Starting old QBs over unproven youth benefits coaches, not teams

Russell Wilson won a Super Bowl a long time ago. Joe Flacco won one even longer ago. Daniel Jones hasn't won one, hasn't been to one, hasn't even come close.

But the three veteran NFL quarterbacks have something in common: they were named starters for the upcoming season by coaches who are protecting themselves instead of their teams.

And there's something else the trio shares: they will all likely lose their starting jobs before the season ends.

The Browns' decision to name Flacco the starter is the most curious of the bunch. They had the second pick in April's draft but traded down, getting a 2026 first-round pick from the Jacksonville Jaguars - a big, flashing neon sign that competing in 2025 wasn't a priority for Cleveland. The approach made some sense since the salary-cap anchor of Deshaun Watson's contract is still weighing down the team's roster.

Then the Browns drafted two rookie quarterbacks, albeit not with early picks, and signed the still-young Kenny Pickett. The plan ahead seemed clear: either they would draft their quarterback of the future in 2026 (the most likely scenario), or they would see if someone in-house could emerge, giving them more options next year.

But then, Cleveland gave the job to 40-year-old Flacco, ensuring that every snap he takes is one fewer the club can use to evaluate the three other quarterbacks on the roster.

Flacco has been effective in coach Kevin Stefanski's offense before, winning Comeback Player of the Year in 2023. And sure, he could be vaguely competent this season, even if he's two years older and slower. What's the point of that, though? The Browns would be far better served by giving as much playing time as possible to literally any of Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, or Shedeur Sanders. (Pickett has, admittedly, been hurt for much of camp.)

No coach wants to go 3-14. However, a terrible Browns season in which they definitively find out that their young quarterbacks aren't NFL starters is far better than a 6-11 record helmed by Flacco in his sunset years.

The situation is slightly different in New York. While Wilson isn't quite as old and creaky as Flacco, the 36-year-old's last three teams had seen enough from him to want to move on. (In Denver's case, at great cost.) Without the athleticism of his youth, Wilson's terribly limited, even if he knows how to read a defense well. With Brian Daboll seemingly on the hot seat after owner John Mara declared he was nearly out of patience with the organization's dismal results, the head coach must see Wilson as the best option to elevate a poor team playing in a tough division.

The Giants, though, spent a first-round pick in April on Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, who has already earned the often misleading "Looked Good in Preseason" tag. Could Dart be the long-term answer at quarterback? It'll be impossible to learn much as long as he's sitting on the bench behind Wilson, who will complete a lot of low-risk throws and take a pile of sacks as the Giants hope their defense will keep them in games.

But Wilson should also avoid the kind of four-turnover disaster that can befall rookie quarterbacks and lead to embarrassing losses. Daboll evidently has decided that he'd rather lose gracefully than start the risky regular-season learning process with his first-round pick.

Daboll's former quarterback in New York, Daniel Jones, was signed by the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason and has since earned the starting job.

"Earned" is doing a bit of work in that sentence. Jones competed against Anthony Richardson, who was drafted fourth overall by Indy in 2023 and given two opportunities to start, only to be benched both times.

Richardson is the ultimate high-upside, high-risk quarterback, still just 22 years old and physically gifted but prone to errors and injuries. Up against him, Jones, 27, is the safe choice, a remarkable label considering he had one good season over five years in New York and was benched in 2024 because the Giants didn't want him to get injured and trigger guarantees in his contract for this year. It's never a good sign when a team is afraid of getting stuck with you.

The Colts could be decent this season, and coach Shane Steichen says he intends to give Jones a long leash. But even if they scuffle along to 9-8 or 10-7, what does that accomplish? They still won't be any closer to learning if Richardson, the guy they acquired with a premium draft pick, can be an NFL starter. That should be the most important thing for the Colts to evaluate in 2025.

Nobody expects the Browns, Giants, or Colts to seriously contend this season. Yet they all have potential future quarterbacks on their roster - players who won't truly be tested much as long as they're standing on the sidelines, holding clipboards.

It makes more sense to lose games now if it means answering important questions about the 2026 roster.

However, the path to job security for a head coach is to win games, even if they're hurting their team in the process.

Scott Stinson is a contributing writer for theScore.