Who will be the 32 starting quarterbacks in Week 1?

I was listening to the Golic & Wingo show on ESPN Radio this week and they were predicting the starting quarterbacks for all 32 NFL teams will be in Week 1 before we head into free agency and the draft. I thought this was a tremendous idea and decided to take a crack at it myself. I mean, how hard can it be?

So, here are my predictions for who will be the starting quarterbacks in Week 1 for all 32 NFL teams. I'm not going to take injuries into account, so let's assume all these guys are healthy. Here are the main guys that all eyes will be on once free agency begins and the draft gets underway in late April. 2017 team in parentheses ().

Left to right, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson will
be some of the top quarterbacks taken in this year's draft.
(Getty Images)

Kirk Cousins (Redskins)
Drew Brees (Saints)
Case Keenum (Vikings)
Teddy Bridgewater (Vikings)
Sam Bradford (Vikings)
Nick Foles (Eagles)
A.J. McCarron (Bengals)
Josh Allen (Wyoming)
Josh Rosen (UCLA)
Sam Darnold (USC)
Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma)
Lamar Jackson (Louisville)
Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma St.)

Most of the following predictions will probably be wrong, but I'm confident in a few, particularly a team in the AFC East where we'll start things off.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills - Tyrod Taylor. It seems to me that the Bills and their fans want to move on from Tyrod Taylor, but I have a feeling he'll be the starter Week 1. Buffalo has Nathan Peterman on the roster, but he did not play well when he got opportunities in his first season. I could see the Bills signing another veteran or taking a QB later in the draft, but I think Taylor will be back.

Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill. The Jay Cutler experiment didn't go well and if Tannehill is healthy coming back from a torn ACL, I think he's an above average QB in this league. I could see the Dolphins taking a QB early in the draft -- they pick 11th in the first round -- but I look for Tannehill to be the starter.

New England Patriots - Brian Hoyer. Haha. Just kidding. It'll be Tom Brady and it'll continue to be Tom Brady as he apparently doesn't get any older.

New York Jets - Baker Mayfield. The Jets will aggressively go after Kirk Cousins, but I don't see him signing there, which means the Jets will draft someone with the 6th overall pick and that'll be Baker Mayfield. Mayfield may need to mature a bit and his lack of size is a bit of a concern, but he has a will to win and the New York media will love him. The Jets are headed in the right direction with head coach Todd Bowles and having a franchise QB in Mayfield will make them competitive in 2018.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens - Joe Flacco. Flacco is scheduled to make $24.75 million next season and $103 million over the next four years, so I'd be shocked if he's not the starter with him making that kind of money. His contract though is hurting the Ravens ability to sign other players and you have to wonder if the Ravens will take a quarterback later in the draft to develop behind Flacco, who is 33 years old, to potentially replace him before they owe him the rest of that money.

Cincinnati Bengals - Andy Dalton. With backup A.J. McCarron off to free agency, the Bengals only have Jeff Driskel left on the roster. Now, I've heard that the Bengals think highly of him, but he's never played a down in the NFL. The Bengals have many more pressing needs than quarterback in the upcoming draft, so don't expect them to take a quarterback until the later rounds. Dalton will be the starter though.

Cleveland Browns - A.J. McCarron. The biggest question mark of the offseason, who will be the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback? We know one thing, it won't be last year's starter DeShone Kizer. The Browns will most likely draft a QB with one of their two top four picks in April's draft. I also see them signing a veteran and that veteran will be A.J. McCarron. Cleveland almost had McCarron a few months ago, but botched paperwork nixed the deal. McCarron has a good relationship with head coach Hue Jackson from his time in Cincinnati that I think it would be a good fit. I also think the Browns will draft a QB number one overall. My least favorite of the top quarterbacks in the draft is Josh Allen and I bet the Browns pick him. I could be totally wrong, but his lack of accuracy is concerning as that's something you need in the NFL. So, McCarron will start with Allen holding a clipboard and learning from the bench.

