QB · JAX · 26 yrs · exp 5 · Clemson
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Latest: Sep 7, 2026 · 6,365
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CBS Sports ranks the top quarterback‑coach duos for 2026, spotlighting the Chiefs’ Mahomes‑Reid partnership and highlighting rising duos like Darnold‑Macdonald, Maye‑Vrabel, and Lawrence‑Coen
The Raiders naming Kirk Cousins their starting quarterback to open the 2026 season was hardly a surprise. While Las Vegas had been projected to draft Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall for months, the team’s brass had said publicly that its preference was for a rookie quarterback to sit and learn behind a veteran. But now that it’s official, Mendoza has become a member of a rare group of quarterbacks from recent years. Mendoza is the first quarterback since Baker Mayfield in 2018 not to start Week 1 after being selected at No. 1 overall. Mayfield’s situation was not particularly unusual at the time, as Jared Goff had been through the same thing in 2016. But since then, Kyler Murray (2019), Joe Burrow (2020), Trevor Lawrence (2021), Bryce Young (2023), Caleb Williams (2024), and Cam Ward (2025) have all been their respective club’s Week 1 starter after being selected at No. 1 overall. Since Matthew Stafford was selected at No. 1 overall in 2009, only Goff, Mayfield, and Mendoza have started the season as QB2. Sam Bradford (2010), Cam Newton (2011), Andrew Luck (2012), and Jameis Winston (2015) all started the season opener. Mayfield made it into a game by Week 3, taking over for an injured Tyrod Taylor to lead the Browns to their first victory since 2016 with a 21-17 victory over the Jets. He took over as Cleveland’s starter the following week. It took longer for Goff to ascend to QB1 for the Rams in 2016, as he began his tenure as Los Angeles’ starter in Week 11 with a 14-10 loss to Miami. Mendoza’s development will remain a priority for the Raiders, even as he won’t receive starters’ reps in the regular season. “ Early work, late work. More meetings ,” Kubiak said on Wednesday. “Plenty of time on the field between drills with [QBs] coach [Mike] Sullivan and [offensive coordinator] coach [Andrew] Janocko. Every player that is not starting the first game, that is helping us on the look team, we’re just trying to find every edge we can find to continue to get him better and his teammates better.” Aside from those selected at No. 1 overall, there are plenty of QBs who haven’t started early and ended up being successful. “I think there are so many examples both ways,” Kubiak said. “I think the most important thing with the quarterback room or any other position is to build competition within the room. That makes players so much better faster than coaching, when they have a guy in front of them that they can look up to and see how something’s done — that’s going to accelerate their growth.” We’ll see when Mendoza becomes Las Vegas’ starter. If Cousins plays well and the Raiders are winning, that might not be until 2027. But history suggests Mendoza will be on the field sooner or later as a rookie
Klint Kubiak names Kirk Cousins starter over No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza
Dolphins trade QB Quinn Ewers to Jaguars, citing performance issues; Ewers will back up Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville
Jaguars sign Nick Mullens and Joey Aguilar to practice squad, cut three quarterbacks
Jaguars releasing Nick Mullens after Quinn Ewers trade
More than one‑third of starting QBs missed the entire preseason, with teams ranging from the Chiefs to the Saints keeping their starters on the sidelines
The Miami Dolphins traded QB Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars, with the Dolphins receiving a 2028 sixth-round pick in return
Quinn Ewers is on the move. According to a report from NFL Network, the Dolphins are trading Ewers to the Jaguars. The two teams will swap Day 3 draft picks in 2028 to complete the deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Ewers, 23, was a seventh-round pick in last year’s draft. He started three games for Miami late last season, with the club going 1-2 in those contests. He completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 662 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in his four appearances. The Dolphins have Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski remaining on their roster at quarterback behind starter Malik Willis. The Jaguars had Nick Mullens, Carter Bradley, and rookie Joey Aguilar on their roster behind starter Trevor Lawrence
