While most of the NFL's notable offseason moves involved stars at other positions, there were several starting-caliber quarterbacks to either end up on a new team or re-sign with their own during the spring. Some of these moves look better than others, though.
With that in mind, let's grade every major quarterback transaction, determining which one looks the best right now.
Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
Grade: A
Is Kyler Murray a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback? Almost certainly not. Is Murray a top 15-to-20 quarterback? Even that can be debated. What can't be debated is that Murray is one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the league, and landing a starting-caliber quarterback on a one-year, $1.3 million deal is nothing short of a steal. It could easily be the biggest steal of the offseason.
The Minnesota Vikings had arguably the worst QB room in 2025 thanks to JJ McCarthy's injury-riddled and inconsistent rookie season, so Murray, even with his faults, should be a major upgrade. We saw what Sam Darnold was able to do under Kevin O'Connell, and Murray is another uber-talented quarterback who struggled in a bad situation. Could we be in for a repeat?
Even if not, the value is just too good to give this anything but an A grade.
Tua Tagovailoa, Atlanta Falcons
Grade: B+
Tua Tagovailoa found himself in virtually the exact same situation as Murray. He underperformed his contract, leading the Miami Dolphins to release him, and allowing the Atlanta Falcons to sign him for the veteran minimum on a one-year deal. There is absolutely no risk for the team on that kind of deal, as Tagovailoa will be making less than most backups, and there is a chance for real reward.
The reason why Tagovailoa's grade is lower than Murray's is that I just don't think his ceiling is as high. Still, getting him for just $1.2 million is absurdly cheap, and while I question that he's a starting-caliber quarterback on a contending team, Tagovailoa should be more than fine running the offense for a year in Atlanta or backing up Michael Penix, if he gets healthy enough to play.
Plus, with weapons galore in Atlanta, perhaps Tagovailoa is in for a bigger year than some might be expecting.
Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
Grade: B
It looked as if Daniel Jones was the quarterback solution that Indianapolis Colts fans had been waiting for since Andrew Luck retired before a torn Achilles ended his season prematurely. Prior to the injury, Jones was playing extremely well and had Indianapolis atop the AFC. Without Jones, their season collapsed, and Indianapolis missed the playoffs entirely.
Given how well he played, it always made sense for the Colts to bring him back as long as the contract made sense. The contract he wound up signing to remain in Indianapolis made a good amount of sense, as the two-year, $88 million pact does not include wildly substantial guarantees.
There are concerns regarding Jones' inconsistent track record and his durability, but a two-year deal at a modest enough salary is a risk worth taking. If Jones plays as well as he did in 2025, the Colts could easily be a playoff team in 2026. If Jones struggles or can't stay healthy, the deal won't crush their future.
Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
Grade: B-
The Miami Dolphins were wise to release Tua Tagovailoa, and it certainly made sense that their pivot would be to Malik Willis, considering he spent the past two seasons with the Green Bay Packers, and their brand-new head coach and GM both came from the Packers organization. The terms of the deal (three years, $67.5 million) were far from egregious as well.
This is a risk, though. While Willis showed some flashes in Green Bay, he started just three games there over two years and didn't throw the ball much. He didn't show many positives at all in Tennessee prior to his Packers tenure. A lot will be asked of him on a team that just parted with both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and is bereft of weapons beyond De'Von Achane.
I don't know what to expect. Willis has the tools to be a franchise quarterback, and it made sense to give this a shot rather than signing an older veteran stopgap to a one-year deal, but it's entirely possible this could fail miserably. We could easily have a Justin Fields situation on our hands, in which the Dolphins paid an unproven quarterback a good amount of money for a few years to start and then cut bait after year one. It's a worthwhile risk, but that doesn't mean it isn't one.
Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders
Grade: A+
Sometimes, the easiest move you can make is the best move you can make. There wasn't a better quarterback move made this offseason than the Las Vegas Raiders selecting Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall selection of the 2025 NFL Draft.
While Mendoza might not be the best No. 1 overall pick ever, he was the clear-cut best option at the most valuable position in this year's class, and he has the makings of being a future high-level starter in this league. Adding a veteran as accomplished as Kirk Cousins to show him the ropes and play if needed only makes the Mendoza pick even better. The Raiders have their guy, hopefully for the next decade-plus.
Geno Smith, New York Jets
Grade: B
The New York Jets just barely missed out on Fernando Mendoza, but pivoted nicely by trading for the quarterback he's replacing on the Raiders, Geno Smith. No, Smith is not an exciting acquisition by any means, and I don't expect him to win many games in his second tour of duty with the Jets, but the acquisition cost made a lot of sense.
All the Jets had to do was trade a sixth-round pick in exchange for Smith and a seventh-rounder, while also acquiring Smith at a very reasonable $3.3 million cap hit. It's very hard to see how this can go wrong.
If Smith plays well, the Jets probably still won't be able to win enough games and can still find their quarterback of the future in the 2027 NFL Draft. If Smith struggles, which is far more likely coming off an anysmal 2025 campaign, this is only a one-year deal, and the Jets can find their quarterback of the future next offseason. Either way, it's hard to get upset at a one-year deal for anybody, especially when the cap hit and acquisition cost were so low.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade: C-
The inevitable happened when Aaron Rodgers re-signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The good news for the Steelers is that Rodgers didn't drag his useless free agency out for as long as last season, as he signed in May this time around. Getting him back with Mike McCarthy, a head coach he won a Super Bowl with, is pretty cool, too. Unfortunately, the bad news is just about everything else.
I don't see the upside here. Rodgers is now 42 years old, entering his final NFL season, and he's nothing more than an average quarterback at his absolute best. He's good enough to get Pittsburgh to the playoffs, as he did in 2025, but does anyone actually think he's good enough to win a playoff game, let alone a Super Bowl?
The answer to those questions is almost certainly no, and with that in mind, why bother? At least with a quarterback like Murray, Tagovailoa or Willis, you'd be getting someone with upside. If Rodgers is the last resort, why not just let a young quarterback like Will Howard or Drew Allar play? If one of the young guys succeeded, the Steelers might've lucked into their QB of the future. If they struggled, the Steelers would likely be in a position to draft somebody.
Re-signing Rodgers ensures that the Steelers won't be good enough to win a playoff game, and they'll be too good to draft someone in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft. That's really unfortunate, especially when knowing Rodgers is 100 percent gone after the year. It's just hard to see a win here, even with acknowledging the fact that there weren't many alternatives.
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