In the dog days of training camp, you can turn on ESPN and, whether it’s Get Up! or First Take, you can see any talking head saying a quarterback needs to step it up. Whether that means their career relies on it to guarantee job security or a team is seemingly ready to make the next leap, quarterbacks are constantly being asked to raise their game and reach the next level. The vision of pundits telling athletes to step it up has even become a running gag on The Bill Simmons Podcast. Here are eight quarterbacks, in ascending order, who need to step it up:
8) Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
Geno starts the list at number eight, because he’s at an interesting crossroads in his career. He’s no longer seen as the afterthought he once was during most of his career pre-2022 with the Jets, Giants, and Chargers. Smith managed to turn himself into a Pro Bowl QB during his time in Seattle with the Seahawks.
Last year, however, was a downturn during his time with the ‘Hawks, resulting in a disappointing 2024 campaign, comparatively speaking to his previous two seasons.
Geno has now reunited in Las Vegas with Pete Carroll, the legendary Head Coach who took a gamble on Smith going into that 2022 season. Smith is duking it out in arguably the toughest division in the NFL, up against the best collection of Head Coaches and QB combos with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, Sean Payton and Bo Nix, and Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert. If the Raiders want to escape mediocrity, Smith will have to help Maxx Crosby and his defense by leading the offense to a good showing.
7) Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Here’s the guy who replaced Smith in Seattle! Sam Darnold, it seemed, finally realized his full potential with the Minnesota Vikings last year. The journeyman quarterback came so close to finding a forever home after last, but then the bottom fell out from under him.
Darnold looked like he was seeing the same ghosts he saw years ago when he was with the Jets (Gang Green will be a theme here) in the last two games the Vikes played against the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams. One could make numerous excuses for the game against the Lions, whether it’s because of division rivalry or the Lions were the more talented team overall.
The Wild Card game against the Rams is where the excuses stop, as Darnold and the offense looked awful, leading to three field goals against a team that went 10-7, compared to Minnesota’s 14-3.
In the end, the Vikings declined to re-sign Darnold to be their QB and will go with JJ McCarthy, who was drafted last year but did not play due to an ACL tear. If Darnold looks to continue being a prominent starter in the NFL and no longer being a journeyman, he’s got to build on the mostly awesome season he had last year.
6) Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
During last week’s Hall of Fame game between the LA Chargers and Detroit Lions, NBC ran a graphic comparing Justin Herbert’s first five seasons in the league to Peyton Manning’s first five years.
The numbers are striking, which, if you are a Chargers fan, is ultimately a net positive! Manning is in the Hall of Fame and, in his sixth season, laid the groundwork for a historic 2004 season with the Colts. For those who don’t remember how that sixth season ended, however, it was a blowout loss to Tom Brady and the Patriots.
In fairness, Herbert has never had the luck of playing with a receiver like Marvin Harrison or a running back like Edgerin James, both Hall of Famers. Even a rookie Peyton Manning struck gold with Marshall Faulk as his running back.
The Chargers may have a great coach in Jim Harbaugh and a QB that every analytic nerd loves, but the team’s playoff woes also look like Manning’s pre-Super Bowl XLI years. Now is the time to prove skeptics of Herbert wrong and live up to the full potential he’s shown going back to his days playing for the Ducks in Oregon.
5) Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
The former Heisman Winner and first overall pick of the 2019 draft has struggled in his career thus far, boasting a record of 36-45-1, with only one playoff appearance. Hopes were high in Arizona before last season when the team drafted Marvin Harrison Jr.; however, Murray struggled to find him the ball. No, that’s not a short joke.
In fairness to Murray, Harrison only caught 62 of his 116 targets with a 50% receiving success rate. When the franchise moved on from offensive guru, but underwhelming head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, to Jonathan Gannon in 2023, the team made it known that they believed that the key to success is through their defense.
The keys are there for Murray to succeed with Harrison, Trey McBride, who’s one of the most underrated players in the league today. It’s up to Kyler Murray to put his whole focus into the season this year and lay off the Call of Duty, or else he’s looking for a job with another team.
4) Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
It feels weird putting Rodgers here, because the NFL’s oldest player is presumed to be going into his final year. This is Aaron Rodgers we’re talking about! He’s a 4x MVP, Super Bowl MVP, the King of the Hail Mary, and arguably the most talented QB to play the position.
With that being said, this is also Aaron Rodgers we’re talking about. He hasn’t been the same since his last season with the Green Bay Packers, where he struggled for most of the year and missed out on the playoffs. With his Jets tenure being something everyone involved would like to forget, he’s taking his talents to the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he surrounds himself amongst a pack of Yinzers, he’s met with the best coach of his career: Mike “Never Had a Losing Season” Tomlin.
Tomlin has done so much with some truly awful quarterback play from a lethargic, end-of-his-career Ben Roethlisberger to Kenny Pickett and then eventually splitting time between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Rodgers didn’t resemble the Rodgers of old after his Achilles’ tear last year, but it’s uncertain whether this marks the end of the line for one of the league’s greatest players or if he was merely getting back into the swing of things. Either way, Pat Macafee will clue us in somehow.
3) Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
During last season, Bryce Young was benched in favor of NFL journeyman Andy Dalton. Young, who had a miserable rookie campaign, especially when compared to CJ Stroud, who was the second pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Young was the first pick of that draft, was a Heisman Winner, and was expected to turn the Panthers’ fortunes around when the franchise traded a haul to the Chicago Bears to move up to the number one pick.
The Panthers eventually started Young again when Dalton looked just as pedestrian with the same offense. It’s rumored that rapper Rod Wave spoke words of encouragement to the second-year QB. Whatever Wave said motivated Young, and the Panthers ended up looking decent towards the end of the year.
While it can be argued that he’s stepped up, there needs to be continuity for Young and the Panthers. If he wants to establish himself as a prominent starting QB and not have the Panthers move on, the team needs to finish with a decent record and in third place behind the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If he has an outstanding year, the Panthers could force themselves into a playoff conversation.
2) Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tua’s career, thus far, has been a series of unfortunate events that Lemony Snicket could have written. From his first seasons with former Head Coach Brian Flores, who had no faith in him, to the countless concussions he’s gone through, I’m certain this is how he did not envision his career going. On top of it, when he has been healthy, the Dolphins’ offense has been a juggernaut, but has failed to equate to meaningful wins.
A lot of Miami’s success hinges on Mike McDaniel not getting in his way and the defense being solid, with Tua having his health intact. As of right now, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be able to shake off the injury bug. Plus, there’s always the ongoing saga of star wide receiver Tyreek Hill and whatever he’s doing at any given moment.
It’s up to Tua, if he’s healthy, to drive the Ferrari of an offense he has the keys to.
End of my Quarterback’s Rant
1) Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
After his Freshman year at Clemson, when he led the Tigers to a National Championship against Alabama, Trevor Lawrence was seen as a guaranteed, can’t-miss prospect and the eventual number one pick in the NFL Draft when his time came to enter said Draft. He probably could have gone number one the year he led the Tigers to the championship.
He was in the same rarefied air as John Elway, Peyton Manning, and Andrew Luck—Surefire quarterbacks who saw instant and prominent success at the next level.
Outside of a playoff comeback for the ages against the Chargers in the 2022-2023 Wild Card round, Lawrence has looked average. That would fly if he were picked in the middle of the first round or later, but since he was a no-doubt prospect with a guaranteed gold jacket, the stink of draft bust is starting to grow, even as the Jaguars backed up the Brink’s truck for him just last year.
What Trevor has going for him is that Liam Coen is now his Head Coach in Duval. Coen, who was responsible for fellow former number one pick Baker Mayfield’s career resurgence, is now entrusted with reviving Lawrence’s career. The Jags are also lucky to be in the AFC South, where their only real competition is the Houston Texans, who came back down to Earth last season, but are still expected to win the division. The Jaguars are in pole position to overtake them if Lawrence can step up and take them there.