The Buccaneers lost to the Jaguars 19-0 in the preseason finale, with rookie QB Jalon Daniels receiving extended playing time
The NFL never shies away from loading up the opening week with must-see matchups, and the Week 1 NFL schedule, which begins in two weeks, is no different. From divisional battles like Chiefs vs. Broncos (+2.5) and Cowboys vs. Giants (+2.5) to Aaron Rodgers' last ride in Steelers vs. Falcons (+3), you have a bevy of intriguing options to place Week 1 NFL bets on. Meanwhile, Dolphins vs. Raiders is a matchup that may not garner as much interest as the aforementioned, but it still carries intrigue for Week 1 NFL picks as the only opening game guaranteed to have two new starters under center. Bet NFL games at DraftKings. Claim their new user offer here : Miami's Malik Willis is expected to duel with Kirk Cousins, while No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza is expected to begin the 2026 NFL season as the backup. Vegas is a 3.5-point favorite, per the latest Week 1 NFL odds, as it's one of a dozen games with an NFL spread under 4 points. All of the updated Week 1 NFL lines are listed below, and SportsLine's advanced computer model has all the NFL betting advice and NFL predictions you need to make the best Week 1 NFL picks now . The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters the 2026 NFL season on a 53-37 run on top-rated picks dating back to 2024. Anybody following its NFL betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns. Now, it has turned its attention to the latest Week 1 NFL odds and NFL betting lines and locked in betting picks for every NFL matchup. Head here to see every pick . We can tell you one of the model's strongest Week 1 NFL picks is that the Jaguars (-7.5, 40.5) cover at home versus Cleveland in a Sunday 1 p.m. ET kickoff. The model has the Jags prevailing versus the spread nearly 60% of the time, continuing the success they had last year with a league-best 12-5 ATS mark in the regular season. Jacksonville was even more proficient versus the line at home, covering in 78% of games, also the best record in the NFL, while Cleveland was 2-6 ATS on the road, which was the second-worst mark in the NFL. The Jags should have a big QB edge in this matchup, as Trevor Lawrence is forecasted for over 200 yards and a pair of scores versus a defense which no longer has Myles Garrett, while Deshaun Watson is projected to have just 141 yards in his return. In addition to Jacksonville covering, SportsLine's model also has the Over hitting in 63% of simulations. See which other teams to pick here . New to sports trading? Visit our Kalshi promo code review to see their latest offers and get started. Claim the Kalshi signup offer here now : Another one of its Week 1 NFL predictions: the Eagles (-4.5, 46.5) cover versus the Commanders on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET. Philadelphia has won eight of its last nine versus Washington in games that Jalen Hurts has started and finished. He should have continued production versus Washington's defense which ranked dead last in yards allowed last year and is in transition, with up to eight new starters and moving from a 4-3 base to a 3-4. Add in that Jayden Daniels may use his legs less to avoid the injuries he suffered in 2025, and the fact that Commanders LT Laremy Tunsil (triceps) is out, and Philly is forecasted to cover the spread in nearly 60% of simulations in an A-rated pick. See which other teams to pick here . The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every other game on the Week 1 NFL schedule and just revealed multiple underdogs that outright win, potentially giving you a huge payday. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine . So what Week 1 NFL picks can you make with confidence, and which underdogs should you lock in now? Check out the latest NFL odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $7,000 , and find out. Get Week 1 [... truncated ...]
