From Lamar Jackson to Tua Tagovailoa, breaking down 8 biggest QB questions for every head coach-needy NFL team

With a quarter of the league's head coaching jobs opening, the NFL's winter chaos is extending far beyond the wild-card playoff round kicking off this weekend. Already, eight clubs are searching for their next head coach. Candidates will in turn want to ask franchises: What plan is in place for stability at the all-important position of quarterback?

It's early to predict resolutions to all quarterback questions without knowing who will coach these teams and, in some cases, which general manager will oversee personnel decisions. But what's not too soon to say: The right coach-quarterback pairing can catapult a franchise to the postseason in its coach's first year.

The Chicago Bears' Ben Johnson and Jacksonville Jaguars' Liam Coen are poised to debut in the playoffs this weekend as first-time head coaches. Mike Vrabel has similarly elevated the New England Patriots from a four-win team to the AFC's No. 2 seed in his first year at the Patriots' helm (Vrabel previously led Tennessee Titans teams to the playoffs).

The rapid success of each hinged heavily on top quarterbacks already in place. The Bears, Jaguars and Patriots had each already invested in a quarterback with a top-three overall draft pick.

So what will 2026's first-year head coaches encounter at the most impactful position in sports? Let's break down each franchise's biggest questions, from the ones that warrant the smallest to the biggest question marks:

8. Baltimore Ravens' top question: A system fit?

As the most attractive opening of the bunch, the Ravens offer the chance to work with a two-time MVP in Lamar Jackson. General manager Eric DeCosta has some work to do on Jackson's contract, which includes only one more year of guarantees and two more years of control. A $74.5 million salary cap hit looms each of those seasons, per Spotrac, which should further incentivize the Ravens to pursue an extension. But from an on-field perspective, Jackson is by far the most talented, proven and settled quarterback across the eight openings. His dual-threat abilities routinely thwart defenses. Even in a season-ending loss, he threw multiple touchdowns of 50+ yards in the fourth quarter, including one that required escaping two defenders who had wrapped up Jackson for a seeming sack.

League coaches and executives don't question Jackson's rung in this group. Health is somewhat of a question (Jackson missed four games this year with hamstring and back injuries) but not enough to mute excitement around his ability. One caveat league sources point to as worth following though: the value of pairing Jackson with an offensive play-caller who will maximize his skill set. While the timing-predicated Shanahan/McVay system has delivered success to many coaches and teams across the league, one high-ranking NFC executive said it would not maximize Jackson's dual-threat ability.

That's real," an assistant from another NFC team told Yahoo Sports. It would be silly to put him in that system. Just like it would be silly to put [Joe] Burrow in a QB-run system. Each are great players that could probably operate within the offense - but they are losing their superpowers."

7. New York Giants' top question: Can Jaxson Dart be saved from himself?

Before the Ravens and John Harbaugh dissolved their 18-year marriage, the Giants had a case for best opening. The club has promise coming off the rookie season of 25th overall pick Jaxson Dart, who accounted for 24 touchdowns to seven turnovers and averaged 230 offensive yards per start - even as star receiver Malik Nabers suffered a torn ACL in Dart's first start.

Nabers joins a talented core that includes left tackle Andrew Thomas, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II and edge rusher Brian Burns as pieces to build around. But the No. 1 responsibility for the Giants' next head coach must be to rein in Dart's recklessness. His dual-threat abilities and toughness energize the team and fuel production. But routine concussion checks, and two games missed due to concussion, is unsustainable. Dart needs an adult in the room who can shape his appetite for danger and remind him when the risk is worth the reward (think: game-winning drives, touchdowns, occasional third downs). Reduce the risk a bit, and the Giants' quarterback can be a bright spot on their roster after exceeding expectations as a rookie.

If you're looking at the course of the entire season, he was dynamic," one talent evaluator whose team faced Dart told Yahoo Sports. He was a guy that after our game [we said,] Holy smokes, this Dart kid's for real.' He created issues for our defense."

