The National Football League is merciless. Either you perform, or you’ll be in trouble. That goes for everyone, from coaches to the special teams unit. But the quarterbacks feel that pressure more than anyone else.
Fans have witnessed how many signal-callers have come and gone in the league, even if they created a lot of expectations at some point. When things don’t work out in the NFL, patience doesn’t last long.
Zach Wilson is already feeling the heat after a lackluster start to life with the New York Jets, and it’s fair to wonder whether he’ll be a starter next season. He could be among the most renowned QBs to be on the bench in 2023.
4. Zach Wilson
The Jets selected Zach Wilson with the second-overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, but the truth is that he never lived up to his reputation. Only two years in the league, the young quarterback is no longer the franchise’s hope.
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Wilson, who had already lost the job to 2018 fifth-rounder Mike White, is being booed and his team is nearly out of the playoffs. His chances of being the Jets starting QB in 2023 look pretty much close to zero, and it doesn’t look like another team will bet on him.
3. Baker Mayfield
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Baker Mayfield’s career went downhill in the blink of an eye. The Browns suddenly decided to dump him in favor of Deshaun Watson after a bad season, and it’s been hard for him to get back on his feet since then.
Mayfield started to bounce around in the NFL in 2022, being cut by the Panthers after an underwhelming start to the season. He landed in the Rams to fill in the vacancy left by Matthew Stafford’s injury, but looks set to hit the free agency again in 2023. Will any team try its luck with Mayfield as QB1 next year?
2. Matt Ryan
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After 14 incredible seasons in Atlanta, Matt Ryan’s trade to the Colts went terribly bad. The veteran quarterback never looked like his true self in Indianapolis, losing his job only a few weeks into the 2022 season.
Ryan, 37, is still under contract for 2023, but it’s hard to believe he’ll stay with the Colts for another year. He may not hang them up yet, but there don’t seem to be many openings for him to be a starter in the future.
1. Carson Wentz
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Another first round pick that eventually went wrong, everyone wonders what could have been of Carson Wentz if injuries hadn’t caught up to him. However, the what ifs don’t matter much when it comes to choosing a dependable quarterback.
Everyone may remember how great Wentz was in his first seasons in Philadelphia, but those years look far behind him. Washington gave him another chance after he struggled with the Colts, but his level left a lot to be desired. Wentz is under contract through 2024, but the Commanders seem to have given up on him.