Pittsburgh Steelers - Ben Roethlisberger. Unless he decides to retire or something.

AFC South

Houston Texans - Deshaun Watson. In seven games last season, Watson threw for 1,699-yards, 19 TD and had a QB rating of 103. He also ran for 269-yards and 2 TD. I can't wait to see him back on the field.

Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck. As long as he's healthy having missed all of last season.

Even with a new contract, expect Blake Bortles to face
some competition in training camp.
(Getty Images)

Jacksonville Jaguars - Blake Bortles. The Jaguars surprisingly signed Bortles to a $54 million contract extension which most likely means they're sticking with the guy who got them to the AFC Championship game last season. Don't rule the Jaguars out in trying to get another QB to start over Bortles though. With the contract extension, Bortles cap hit next season is $10 million, a small amount for a quarterback. I can see the Jaguars going after Kirk Cousins or Case Keenum, but I don't see them signing either one of those guys. That means they'll most likely draft a QB and with the 29th pick they'll draft Lamar Jackson. I think Bortles will start the season, but if he plays poorly I can see Jackson stepping in. Jackson will need some work, but putting his athleticism with Leonard Fournette in that backfield makes for a scary combination.

Tennessee Titans - Marcus Mariota. New head coach Mike Vrabel has said that the Titans are going to run a more option focused offense this season, similar to the one Mariota ran so well while at Oregon. 2018 will be a big year for Mariota, who took a step back in his third NFL season.

AFC West

Denver Broncos - Kirk Cousins. Not the landing spot many see for Cousins, but the Broncos have an ace up their sleeve in GM John Elway. Elway got Peyton Manning to come to Denver and we all know how that turned out. The Broncos still have a good defense and the AFC West is a winnable division. Cousins is going to get paid wherever he goes, but I think the Broncos give him the best chance to win and that, along with Elway, will bring him to Denver. 

Kansas City Chiefs - Patrick Mahomes. No doubt about it. With the Chiefs trading away Pro Bowler and MVP candidate Alex Smith to the Redskins, the Chiefs are all in on Mahomes. 

Los Angeles Chargers - Philip Rivers. Now, Rivers is 36 years old and he'll be a free agent in 2020, so look for the Chargers to maybe draft somebody in the later rounds. 

Oakland Raiders - Derek Carr. I expect to see Carr progress with Jon Gruden now running things for the Raiders and it'll be good to see Gruden back in the NFL. That guy is one of the most entertaining coaches in the league and he's back where he belongs on an NFL sideline. Carr will be running Spider 2 Y Banana a lot this season. 

Now for the NFC, which is a lot clearer than the AFC. 

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys - Dak Prescott. He's just hoping RB Ezekiel Elliott plays an entire 16 games in 2018. He makes Prescott's job a lot easier. 

New York Giants - Eli Manning. Josh Rosen will be waiting in the wings. Eli is under contract through 2019 and although he's getting older, he's 37 now, I expect him to be the starter. The Giants need to look towards the future though and after the Browns take a QB number one overall, the Giants would be hard pressed to pass on this group of quarterbacks at number two. I think the guy they take is Josh Rosen out of UCLA and he'll learn from Manning in 2018. 

Philadelphia Eagles - Carson Wentz. Wentz should be ready to go by training camp coming off his torn ACL, but if I'm the Eagles, I'd hang on to Nick Foles just in case. Foles was Super Bowl MVP and his stock will never be higher for a trade, but I think the Eagles will hold on to him, for the first part of the season anyway, to make sure Wentz is healthy. 

Washington Redskins - Alex Smith. The Redskins are moving on from Kirk Cousins and traded for Smith who agreed to a 4-year, $94 million contract extension. The trade and extension will be official once the new league year begins on March 14th.  

