In recent years, there’s been a trend in the NFL where castaway quarterbacks finally unlock their potential later in their careers. It seems like there’s a new former “bust” at QB who suddenly turns it all around each year. This season, Daniel Jones has been a revelation for the Indianapolis Colts.
There have been a few others to fit that bill in recent years. Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, and Sam Darnold were all high-profile draft prospects who fizzled out for the team that drafted them. Somewhere along the way, they end up riding the bench, only to re-emerge as a quality starter for a different team. Technically, Mac Jones could be considered one of those, seeing how respectable he’s played in Brock Purdy’s absence this season.
That begs an interesting question: which written-off veteran quarterback could be the next Daniel Jones? For the sake of the argument, we’re not including any QBs who are currently starters for their respective teams. Players like Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence, and Tua Tagovailoa arguably haven’t lived up to their contracts. Still, since none of them have been permanently benched, they’re out of the conversation for now.
Here are six NFL quarterbacks we believe could have “late bloomer” potential and work their way back into a starting role in the right system.
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
In his two seasons as the Tennessee Titans’ quarterback, Will Levis went a combined 5-16 as their starter. He threw 21 touchdowns to 16 interceptions, leaving him with a reputation for being turnover-prone and eventually leading to his replacement by No. 1 pick Cam Ward. As Ward is showing in his rookie season, however, Tennessee has been a challenging place for a quarterback to thrive in recent years.
Levis surely isn’t a threat to take over Ward’s starting job, seeing as though the Titans took him with the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Once the former’s rookie contract expires in 2027, though, he could be in high demand as a backup reclamation project. He’s 26 years old with a prototypical quarterback frame and cannon of an arm: there’s a reason he was highly touted coming out of Kentucky.
With some time to learn as a backup, Levis has the chance to work on the mental aspect of playing quarterback, which was his biggest weakness as Tennessee’s starter. If he lands in the right situation, it wouldn’t be crazy to see him bounce back.
Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints
The least-experienced player on this list, Spencer Rattler, found himself in a similar situation this year to what Levis faced last year. He entered the 2025 NFL season as the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, a team that had little to no expectations as a playoff contender coming into the year. Predictably, Rattler went 1-7 as the starter, and he was benched in favor of rookie Tyler Shough.
This isn’t to say that Rattler looked like a franchise QB, but one could argue he was unfairly scapegoated in a situation where he looked doomed to fail. He actually progressed quite well from Year 1 to Year 2. His passer rating jumped from 70.4 to 86.8, he improved his completion percentage from 57.0% to 68.0%, and he cut his TD:INT ratio down from 4:5 to 8:5.
Rattler is still only 25 years old and has plenty of arm talent to work with. On a more developed roster with a more proven head coach, he could step in as a valuable backup somewhere else in the NFL. If he gets a chance to start for a team that isn’t actively rebuilding, he could surprise some people.
Zach Wilson, Miami Dolphins
The New York Jets gave Zach Wilson two seasons as their starting quarterback before bringing in Aaron Rodgers to be his short-term replacement. When Rodgers went down with an injury in the opening game of their 2023 season, Wilson stepped back into a starting role. None of those three seasons was particularly fruitful.
In the 34 games that Wilson played, he threw 23 touchdowns to 25 interceptions. His completion percentage was an abysmal 57.0%, and the teams he led went 13-21. The strong-armed playmaker from BYU saw his backyard-style football fail to translate to the NFL, where he struggled under pressure and often made poor decisions with the football.
Since then, however, Wilson has had the opportunity to absorb information as a backup. He spent the 2024 season with the Denver Broncos, working alongside sharp offensive minds such as Sean Payton, Joe Lombardi, John Morton, and Davis Webb. Although the Miami Dolphins have struggled this year, Mike McDaniel has led some successful offenses in recent years. These opportunities could help Wilson operate more like a traditional pocket passer and maximize the deficiencies in his game.
Trey Lance, Los Angeles Chargers
It’s strange to think that Trey Lance was the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and has only started in five career games. He served as a backup for much of his rookie year with the San Francisco 49ers. That was expected to be the case going in, as he was an FCS prospect with only one season as a full-time starter.
Lance got the chance to start for the 49ers in 2022, but he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. The stellar play of Brock Purdy in his relief made Lance expendable, and he was then traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick. Since then, he’s been a backup for both the Cowboys and the Los Angeles Chargers, where he currently plays.
One could argue that Lance was unfairly abandoned due to the too small sample size. The decision to trade him worked out for the 49ers, but Lance is still a gifted young athlete at 25 years old.
He has spent time with notable quarterbacks’ coaches, including Kyle Shanahan, Mike McDaniel, Mike McCarthy, Brian Schottenheimer, and Jim Harbaugh. He’s sure to have picked up some things along the way. Don’t rule Lance out if he ever gets the chance to start.
Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers
Malik Willis only started in two games in his rookie season with the Tennessee Titans before they decided to call it quits with him. He completed just 50.8% of his passes, not throwing any touchdowns but throwing three interceptions in the process. The aforementioned Levis would replace the third-round pick from Liberty, and he got traded to Green Bay.
In the three games he saw significant playing time in for the Packers in 2024, Levis actually performed quite well. He went 2-1 as the primary quarterback, finishing the year with a 74.1% completion percentage, 550 passing yards, 138 rushing yards, four total touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 124.8 passer rating.
He hasn’t had the chance to show it much due to Jordan Love’s presence, but Willis has looked much better with the Packers than he did with the Titans. Working with Matt LaFleur has made him look more composed and polished than before. Willis is an elite athlete at QB with a strong arm and intriguing recent flashes; all he needs is a chance to remind people of his growth.
Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders
He may be the oldest quarterback on this list at 32 years old, but that doesn’t mean Marcus Mariota can’t still turn some heads. That’s the exact age that Geno Smith took over the Seahawks’ starting job in 2022, making the Pro Bowl in the process. That may be a big leap to make with Mariota, but the opportunity is right in front of him.
Jayden Daniels has missed time as the Washington Commanders’ starting quarterback this year, and he recently suffered a significant elbow injury that should see him miss even more. Mariota has gotten the chance to start a few games as a result, and he’ll be the presumptive starting QB for the remainder of the season.
Mariota currently ranks 28th in PFSN’s QBi metric, which won’t exactly turn heads. However, that’s a higher ranking than current starting quarterbacks like Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young, Cam Ward, J.J. McCarthy, and Dillon Gabriel. As a backup, you can do much worse than Mariota. With a full season potentially ahead of him in a starting role, now is the time to prove that he can still be a decent starter in the NFL.
