What Teams Need QBs in the 2026 NFL Draft?

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Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
Lord knows there's a lot of bullshit on X, like constantly, but I've seen a few rumblings of some kind of trade between Baltimore and Las Vegas, with Lamar Jackson going to the Raiders.

Uhhh.... no thanks. First of all, the #1 overall pick has to be completely off limits, barring an incredible return. It just doesn't happen very often. Secondly, Lamar is due an absolutely MASSIVE cap hit of like $74.5M in 2026. It will be reworked, but he's still owed a lot and he'll still want a massive contract.

For Mark Davis, it would put butts in seats at Allegiant and I would guess that's an attraction in itself. But I hope it's bullshit.

Besides, how can anyone even consider a move like this when they don't even have a Head Coach yet?
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I’d be intrigued. Jeanty + Lamar + Bowers certainly is a heck of a skill player trio. I really don’t see Mendoza as a high end NFL QB. The dollars obviously complicate things but I can see why they would explore the idea.
 

Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
Lord knows there's a lot of bullshit on X, like constantly, but I've seen a few rumblings of some kind of trade between Baltimore and Las Vegas, with Lamar Jackson going to the Raiders.

Uhhh.... no thanks. First of all, the #1 overall pick has to be completely off limits, barring an incredible return. It just doesn't happen very often. Secondly, Lamar is due an absolutely MASSIVE cap hit of like $74.5M in 2026. It will be reworked, but he's still owed a lot and he'll still want a massive contract.

For Mark Davis, it would put butts in seats at Allegiant and I would guess that's an attraction in itself. But I hope it's bullshit.

Besides, how can anyone even consider a move like this when they don't even have a Head Coach yet?
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The answer to your question is listed in the paragraph above = Mark Davis. You’re parsing this as a rational person, as I’ve stated before, I don’t think he is one.

The Raiders have always loved the splashy moves, since they last won the last SB; Al modeled thus behavior for Mark.
 
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Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
Lord knows there's a lot of bullshit on X, like constantly, but I've seen a few rumblings of some kind of trade between Baltimore and Las Vegas, with Lamar Jackson going to the Raiders.

Uhhh.... no thanks. First of all, the #1 overall pick has to be completely off limits, barring an incredible return. It just doesn't happen very often. Secondly, Lamar is due an absolutely MASSIVE cap hit of like $74.5M in 2026. It will be reworked, but he's still owed a lot and he'll still want a massive contract.

For Mark Davis, it would put butts in seats at Allegiant and I would guess that's an attraction in itself. But I hope it's bullshit.

Besides, how can anyone even consider a move like this when they don't even have a Head Coach yet?
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If I’m the raiders, I’d be thrilled to trade out of the #1 pick for Lamar but I’d want the ravens to give me their first back for the salary.

Unless you think they’re going to be smart enough to not take Mendoza
 

upnorthkid said:
If I’m the raiders, I’d be thrilled to trade out of the #1 pick for Lamar but I’d want the ravens to give me their first back for the salary.

Unless you think they’re going to be smart enough to not take Mendoza
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My opinion hasn't changed; unless they absolutely LOVE Mendoza, I would much rather they trade out of the #1 slot to someone that does. The haul could really fill some holes on the roster, get a QB in the spring of 2027.
 

Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
My opinion hasn't changed; unless they absolutely LOVE Mendoza, I would much rather they trade out of the #1 slot to someone that does. The haul could really fill some holes on the roster, get a QB in the spring of 2027.
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Roster full of holes, always the right move imo
 



GopherWeatherGuy said:
Not if you can get a franchise QB.
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I have a hard time deciding if Mendoza really has the makings of a true franchise QB and worthy of the top pick in any Draft.

There's a lot to like about Mendoza and I'd certainly rather have him over JJM. Personally, I agree with others that think Vegas should trade away the pick if there is a monster offer on the table.

Go after a decent FA guy like Malik Willis that won't command a top QB salary and then make a play in what appears to be a stacked 2027 QB class.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Not if you can get a franchise QB.
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joy of even when you think you're picking a franchise QB, you more often than not are not picking one who changes everything for you and can hard carry a roster full of holes until after you can pay him (like what has happened in Cinci).

This is the exact mechanism of the Bears rebuild (1st overall where Panthers selected Young). Now you still have to draft well at those spots you move to, but unless you absolutely LOVE that QB and think he's the one to turn around your whole franchise, your margin, imo, is much better getting a whole haul of picks and players rather than a lottery ticket given 1st round QBs have a less than 50/50 shot of even being a "franchise" QB with GMs being notoriously bad at knowing who's good and who's a bust.

