NFL Quarterback Injuries Already Starting to Pile Up

Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season is not even in the can and already several high-profile starting quarterbacks have been sidelined.

The news on Monday was not good for four starters, including Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow and second-year Washington Commanders standout Jayden Daniels. They are two of at least five first-string signal callers right now dealing with concerning injuries.

Current NFL starting QBs who are banged up

• Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
• Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
• Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
• J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
• Justin Fields, New York Jets

The ailments these five are dealing with vary in severity, but it's never fun for fans seeing their team's quarterback on a list like this so early in the season.

Brutal luck for Burrow

Burrow is one of the league's best quarterbacks whose only bugaboo so far in his career has been health. His team hasn't helped matters with its inability to protect the No. 1 overall pick by installing a competent offensive line in front of him.

In the second quarter of the Bengals' 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Burrow exited with a toe injury. He needed help getting off the field, and reports after the game were worrisome.

The official news came Monday, and it was the worst-case scenario. Burrow needs surgery on his turf toe, and is expected to miss a minimum of three months.

The Bengals are 2-0 to start the year, but now must rely on backup Jake Browning to hold down the fort in Burrow's absence.

Daniels 'day-to-day'

Daniels, who led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 33 years as a rookie last season, hurt his knee in the team's 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers last Thursday night.

An MRI confirmed that Daniels is dealing with a sprained knee, and head coach Dan Quinn said Monday the former No. 2 overall pick is "truly day-to-day."

If Daniels can't play against the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday, the Commanders (1-1) will turn to veteran backup Marcus Mariota.

McCarthy out for Week 3

McCarthy, who missed all of his rookie season in 2024 with a knee injury, sprained his ankle in the Vikings' 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.

Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters Monday that McCarthy will not play against the Bengals (and their backup QB) this weekend.

"We are not planning on having [McCarthy] for Sunday," O'Connell said. "I don't likely see this being any kind of short-term IR thing, but I do want to see how he responds to treatment this week."

Though O'Connell said he doesn't anticipate McCarthy going on short-term IR, preliminary reports suggest the QB could miss 2-to-4 weeks.

Purdy, Fields also hurting

Purdy played well and threw the game-winning touchdown pass in San Francisco's Week 1 win at Seattle, but also suffered a turf toe injury of his own which sidelined him for Week 2.

Backup Mac Jones threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns in the 49ers' 26-21 win over the New Orleans Saints. If Purdy can't go this week, Jones will be back in there against the Arizona Cardinals.

Fields, meanwhile, exited Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills with an apparent concussion. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said the 26-year-old remained in concussion protocol on Monday.

Tyrod Taylor replaced Fields against Buffalo and would start for New York this week if needed.