According to the provided data, the Cleveland Browns have used more different Week 1 starting quarterbacks than any NFL team since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002, with 18 separate openers. Deshaun Watson is slated to start Week 1 in 2026, which would be his third opening-day start for Cleveland and would tie him with Baker Mayfield for the most by a Browns quarterback since the franchise returned in 1999. Cleveland is 3-23-1 in season openers since 1999, and Watson would have the opportunity to become the first Browns quarterback in that span to win multiple openers.
The Washington Commanders have used 15 different Week 1 starters, with Jason Campbell, Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins each making three opening-day starts. Jayden Daniels is expected to make his third straight opening-game start, which would match the most by a Washington quarterback since 2002 and, if extended into 2027, make him the first Washington quarterback to start four straight openers since Mark Rypien from 1989-93. The Minnesota Vikings have used 13 different Week 1 starters, with Kirk Cousins making six such starts.
The Arizona Cardinals have employed 12 different Week 1 starting quarterbacks, led by Kyler Murray with six opening-day starts. The Las Vegas Raiders also have 12 different Week 1 starters; Derek Carr leads them with nine such starts. The Raiders will add a new name to that total in 2026 regardless of who starts, marking the fifth consecutive season with a different Week 1 quarterback. The choice reportedly comes down to Kirk Cousins, who is 3-7 in his career on opening day, or rookie Fernando Mendoza, who would be making his NFL debut.
The New York Jets have used 12 different Week 1 starters, with Mark Sanchez and Chad Pennington each making four. Geno Smith is expected to make his third Week 1 start for the Jets in 2026, his first opener for the franchise since 2014; no quarterback in the Super Bowl era has had a longer gap between opening-day starts for a single club, with Brad Johnson’s 1998-to-2006 gap for the Vikings the current benchmark.
Several other clubs and notable streaks are listed in the provided data: the Denver Broncos have used 12 Week 1 starters, with Peyton Manning and Jake Plummer each making four opening-day starts, and Bo Nix is slated for his third straight. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have used 11 starters, led by Josh Freeman and Jameis Winston (four each), and their tally includes the 2017 opener delay to Week 2 due to Hurricane Irma. The San Francisco 49ers have 11 opening-day starters (Alex Smith five), the Chicago Bears 10 (Jay Cutler eight), the Houston Texans 10 (Matt Schaub seven), the Jacksonville Jaguars 10 (Trevor Lawrence five), and the Indianapolis Colts 10 (Peyton Manning nine), according to the provided data.