I get that everyone thinks they "need" a gamechanger QB, but your margin for winning goes up exponentially if you actually build a roster around a young dude rather than just keep swinging year after year after year, especially given your QB gets thrown to a shit storm without a roster around him (hence why Williams looked like ass last year, people thought Young should be out of the league, Darnold is doing well with a place that didn't draft him, and now on a competent roster, they're doing just fine even if they're not Mahomes or Allen). Instead we've got 4 teams left that built elsewhere then plugged in their QB once they found on they loved either in the draft or via trade. I get what you're saying and if there was a guarantee, sure (hence the why you only do it if you love the prospect, because someone always does and will trade you a bunch of assets for them). No reason not to abuse people who will overtrade assets to jump start your rebuild when you're so far away from having a full roster that can compete like the Raiders are.
 

Slim Tubby said:
I have a hard time deciding if Mendoza really has the makings of a true franchise QB and worthy of the top pick in any Draft.

There's a lot to like about Mendoza and I'd certainly rather have him over JJM. Personally, I agree with others that think Vegas should trade away the pick if there is a monster offer on the table.

Go after a decent FA guy like Malik Willis that won't command a top QB salary and then make a play in what appears to be a stacked 2027 QB class.
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upnorthkid said:
joy of even when you think you're picking a franchise QB, you more often than not are not picking one who changes everything for you and can hard carry a roster full of holes until after you can pay him (like what has happened in Cinci).

This is the exact mechanism of the Bears rebuild (1st overall where Panthers selected Young). Now you still have to draft well at those spots you move to, but unless you absolutely LOVE that QB and think he's the one to turn around your whole franchise, your margin, imo, is much better getting a whole haul of picks and players rather than a lottery ticket given 1st round QBs have a less than 50/50 shot of even being a "franchise" QB with GMs being notoriously bad at knowing who's good and who's a bust.

I get that everyone thinks they "need" a gamechanger QB, but your margin for winning goes up exponentially if you actually build a roster around a young dude rather than just keep swinging year after year after year, especially given your QB gets thrown to a shit storm without a roster around him (hence why Williams looked like ass last year, people thought Young should be out of the league, Darnold is doing well with a place that didn't draft him, and now on a competent roster, they're doing just fine even if they're not Mahomes or Allen). Instead we've got 4 teams left that built elsewhere then plugged in their QB once they found on they loved either in the draft or via trade. I get what you're saying and if there was a guarantee, sure (hence the why you only do it if you love the prospect, because someone always does and will trade you a bunch of assets for them). No reason not to abuse people who will overtrade assets to jump start your rebuild when you're so far away from having a full roster that can compete like the Raiders are.
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I'm not 100% sold on Mendoza either, but there's a lot to like about him. There are plenty of reasons to like him better than Bryce Young at #1, so I don't think those are very comparable. Mendoza has everything Young had, plus he has size and mobility. Mendoza reminds me a bit of Carson Wentz, except Mendoza won everything at the highest level and stayed healthy.

Every year the NFL has teams that go first to worst and worst to first. Every team can win now. So you want the Raiders to just give up on next year before it starts without a QB? Chicago at least had Fields who they were still trying to figure out if he could cut it at QB.

I think coaching goes a long ways in the NFL. Chicago and NE are proof of that. Everyone thought NE was a long ways away last year and now they are in the AFC Championship game. The Raiders don't have anymore holes than NE did last year IMO.

Willis will probably end up making Darnold money for someone who needs a QB. There are just never enough to go around. That's why if I'm the Raiders, I stay at 1 and take Mendoza. There is no guarantee the QBs at the top of the draft next year will be any better.
 



GopherWeatherGuy said:
I'm not 100% sold on Mendoza either, but there's a lot to like about him. There are plenty of reasons to like him better than Bryce Young at #1, so I don't think those are very comparable. Mendoza has everything Young had, plus he has size and mobility. Mendoza reminds me a bit of Carson Wentz, except Mendoza won everything at the highest level and stayed healthy.
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I'm completely up in the air on Mendoza. I just don't know enough to make any kind of assessment. I like the intangibles that I have heard, the off-field stuff, character, etc. which is a lot of the reason I'm pushing my chips in on JJ McCarthy. Guilty as charged, if he can stay on the field.

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Every year the NFL has teams that go first to worst and worst to first. Every team can win now. So you want the Raiders to just give up on next year before it starts without a QB?
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If they can get someone to give them a king's ransom for the #1 overall pick? Yes, I do want them to punt on next season and move the pick (unless they think Mendoza is going to be an elite QB). They can win some games next year with a great draft, a good Free Agency period this spring, and even a modest addition at QB from the available market.

