Quarterback has become the most important position in North American professional sports. As a result, there isn’t a lot of rope for the guys who play that position. Here are five starting quarterbacks who might not be starters much longer if they can’t excel this fall.
Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles: Bradford is the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history without a playoff appearance, and now he’s getting $17.5 million per year to lead the Philadelphia offense despite the fact No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz will be breathing down his neck from the get-go.
Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins: Cousins had a huge second half of the 2015 season and was so good in stretches (particularly at home) that he was slapped with the franchise tag in March. But he’s yet to deliver consistently over the course of an entire season. If he can do that in 2016, he’ll be a very rich man. If he cannot, he’ll still be rich but won’t likely be a starter in 2017.
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears: Cutler’s numbers actually rose in 2015, but the 33-year-old still has just one playoff victory and the Bears lost nine of his 15 regular-season starts last season. In order to live up to that huge contract, he’ll have to finally get the Bears back to the playoffs in 2016.
Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers: Kaep’s numbers have plummeted in three consecutive years, and things got so bad in 2015 that he was benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert. He’s still battling back from injury and he might not even win the starting job this summer, but if Kaep does get a chance, it’ll likely be his last one.
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts: Luck couldn’t stay healthy last season, but he struggled even when he was able to play. That’s disappointing considering expectations for the former top pick in his fourth season. A lot of folks are willing to give him a pass for 2015, but that just means he’ll have no excuses for a bad run in 2016.
Brock Osweiler, Houston Texans: The man is being paid $18 million a year despite the fact he’s started just seven games during his shaky four-year career. He’ll get a few years to get things right in Houston, but he’ll also take a ton of heat if he can’t lead the Texans to playoff success immediately.
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: He’s supposed to be in his prime, but the 30-year-old posted his lowest passer rating since 2009 last season despite plenty of support in that Atlanta offense. He makes far too many baffling decisions and doesn’t make enough big plays. That’ll have to change in 2016, especially considering his $21 million salary.
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions: Some will excuse him for struggling without Calvin Johnson, but that doesn’t change the fact the Lions haven’t won a single playoff game during Stafford’s seven-year career. Remember, this guy was picked first overall. He’s supposed to be able to carry teams deep, even without star receivers.
Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins: The former top-10 pick continues to get a lot of money for mediocre returns. Considering how deeply the Dolphins front office has invested in the rest of the team, you’ll start to see calls for Tannehill’s head if he can’t get them to the playoffs this year.
Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills: Taylor put together a Pro Bowl season in his first campaign as a starter with the 2015 Bills, but Buffalo must not be convinced. The Bills, who still haven’t made the playoffs this century, drafted Cardale Jones in the fourth round.
