the top-3 QB options for these QB-needy teams.
The Titans maintain the greatest control of the bunch. Whether they choose to take QB1 at 1st overall or trade down with a veteran plan instead, they control their own destiny in all of this. They have the money and draft position to go after anybody they want.
The Browns are primarily involved because of their draft slot and need for a cost-controlled QB option. Sure, they may decide to go after a veteran option such as Kirk Cousins should he become available. But it would have to be somebody rather cheap. If they fall for one of the QBs in this draft class, they’re set up to take him if he’s there at 2.
Let’s jump over the Giants for a moment and look at the Raiders. picking 6th overall, the Raiders are the team expected by league circles to go hard after Sam Darnold in free agency. The team has more ownership cashflow than they've have in a very long time (thanks Tom Brady & Co!) and new Head Coach Pete Carrol will want a QB he can win with now. They're really not in a position to go after one of the rookie QBs unless they decide to mortgage their future, which isn't expected, so they don't have much of a choice. Darnold has to be their guy, unless they love the idea of Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins for some reason. The Raiders may very well be the team that takes Darnold from the $35M/yr range up into $40M+ territory.
And that leaves just the Giants. Who is left for the poor G-Men? This is why you've heard recently just how much the Giants are publicly interested in a Matthew Stafford trade. He feels like their ticket to relevancy, to power in this QB cycle. Because otherwise, they're at the mercy of teams ahead of and behind them. The Titans and Browns hold the keys to the top-2 QBs if they want them, and the Raiders are expected to be the ones driving the market for Darnold. Perhaps the Giants could get desperate because of this and mortgage their future to move up a spot or two, but that doesn't seem likely so far.
However this QB carousel pans out, I'm expecting Darnold, Sanders, and Ward to end up on these four teams. But who knows, one or two surprising QB dominoes fall, and nothing is off the table…
Veteran QB options for the Tennessee Titans if they choose to pass on Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward in the 2025 NFL Draft
Alternatives for the Titans at QB in 2025.
Titans have two critical positions of need that nobody is talking about with the 2025 NFL Draft and free agency on the horizon
The Titans have to make major moves at these two positions to restore their defense, and I’m not talking about EDGE