GopherWeatherGuy said:
I think coaching goes a long ways in the NFL. Chicago and NE are proof of that. Everyone thought NE was a long ways away last year and now they are in the AFC Championship game. The Raiders don't have anymore holes than NE did last year IMO.
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I was all in on Vrabel, I thought the Raiders should have given him a blank check. No, I don't agree that the Raiders don't have more holes than NE did. The Raiders roster is atrocious, there's almost nothing to work with. It really IS that bad.

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Willis will probably end up making Darnold money for someone who needs a QB. There are just never enough to go around. That's why if I'm the Raiders, I stay at 1 and take Mendoza. There is no guarantee the QBs at the top of the draft next year will be any better.
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I'm fine with whatever they do. If they take Mendoza, it means that everyone in the building (including Brady in particular) thinks he can be their franchise QB. That's good enough for me. I'd love to see if they could get a pile of assets for Maxx Crosby, but that's another discussion altogether.
 

Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
I'm completely up in the air on Mendoza. I just don't know enough to make any kind of assessment. I like the intangibles that I have heard, the off-field stuff, character, etc. which is a lot of the reason I'm pushing my chips in on JJ McCarthy. Guilty as charged, if he can stay on the field.



If they can get someone to give them a king's ransom for the #1 overall pick? Yes, I do want them to punt on next season and move the pick (unless they think Mendoza is going to be an elite QB). They can win some games next year with a great draft, a good Free Agency period this spring, and even a modest addition at QB from the available market.



I was all in on Vrabel, I thought the Raiders should have given him a blank check. No, I don't agree that the Raiders don't have more holes than NE did. The Raiders roster is atrocious, there's almost nothing to work with. It really IS that bad.



I'm fine with whatever they do. If they take Mendoza, it means that everyone in the building (including Brady in particular) thinks he can be their franchise QB. That's good enough for me. I'd love to see if they could get a pile of assets for Maxx Crosby, but that's another discussion altogether.
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this right here is the difference. NE had a bunch of good pieces on both sides of the ball. The Raiders had one of the worst rushing efficiencies despite Jeanty being 6th in tackles avoided and were terrible offensively to barely mediocre defensively. That said, if anyone has any idea wtf the raiders have been doing in the draft the last few years.... lol

The whole thing needs a reboot over in LV
 

upnorthkid said:
this right here is the difference. NE had a bunch of good pieces on both sides of the ball. The Raiders had one of the worst rushing efficiencies despite Jeanty being 6th in tackles avoided and were terrible offensively to barely mediocre defensively. That said, if anyone has any idea wtf the raiders have been doing in the draft the last few years.... lol

The whole thing needs a reboot over in LV
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The last few years have been okay actually. It was like 2015-2023 drafts that doomed them for years to come.
 

Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
I'm completely up in the air on Mendoza. I just don't know enough to make any kind of assessment. I like the intangibles that I have heard, the off-field stuff, character, etc. which is a lot of the reason I'm pushing my chips in on JJ McCarthy. Guilty as charged, if he can stay on the field.



If they can get someone to give them a king's ransom for the #1 overall pick? Yes, I do want them to punt on next season and move the pick (unless they think Mendoza is going to be an elite QB). They can win some games next year with a great draft, a good Free Agency period this spring, and even a modest addition at QB from the available market.



I was all in on Vrabel, I thought the Raiders should have given him a blank check. No, I don't agree that the Raiders don't have more holes than NE did. The Raiders roster is atrocious, there's almost nothing to work with. It really IS that bad.



I'm fine with whatever they do. If they take Mendoza, it means that everyone in the building (including Brady in particular) thinks he can be their franchise QB. That's good enough for me. I'd love to see if they could get a pile of assets for Maxx Crosby, but that's another discussion altogether.
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The Raiders were horrible on offense this year. You know who the worst two offenses were last year? Chicago and NE. The Raiders also had a solid, middle of the pack defense this year. Chicago and NE were both bottom 10 and much worse on D last year than the Raiders were this year.

NE also didn't have the talent of a Bowers or a Jeanty waiting for Vrabel. They didn't have a DE as talented as Crosby. They had no WRs much like the Raiders and traded for Diggs, who has plenty of problems, drafted Henderson to split carries/receptions at RB, and have relied on Hunter Henry who's been around forever.

