QB Carousel – Who Will Start for All 32 NFL Teams in Week 1 2024?

This offseason, there are somewhere between two and five quarterbacks in this year’s NFL Draft who could start in Week 1 for whatever team they land on. There are somewhere between two and five quarterbacks on the trade/free agent market who could say the same. And there are somewhere between 10 and 15 teams that could change their starting quarterback from Week 1 a year ago.

If you didn’t do the math through that paragraph, there are more teams that need to figure out their quarterback situations than there are quarterbacks who are ready to be starters right away.

That’s true every year, of course, yet every year each of the 32 teams runs someone out there in Week 1 to get the season going. So as the offseason gets going, five members of the FTN Fantasy staff (Jeff Ratcliffe, Tyler Loechner, Mike Randle, Chris Meaney, Daniel Kelley) attempted to complete the puzzle. 32 teams. 32 Week 1 starting quarterbacks. Who are they, and what team are they on?

Check out the picks below, with a few thoughts on how it comes to pass.

2024 Week 1 Starting Quarterbacks

Unanimous Predictions

Some notes from this group:

• No big surprises in this area, with the possible exception that everyone has Baker Mayfield re-upping with the Buccaneers despite being a free agent.
• Some guys we haven’t seen in a while who were still unanimous picks to return as their teams’ starters: Deshaun Watson, Anthony Richardson, Aaron Rodgers.
• After a couple of years of “will the Cardinals move on from Kyler Murray in some way?” talk, that conversation appears to be fully finished, and he’s unanimously sticking around.
• If you squint, you could make an argument for the Titans possibly moving on from Will Levis — new coach, second-round pick, underwhelming debut — but our team doesn’t think that’s in the cards.
• Interestingly, none of this year’s crop of rookies got a unanimous landing spot.

Mystery Scenarios

There was at least some disagreement in the selections for the rest of the teams. Here are the predictions, with some justifications from the crew.

Atlanta Falcons

With a new coach and a disappointing career so far, the Falcons are all but assured of moving on from Desmond Ridder this offseason. But the identity of the replacement is a big mystery.

• The Falcons have to make a splash this offseason, and while I’m sure they’ll poke around at the top three picks (and probably already have), I doubt they have the firepower to get there. Instead, they’ll “settle” for a first-rounder still on his rookie deal who has electric upside if the new coaching staff can unlock it. — Daniel Kelley
• Arthur Blank isn’t afraid to make huge moves. The Falcons are star-studded on offense but just need a QB. Moving up from 7 would be pricy but isn’t impossible. — Tyler Loechner
• Wilson is going to be on a new team this season, but it’ll be via free agency not trade. I can’t see him wanting to sign with the Raiders or Steelers given the quarterbacks and competition in the AFC West and AFC North. The Falcons need an upgrade at QB, and Wilson would enter with a ton of experience on a young offense with Raheem Morris as the head coach. Atlanta gives Wilson the best shot to make the playoffs and go on a run. — Chris Meaney
• Even if Atlanta finds a way to draft a quarterback, they have a competitive roster in the NFC South. Wilson on a short-term deal fits here as a stopgap. — Mike Randle
• Penix is an efficient distributor who will fit well in Zac Robinson’s offense. The Falcons won’t take him eighth overall, so they’ll need to trade back to make this come to fruition. — Jeff Ratcliffe

Chicago Bears

The Bears hold the key to the offseason, with a potential starter at quarterback and the first and ninth picks in the draft. They could trade the first pick for a huge haul and keep Justin Fields, or deal Fields and start over.

• I believe the Bears will deal Justin Fields, but I also wouldn’t be shocked if the Commanders (and new OC Kliff Kingsbury) are so desperate to get Caleb Williams that they bowl the Bears over for the No. 1 overall pick. And after the Mitch Trubisky era, I don’t expect the Bears want the optics of another UNC quarterback. That means Heisman winner Jayden Daniels lands in Chicago. — Daniel Kelley
• The locker room seems to love Fields, which shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s in this weird middle ground where he’s obviously not a bust, but he’s not a complete superstar (yet). A Josh Allen-like breakout is still possible, and the haul the Bears can get for trading back and building around Fields can make it happen. — Tyler Loechner
• Shane Waldron did not come to Chicago to work with Justin Fields. Every OC wants a new QB that they can mold. The Bears cannot afford to pass on the No. 1 overall pick in a strong QB class. Chicago takes the safest prospect in Caleb Williams, having another opportunity to add an offensive weapon at Pick No. 9. — Mike Randle

Denver Broncos

The Russell Wilson-Sean Payton pairing had some real speed bumps, with the quarterback benched late in the year. It’s a big financial issue to dump him, but can they patch things up?

