As we approach the legal tampering period in March, there are going to be plenty of conversations about which player ends up where. This will be the time of year that teams get a facelift and their fans can get excited (or more disappointed) at the new look of their team.

Building a team through free agency will always be a more costly method when compared to building through the draft but the teams that are able to sign impact players while drafting well are able to make deep runs into the playoffs.

There is no position more impactful than the quarterback so we will start our list with the top 5 quarterbacks to keep an eye on during free agency. This year does not have that deep of a free agent quarterback class. With that said, this list has a heavy “storylines to watch” focus rather than a true “Top Free Agents” list.

1. Malik Willis

Malik Willis tops our list because he is really the only true quarterback that is set to make a move as a true free agent. There are a lot of bigger names that might be on the move this offseason but based on Willis’ time in Green Bay, he deserves to be looked at as the top free agent quarterback in this class. Willis has seen action in the past two seasons as a backup to Jordan Love on the Packers.

Originally drafted in the third round by the Titans, Willis was traded to Green Bay in 2024 for a 7th round draft pick. He stepped in for Jordan Love in Week 2 and won his first 2 starts. He played in 5 other games in 2024 and finished with 550 pass yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also added 138 rush yards and a touchdown.

This past season, Love suffered an injury against the Giants and Willis stepped in and helped the Packers to a 27-20 victory. He made several other appearances as Love dealt with injury but recorded his only start in Week 17 against the Baltimore Ravens. He went 18/21 for 288 yards and 1 TD. The Packers ultimately lost 41-24 but Willis was impressive in his showing.

Willis’ athleticism has always been known. However, his time in Matt Lafleur’s system allowed him to show what he can do as a passer. As result, he most likely made himself a lot more money as he looks to cash in on his production. Spotrac is currently projecting his AAV(average annual value) to be $10.5 million on the market.

In terms of potential landing spots, it is anyone’s guess as to where Willis will end up. The Dolphins seem like the smart bet as they just hired Green Bay’s defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, to be their head coach. However, there is a question of Tua Tagovailoa’s contract to consider. The next logical spot would be an in division move to Minnesota. The Vikings are in a quarterback quagmire with JJ McCarthy and Kevin O’Connell has been known to make magic with almost any quarterback. A third option could be the Arizona Cardinals where Matt Lafleur’s brother, Mike Lafleur, just took over as the head coach. They seem to want to move on from Kyler Murray as well and there could potentially be some familiarity there. At the end of the day, Willis could just stay as a backup in Green Bay but you would think that he will want to test the waters.

Prediction: Miami Dolphins

2. Daniel Jones

DJ has the chance to sign another huge contract this offseason. It is pretty interesting how similar the circumstances are to the last time he signed a big deal. When Jones was in New York, he had his best season during his contract year and was able to cash it on a big contract. His contract signing coincided with the resigning of Saquon Barkley, who was placed on the franchise tag doing irreputable damage to the relationship between the Giants and Barkley.

Now with the Colts, Jones was having a career year prior to tearing his Achilles. His play on the field helped the Colts get off to an 8-2 start. The Colts are faced with a similar decision as the Giants had in 2023. Wide receiver, Alec Pierce, is set to hit the open market and the Colts can hardly afford to lose him. They will most likely have to tag either Pierce or Jones and sign the other to a long-term contract.

Jones earned the respect of Indianapolis, earning the nickname “Indiana Jones” and was even in the MVP conversation. He was the signal caller on the hottest offense in the league and seemed to be the perfect fit for the city and the team. He meshed well with the weapons on the team and helped operate the offense more efficiently than anyone could have expected. He ended up dealing with an injury in the last few games he played but decided to play through. That grit, while admirable, cost him in the long run as he ended up tearing his Achilles in Week 14. The Colts never recovered and lost their remaining games.

Prior to the injury, Jones was on pace for career highs in passing yards, completion percentage, touchdowns, and passer rating. The Colts will most likely be focusing on the positives that Jones brought to the table. Unfortunately, injuries have to be part of the conversation. Jones has missed 28 games in his career due to injury. All that being said, Spotrac is projected his AAV to be ~$44 million, which would exceed his prior $40 million AAV. While it is unlikely that Jones leaves Indy, this will be a top QB storyline moving forward.

Prediction: Resigns with Colts

3. Kyler Murray

I wrote in my season preview for the Cardinals last year that 2025 was the year that Kyler Murray needed to prove he was worth all of the resources that Arizona has poured into him. In short (not a height joke) it did not happen. This last season was another entry in a list of mounting disappointments with Murray. The former number 1 overall pick has failed to live up to the expectations that comes with being a franchise quarterback. A combination of work ethic questions, injuries, and inconsistent play have soured thepublic perception of Murray.

Kyler managed to last 5 games, where he went 2-3 in 2025. He threw for 962 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He was injured in his last game and Jacoby Brissett took over the starting job. Murray was projected to be out with 3 games, but he later found himself on injury reserve. It read as more of a soft benching than a legitimate injury.