I completely disagree that the Raiders are worse off now than NE was last year. LV only one won fewer games this season than NE last season. It's the NFL and the talent level is comparable across the league. You win with coaching and a QB. Those 2 positions matter above any other. If you think Mendoza is that guy, you take him and don't even think twice about trading back so you can draft an extra OL or DL or CB or whatever. Those positions are irrelevant until you find a QB.
 




Not sure how seriously some teams are considering him but another name I've heard come up at least a couple times but it's always fairly quiet and it's not a "WOW!" name... Bears backup QB Tyson Bagent.

I thought Bagent looked pretty solid when he was forced into action for the Bears. He's under contract, the Bears won't let him go cheap (I've heard he could cost at least a 3rd rounder), but I've heard worse options floated around out there.
 

Not a huge surprise, the Cardinals making it essentially a done deal, moving on

 

In a surprise to nobody, Tua released.

We'll see how much they liked Quinn Ewers, it sounds like they liked what he showed at the end of last year but a new regime there in Miami. I would say it's likely they tank until the 2027 QB draft


 

Interesting....

Atlanta allegedly targeting Tua. Two injury-prone left handed QBs in ATL?
 

I think I'm happy about this, being the Cardinals will not be gambling on Willis.

 


Slim Tubby said:
That's a lot of guaranteed cash for a guy that has looked efficient in limited usage. How would you feel if Cousins ended up in ARI?
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Unless it's a straight-up cash grab, I don't know that Cousins would go to a complete rebuild like Arizona? I haven't heard anything from the Cardinals side about Cousins at all. Everything I had been hearing was that it was AZ and Miami in the running for Willis.

With the ties that new AZ HC Mike LaFleur has to people that KNOW Willis (not just his brother in GB but new AZ OC Hackett also worked with Willis in GB), man, that has to tell me that they just didn't like Willis that much.

Have to believe the Cardinals are all-in on the 2027 QB draft. I think they have Brissett still under contract.

Looks like the Cardinals just agreed to terms with ATL RB Allgeier; which seems a LITTLE odd since the Cardinals also kept James Conner. That can't be good news for Trey Benson I would think
 

Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
Unless it's a straight-up cash grab, I don't know that Cousins would go to a complete rebuild like Arizona? I haven't heard anything from the Cardinals side about Cousins at all.
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Makes total sense.
Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
With the ties that new AZ HC Mike LaFleur has to people that KNOW Willis (not just his brother in GB but new AZ OC Hackett also worked with Willis in GB), man, that has to tell me that they just didn't like Willis that much.
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Excellent point.
Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
Have to believe the Cardinals are all-in on the 2027 QB draft. I think they have Brissett still under contract.
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I completely forgot about Brissett. He won't win you a SB but he looked decent last year and had great rapport with McBride.
 

Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
Unless it's a straight-up cash grab, I don't know that Cousins would go to a complete rebuild like Arizona? I haven't heard anything from the Cardinals side about Cousins at all. Everything I had been hearing was that it was AZ and Miami in the running for Willis.

With the ties that new AZ HC Mike LaFleur has to people that KNOW Willis (not just his brother in GB but new AZ OC Hackett also worked with Willis in GB), man, that has to tell me that they just didn't like Willis that much.

Have to believe the Cardinals are all-in on the 2027 QB draft. I think they have Brissett still under contract.

Looks like the Cardinals just agreed to terms with ATL RB Allgeier; which seems a LITTLE odd since the Cardinals also kept James Conner. That can't be good news for Trey Benson I would think
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I like the Allgeier pick up for them and Brissett will be totally fine as a starter for another year.

I wish the Vikings QB situation could be Brissett and JJ.
 





Gopher_In_NYC said:
Cards might as well lock up the Lombard trophy now @Ogie Ogilthorpe 🤣

  • QB Gardner Minshew: Signing a one-year, $5.75 million deal that has a max value of $8.25 million. (Tom Pelissero)
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Good grief...

Rumor for the last couple days was if they missed out on Malik Willis they were going to pivot to Jimmy Garappolo. LaFleur has worked with Jimmy G in the past I believe. He's a bridge QB, like Brissett or Minshew or pick a name of a list of others.

This is clearly a Punt year for the Cardinals. They'll build the roster and come out firing next offseason
 

Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
Good grief...

Rumor for the last couple days was if they missed out on Malik Willis they were going to pivot to Jimmy Garappolo. LaFleur has worked with Jimmy G in the past I believe. He's a bridge QB, like Brissett or Minshew or pick a name of a list of others.

This is clearly a Punt year for the Cardinals. They'll build the roster and come out firing next offseason
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Wait till next year 😃

Funny how next year never comes🤷‍♂️
 


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