The Waiting Game: A look at the NFL’s backup quarterbacks
By Paul Gould
The hit Netflix series Quarterback has returned for Season Three. Episode Two begins with the four featured QBs waxing lyrical about the honour of being among the 32 men on the planet who are current starting NFL quarterbacks. They also acknowledge the fragility of this hard-earned status.
From September to early January (at least) they are hunted by the likes of Myles Garrett, Will Anderson Jnr, and Maxx Crosby. And if they should fall, or fail, then who stands ready to take their place? Who, among the next 32 in line, is capable of snatching the starting job for themselves, or at least holding the fort effectively in their absence?
Rewind to 14 December 2025, Chiefs v Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium. With 2:00 remaining and facing a 16-13 deficit, Patrick Mahomes rolls to his right, under pursuit, around midfield. He’s hit as he throws and, suffering a torn ACL in the process, his season is over. At that moment, the Chiefs’ season effectively ends too. Backup QB Gardner Minshew, who to this point hasn’t thrown a pass all season, is unable to perform a Mahomes-like miracle and the game is lost. Kansas City goes winless for the remainder of the season, ending 6-10 and missing the playoffs.
Of course, the Chiefs’ demise wasn’t all down to Minshew. But the moment throws into sharp relief the importance of the starting QB and the potential for the dreams of a franchise to unravel if the hero’s cleats are too big to fill.
So, who among the NFL’s backups are best equipped to meet the challenge effectively if it comes their way in 2026?
Starting Over?
“When Adam Thielen says that, then you have to assume that it is Kyler Murray’s job to lose.”
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 28, 2026
@AdamSchefter discusses the QB competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/kc2bWx3u8E
Perhaps the most likely candidates to succeed when called upon are those who began last season as starters themselves. Discounting Russell Wilson, who has since retired, there are six of them: Geno Smith, Justin Fields, Joe Flacco, Michael Penix Jnr, JJ McCarthy and Spencer Rattler.
If Mahomes doesn’t recover in time to start Week 1, the baton will pass to Justin Fields. Fields arrives from the New York Jets, replacing Minshew, and he may have found the perfect landing spot. This will be the best set up he has had in his fledgling career, slotting into an offence that still boasts weapons and receiving the guidance of head coach Andy Reid. Fields has the raw tools; he just needs to refine them and improve his decision making.
Three of this group find themselves on the same team as last year but likely demoted to backup status. Michael Penix Jnr should be nudged aside by Tua Tagovailoa, who joins from the Dolphins on a one-year deal. Like Mahomes, Penix is recovering from a torn ACL as he heads into a crucial year. At the end of it, the Falcons will have to decide on whether to take up the fifth-year option on his contract.
However, the pressure is also on Tua to prove himself following his unconvincing tenure in Miami. Even if Penix misses out on the starting job, he could get his chance later in the season if Tagovailoa’s history of injury and inconsistency continues to haunt him. Penix was having a reasonable year in 2025 before being sidelined and has undoubted arm talent. Ultimately, however, Atlanta may have saddled themselves with two star-crossed QBs.
In Minnesota, the Vikings put all their eggs in JJ McCarthy’s basket in 2025 after moving on from Sam Darnold. We all know how that turned out, and now the Vikings appear ready to pivot to Kyler Murray while McCarthy is given more time to develop away from the spotlight. McCarthy’s learning curve has been steep and his numbers bitterly disappointing. He’s been dogged by questions over his maturity and his ability to cope in pressure situations. He’ll need to find the mettle required to prolong his NFL career, and a spell as backup could give him the breathing space to do so.
Spencer Rattler may consider himself the most unfortunate of the trio to be demoted, in that he didn’t do a huge amount wrong. Though unspectacular in his first two seasons in New Orleans, achieving average passer ratings of 70.4 in 2024 and 86.5 in 2025, Rattler showed flashes of real potential. Sadly, for him and the Saints, this translated into just a single win last season and head coach Kellen Moore turned to rookie Tyler Shough in Week 8. Shough saw out the rest of the season in impressive style with a completion rate of 67% and 10 passing touchdowns. The starting job for 2026 is undoubtedly his, and Rattler will have to wait patiently for another chance.
New Kids on the Block
Almost certainly, the backup QB who will draw most focus going into 2026 is the newest. Fernando Mendoza, first overall pick in this year’s Draft, is widely expected to watch from the sidelines in Week 1 as his new mentor and teammate Kirk Cousins takes the reins for the Raiders. However, there are some pundits who think Mendoza can win the upcoming training camp battle and start from the outset.
Either way, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t think that the Heisman Trophy winner will be installed as first choice for the Silver & Black at some point this season. And if Cousins is to be the backup in Las Vegas, then the Raiders have a good one despite his advancing years.
Ty Simpson was the other and somewhat surprising first-round QB selection in the Draft, and he will be the Number 2 for Matthew Stafford at the Rams. Providing Stafford remains healthy, there’s almost zero chance that Simpson gets a start this season. But, much like Jordan Love did when the Packers drafted him, Simpson should have the luxury of time to learn from the great man ahead of him in the pecking order. And who knows, he may even acquire a Super Bowl ring while he waits.
The best (and worst) of the rest
The Broncos, Texans and 49ers all made the playoffs last season and will be looking to build on that success in 2026. To do so, they may have to rely at some point on their backups, as they did in 2025. Jarrett Stidham, Davis Mills and Mac Jones all deputised last year when injuries to the starting QBs required them to step up.
Although Stidham’s sample size was one game, it happened to be with the AFC Championship at stake. And but for a freakish weather event that favoured the Patriots, he might have been steering the Broncos offence in Super Bowl LX.
Mills and Jones enjoyed much lengthier and productive spells subbing for CJ Stroud and Brock Purdy respectively. Davis Mills steered the Texans through a tricky November slate, winning three out of four games to keep their playoff push on track.
Meanwhile, Mac Jones made eight starts for the Niners, winning five of them and displaying a steady hand in the process. Jones is considered among the most reliable backups around and he could potentially be back in the frame for a starting role elsewhere in 2027.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Bills and the Patriots are two playoff teams who will be hoping their franchise QBs aren’t sidelined at any point this season. There’s a significant drop off in quality to understudies Kyle Allen and Tommy DeVito respectively, should the worst happen. And finally, spare a thought for the Cardinals who will have to choose between two perennial backups, Gardner Minshew and Jacoby Brissett, to be their starting quarterback in 2026.
PAUL GOULD
NFL ANALYST
A freelance writer and editor based in Cambridgeshire, Paul has avidly followed the NFL since the late 1980’s and spends much of his spare time wondering if he’ll ever see the Raiders play in a Super Bowl again.