• Bookies
  • NFL
  • NFL Picks
  • First NFL QB Benched Odds: Tannehill, Wilson Closest to Riding Pine
Most Valuable Offer

$1,000 First Bet on Caesars

Visit site
21+, Terms and Conditions Apply
i

First NFL QB Benched Odds: Tannehill, Wilson Closest to Riding Pine

Adam Thompson for Bookies.com

Adam Thompson  | 6 mins

First NFL QB Benched Odds: Tannehill, Wilson Closest to Riding Pine

$1,000 First Bet on Caesars

Visit site
Used 67 Times Today
Popular in Virginia

Not every quarterback who starts Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season will start Week 17. Injuries will play a role, to be sure, but “coaches decision” will factor into it as well. 

There will be teams in win-now mode that may not be getting what’s needed from its most-important position and look for a spark elsewhere. Other teams, out of the running, may take a look at someone else under center as a glimpse of a possible future. If a coach feels he could be next on the way out the door, his first big move could be to try someone else at QB and see if it sticks. 

Regardless, new QBs will be leading teams, and the first change often comes sooner than expected. 

Through four weeks, no QB has lost their starter's role due to their play. But it is starting to become clear which starting QBs could be holding the clipboard before too long. Bookies.com veteran oddsmaker Adam Thompson has updated NFL betting odds as to which QB is the first to get benched in 2023. 


RELATED: First NFL Coach Fired Odds


First QB Benched In 2023 Odds

QBOddsImplied Probability
Ryan Tannehill, Titans+20033.3%
Desmond Ridder, Falcons+27526.7%
Zach Wilson, Jets+40020.0%
Justin Fields, Bears+80011.1%
Mac Jones, Patriots+85010.5%
Kenny Pickett, Steelers+10009.1%
The Field+10009.1%

These NFL futures odds are for entertainment purposes only and have been created by our Bookies.com handicapper. They do not reflect actual odds that may be available on betting apps.

$1,000 First Bet on Caesars

Visit site
Used 68 Times Today

Ryan Tannehill On the Outs?

The Tennessee Titans have flirted with going with someone other than Ryan Tannehill at QB for more than a season now. He’s played just well enough to keep his job. That trend has seemingly continued in 2023. 

Tannehill tanked in Week 1, tossing three interceptions in a 16-15 loss to the Saints. His QBR rating of 10.3 was only above Daniel Jones’ effort in the Giants’ 40-0 drubbing at the hands of the Cowboys. One week later, however, he was 2-of-24 for 246 yards, two total TDs and no INTs in a 27-24 OT win over the Chargers. 

We're four weeks into the season, and the Titans are a respectable 2-2, just coming off a 27-3 blowout of the Bengals. That's not when QBs get benched. But so far, Tannehill ranks 32nd out of 33 qualifying QBs in QBR rating. Only Panthers rookie Bryce Young ranks worse. 

Tannehill, 35, is in the final season of his contract, and the Titans have used the last two drafts to acquire his successor. Malik Willis and Will Levis each have potential. 

Other Potential QBs On The Hot Seat

Zach Wilson had been an unproductive mess for the Jets, and pressure was mounting on the QB to step up for a team that was built to win now. Wilson did his part in Week 4, nearly leading the Jets to a shocking upset of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. 

Coach Robert Saleh says the team is now Zach's to guide. But Saleh has said that before, only to bench Wilson. The team signed veteran Trevor Siemian to the practice squad, presumably for depth. That could change if Wilson doesn't build off his strong Week 4. 

Desmond Ridder's QB rating has gotten progressive worse in each of his four starts. He had a 62.7 rating in the Week 4, 24-7 dud to the Jaguars in London. Ridder now ranks 31st in QBR. Atlanta signed Taylor Heinicke, the Commanders' darling in 2022, was signed as a just-in-case. If the Falcons decide Ridder could use a break, they have a competent No. 2. 

This was expected by some to be the breakout season for Bears QB Justin Fields. Instead, he's regressed back to his rookie days. 

But there is no viable backup in Chicago. Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent is No. 2 on the depth chart. Still, coach Matt Eberflus, whose own job may be on the line, could seek a new plan to preserve his own hide after the team blew a 28-7 dead to the winless Denver Broncos in Week 4. Fields had by far his best start, however, with four TDs and one INT and 335 pass yards. Still, he ranks 28th in QBR. 

Bears management is beginning to believe Fields may not be the decades-long answer at the position for the franchise. Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus, who could be feeling his own hot seat sooner than later, could look for other shakeups before he's shaken right off the sidelines himself. 

Bet $10, Get $200 in Bonus Bets Instantly

Visit site
Used 32 Times Today

Patriots QB Mac Jones was benched mid-game in a blowout loss to the Cowboys. Coach Bill Belichick said Jones is still the team's starter; Jones was taken out because the game was out of hand. 

Jones had been performing admirably before Week 4; his QB ratings for the first three games were 91.3, 84.5 and 85.6. That, plus the strength of the Cowboys defense, likely gives Mac a pass for that one. 


RELATED: Aaron Donald Next Team Odds


Kenny Pickett was in the midst of his worst game of the season before a knee injury ended his day. The Steelers were upset 30-6 to the Texans. Head coach Mike Tomlin said there would be changes for Week 5. Pickett's injury is expected to miss at least one week, keeping him off the track to demotion in favor of the capable Mitch Trubisky. For one week, anyway. 

The Field is led by QBs Daniel Jones of the Giants, who signed a massive deal in the offseason but needs to show the consistency worth of such a role, and Young, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. 

Jones went off for 321 yards in a come-from-behind win over the Cardinals in Week 2, but managed 241 yards, zero TDs and four INTs combined in humbling losses to the Cowboys and 49ers. It's unlikely Jones rides the pine, but his play hasn't warranted zero speculation. 

No QB has a worse rating than Young, but his game ratings have increased in each of his three outings. Carolina did sign veteran Andy Dalton in the off-season as a just-in-case, giving coach Frank Reich another option. 

Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets

Visit site
Used 15 Times Today

About the Author

Adam Thompson for Bookies.com
Adam Thompson
NFL writer and expert Adam Thompson joined Bookies.com in 2019 after a successful run as senior handicapper for SportsLine and CBSSports.com. He's long been established as one of the nation's premier handicappers, specializing in the NFL where he's hit on more than 60% over the past three years. Adam's NBA, PGA and horse racing picks have also produced major winners over the last 12 months. His customized NFL and NBA odds for players and teams have been picked up by hundreds of websites over the past year.