NFC East offers plenty of QB drama at the start of the 2024 season

As the 2024 regular season approaches, there is plenty of quarterback drama throughout the NFL.

Take Aaron Rodgers' return to New York with the Jets, for example. Perhaps the only storyline that will surpass it is whether Patrick Mahomes will become the first quarterback to win three Super Bowls in a row.

There's plenty of quarterback drama in every division. It's neck-and-neck as the NFC East, AFC East, AFC North, and NFC North battle it out for the division with the most quarterback drama in 2024.

I'm putting the NFC East at the top of this list. Here's my look at these four teams and their quarterbacks who will be under intense scrutiny this season.

NFC East quarterback drama

Dak Prescott, DALLAS COWBOYS

It's been a rough year for Dak Prescott so far. He suffered a playoff failure in January, followed by a lengthy contract deadlock. He's also had to deal with a sexual harassment lawsuit dating back to 2017. The case was dismissed in June due to insufficient evidence.

His 2023 regular season was excellent. His passer rating (105.9, second in the NFL) was the best of his eight-year career and he led the league with 36 touchdown passes. Prescott was named second-team All-Pro as the Cowboys finished 12-5 and won the NFC East.

But in the wildcard home game against the Green Bay Packers last January, Prescott threw two costly interceptions in the first half and the No. 2 seed Cowboys fell 27-0 to the Packers in an embarrassing loss.

Prescott is now 2-5 in the playoffs and has yet to lead his team to an NFC title game. That's a negative number for a player with a 73-41 regular season record and certainly contributes to the slow progress of contract extension negotiations with Dallas owner and general manager Jerry Jones.

Despite another poor postseason performance, Prescott has some advantage over the Cowboys with a huge salary cap hit of $59,455 in 2024, the final year of his four-year, $160 million contract. Because his contract contains a no-tag clause, Dallas cannot put the franchise tag on him in 2025 if he fulfills his contract and becomes a free agent next offseason.

Prescott is obviously looking for the best salary for a quarterback, which is $55 million or more per year.

The team can use the cap space that comes with a contract extension, although the just-signed contract extension for CeeDee Lamb has created some cap space. It has also increased the focus on Prescott's contract situation.

Whether Prescott's contract is renewed or not will be a source of plenty of drama, as he is under pressure to get the Cowboys back to the playoffs – they hope to defend their NFC East title – and lead the team to a longer playoff run and to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1995 season.

The first test in 2024 will come for Prescott and the Cowboys in Week 1 in Cleveland against last year's top defense led by Myles Garrett.

Daniel Jones, NEW YORK GIANTS

This is essentially a proof year for Daniel Jones after a disastrous 2023 in which he suffered a neck injury in Week 5. Then, after returning in Week 9, he tore his ACL. He finished 2023 with 909 yards passing, two touchdown passes, six interceptions, a poor 70.5 passer rating, and a 1-5 record.

Jones is in the second year of a four-year, $160 million contract he signed after his best season in 2022, when he led the Giants to the playoffs and a wild-card round win at Minnesota. This season, he posted a career-high 92.7 passer rating and was productive running (707 rushing yards, seven touchdowns). He threw for 301 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 78 yards in the playoff win.

The quarterback drama in New York is intensifying because he was not drafted by general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll when he was selected sixth overall in 2019.

If Jones underperforms this season, the Giants can move on by trading or releasing him in March 2025 and taking a $22.2 million loss. That would have to happen in the first four days of the 2025 league year before $11 million of 2025 salary is guaranteed.

Jones finally has a potentially legitimate No. 1 receiver in Malik Nabers, the sixth pick in the first round. However, questions remain about his offensive line, which allowed a league-high 85 sacks, and he is without departed star RB Saquon Barkley and retired TE Darren Waller.

Danny Dimes is under a lot of pressure, starting with the home opener against the Vikings next week, where Jones will face the blitz-happy defense of Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Jalen Hurts, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Nowhere are there more demanding fans than in Philly. They are demanding – or shall we say demanding – that 2022's Jalen Hurts return this season. Back then, he was a 16-2 starter, finished second to Mahomes in the MVP voting and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, where he faced Mahomes.

Hurts had a passer rating of 101.5 with 22 touchdown passes and just six interceptions this season. He also perfected the “tush push” with 13 rushing touchdowns and managed 760 yards on the ground.

He used that great season to sign a five-year, $255 million contract extension with $179 million guaranteed, increasing expectations and pressure even further.

Last season started well, with the Eagles going 10-1. Then disaster struck in the home stretch, losing six of their last seven games, getting passed by Dallas for the division title, and then losing 32-9 in the wild-card game at Tampa Bay. Hurts managed just 250 passing yards and five yards on the ground.

Hurts' passer rating dropped to 89.1 and he threw a career-high 15 interceptions. There were widely reported friction between Hurts and Eagles coach Nick Siriani.

Hurts has one of the best O-lines in the league, even after the retirement of All-Pro center Jason Kelce. He has one of the best wide receiver duos in the league with AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Free agent Saquon Barkley is an elite back.

The secondary was a major problem at the end of last season and looks set to be upgraded through the draft and free agency. But the quarterback is always the focus, and Hurts will be in the crosshairs of the coaching staff and fans if he doesn't return to peak form in 2024.

His search for renewed success begins with a tough opening game in Brazil against the Packers on September 6th.

Jayden Daniels, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

With just one playoff appearance in the last eight years and their last playoff win in 2005, the Commanders are pinning their hopes on the rapid development of second-round pick Jayden Daniels. The question is if and when he can play a major role in turning the team around as a starting quarterback. His career begins on September 8 in Tampa Bay.

Daniels brings excitement to the franchise as a dual-threat quarterback and could turn out to be the best quarterback in this draft, in which six players were selected among the first twelve picks.

If he proves himself as a franchise quarterback, he would be the team's first elite quarterback since Robert Griffin III, who was Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 and a Pro Bowler that season before his knee problems.

Daniels is coming off a Heisman Trophy-winning season at LSU, passing for 3,812 yards with 40 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. He also ran for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was a four-year starter at Arizona State and LSU, posting a 37-18 record.

Daniels completed 12 of 15 passes for 123 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in two preseason games. He has impressed his coaches and teammates in Washington with his work ethic. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has plenty of experience to guide him.

Aside from Terry McLaurin, his receiver corps leaves a lot to be desired, but he has a dual-threat running back in Austin Ekeler and TEs Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott.

Daniels will need to bulk up a bit, as he may struggle a lot behind an offensive line that allowed 65 sacks last season, second-most in the league. It's likely a work in progress for Daniels and the Commanders' offense, which will only add to the pressure and drama.

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Jeff Diamond is a former general manager of the Minnesota Vikings and team president of the Tennessee Titans. He was named NFL Executive of the Year following the Vikings' 15-1 season in 1998.