Evaluating which AFC North team has best QB situation near wild season's end

At the time of the writing of this piece, the quarterback outlook for the four AFC North teams for next season is murky at best — and that's especially so for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

The NFL’s toughest division over the past two seasons has become the league’s second-worst. That is in part due to the teams' rookie development (or lack thereof), quarterbacks’ lackluster play, and/or injuries.

Nowadays, the QB outlook for the Bengals, Browns, Ravens, and Steelers for the 2026 season is in more turmoil than we previously thought. Also weird that Joe Flacco started multiple games for half those teams.

That begs the question: With four games left in the regular season, which of the four AFC North teams has the best quarterback situation heading into the offseason? 

Joe Burrow isn’t retiring or requesting a trade…right? Right?!

This site sees the NFL through orange-and-black tinted glasses. And those spectacles make it clear that Cincinnati will have the best quarterback situation heading into the 2026 offseason. And we are very unbiased in that assessment, of course. 

The Burrow-led Bengals are the only AFC team to reach the Super Bowl in the past six years, not named Kansas City. Since his second year in the league, Burrow has shown that he is one of, if not the best, quarterbacks in the NFL. 

Last year, Burrow was the best as far as passing yards and TDs, and he would have been an overwhelming favorite for the MVP award if his team had a better record than 9-8. 

Now, after another injury-shortened 2025 campaign, we must listen to national media insist, with their whole chest, that this is the beginning of the end for Burrow in Cincinnati, based on comments from his press availability earlier this week. 

Whether it is through demanding a trade or retirement, people outside of the Queen City are sounding the alarm. And it is getting hot in here.

Injuries, introspection, and losing do not make for the ideal QB situation. Still, it might be better than the rest in the division as we barrel towards the offseason. Nevertheless, the Bengals, like Burrow, are not in as good a position as they were last year, or even two weeks ago.

Browns’ QB situation setting up for not the best, but most intriguing in 2026 offseason

The Cleveland Browns have the most intriguing quarterback situation in the AFC North, because the future is so uncertain. 

The Elves drafted two signal callers in the 2025 draft when they selected Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. While the coaches wanted Gabriel to take control of the starting QB role, Sanders has earned the mantle of fan favorite after a couple of promising outings. 

Now the Browns have four games remaining to see what they have in Sanders after deciding to go with him for the rest of the season. 

If the Browns decide that neither Gabriel nor Sanders is the franchise QB of the future, they can move up to the first pick in the draft, or sit at four, and wait for one of the top QBs to fall to them. 

Ideally, for the Cleveland organization, Gabriel or Sanders will show enough this season to go with one or the other and use their two first-round picks to surround their young QB with as much talent as possible.

But since they don’t know what they have in their two rookies, and have ammunition to do what they want in the draft, their quarterback situation will be the most intriguing in the division, and perhaps in the NFL. 

Ravens still have an elite QB in Lamar Jackson...probably?

The Baltimore Ravens have one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson. After all, he is a two-time league MVP. 

However, this season has been one of Jackson’s worst, making this the most confusing situation heading towards the offseason.

One of the reasons Jackson’s season has not gone the way he would like is due to injury. He has missed three games this season. And since his return, he has not looked like his old self. 

Another reason is the poor play of his offensive line. One lineman in particular, guard Daniel Faale, has infuriated Baltimore fans with his, at times, comically lackluster play. 

Injuries and poor o-line play mean Jackson has a lot in common with Joe Burrow these days. 

If Baltimore can fix the offensive line, Jackson should be fine. And it is a lot easier to find good offensive linemen than a franchise quarterback.

Aaron Rodgers’ return to Pittsburgh in 2026 still up in the air

Happy Birthday to the former NFL's oldest player! That distinguished honor now goes to Phillip Rivers of the Indianapolis Colts. So, congratulations to Rodgers, who turned 42 on Dec. 2, on being two years younger than Rivers.

But Rodgers is showing that age does not matter when winning division championships is involved. Or maybe it is less impressive when playing in the second-worst division in the league.  

Rodgers is the starting quarterback for the division-leading Steelers. And in a results-oriented business, that is ultimately what matters most.

However, it is not reckless speculation to think that even if the Steelers make the tournament, their dismissal will be unceremonious and swift. But at least they will have a chance. 

For 2026, we do not know if Aaron Rodgers will want to keep playing at 43.

And while there was speculation earlier in the season that Pittsburgh wants him back in 2026, with his contract expiring at the end of this season, it is uncertain how the Steelers truly feel about starting a 43-year-old QB if he wants to continue his career in the Steel City. 

Even if the Steelers and Rodgers reach an agreement on another one-year deal, Pittsburgh must have a plan in place to identify his eventual successor. 

Which AFC North team has best QB situation heading towards 2026 a matter of preference

Which AFC North team has the best quarterback situation heading into the 2026 offseason depends on your point of view. The jury is still out on what happens the rest of the way this season, but it's not too soon to have a general lay of the land.

A Browns fan might find the prospects of potentially finding a franchise QB in the draft or surrounding their young QB with first-round talent exciting. Also, with talk surrounding Joe Burrow perhaps not wanting to stay in Cincy and the potential decline of Jackson, Cleveland could be making a big surge up the standings come this time next year.

For Bengals and Ravens fans, there is reason to believe that recent bumps in the road will feel less rocky with clever drafting and/or potential coaching changes. And if those two things happened, even on a lesser scale, those organizations would be better off than the Browns by mere virtue of having Burrow and Jackson already in the building.

But a lack of good options will likely have Pittsburgh fans convinced that another year of Rodgers would mean a second consecutive division title. That is, if they hang on to win it this year.

Nevertheless, if Cincinnati can get competent reinforcements on defense, we would go all in on the Bengals having the best QB situation heading into the 2026 NFL offseason.

Let's hope the front office feels the same, because Burrow's patience is wearing thin. Having an elite QB and hoping for the best for essentially the rest of the team is not a viable strategy to building a consistent winner, never mind one for next season only.

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