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence looks to improve in off-schedule situations
Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers remain in contract negotiations, with Mayfield reportedly seeking a longer commitment than the two-year extension offered. Key sticking points include the total value and guarantees in the proposed deal, as well as the length of the contract. Mayfield is currently in the final year of his contract and is seeking a deal that aligns with the current market for veteran quarterbacks
The Jacksonville Jaguars appeared to hit a grand slam last offseason by hiring former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as their new head coach. He led the Jags to 13 wins as they won the AFC South title for the first time since 2022 – which had been the last time the team made the playoffs. What should we expect from QB Trevor Lawrence and Co. this season? Bettors are DraftKings are certainly high on the group. Fans interested in futures betting on the best betting apps need to follow our NFL news page, and bettors can find picks from the SportsLine Projection Model and our experts for the 2026 NFL season. Wager on the NFL with the latest FanDuel promo code and get up to $1,000 in bet resets when you bet $5 for 5 days: Note that Jacksonville hosts Carolina on Friday night in Week 2 of the preseason, but the only thing I will say about that is Coen says he plans to play Lawrence and his starters "a couple drives, potentially" after none played in the exhibition opener. Previously, Coen had said he had no intention of putting his first-team offense or defense at risk in any of these games. Coen made it clear no starters would then play in the finale. Was last season a fluke, and is Coen perhaps a one-hit wonder? I'll give you a great fairly recent example of an offensive-minded head coach who thrived in Year 1 and was never close to that guy again: Former Bears coach Matt Nagy. He went 12-4 in 2018 and never posted another winning season. I wouldn't say one-hit wonders are regular, but they're not uncommon. It's part of the reason there are only five head coaches left in the league who were hired by their teams before 2021. Incidentally, Coen wasn't even the Jaguars' first choice to be head coach, as that was former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson , but thank goodness my Bears were able to get him. In almost any other season, Coen could have won the NFL Coach of the Year Award, considering he was only the 11th rookie head coach since the 1970 merger to win at least 12 regular-season games. Alas, Mike Vrabel practically worked a miracle with the Patriots , so he got the nod and Coen finished second. Check out Trevor Lawrence props and more NFL picks at DraftKings, where new users get $150 in bonus bets paid within 14 days after they spend $5+: For this year's COY, Coen is a +2500 longer shot as obviously it's going to be tough improving upon last season. But know this: eight of the previous 10 on that list of successful rookie coaches got to double-digit victories in Year 2. And of the six previous rookie head coaches in NFL history to win at least 13 games, five of the six got to at least 10 victories in their second season. Jacksonville is set at Over/Under 9.5 wins, +3000 to win the Super Bowl , +1500 to win the AFC for the first time, +245 second-favorites in the AFC South behind Houston (+110) and +105 to return to the playoffs, with No at -125. Jacksonville seeks back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time 1998-99, which is the third-longest active drought in the league. DraftKings Sportsbook bettors are definitely high on this team, as the Jags are taking about 51% of total handle to win the division. And on DK's AFC South finishing position prop, Jacksonville is the most-bet team via handle and tickets to finish first. In fact, the Jags are taking the seventh-most handle in the league to make the playoffs compared to 31st in money to miss. The SportsLine Projection Model forecasts the club for 9.6 wins, a 61.0% chance to make the playoffs, 27.4% to win the division, 9.6% for it first conference title and 4.7% to win the Super Bowl. Sign up here to wager on NFL futures using the BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS: It seemed like it took about half of last season for things to click in Coen's offense, as that unit ranked 18th in scoring through the club's first nine games. The Jags were 5-4 in those games. But in the season-ending eight-game winning streak, the offense led the NFL in scoring [... truncated ...]
