Top 6 NFL Quarterback Battles of 2024

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There won’t be many winners among these six NFL quarterback battles, because the losses will pile up regardless. Who wins and who loses? We decide.

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All eyes will be on the starting quarterbacks in new places entering training camp. Rookies and new signees bring a level of unknown that can pile up intrigue as we head toward preseason. However, perhaps even more interesting are those teams without a clear-cut guy to start Week 1. Let’s run through the quarterback position battles entering training camp and see where things stand.

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There are six teams with NFL quarterback battles looming, and none of them have a clear winner. Over in the AFC, all of New England, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, and Denver are facing the uncertainty of camp competition at quarterback. Atlanta and Minnesota face identical dilemmas in the NFC. Who wins?

 

NFL Quarterback Battles of 2024

 

New England Patriots – Jacoby Brissett vs. Drake Maye

Todd Salem: Two new faces for the Patriots, one veteran and one rookie. Is this the classic plotline of letting the veteran start Week 1 and quickly turning the team over to Maye once he gets enough reps in practice? It feels like that more so than those who think Brissett can run with the job. Everyone points to Brissett as the next Geno Smith, the guy who was never given a long enough rope to become a franchise leader. I’m not buying it, though he’s a superb bridge QB.

Dan Salem: I have zero confidence in Jacoby Brissett doing anything more than helping New England lose one game. I’ll go so far as to say I’d be shocked if he starts week one, because this team is rebuilding and just hit reset on practically everything. Maye is “the future” and will be thrust onto the field immediately, for good and bad. Since expectations are at an all time low for the Patriots, it is as close to an ideal situation for Maye to succeed. Yet Boston will give him a short leash and constantly compare him to Tom Brady, so it’s probably going to crash and burn for a while. Godspeed young quarterback.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Russell Wilson vs. Justin Fields

Todd Salem: Again, two new faces, this time both veterans, albeit at far different points of their respective careers. No one around the league wanted Wilson because of his performance in recent years and personality in the locker room. No one around the league wanted Fields because of his performance in recent years, but he seems like a good guy. Does that give Fields the leg up? You’d think being younger and with the higher future ceiling would also play into Fields’ hands, but all indications are the Steelers will be led by Wilson instead. That is the safer pick, but is almost guaranteed to bring Pitt yet another 8-9 or 9-8 campaign.

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Dan Salem: The Steelers always have a winning record with Mike Tomlin and almost always make the playoffs. They’ve done so with both very good and very bad quarterbacks, so this battle is unlikely to make much of a difference to the overall success of the team. Wilson will be the guy, because Fields needs to learn from a veteran and rebuild confidence. With the pressure off both players, they should both succeed in whatever role is required of them. Neither is the longterm answer in Pittsburgh.

Denver Broncos – Bo Nix vs. Jarrett Stidham

Todd Salem: Stidham is the returning Bronco trying to hold off the incoming rookie. This one is interesting because no one assumes Stidham is good enough to hold off anyone reasonably competent. However, no one is quite sure if Nix can be that. The jury is out on if he’ll even be a pro-caliber QB, let alone franchise passer. It feels hard to imagine giving Nix the keys from day one. I have to imagine Stidham gets the job to start, and if he has a couple blowups, they throw Nix in there. The question is, once Nix also blows it, where does the team turn? It’s hard to go back to Stidham, so the original leash may be longer than people think.

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Dan Salem: Sean Payton is preparing to groom his perfect quarterback, which has to be Bo Nix, right? Why draft a player you don’t want to mold into your franchise leader? Similar to New England, either answer is going to lead to a bad season full of losses. Stidham or Nix, pick your growing pains. For those who thought it couldn’t get worse than Russell Wilson in Denver, just wait!

 

 

Las Vegas Raiders – Gardner Minshew vs. Aidan O’Connell

Todd Salem: This one shouldn’t take much discussion. O’Connell was pretty bad as a rookie, and Minshew is solid. This feels like the Raiders brought in Minshew specifically because they gave O’Connell the chance and he failed to secure it.

Dan Salem: Minshew is a very good quarterback and the Raiders are at least an average team. He will get the starting job and should thrive. Even Minshew at his worst wins this starting job. He doesn’t make the Raiders formidable, but at least he knows what he’s doing back there.

Minnesota Vikings – Sam Darnold vs. JJ McCarthy

Todd Salem: This is a big-boy version of Denver’s conundrum. Darnold is also not a franchise guy but has more backing than someone like Stidham. However, McCarthy is also entering the NFL with more buzz than Nix. With each side upgraded on Denver’s version, I guess we could logically come to the same conclusion. This will be Darnold’s team to start, until his first blip. If McCarthy catches fire, it is smooth sailing ahead, but if he also gets tripped up, questions arise.

Dan Salem: Darnold is absolutely the bridge to McCarthy in Minnesota, but this bridge may span all the way until the 2025 season. The Vikings continue to appear worse than last year, meaning a tough road ahead. Unless McCarthy is absolutely ready to kill it, they should keep him protected on the bench and learning behind a player who’s seen it all. Darnold has been “the guy” and failed, he’s been on the bench, he’s been the starter and succeeded only to fail, and he’s been to the Super Bowl. Needless to say, Darnold has a career’s worth of experience already. He can be a great bridge.

Atlanta Falcons – Kirk Cousins vs. Michael Penix

Todd Salem: The storyline of the offseason, this one actually feels rather straightforward in most outcomes. If Cousins is healthy enough to go right away, he is the guy. If he’s not healthy enough but Penix has the customary rookie struggles, Cousins will get the job whenever he is healthy enough. 

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It becomes fascinating if he’s not healthy and Penix comes out hot to start his career. Then what happens? Atlanta feels like it is in a tougher spot than any of the other organizations on this list, and it is self-inflicted. The veteran they signed has too much pedigree to be yanked around the depth chart, yet they spent too much on the rookie to completely bench him for the foreseeable future. The Falcons better hope Cousins is healthy.

Dan Salem: As far as NFL quarterback battles go, this one is supposed to be straight forward. It’s safe to assume Penix was drafted to sit behind Cousins this season, assuming he is healthy. Then you trade Cousins next year, knowing Penix is ready to roll. But this assumes that everything goes as planned, Cousins is healthy and Penix needs time to develop. Reality won’t be so smooth. Penix is going to show things in practice that warrant time on the field, while Cousins is going to be a little rusty coming back from his injury.

 

Meet our Writers:

Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.

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