6. Tennessee Titans: Develop the reigning top draft pick?

Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi spoke this week about eliminating Chiefs bias" from his head-coaching search. But Borgonzi, whose 16 years in Kansas City included the first eight of Patrick Mahomes' career, will also benefit from the front-row seat he had to the development of a first-round quarterback flashing tantalizing out-of-structure plays and creative arm angles. Ward entered the NFL with that playmaking ability. Over the course of his rookie year, even after the Titans fired head coach and offensive mind Brian Callahan six games in, Ward demonstrated acclimation to the NFL. Across his first 12 games, Ward completed 59.7% of pass attempts, throwing for seven touchdowns to six interceptions while averaging 196 passing yards per game. In his next four games (an AC joint sprain sidelined him most of the finale), Ward's yardage and completion percentage remained similar (192 yards, 59.2%) but he improved to eight passing touchdowns to just one interception. Ward's passer rating jumped from 75.2 to 95.0 between those stretches. That growth should intrigue coaching candidates, though anyone taking this job should feel sold on Ward as their future given he's one year into the Titans' investment of the first overall pick.

One talent evaluator whose team faced Ward noted his decision-making speeding up.

He's been good extending plays outside of structure all year," the evaluator told Yahoo Sports. In December, he's really just settled in [and] starting to click within the designed plays. He's taken a positive step playing with more anticipation, patience and decisiveness from the pocket. He's doing a better job of taking easy completions and yards. His surrounding cast is below average, so all of that is impressive."

5. Las Vegas Raiders: Do you believe in Fernando Mendoza?

The Raiders will have a tough time selling candidates on coaching stability after they've cycled through five coaches (full-time and interim) the last five seasons. Talent gaps loom, too. And yet the Raiders can offer coaching candidates the top overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. League sources thus see Raiders upside with an expectation that the club will soon welcome Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

Mendoza impresses scouts with his ideal size and frame, athleticism and good arm strength, talent evaluators across the NFC and AFC told Yahoo Sports.

My comp was Jared Goff and I feel really good about that," one NFC talent evaluator said. Mechanics look similar, athleticism and pocket manipulate do too. See him as a winning, good-not-great starting QB at his ceiling. Comfortable floor."

An AFC offensive assistant believed Raiders' decision makers would gravitate toward Mendoza. The franchise announced that general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady would lead their head-coaching search. The Raiders' clearest admission yet that Brady is intimately involved in key decision-making is unlikely to be checked at the door when picking a player at the position he played and knows arguably better than anyone in the organization. Raiders brass will need to decide what to do about Geno Smith, who has one year and a $26.5 million cap hit left on his deal (which would reduce if he's cut). Smith's top advocate is gone after the Raiders fired head coach Pete Carroll. Mendoza increasingly seems to be the answer.

Mendoza just seems like a real cerebral guy," the AFC assistant told Yahoo Sports, and that is what the Patriots guys love and what Brady was."

4. Atlanta Falcons: Will in-house guys cut it?

The Falcons' answer at quarterback next season has plenty of question marks with turnover at head coach and general manager, as well as the expectation that 14-year Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will be heavily involved in football operations. But with two possible quarterbacks under contract, the Falcons aren't starting from scratch as some of their counterparts appear poised to be.

Michael Penix Jr. still has potential to become a strong NFL quarterback two years after the Falcons selected him eighth overall. But as four of the six 2024 first-round quarterbacks have already clinched a playoff berth, Penix has averaged 227 passing yards per start, throwing for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. Credit Penix for playing well against tougher opponents this season, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots. But he's yet to establish consistency. And most concerningly, Penix suffered his third ACL tear in November. He tore his right ACL twice in college and now will add his left ACL to the surgically repaired list. An AFC talent evaluator said repetitive injury to a similar part of the body raises more of a red flag in evaluation than scattered injuries.

"We say two ACLs is a scary thing," the evaluator told Yahoo Sports. "You've got three? That scares the hell out of me."

If the Falcons have questions about Penix's readiness for Week 1 in 2026, they may be wise to keep veteran Kirk Cousins in the house - especially after he quarterbacked five wins, including the final four games of the season, following Penix's injury. Cousins' performance this season suggested that his 2024 campaign may have been more about his proximity to a 2023 Achilles tear than irreversible aging. That also gives Cousins trade value. The Falcons' next head coach and general manager will have full plates.

