Why these 7 NFL QBs face the most pressure to succeed in 2025

With Super Bowl LIX in the books, NFL teams are resetting for a new year. The free agency and draft period this spring brings hopes and expectations for 2025. 

[Related: Top 100 2025 NFL free agents: Tee Higgins, Sam Darnold lead the way]

With that comes pressure. And quarterbacks, as the faces of their franchises, can feel that in the realist way. It’s faced by starters around the league to varying degrees. 

Here are the seven quarterbacks facing the most pressure entering 2025: 

7. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

General manager Chris Ballard said in his end-of-season press conference that Indianapolis hasn’t given up on Richardson, but the GM was clear that the team plans to add competition for the 2023 No. 4 overall pick. Through two seasons, Richardson has not only been incredibly inconsistent as a passer (a 50.6% completion rate in 15 games), but he’s also missed 17 games due to injury.  

Next season is shaping up to be Richardson’s last chance to prove to the Colts that he can be their franchise quarterback. 

6. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

The onus is on Lawrence to start proving he’s worthy of the five-year, $275 million extension he signed with the Jaguars last June. 

Injuries derailed the end of his 2024 season, and he has a new playcaller and coach to build a rapport with in Liam Coen. But the reality is that Lawrence has never shown a high level of consistency on a week-in, week-out basis. His career hasn’t taken off as many expected it would after Jacksonville’s 2022 season, when the Jags won the AFC South and a playoff game.

5. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Tagovailoa, who in the past has mulled retirement due to concussions, is coming off a season in which he missed a career-high six games. In three seasons with Mike McDaniel, he has just one playoff appearance, including no postseason wins. 

Despite Tagovailoa’s health concerns, Miami awarded him a four-year, $212.4 million contract last summer. The Dolphins will want to start seeing a return on that investment in 2025. 

4. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Pressure is synonymous with being the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback, but Prescott is entering a pronounced spotlight. He missed nine games due to injury last season after signing his record $60 million-per-year extension. He has just a 2-5 playoff record, including no postseason wins since the 2022 season, and has never made an NFC Championship Game. 

3. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

It’s not just that Herbert is 0-2 in the postseason. It’s the way he became 0-2 in the postseason. 

He threw four interceptions in the Chargers’ wild-card round loss to the Texans last month, after throwing just three picks during the entire regular season. And in the 2022 wild-card round, Los Angeles squandered a 27-0 lead to fall to Jacksonville, one of the biggest collapses in NFL postseason history. Those results have fueled a growing belief that Herbert can’t deliver in the games that matter most, even with a playoff résumé so small. 

It’s paramount for him to have success in the postseason as soon as possible.

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills 

The 2024 NFL MVP, Allen remains winless against Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs. Buffalo’s AFC Championship Game loss to the Chiefs dropped Allen to 0-4 in the postseason against the three-time Super Bowl MVP.

Allen is firmly a top-three quarterback in the world, but there will always be a monkey on his back until he can beat Mahomes in the playoffs and/or reach the Super Bowl. 

1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Like Allen, pressure is mounting on Jackson to make a Super Bowl in his prime. His inability to reach the big game — let alone win it — keeps him a tier below the greatest quarterbacks in history, even as he’s a two-time MVP and continues to stack historic regular seasons. 

Jackson is 70-24 in the regular season, but 3-5 in the playoffs. 

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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