• I actually believe the Broncos do draft J.J. McCarthy like some of my fellow selectors here. But also, McCarthy is only 21 and could use some seasoning. Let the team start with the veteran presence of Jacoby Brissett and let McCarthy see the league for a while. — Daniel Kelley
• Russell Wilson is done, and I don’t see the Broncos going the vet route again. Plus, Penix’s arm in that altitude would be fun for fantasy. — Tyler Loechner
• The Broncos didn’t have a first-round pick last year because of the Russell Wilson trade. Wilson will be gone; Sean Payton already said that. Payton also said early last season that it’s going to take some time to turn things around in Denver. The Broncos don’t have a win-now squad, so I don’t think they’ll bring in a vet. They’ll stay at the 12-spot in the draft and take a QB for their future. They aren’t high enough to get into the first QB tier and don’t have the assets to move up because they already wasted picks on Wilson and Payton. McCarthy ended his junior year with a National Championship and a 72.3% completion rate in the regular season. — Chris Meaney
• I’m starting to think Jim Harbaugh was right about McCarthy. He has a rocket arm and wasn’t asked to do much. Drew Brees comp with Payton in Denver? — Mike Randle
• The Broncos have a major financial hurdle to cross with Wilson, but their options are pretty thin right now. Renegotiating his deal is a very real possibility. — Jeff Ratcliffe

Las Vegas Raiders

This is only the second time in the three-year history of this exercise where we have five people naming five different quarterbacks for a team (the other: The Steelers in 2022, and all five of us were wrong). The Raiders are the ultimate mystery bag.

• When the Seahawks were shopping Russell Wilson a couple of years ago, the Broncos were one of the teams his contract said he could be traded to … and so were the Raiders. Assuming the Broncos dump him, he could be revenge-oriented enough to want to go to their division rival and a team he was already open to once upon a time. — Daniel Kelley
• I don’t think they want to stick with Aidan O’Connell. I just think they’ll miss out on all the QBs this year and be stuck with him. — Tyler Loechner
• The Raiders dropped the ball and failed to trade up last year to grab C.J. Stroud. They settled for Aidan O’Connell, who is not the answer. I wouldn’t be shocked if they rolled with him again, but I would be shocked if they decided to draft another QB this season. They have “win-now” wide receivers in Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. I don’t think Adams or the Raiders want to deal with another rookie QB or an old veteran like Jimmy Garoppolo or Ryan Tannehill. Fields can be the QB of their future. He’s a high-upside player, which they need in a division with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. — Chris Meaney
• Vegas needs a short- and long-term answer under center. Will be hard to trade up, so Raiders take the elite college producer in Penix. — Mike Randle
• Don’t sleep on Nix to the Raiders at 13. He’s an extremely experienced player who stepped up his game in his two seasons with Oregon. He may not be top-five caliber, but Nix has the capability of stepping in right away for an NFL team. He’d also help this new coach/GM regime build around a rookie contract. — Jeff Ratcliffe

Minnesota Vikings

Do the Vikings run it back with a back-from-a-devastating-injury Kirk Cousins, or let him leave as a free agent and start fresh?

• Bo Nix is old enough and ready enough to start right away in the NFL, and the Vikings have a collection of weapons that needs someone who is ready to go. — Daniel Kelley
• I’m already seeing him rise up boards. The Vikings will hit the rest button on a QB in the draft and McCarthy should be there in that range. — Tyler Loechner
• Since Cousins is recovering from an Achilles injury, it’s possible the Vikings decide to franchise tag the 35-year-old QB. Cousins is a great fit in Minnesota and was on pace for nearly 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 8. He doesn’t have much left in the tank, he’s well established in Minny and the Vikings don’t have many other options. He’s also the favorite to return to the Vikings, according to DraftKings. — Chris Meaney

New England Patriots

It’s a whole new era in New England, and they have the opportunity to start that era with a flashy new rookie with the third overall pick.

