NFL QBs on the hot seat for 2026: McCarthy, Penix headline group

We’re just a few weeks removed from the 2025 season coming to a close. While the Seattle Seahawks are still basking in the glory of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LX, the rest of the NFL is preparing to knock them off the pedestal or at least become more competitive in 2026. For some organizations, that includes overhauling or continuing the search for their franchise quarterback, while others are simply building around the signal-caller they have. 

Then, there’s another group. It’s the collection of teams that aren’t quite thrilled with the quarterback they have in place, but are not totally at the stage of hitting the eject button either. That uneasy middle ground regarding the most important position in the sport is hardly the place any team wants to be, but it’s the reality for a handful entering 2026. That creates a ton of pressure on those quarterbacks to put everyone’s concerns to rest with a strong season, thus planting their flag as a franchise centerpiece. If not, some hard decisions will then need to be made.

Below, we’ll highlight five quarterbacks who are currently on the hot seat, albeit with the start of the 2026 campaign still months away.  

5. C.J. Stroud

A decision on Stroud’s future in Houston could come as early as this offseason, as the former No. 2 overall pick is now extension eligible. At the very least, the Texans will almost certainly pick up his fifth-year option, but Stroud hasn’t instilled much confidence in recent seasons. The Ohio State product burst onto the scene with one of the better rookie seasons in recent memory in 2023, but he hasn’t followed that up with equal or ascending production. In fact, he’s regressed on a couple of fronts. 

Over the last two seasons, Stroud’s completion percentage is worse than Kirk Cousins over that stretch, his yards per attempt are below Geno Smith’s, and his passer rating is below Kyler Murray’s. Stroud should be heads and shoulders above those quarterbacks as he establishes himself as one of the brightest young players at the position. Instead, he’s going in the other direction. And let’s not forget the jarring four-interception game in the divisional round against New England. 

This is hardly the trajectory a team wants to see when considering making him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league on a contract that’ll likely pay him somewhere in the range of $55 million per season. It also makes one wonder if Houston will hold off on giving Stroud any sort of extension this offseason and merely pick up the fifth-year option. If that happens, Stroud will be put further under the microscope in 2026 with the Texans determining if he’s truly worth giving a mammoth contract to. 

4. Bryce Young

Young is in a somewhat similar position to Stroud as the Panthers are now having to consider giving him the fifth-year option (which they are expected to do), along with potentially inking him to an extension. It’s been a topsy-turvy career for Young thus far after being the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. The Alabama product was benched momentarily, but he did just enjoy a solid bounce-back season in 2025. He notched career highs in passing touchdowns, completion percentage, and passing yards per game, while helping Carolina to an NFC South championship. Young also played well in his playoff debut, albeit in a losing effort to the Rams. 

With that in mind, there should be optimism surrounding Young going into 2026, but he hasn’t firmly established himself just yet. As encouraging as 2025 was, Young still completed just 63.6% of his passes and averaged 188.2 passing yards per game for an 87.8 passer rating. That’s good, but not exactly great production. If he plateaus or regresses next season, the Panthers will still have major questions surrounding him as their long-term option.

3. Michael Penix Jr.

Penix may be given the benefit of the doubt in 2026 because he’s recovering from a torn ACL, but the former Washington quarterback hasn’t impressed since Atlanta selected him with the eighth overall pick in 2024. He’s 4-8 as the starter (3-6 in 2025), and is completing less than 60% of his passes with a mere 85.8 passer rating for his career. Despite having some of the top weaponry in the league in running back Bijan Robinson and wideout Drake London, the Falcons offense under Penix has looked clunky. 

With a new regime coming aboard with Matt Ryan being hired as the President of Football, Ian Cunningham being added as GM, and Kevin Stefanski installed as head coach, Penix could be on shaky ground. After all, none of those figures drafted him, so they are not as invested in him as the previous decision-makers were. There are also durability questions as he’s dealt with several serious injuries dating back to college. 

When you factor in that injury history alongside the uninspiring play when he has been on the field, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Falcons bring in some competition this offseason, whether that’s keeping Kirk Cousins in-house or adding another QB into the mix. 

2. J.J. McCarthy

The Vikings bungled their quarterback situation, and it may have cost them their Super Bowl window. They decided to ride with McCarthy and allow Sam Darnold to depart in free agency last offseason after a 14-3 regular season in 2024. Darnold went on to win a Super Bowl with Seattle, while McCarthy has largely struggled as the starter. That decision was seemingly a driving force in Minnesota firing GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. 

A new GM won’t have the same investment in McCarthy as Adofo-Mensah did, so the former first-round pick is truly at a crossroads in 2026. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Vikings, under interim GM Rob Brzezinski, bring in some competition this offseason. Depending on who comes aboard (Mac Jones, Tua Tagovailoa, etc.), McCarthy’s job could vanish before we even get to Week 1. 

In 2025, McCarthy was 6-4 as the starter, completed just 57.6% of his passes, and had more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11). 

However, the Michigan product did flash a little bit down the stretch, owning a 4-0 record over his final four games in 2025 with seven total touchdowns and just three turnovers. Is that the tide turning in a positive direction? That remains to be seen, but the Vikings aren’t exactly acting like it is as they seem open to an upgrade if one is realistically available to them. 

1. Shedeur Sanders

Sanders ended the 2025 season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback, but he has hardly established himself as the set-and-forget figure under center for the organization. Despite the fanfare, the Colorado quarterback wasn’t particularly impressive when given his opportunity. In most categories, he was either at or near the bottom of the league after making his NFL debut.

With Todd Monken now hired as head coach, Sanders’ status as QB1 for 2026 is clouded. When asked about it during his introductory press conference, Monken told reporters that it’s “still to be determined.” 

There’s no clear-cut prospect Cleveland could take with the No. 6 overall pick at the 2026 NFL Draft, but the team could (and likely will) look to bring in a veteran to compete for the starting job this offseason. That sets up Sanders to be fighting for his job the moment training camp begins later this summer.