Projecting Looming QB Camp Headaches for the Cardinals, Raiders and Browns

Here’s why it could get depressing in each NFL city. Plus, can Aaron Rodgers magically turn back the hands of time playing for Mike McCarthy?

Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson are competing for the starting job in Cleveland. | Mike Cardew / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Summer brings a few rites of passage. 

Out-of-school kids grabbing an ice cream cone. The hum of an AC unit in the window, providing some cool on a sweltering night. And quarterback battles keeping coaches and fans awake at night, wondering what’s to become of their team in the fall. 

This year, there are a few such quarterback dilemmas, with two bringing depression and one potentially resulting in the savior of a once-storied franchise when he takes the field. Then, there’s a battle that we all face, a man and time facing off against each other. 

But we start in the desert, where the Cardinals have already seen a one-win quarterback hold out for more money, and two others on the depth chart have ideas of grandeur bouncing around in their respective heads.

How will everything shake out in Arizona?

There are always a few teams throughout a season that have three starting quarterbacks, not including Week 18 and the nonsense that comes with it. Whether it be due to injuries or ineffectiveness, a few franchises endure the pain of watching a parade of nonanswers pretend to be one under center. 

Last year, the Ravens and Chiefs faced such situations despite having Hall of Fame starters, while the Colts, Bengals, Vikings and Jets, among others, also went through the ugliness. This year, don’t be surprised if the Cardinals are such a team.

Going into training camp, Arizona has Jacoby Brissett as the anointed starter despite his 1–11 mark in 12 starts last year. Brissett missed some of the offseason program while pining for a raise (yes, seriously) despite throwing for 6.9 yards per attempt and a 41.2 QBR last year. 

In camp, Brissett will attempt to hold off veteran backup Gardner Minshew II and rookie third-round pick Carson Beck, fresh off his national championship game appearance with Miami. While Minshew has started 47 games and enjoyed a moment here and there, he’s on his fifth team in as many seasons (and sixth overall). The bigger wild card is Beck, who spent six years in college with Georgia and Miami. 

If first-year coach Mike LaFleur decides to go with upside and youth, Beck could get playing time over a pair of older quarterbacks with no potential left to tap.

When will Fernando Mendoza take over in Las Vegas?

In Las Vegas, the tenor of the competition is far different. Unlike Arizona, where the three-way battle will be won by the least depressing option, the Raiders are waiting to see when their No. 1 pick takes flight. 

Las Vegas selected Fernando Mendoza with the draft’s top choice, coming off his Heisman Trophy and a title-winning campaign in Indiana, throwing for 41 touchdowns in the undefeated season. He enters the league with 37-year-old Kirk Cousins as his rival and mentor, giving him both a chance to learn and a need to win the job, rather than have it handed to him. 

Cousins spent the past two years with the Falcons, being a cap casualty after signing a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed. Only weeks after signing the deal, Atlanta drafted Michael Penix Jr., and Cousins was on the clock. In 22 starts (24 appearances), Cousins threw 28 touchdowns against 21 interceptions while posting a 12–10 record as a starter. 

So, how much does first-time coach Klint Kubiak want to put on Mendoza early? The Raiders are a rebuilding team without a star receiver or a proven offensive line. Last year, the unit allowed Geno Smith to be sacked 55 times, tied for the most of any quarterback (and in 15 games). Still, Mendoza was selected to be the face of the franchise. And, the early slate is somewhat soft with the Dolphins and Saints as two of Las Vegas’s first three games. 

Mendoza will eventually be the starter if he’s not immediately, but when?

Cleveland is about to be home to a depressing camp battle

Did someone mention depressing quarterback battles being a rite of passage? Look no further than Cleveland, which has made this a tradition unlike any other this side of The Masters. 

Last year, the Browns trotted out a pair of rookies, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, after allowing Joe Flacco to start the first four games. Incredibly, the trio combined to throw 16 touchdowns and 18 interceptions—and two of them were named to the Pro Bowl.

Fast-forward to today, and Cleveland is welcoming back Deshaun Watson from his torn Achilles to compete with Sanders. The Browns are entering the last year of Watson’s catastrophic contract of five years and a fully guaranteed $230 million after watching him play 19 games over the past four seasons. Meanwhile, Sanders is trying to prove himself after being selected in the fifth round a year ago, before completing 56.6% of his attempts with an 18.9 QBR over seven starts (eight appearances).

With two first-round picks and a generational quarterback crop believed to be in the 2027 draft, the Browns are essentially keeping the seat warm unless Sanders has a dramatic turnaround. But in the meantime, another first-year coach, Todd Monken, has to find the best answer possible to make this year palatable, all while proving he deserves to coach the next guy.

The continued battle between Aaron Rodgers and Father Time

There’s no doubt who is going to be the starting quarterback for the Steelers. Aaron Rodgers will climb under center for the 22nd year of his career and presumably his last if you believe his comments.

For Rodgers, it must be a full-circle moment. He’ll once again be coached by Mike McCarthy, the same coach with whom he began his second year in the league with Green Bay back in 2006. Now, Rodgers isn’t a wide-eyed rookie playing behind Brett Favre. He is Favre. The grizzled veteran is leaving everyone to wonder if he’ll keep playing, craving the spotlight, always getting it, and now having one more shot at a second ring. 

As Favre had in Minnesota, Rodgers is surrounded by an excellent roster in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have a terrific wideout duo in Michael Pittman Jr. and DK Metcalf. They have a nice backfield tandem in Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. The defense is dotted with stars new and old, including defensive lineman Cam Heyward, edge rushers T.J. Watt, Nate Herbig and Alex Highsmith, corners Jamel Dean and Joey Porter Jr., and safety Jaquan Brisker.

In 2025, Rodgers looked old, throwing for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns on 6.7 yards per attempt. He ran for 94 yards, a career low as a starter. He threw for 2.4 completed air yards per attempt, the worst figure of 33 qualified quarterbacks.

At 42 years old, can Rodgers magically turn back the hands of time? If so, the Steelers will be a contender in a wide-open AFC. If not, they’ll be a speedbump for a good team.

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