The AFC West has two new starting quarterbacks heading into the 2024 NFL Season. Let's dive into each starting QB in the division. As of now, the division is a one-horse race, and as long as something major does not happen, the Chiefs will again win the division in 2024.
The Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders are trotting out new faces at quarterback, and the Los Angeles Chargers look to figure this thing out with a new head coach in Jim Harbaugh. Let's cover each starting QB in the division ahead of the 2024 NFL Season.
Who are the AFC West starting quarterbacks for the 2024 NFL Season?
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, 28 years old
Patrick Mahomes turns 29 years old in September, and could retire today and be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He's won three Super Bowls, three Super Bowl MVP awards, and two NFL MVP awards. Mahomes has thrown 219 touchdown passes in 96 regular season games and is averaging 296.1 yards per game.
Mahomes has also hit the 5,000-yard mark in two seasons, and perhaps most impressively, has gone 15-3 in the postseason. It could be years before Patrick Mahomes shows any sort of decline, which is bad news for the rest of the AFC West. He enters his eighth season in the NFL.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers, 26 years old
A 30-32 record through four seasons in the NFL, Justin Herbert is turning into a bigger and faster Kirk Cousins before our very eyes. He entered the league as a "B" quarterback, and is still a B quarterback entering year five. Besides having a big arm, there isn't a lot that Herbert really brings to the table, and for some reason, people think of him among the best QBs in the NFL.
Statistically, he's stayed roughly the same in each year of his career, but new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh probably thinks that he can get the most out of Herbert. He's still just 26 years old entering year five in the NFL.
He'll likely be the Chargers starting QB for another eight years, but I guess you just never know. The Broncos have had no problem beating the Justin Herbert-era Chargers.
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos, 24 years old
Bo Nix is entering his rookie season in the NFL. He won the starting job over Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson. The Broncos made him the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and while many analysts applauded the pick, many also were very critical of it. Nix was the sixth and final QB taken in the first round, but has arguably played the best of any rookie QB this preseason.
Bo Nix looks to solidify the QB position in Denver, which has not been efficient since the Peyton Manning days back in 2014.
Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders, 28 years old
Entering his sixth year in the NFL, Gardner Minshew won the starting QB job against Aidan O'Connell. Minshew has played for four teams now, including the Las Vegas Raiders, and has thrown for 59 touchdowns against 24 interceptions across 49 total appearances. He's got a 15-22 record and has firmly entrenched himself as a high-end backup in the NFL.
He can be a spot starter here and there, but the Raiders entrusting him to start for the team in Week 1 and perhaps the entire season is just not the type of QB he is. He's probably the 34th-best QB in the NFL and can play another 10 years in this league as a backup. Minshew is not a starter and is going to end up being a huge weakness of this Raiders team heading into the 2024 NFL Season.