Arizona is once again going through changes at key positions. They fired Jonathon Gannon as their head coach. They brought in Mike Lafluer as the new guy in charge. Lafleur is an offensive mind and on paper, it would seem like it would be a good fit for Kyler. However, he might want to build around a quarterback of his choosing.

Now the question is, what are they going to do with him and his contract? Murray is owed $36.8 million in fully guaranteed money for the 2026 season. If the Cardinals want to trade him, the new team will have to be comfortable with taking on that money. We have seen some crazy trades in the NFL and we might be in for one involving Murray this year. As far as trade partners go, you could see the Jets with all of their newly acquired draft picks as collateral. I also would not be surprised if Atlanta is in the mix as they do not have a clear answer at quarterback.

Prediction: Traded to Jets

4. Tua Tagovailoa

Much like Murray, it looks like Tua Tagovaila appears to be done with his chance as a franchise quarterback. The Dolphins have made several key changes over the past few months. They fired long time general manager, Chris Grier, and then made the decision to move on from Head Coach, Mike McDaniel. They made the decision to bring Jeff Hafley in as the new head coach. Hafley will be a first-time head coach that is looking to make an impact and will most likely be looking to do so with a new quarterback at the helm.

Tua signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in 2024. At the time, Tua was playing very well in the Mike McDaniel offense. It seemed like a corner had been turned. Then he suffered a concussion, his third in just two years. He was never quite the same after.

Last season, things went off the rails. Tua struggled all year and was ultimately benched heading into Week 16. It seemingly marked the end of Tua’s time as a Dolphin. Now, with the new regime, the Dolphins are in a tough spot. Tua is owed $54 million this year and there are still 2 more years left on that monster contract.

The Dolphins will have to get creative if they want to move on from Tua. No matter what they choose, it will be a costly decision. If they trade him, they will have to eat some of the contract to make it more enticing to potential trade partners. They could bite the bullet and cut him, which would be the costliest decision. Cutting him could end up costing $99 million in dead money. The Broncos had a similar situation with Russ Wilson a few years back that they are still paying for, despite their on the field success. It might be best for both parties if they just part ways.

Prediction: Cut

5. Kirk Cousins

Rounding out our list is Captain Kirk himself. Kirk Cousins has had a highly productive career and showed last year that he has some football left. His two years in Atlanta did not go the way that most people expected. For starters, no one expected the Falcons to draft Michael Penix Jr. in the first-round right after signing Cousins. Then I don’t think many people expected Kirk to struggle as much as he did in his first year with the team. Much of that could be attributed to him recovering from his Achilles tear.

The roller coaster did not end on the bench. in 2025, Michael Penix struggled early and then suffered what amounted to a season-ending injury. Cousins came in as the starter for the last 8 games and led the team to a 5-3 record. He went 166/269 for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in his appearances. At the very least, Cousins showed that he is able to play above the current level of public expectations.

Cousins recently restructured his contract in a way that would make it easy for Atlanta to move on from him. This paired with the turnover of the head coach and general manager makes it all but guaranteed that Cousins is probably going to hit the open market.

People are already speculating that there could be a reunion in Minnesota due to the lack of clarity at the quarterback position there. However, it also seems unlikely as they moved on from Cousins two years ago. I would expect that the Vikings target a younger quarterback if they want to bring in further competition for JJ McCarthy. Potential other landing spots for Cousins could be the Jets, Arizona, and maybe even Pittsburgh.

Prediction: Cut and signs with Arizona

Honorable Mention: Aaron Rodgers

The future Hall of Famer is going to be in the mix for two main options. He is technically a free agent after signing just a 1-year contract last offseason with the Steelers. However, the public discourse appears to agree that there are really only two realistic options for the 42-year-old quarterback. The first option is retirement. Rodgers alluded to last year being his last season during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show back in June. Rodgers has said several times that he has accomplished everything that he wanted to accomplish in the NFL. However, after a solid year with the Steelers, wishing thinking Steeler fans are hoping for one last ride. Should he decide to play another year, it seems like it would be in Pittsburgh. The Steelers will have a new head coach for the first time in 18 years, and it is a familiar face for Rodgers. Pittsburgh hired Mike McCarthy who coached Rodgers for 13 years in Green Bay. The NFL audience will await a decision from Aaron but based on his previous comments it does seem like he is leaning towards retirement.

Wild Card: Derek Carr

I slightly blame Phil Rivers for this one. Rivers came out of retirement last year and inspired almost all retired quarterbacks to consider how they would perform out there. Derek Carr is not nearly as old as Rivers but retired due to medical concerns. However, there has been some chatter that Carr is eyeing a comeback if there is a contender that is willing to sign him. The problem is, I do not think that there is a team out there that is just a “Derek Carr” away from being a Super Bowl Champion. I think it is more likely to be a name that is thrown around rather than a reality but either way, there will be some quarterback needy team out there that might kick the tires. At the very least, get ready for the discourse during the slow time of the year. Much like any of these quarterbacks, I would expect Minnesota to be linked to Carr as a landing spot.