7 Veteran QBs Hit Free Agency As $99M Dead Cap Crisis Rocks NFL

Seven veteran quarterbacks are poised to reshape the NFL’s offseason just as front offices wrestle with the cost of moving on from expensive passers. Cousins, Tagovailoa, Daniel Jones, Mac Jones, Murray, Rodgers and Willis all sit in different stages of their careers, but they share one crucial trait: each is good enough to start, and flawed enough to make teams hesitate. In a market defined by regret over past contracts, these seven names may decide who contends and who resets.

Kirk Cousins

Kirk Cousins will not rescue a broken franchise, but he remains exactly what he has been for years: a reliable starting quarterback who understands the game at a deep level. He is praised for being smart, dedicated and capable of running virtually any offense, especially now that he is further removed from his Achilles injury and looks more physically ready than when he joined Atlanta in 2024. The Falcons are expected to release Cousins before March 13, when a $67.9M guarantee on his contract vests, with Michael Penix Jr. the presumptive starter despite new head coach Kevin Stefanski and president Matt Ryan not yet formally committing to him, as he continues rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in November and targets a Week 1 return.

Tua Tagovailoa

Tua Tagovailoa’s situation highlights how much must go right for him to thrive. His previous contract number, cited around 55 million dollars per year, made it difficult to surround him with enough support to offset his limitations. Analysts argue that a more modest deal could revive his trajectory, provided a team can replicate the kind of environment Miami built in 2023, with explosive receivers and creative play design. Yet at this stage, no franchise is likely to hand him a starting job outright.

Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones enters the offseason with his talent and upside overshadowed by a brutal run of injuries. In Indianapolis, a promising start collapsed as the Colts crumbled, and he continued playing on a broken leg before his Achilles tendon finally tore in early December. If his health were guaranteed, he would rank much higher among available veterans, but his game depends on mobility that will be compromised in 2026. The Colts have expressed their commitment to re-signing Jones, with a franchise tag or extension both in play, though his recovery timeline from dual-leg injuries leaves any team planning around him with significant uncertainty heading into 2026.

Mac Jones

Mac Jones is a reminder that context often defines quarterback value. Filling in for Brock Purdy in San Francisco, he showed why he was once drafted in the first round, operating efficiently in a quarterback-friendly system loaded with elite playmakers like Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle. His earlier stint in New England proved he can function with a strong coordinator, but struggles without adequate coaching and personnel. Mac Jones remains under contract with San Francisco, though ESPN and multiple analysts have proposed trade scenarios, including a Vikings deal involving a 2026 second-round pick, as teams seek an experienced backup with starting upside.

Kyler Murray

Kyler Murray remains one of the most entertaining quarterbacks to watch when everything clicks, yet teams still question whether he can provide a full season of high-level consistency. The infamous “independent study” clause, inserted into his 2022 extension and quickly pulled after public backlash, may have been embarrassing at the time, but the questions it raised about his film preparation have never fully gone away. After seven NFL seasons, including a 2025 campaign cut short by a foot injury after just five games, his highlight plays show considerable upside, but the total body of work leaves evaluators wondering if he will ever truly put it all together.

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers can still throw with precision from a clean pocket, even as age has stripped away much of his ability to create when protection breaks down. In a league where defenses increasingly attack pass protection, that limitation matters. Still, his experience and pre-snap intelligence remain elite, comparable to the sharpest veterans in recent memory. He guided Pittsburgh to a 10-7 record and the AFC North title in 2025 before a wild-card exit, and for a roster that believes it is one stabilising presence away from deeper contention, Rodgers makes sense as a one-year steward, if he decides to play, a question that has yet to be answered.

Malik Willis

Malik Willis has the fewest career starts of these seven quarterbacks, yet his unknowns are exactly what intrigue evaluators. In Green Bay, he flashed impressive arm strength and a clear aptitude for Matt LaFleur’s version of the Kyle Shanahan system, going 2-0 filling in for Jordan Love and entering free agency as the top-ranked quarterback available — commanding projected starting-level money despite limited experience. Teams already know the flaws of veterans like Rodgers, Murray and Tagovailoa; with Willis, they suspect weaknesses but have not fully seen them exposed, creating the allure of untapped upside at a lower cost.

Why Teams Might Still Hesitate

Despite the urgency to find stability at quarterback, none of these seven veterans offers a simple solution. Cousins delivers competence but not transformation; Tagovailoa needs a carefully built environment; both Jones quarterbacks come with either injury baggage or heavy scheme dependence. Murray’s volatility, Rodgers’ age and Willis’ inexperience add further risk. In a cap-conscious league, front offices must weigh short-term upgrades against locking themselves into another problematic deal that becomes difficult to escape in two or three seasons.

A Veteran-Driven Offseason, Not a Youth Movement

This offseason will be defined less by a new wave of young stars and more by how teams sort these seven veterans into starting, bridge and backup roles. Some franchises will bet on Cousins’ reliability, another on Tua’s reboot, another on a Jones revival or Murray recalibration, and at least one on Rodgers’ final push or Willis’ upside. The biggest drama is not just who signs where, but which decision proves visionary, and which becomes the next cautionary cap story haunting a franchise.

If you enjoyed this article, please like the article and follow us here on MSN! Thank you for reading and have a great day!

Sources
“Sources: Falcons expected to cut Kirk Cousins before new league year.” ESPN, February 2026.
“Kirk Cousins release: Falcons expected to cut veteran QB before new league year.” CBS Sports, February 2026.
“Dolphins Preparing To Take $99M Dead Money Hit To Release Tua Tagovailoa.” NFL Trade Rumors, February 2026.
“Some wonder whether Dolphins will take full $99.2 million cap charge in 2026.” Yahoo Sports, February 2026.