Jaguars players stock up and down after a pivotal week featuring joint practices and a preseason victory over the Saints
With the Raiders last year, Geno Smith led the NFL with 17 interceptions. He’s on a new team this year, but the betting odds suggest the same result. Now with the Jets, Smith is the betting favorite to be the NFL leader in interceptions again. His odds to lead the league in picks are +950 at DraftKings. There are a lot of reasons to think Smith will throw a lot of interceptions. The obvious one is his own history, as the reigning league leader in picks. Another is that the Jets are expected to be a bad team this year, which means Smith will often be throwing the ball in desperation mode in the fourth quarter. And if Smith struggles, the Jets don’t have a great option to bench him for: The other quarterbacks on the roster are Bailey Zappe, Brady Cook, and rookie fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik. The Jets might want to get a look at Klubnik at some point this season, but it would probably be late in the year if it happens at all. Next in the betting odds to lead the league in interceptions is 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy at +1000, followed by Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence at +1100
Chris Rodriguez Jr. is getting plenty of work with the first-team offense, making him a promising option for the Jacksonville Jaguars
Even for rookies, the NFL preseason can be a mixed bag at best. But these 9 players are worth keeping an eye on
NEW YORK -- In 2012, Russell Wilson was thrown into the fray immediately, winning the Seahawks ' starting quarterback battle as a third-round rookie. He started all 16 games that year (as he would do the next eight years) and made the Pro Bowl. One season later, he was a Super Bowl champion. Now, he's a rookie in another sense. Wilson joined CBS Sports' "The NFL Today" this offseason, and on Tuesday, he put on his analyst hat to discuss some of the NFL's most notable young quarterbacks. One he's been especially impressed by while preparing for this season? Chicago's Caleb Williams . "Watching the film, watching Caleb Williams and how talented he is and how he moves, he kinda reminds me of me when I was young and all that -- his ability to make plays, his ability to throw on the run, his ability to throw accurately on the move, how he spins out of the pocket," Wilson said Tuesday at the "NFL on CBS" media day. "I think he's got some crazy talent to him." Williams' playmaking abilities were on display, especially in crunch time. He led the NFL with six fourth-quarter comebacks in the regular season, and he added another in an epic wild-card win over the Packers . 🗣️ ROOOOOOME ODUUUUUNZE 📺: @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/7hfM7AaUId He then nearly led an upset of the Rams with a Wilson-esque play. CALEB WILLIAMS YOU ARE RIDICULOUS 📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/2zphVCnNbd Of course, a big part of Wilson's game as a youngster was his ability to avoid sacks (Williams took 68 as a rookie but just 24 last year) and to make defenders pay with his legs. Both also took excellent care of the ball. Caleb Williams vs. Russell Wilson -- 1st 2 Seasons Williams Wilson Pass TD 47 52 Int 13 19 Comp pct 60.3% 63.6% Rushing yards 877 1,028 Fourth-quarter comebacks 8 6 "The next step for Caleb is finishing the second quarter as strong as he finishes the fourth quarter," said former Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long , who will also be in his first season on "The NFL Today." "The second quarter is where the games will be won or lost. Going into the half, trying to steal an extra possession, that's where a lot of their games will be won or lost." When asked for his 2026 breakout quarterback, Wilson went with a slightly older player. "I'm really interested to see what Trevor Lawrence does this year," Wilson said. "The reason I bring up Trevor Lawrence is I think he's got great talent, he's got good players around him, but this is his second year with Liam Coen around. So I think that'll be a huge help, those two guys knowing each other. Lawrence played at an elite level down the stretch of last season as the Jaguars won their final eight regular-season games. Wilson's most recent team -- the Giants -- doesn't have that same continuity, with new coach John Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy in tow. Still, Wilson had high praise for 2025 teammate Jaxson Dart going into Year 2. "I think his competitiveness is tremendous," Wilson said. "I think his work ethic's great. His ability to run and move is a special trait, and I think continuing to know playing the next play, he's going to do a tremendous job with that. I think John Harbaugh's gonna give him the chance to do that strategically and put him in really good positions to be successful." Dart was examined for a concussion five times last year, and one diagnosed concussion cost him two games. He did, however, earn plaudits for sliding in bounds at Giants training camp on Monday. Wilson is confident the second-year pro will continue to adjust well to his new scheme, too. "He knows how to do it, he'll be great at it, and he'll be able to ball out," Wilson said. Wilson also got to see NFC East foe Jayden Daniels of the Commanders up close and personal last year -- the two faced off in Week 1 -- but neither played in the teams' late-season meeting. Dart got the start for New York, while Daniels' season had already ended due to an elbow injury, one of three injuries he [... truncated ...]
The Jaguars will be missing their biggest names when they take the field in New Orleans for their preseason opener on Saturday. Head coach Liam Coen said at a Tuesday press conference that the team’s starters will not play against the Saints. The Jaguars will also have a joint practice with the NFC South club this week, so those players will get work in what Coen called a “controlled setting.” With Trevor Lawrence out of the picture for Saturday, Coen said that quarterback Carter Bradley will get a lot of playing time. Nick Mullens and Joey Aguilar are the other quarterbacks on the roster. The Jaguars will play the Panthers and the Buccaneers in their final two preseason games
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