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With the arrival of the postseason comes the preparation for the roster-focused action of the offseason. Those who are spending January at home are already looking ahead, taking stock of team needs and assessing players who might be available. Of course, no position is more valuable than quarterback.
More than 60 quarterbacks have started a game this season, emphasizing the importance of the entire room, not just the QB1. With this in mind, I’m spotlighting eight impending free-agent signal-callers who should be priority re-signings for their current teams — even if it’s primarily to prevent them from joining a rival.
Willis has all but graduated from Matt LaFleur’s QB finishing school after two seasons in Green Bay — and he successfully defended his thesis in a Week 17 start against Baltimore, delivering a truly mesmerizing performance that should resonate with quarterback-needy teams well beyond January. That showing — plus Willis’ ability to maintain Green Bay’s offensive effectiveness even in games that he entered at a moment’s notice — has likely convinced a number of suitors that the former Titans third-round pick can handle the job of a starter. But he’s also arguably the most valuable backup in the NFL. The Packers shouldn’t just let that walk out the door, not with Jordan Love missing time over the past two seasons with injuries.
Mike Tomlin is gone. The Steelers don’t have a concrete plan for what they’ll do at quarterback in 2026. It sure seems like Pittsburgh is entering the bad place under center just days after bowing out of Wild Card Weekend (again) in lopsided fashion. Steelers owner Art Rooney II even suggested Rodgers may not be interested in returning now that Tomlin has departed, potentially pouring cold water on the QB’s inclusion on this list. But if any team desperately needs a 42-year-old future Hall of Famer to delay his expected retirement and make one more go at it, it’s Pittsburgh, where Rodgers enjoyed a relatively resurgent 2025 season and proved he can still sling it. Convincing him to run it back, however, might be too steep of an ask.