NFC North

Chicago Bears - Mitchell Trubisky. The Bears gave up four draft picks to move up in the draft to get Trubisky last year and he seemed to improve as the season went on. A full offseason and some more talent around him should help him in his second NFL season. As I'll go into in just a bit about the Vikings, I don't see them bringing Sam Bradford back. With Mike Glennon getting cut the Bears need a backup for Trubisky. They might be able to get Bradford for cheap, at least cheaper than what they paid Glennon last season. 

Detroit Lions - Matthew Stafford. Hard to believe 2018 will be Stafford's 10th in the league. He hasn't missed a game since 2010 and he'll be the starter in Detroit Week 1. 

Green Bay Packers - Aaron Rodgers. No surprise here. I just hope for NFL fans sake that Rodgers stays healthy, because he's fun to watch. 

Minnesota Vikings - Case Keenum. And Teddy Bridgewater will be backing him up. Keenum could get the franchise tag, but in the end I see both of these guys staying in Minnesota. Regarding Keenum, I think the Vikings may go after Cousins, but won't be able to land him and will settle for the guy who got them to the NFC Championship game. I also think Bridgewater will have a hard time convincing teams that he's fully healthy. He has a history with the Vikings and they know what he's capable of and if he is indeed healthy. Minnesota holds on to both Keenum and Bridgewater and both could see playing time in 2018. 

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan. Ryan may not have put up the numbers from his MVP season two years ago, but he's still an elite quarterback and he'll be the starter in Week 1. 

Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton. As long as he can stay healthy, Cam will be the starter in Carolina. He took some shots last year though so it might be wise for the Panthers to invest some money in a backup. 

New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees. I would be shocked if Brees doesn't stay in New Orleans and finish his career as a Saint. The Saints will probably begin looking for Brees' future replacement and Mason Rudolph out of Oklahoma State is a possibility. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jameis Winston. Much like Mariota, Winston digressed in 2017 and missed some games due to injury. He's only 24 years old, so he still has room to mature and improve his game as the Bucs starter. 

NFC West

Sam Darnold will get to stay out West as he'll be the starter for the
Arizona Cardinals in Week 1.
(Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

Arizona Cardinals - Sam Darnold. I know, the Cardinals don't pick till 15th, but look at who is ahead of them and I can see Darnold, another former USC quarterback -- recently retired Cardinals QB Carson Palmer also went to USC -- falling in their lap That is to say they don't trade up to get him. The Browns and Giants will take quarterbacks with their picks, Allen and Rosen. Colts have Luck. Broncos get Cousins and the Jets take Mayfield. The next four teams, the Bucs, Bears, Raiders, and 49ers don't need a QB. The Dolphins are going to stick with Tannehill and the Bengals stick with Dalton. The Redskins have Smith, the Packers have Rodgers and next up is the Cardinals. Arizona signs a veteran and the Steve Wilks/Sam Darnold era begins in the desert. 

Los Angeles Rams - Jared Goff. Looking forward to year two of the Sean McVay era in L.A. Goff and the Rams looked real good in year one. 

San Francisco 49ers - Jimmy Garoppolo. Having signed Garoppolo to a 5-year, $137 million contract this offseason, it's a pretty safe bet the 49ers are going with Jimmy in Week 1. 

Seattle Seahawks - Russell Wilson. Unless Wilson decides to quit football and join the Yankees, who he played with in spring training. 

To recap from the guys I highlighted earlier, here's where I see each of them ending up. 

Kirk Cousins → Broncos
Drew Brees → Saints
Case Keenum → Vikings
Teddy Bridgewater → Vikings
Sam Bradford → Bears
Nick Foles → Eagles
A.J. McCarron → Browns
Josh Allen → Browns
Josh Rosen → Giants
Sam Darnold → Cardinals
Baker Mayfield → Jets
Lamar Jackson → Jaguars
Mason Rudolph → Saints

We'll see in about two months if any of these are right, but it's at least good to talk about some football again.