There aren’t many ideal times to be desperate for a franchise quarterback, but the upcoming offseason is shaping up to be trickier than most in that regard.

The 2025 NFL Draft class is spotty, with a couple of team executives recently telling The Athletic there isn’t a quarterback coming out who’d be ranked ahead of the six first-rounders from 2024. That could shift the focus toward the veteran market, but that will also be a dicey proposition.

It’s somewhat easy to identify which teams will be chasing quarterbacks in the coming months. And since most of those teams can only daydream about the postseason, let’s get an early jump on the 2025 QB carousel.

Potentially available

Aaron Rodgers

Here we go again.

The Athletic recently surveyed three potential general manager candidates to see how they’d handle Rodgers if they took over the New York Jets. All three said they’d release Rodgers with a post-June 1 designation, assuming the 41-year-old doesn’t show marked improvement down the stretch.

Rodgers isn’t having a banner year by any means and comes with his own set of distractions, but suitors won’t need to stretch to think they can get a better year — or two? — out of the four-time MVP. He should eventually be fully recovered from his torn Achilles, which has undeniably hampered him this season, and the Jets’ circumstances weren’t conducive to success.

Put Rodgers in a more stable situation, perhaps in Pittsburgh, and he might be able to go out on a better note.

“Go Further” to read more about the 2025 QB carousel