3. Cleveland Browns: Is Shedeur Sanders the guy?

The Browns drafted two quarterbacks last spring. Do they feel confident enough in either to not spend a pair of first-round picks, including the sixth overall selection, on a thrower? Given Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry's philosophy on drafting quarterbacks nearly every year - and more often than one thinks because of its importance and the need to retool quickly if missing on a dart throw - it's fair to guess the Browns draft a quarterback. Cleveland's evaluation of the 2026 class, in concert with its next head coach, will determine how serious a consideration Sanders gets up against the newest addition. The level of patience from Browns team owner Jimmy Haslam could also influence whether the Browns chase a free-agency Band-Aid or try to run it back one last time with Deshaun Watson.

NFL history indicates coaches prefer quarterbacks they selected themselves. The Browns won three of Sanders' seven starts, but his 193 passing yards per game and 59.2% completion rate in those starts weren't significantly stronger than fellow draft classmate Dillon Gabriel's 153 and 58.9% mark in six starts. Sanders threw seven touchdowns to nine interceptions in his starts: Gabriel, six to two. Sanders is considered to have a higher ceiling of the two, but his lower floor was also on display at times.

Some league voices question whether Sanders' personality and skill set will be enough to entice a new coach to bet on him. Others think a coach giving Sanders more opportunity than Cleveland did this past season could turn things around.

There's so many levers," one AFC talent evaluator told Yahoo Sports. Will a more adaptive coach help him? Does he just need the full offseason? Is just entirely not it? ... He's clearly more talented than [Gabriel]."

2. Arizona Cardinals: What's going on with Kyler Murray?

Arizona has one of the three big pillars intact, as general manager Monti Ossenfort outlasts head coach Jonathan Gannon. That's notable given Ossenfort was involved in the decision to place Kyler Murray on injured reserve in November for a foot injury, a designation the Cardinals chose not to remove. Perhaps Murray's foot was simply not ready, but this would not be the first time a club sidelined its quarterback beyond the necessary health period in order to avoid triggering injury clauses in a contract. Murray's five games this season, in which he posted two wins and a 6:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, do not inspire confidence for his 2026 job security. Fill-in Jacoby Brissett posted a better passer rating than Murray even as the Cardinals lost 11 of 12 games with Brissett.

Ossenfort endorsed neither of them Monday, which was telling particularly with his high-priced former first overall draft pick in Murray.

When you come off a season like we have," Ossefnort said, I'd say all options are on the table, whether it's quarterback or any other position."

League voices believe the Cardinals will use the capital of the third overall pick either directly or indirectly to find a quarterback, giving a new coach a chance to reset at the position. If the Cardinals feel strongly enough about a rookie, a market-efficient contract could offset the dead money likely to carry over from Murray's contract. As of now, Murray is due $36.8 million in guarantees next season. More guarantees, including his $19.5 million 2027 salary, are due the fifth day of the league year in March, per Spotrac.

Can't imagine someone trades for him, although maybe [given] there are QB needy teams," one NFC executive told Yahoo Sports.

Added another: If you're him, why not just get cut and get to hit the market?"

1. Miami Dolphins: Is anything sure?

The Dolphins win the award for biggest question mark at quarterback given they currently have no head coach, a brand-new general manager in Jon-Eric Sullivan and a costly quarterback whose play lost the team's confidence. Quinn Ewers, a seventh-round rookie thrown into a tough situation, unsurprisingly did not secure his future during three end-of-year starts.

Tua Tagovailoa is just two years into a five-year extension, so $99.2 million in dead cap looms on a contract that was not structured to offer its first reasonable" out in 2027. Perhaps the Dolphins' next coach will feel they can salvage Tagovailoa like Mike McDaniel did when he replaced Brian Flores. But Tagovailoa's 20-touchdown, 15-interception performance this season will hurt his case and his history with concussions will give future leaders pause.

And while Sullivan's 23 years with the Green Bay Packers showed him the value in drafting and developing quarterbacks, that's unlikely to prove an immediate salve: The Dolphins don't pick until 11th.

McDaniel will not make this decision after Miami dismissed him Thursday. But his postseason comments on Tagovailoa likely hint at the sentiments of some team brass who will continue on in decision-making roles.

For the first time, I assessed, as my job, whether or not [Tagovailoa] should be the starting quarterback on the team," McDaniel said Monday. That was a result of an inability to get some things done. Does that mean that's a forever thing for him in terms of being able to execute stuff that he's executed in the past? No, it doesn't.

[But] he'll have to work to get himself back to where we're all used to seeing."