{"id":776790,"date":"2026-02-26T04:12:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T04:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/776790\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T04:12:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T04:12:26","slug":"kyler-murray-or-tua-tagovailoa-will-49ers-get-a-convincing-offer-for-mac-jones-heres-the-nfl-free-agent-qb-buzz-at-nfl-combine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/776790\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyler Murray or Tua Tagovailoa? Will 49ers get a convincing offer for Mac Jones? Here\u2019s the NFL free-agent QB buzz at NFL combine"},"content":{"rendered":"

INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 As front-office executives and player representatives meet across lobbies, hotel rooms and hallways of the NFL scouting combine<\/a>, an annual tradition returns.<\/p>\n

Speculation about teams\u2019 next moves and players\u2019 next destinations often far outpaces the reality of deals that will materialize in the coming weeks and months. But the speculation is not usually emerging from thin air. More often, it reflects the conversations teams are having with each other and with player agents, as each party susses out what\u2019s possible by discussing the many plans that are not.<\/p>\n

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So with an unusual free-agent quarterback market shaping up, let\u2019s break down some of the buzz traveling through combine meetups \u2014 with the acknowledgment that much of it will reach its peak of reality in teams\u2019 meetings this week.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Yahoo Sports is hearing from coaches, executives and personnel evaluators in Indianapolis:<\/p>\n

Malik Willis will have his choice<\/p>\n

The Tennessee Titans\u2019 2022 third-round selection is the belle of the ball among quarterbacks currently set to hit free agency. Malik Willis\u2019 two seasons in Green Bay reflected a quarterback able to maintain production in spot play, whether a Jordan Love injury demanded Willis come in for a series, the end of a game he didn\u2019t start or multiple weeks as a starter. Willis\u2019 attractiveness in a market where quarterback demand outweighs supply should help him secure his value, but executives remain split on what he can command. One NFC executive said they\u2019d be surprised if Willis\u2019 average annual salary hit $30 million, while an executive from another NFC team said they\u2019d be surprised if Willis\u2019 salary doesn\u2019t hit $30 million.<\/p>\n

An AFC executive posited one consideration that could influence Willis\u2019 decision among suitors. While Willis could choose simply to go to the highest bidder, the executive noted Willis\u2019 two years in Tennessee without much opportunity showed him what it\u2019s like to be in an environment not set up for quarterback success. Could that lead Willis away from a Justin Fields-like move, in which the Jets paid Fields handsomely last offseason but lacked a helpful ecosystem, and toward a move like Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold made with teams more ready to win?<\/p>\n

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Initially, evaluators pegged Willis to the Miami Dolphins as Packers brass became their general manager (Jon-Eric Sullivan) and head coach (Jeff Hafley). Arizona, too, raised eyebrows when Mike LaFleur, brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, took the job. Arizona has more talent offensively but neither feels fully ready to thrive.<\/p>\n

Kirk Cousins raises the floor<\/p>\n

Atlanta Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham confirmed Tuesday<\/a> that the team would release Kirk Cousins on March 11 and \u201cwe won\u2019t re-sign Kirk.\u201d Expect Cousins to interest suitors, be it the Minnesota Vikings looking to pair J.J. McCarthy with a veteran or the New York Jets and head coach Aaron Glenn whose multiyear future may not be guaranteed.<\/p>\n

An assistant coach who faced Cousins this past season said Cousins looked better in 2025 than 2024, with more time removed from his 2023 Achilles tear.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey were functional, they moved the ball well,\u201d the assistant said. \u201cThat four-game win streak and including winning against the Rams, that was not a fluke.\u201d<\/p>\n

One reason the Jets might be interested? Cousins would immediately raise their floor, perhaps bridging the gap until a 2027 quarterback draft class deeper than this year\u2019s helps New York\u2019s ceiling. The Jets hired former Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich to coordinate their offense. Cousins\u2019 strength at executing designed plays, getting teammates in and out of the huddle, reading coverages and identifying changes in protections could allow the Jets to maximize Reich\u2019s scheme.<\/p>\n

The Kyler Murray vs. Tua Tagovailoa debate<\/p>\n

Coaches and executives were split on which seemingly soon-to-be-released quarterback they\u2019d rather have. The Cardinals and Dolphins shut down Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa, respectively, late in 2025. They thus avoided triggering further injury guarantees but have incentive to release their quarterbacks before further guarantees trigger. Among three sources that included NFC and AFC coach and executive voices, two preferred Murray to Tagovailoa and one preferred Tagovailoa. The Murray camp emphasized how his mobility and out-of-structure play-making stressed defenses even if he\u2019s dipped from his athletic peak. Murray is the \u201cquarterback you don\u2019t want to have,\u201d one high-ranking AFC executive said, \u201cand the quarterback you don\u2019t want to face.\u201d Others echoed that frustration Murray brings defenses and why it\u2019s likely to earn him another starting job.<\/p>\n

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The Tagovailoa camp preferred the Miami quarterback\u2019s accuracy and leadership to those of Murray.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a guy who\u2019s not far removed from 70% completion percentage,\u201d an NFC assistant said. \u201cA 100-plus passer rating. He’s had an explosive offense. He seems to at least care more.\u201d<\/p>\n

A high-ranking AFC executive said they believed both quarterbacks posed durability questions, but Tagovailoa\u2019s were more pronounced. The executive saw Tagovailoa\u2019s 2025 film as not just a showcase of a turnover uptick but also of a player physically in decline.<\/p>\n

Could suitors compel the 49ers to give up Mac Jones?<\/p>\n

Stay tuned for more clear bidding prices on the San Francisco 49ers\u2019 second-string quarterback. But just as Sam Darnold resuscitated his career under Kyle Shanahan, Mac Jones\u2019 2025 season gives teams confidence he\u2019s ready to do the same. The 49ers went 5-3 with Jones as he guided the team through Brock Purdy\u2019s turf toe. That makes him very valuable to the 49ers \u2014 and to others. That San Francisco doesn\u2019t need to trade him will up the cost. The 49ers, with Purdy and before, have a demonstrated history of relying on their backup quarterback. And yet, with Willis topping the free-agent market, Jones offers a more proven player. Shanahan said in late January that \u201cyou always listen to people and trade offers, but \u2026 I\u2019d be very surprised if Mac wasn\u2019t around us next year.\u201d General manager John Lynch echoed the sentiment.<\/p>\n

Expect the offers to come this week.<\/p>\n

As one NFC executive put it: There\u2019s a price.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 As front-office executives and player representatives meet across lobbies, hotel rooms and hallways of the NFL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":776791,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[375,254,1842,2644,260,8078,2370,7,41,392,1519,226,1724,294,4827,5215,4097,251,259,6,428,1257,424,1878,1161,252,394,796,3452],"class_list":["post-776790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-arizona","tag-atlanta-falcons","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-brock-purdy","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-executive","tag-fields","tag-football","tag-green-bay","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-j-j-mccarthy","tag-jets","tag-jordan-love","tag-kirk-cousins","tag-kyler-murray","tag-mac-jones","tag-malik-willis","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-nfl","tag-packers","tag-quarterback","tag-rams","tag-sam-darnold","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-tennessee-titans","tag-the-jets","tag-tua-tagovailoa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=776790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776790\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/776791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=776790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=776790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=776790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}