• Really, the question here is “Which quarterback is left after the first two picks?” And my expectation is that it ends up being the UNC product Drake Maye. — Daniel Kelley

New York Giants

The Daniel Jones extension turned into a mess for the Giants with some extreme speed. Do they try again with him or turn the page?

• Maybe the Daniel Jones contract was a disaster (it was). But the Giants don’t really have a path to starting over with an obvious upgrade. — Daniel Kelley
• This might end up being literally impossible given the boneheaded contract the Giants gave Daniel Jones, but the Giants have “get a vet at QB” written all over them, and Cousins is the best out there. I think they’ll at least try to make it work, but Kirk is Mr. Guaranteed Money, so some cap gymnastics might need to take place to make this happen. — Tyler Loechner

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Kenny Pickett tenure hasn’t been sensational, but it’s hard to give up on a first-rounder within two years during which he’s played 25 games. 

• The Steelers have above-average weaponry. Not elite, but good enough with the right quarterback … and they haven’t had even close to the right quarterback since about three years before Ben Roethlisberger retired. Instead of them trying another project (like Justin Fields) or rolling Pickett back again, they need to get Cousins and let him do what we already know he can. — Daniel Kelley
• The Steelers were somehow a playoff team with Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett. They may draft a young QB, but getting a vet like Russ could help them get back to the playoffs and be more legitimate contenders. Wilson rebounded well in 2023, tossing 26 TDs against just 8 INTs. — Tyler Loechner
• First of all, the Steelers need to move on from Kenny Pickett. I would love to see that for them and George Pickens, I just don’t know if they will. I could see them wanting to sign someone like Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins or Ryan Tannehill, but I have them sticking with Kenny Pickett. Maybe the organization will direct some of the poor play on Matt Canada, and they feel they can make it work with their former first-round pick with Arthur Smith calling the shots. Spoiler alert: They can’t. The Steelers will have a run-first offense yet again. and Pickett will have another year to show why they took him 20th overall. — Chris Meaney
• I had Fields in Vegas until they hired Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator. The Steelers have a solid roster and want a deep playoff run. Rumors already starting about Mike Tomlin interested in Fields. — Mike Randle 
• Fields will likely be on the move, and the list of suitors is surprisingly short. I went with the Steelers as his landing spot after head coach Mike Tomlin was complimentary of his game. — Jeff Ratcliffe

Seattle Seahawks

Geno Smith was a sensation in 2022 but took a small step back in 2024. The question is whether the Seahawks believe he can bounce back.

• Like some other teams here, I think the Seahawks would be fine turning the page at quarterback if another option presented itself, but I struggle to see how that could happen. — Daniel Kelley
• I think Seattle drafts a QB (Nix) and has an open camp competition that ends up with Nix winning it. — Tyler Loechner

Washington Commanders

Sam Howell had a fine year for a fifth-round pick in his first real taste, but the Commanders have the second overall pick and are all but assured of selecting someone early.

• What is the Kliff Kingsbury hire if not a clear sign the Commanders want to move up one spot for Caleb Williams? It’s just going to be a matter of convincing the Bears to move down, and the opportunity for this Bears team to get a top-tier rookie and more should be pretty convincing. — Daniel Kelley
• Tough call here, but I think Daniels has a slightly higher ceiling. The Heisman winner racked up 3,812 passing yards with a 40:4 TD:INT for LSU. He also accounted for 1,134 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. Daniels is more accurate than Maye, and he’s dynamic. Give me the guy who has a little bit of Lamar Jackson in him. I don’t want to take anything away from Maye, but the ACC isn’t the best conference. However, Maye has the prototypical size to play QB, he has a cannon of an arm and mobility to his game. He would be a fine target as well, but I think the ceiling is higher for Daniels. — Chris Meaney

All the Picks

See the full list of 32 picks below: