Two QBs Primed to Take Center Stage in NFL Free Agency

With the football world buzzing at the combine, all roads lead to these signal-callers, who enter the offseason with as much leverage as any player on the open market.

Packers quarterback Malik Willis could be the top player available in free agency. | Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images

INDIANAPOLIS — The whispers of the early offseason are growing into shouts over the drinks and din of the bars in Indianapolis, with the NFL world buzzing at the 2026 NFL combine about the weeks ahead. 

A few conversations stand out above the rest, including the players about to get paid and surprise the masses. To that point, look no further than two quarterbacks who couldn’t play more differently and couldn’t be in more different stages of their careers, but are tied by the common bind of being available at the right time. 

Malik Willis and Kirk Cousins.

On Tuesday, a few announcements from podiums at the Indiana Convention Center should tell you plenty. For starters, first-year Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham told reporters the team would release Cousins on March 11, the first day of the new league year. Cousins, 37, will be free to find a new home, or perhaps return to an old one. 

Then there were the words of the general managers, Jon-Eric Sullivan of the Dolphins and Monti Ossenfort of the Cardinals. Both stated that any possibility is on the table for their starting quarterbacks, Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray, opening the door for both to be shopped in trade talks. In Cleveland, GM Andrew Berry expressed false optimism about Deshaun Watson competing with Shedeur Sanders, a potential outcome born of the roster not having a solid starter at quarterback. 

All of these roads lead back to Willis and Cousins, who enter the offseason with as much leverage as any player on the open market. 

Landing spots for Willis

For Willis, 26, the opportunities will be there. The Browns, Dolphins and Cardinals all need quarterbacks. So do the Jets. While the Steelers, Colts and Raiders are also currently without starters under contract, it’s increasingly likely we will see Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones and rookie Fernando Mendoza secure those respective jobs. 

Arizona could have the most attractive situation of the four (Arizona, New York, Cleveland and Miami) because Ossenfort worked in Tennessee, where Willis was a third-round selection in 2023. The Cardinals also have an offensive-minded coach in Mike LaFleur, unlike the Jets and Dolphins. To that point, Cleveland also has a challenging financial situation. It has only $3.2 million in current cap space due to Watson’s deal, which includes four void years through 2030.

In our free-agent rankings, Willis is projected to get a $50 million deal over two years. It could easily be more, especially if a few teams engage in a bidding war. Consider how incredible that is when you realize Willis has thrown 89 passes over the past two years in only three starts. In those games, Willis threw for six touchdowns, zero interceptions and completed 78.7% of his attempts with a 2–1 record. 

The sample size is comical. Caleb Williams had more pass attempts in two playoff games this season (90) than Willis has over two years (89). But with a draft class lacking any clear-cut first-round pick outside of Mendoza and a free-agent group short of any top-end talents, Willis’s combination of youth, athleticism and upside is tantalizing. 

Cousins passed for 1,721 yards and 10 touchdowns in eight starts last season. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Landing spots for Cousins

Then there’s Cousins, who, at 37 years old, is going to test the market once more. 

Cousins looked finished in 2024. He was benched in Atlanta for rookie Michael Penix Jr. after starting 14 games on a four-year, $180 million deal. In those contests, Cousins struggled coming off a torn Achilles from the prior season, throwing a league-high 16 interceptions.  

But last season, things changed. Penix tore his ACL, and Cousins stepped in as a valuable replacement. In eight starts (10 games), the veteran passed for 1,721 yards and 10 touchdowns while posting a 5–3 mark. His best performance came on Thursday Night Football against the Buccaneers in Week 15, when he threw for 373 yards and three scores in a 29–28 upset win.

Now on the verge of hitting free agency, Cousins should be in demand. While Willis will get a larger contract because of age and long-term upside, Cousins will have suitors because of his experience and proven productivity. Across 14 seasons with Washington, Minnesota and Atlanta, Cousins has 44,700 passing yards and 298 touchdowns. Only four active quarterbacks have thrown for more yardage and scores.

While teams such as the Jets and Dolphins could consider Cousins, the team that makes the most sense might be the Vikings.

Minnesota is coming off a 9–8 season that was more disastrous than the record sounds, resulting in the firing of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Starting quarterback and 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy vacillated between being hurt and underwhelming, playing in 10 games and completing 57.6% of his attempts with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. 

If Cousins can come in and compete with McCarthy, the Vikings would raise the most important floor in football while giving fifth-year coach Kevin O’Connell the safety net of a proven veteran who knows his scheme, should McCarthy either underperform or end up injured again. And after seeing Adofo-Mensah fired, O’Connell must think another postseason-less year could prove problematic for his own employment status.

Few options available or teams

In an offseason without a superstar like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning becoming a free agent, it’s the draft where struggling teams find their next quarterback. This winter, there are few options available in either area. 

Here then are Willis and Cousins, two players who find themselves available at the right time. Willis is looking to cash in for the first time, while Cousins is looking to cash in again. 

Over the next week, the whispers in Indianapolis will continue to become shouts as free agency gets closer, with two quarterbacks primed to take center stage.

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