Predicting Starting Quarterbacks for the 2024 NFL Season
With the 2024 NFL season approaching, many teams are uncertain about their starting quarterbacks. Here's a prediction of who will be under center for all 32 teams.
Arizona Cardinals
Predicted 2024 starter: Kyler Murray
Status: Decent bet
I once thought it would be an upset if Murray was the Cardinals' starting quarterback in 2024. But the Cardinals won their way out of the top three draft spots, and it now looks like Murray will be around for the long haul. His play after returning from a torn right ACL last season was a little disappointing -- he had a 47.0 QBR (ranked 22nd) in eight games and posted a minus-3% completion percentage over expectation, an NFL Next Gen Stats metric he usually excels in -- but that might be a product of returning from said injury.
Atlanta Falcons
Predicted 2024 starter: Kirk Cousins
Status: Searching for a vet
Atlanta makes sense for Cousins, assuming he's fully recovered from the torn Achilles he suffered in Week 8. He'd be going from one former Sean McVay assistant (Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell) to another (Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson). And the Falcons are closer to contending than most think. The roster is fairly strong and was held back by the play of quarterbacks Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. With a new coaching staff and a proven veteran quarterback in Cousins, the Falcons wouldn't only be NFC South favorites -- they could win a playoff game or two.
Baltimore Ravens
Predicted 2024 starter: Lamar Jackson
Status: Locked in
Jackson is the reigning MVP after throwing for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns while running for 821 yards and five more scores. And to think, a year ago no one wanted to sign Jackson to an offer sheet. (Spare me the notion that it was pointless because the Ravens would have matched -- it wouldn't have cost other teams anything if Baltimore matched, and we'll never know whether the Ravens would have because no one tried.)
Buffalo Bills
Predicted 2024 starter: Josh Allen
Status: Locked in
The Bills are blessed with the best quarterback on the planet not named Patrick Mahomes. The 2023 season ended in crushing fashion, but the Bills' Super Bowl window is always open with Allen taking snaps. Allen, who had a 69.6 QBR while throwing for 4,306 yards and 29 touchdown passes, was the most productive rushing quarterback in the NFL this year, too, running for 524 yards and 15 touchdowns.
