Last year, we took a peek at the favorite video games of every NFL quarterback. You might think that not much can change in a year, but you’d be wrong. So much has changed. We took the time and effort to check back in with every starting QB in the league and see what they’re playing this year. This isn’t some lazy Madden release where we only tweak the interface a little bit and charge you full price, either. It’s a completely new experience. Check it out.
Arizona Cardinals — Kyler Murray: Unknown
You might think this one would be obvious, but I’m a journalist, so I had to hear it from a primary source. When I asked Murray what his favorite game was, a swarm of Cardinals staff materialized around me and escorted me off of team property. I am no longer welcome at State Farm Stadium.
Atlanta Falcons — Kirk Cousins: Stormgate
We learned last year that Cousins was big into Starcraft II, but that’s no longer the case. Apparently, he switched to Stormgate after the developers assured him that it would be the RTS of the future and that he would be playing it for years to come.
Baltimore Ravens — Lamar Jackson: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Underappreciated when it debuted due to its unconventional style, time has shown The Wind Waker to be one of the best games in the series. Still, it occasionally makes inexplicable decisions (Eight Triforce Charts? Come on, man!) that can somewhat sour the experience.
Buffalo Bills — Josh Allen: Valorant
Valorant is a fine hero shooter. It does a lot of things really well. If you had been playing a lot of mediocre games right before trying it, I’m sure it would feel like a breath of fresh air. But I think NFL players were correct when they voted it the most overrated game of 2020.
Carolina Panthers — Bryce Young: No Man’s Sky
After a disastrous rookie season, Young is trying to re-center himself by playing a game that also got off to a rough start. He says it made him realize that one day, with lots of hard work, he might be, “pretty good if you can get it on sale,” too.
Chicago Bears — Caleb Williams: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst
Are you really surprised? Look at this guy. He’s definitely been up until 3 o’clock in the morning looking for a pirate site that has a good fansub.
Cincinnati Bengals — Joe Burrow: Super Mario RPG
You really think he hurt his wrist last year? Get real. He needed time to do a full playthrough of the SNES original, then the remake with the updated soundtrack, then the remake again with the original soundtrack. Bengals fans should be worried about reinjury when Mario & Luigi: Brothership releases in November.
Cleveland Browns — Deshaun Watson: Star Citizen
While he says he’s never played the game, Watson notes that he can’t help but, “respect the grift.”
Dallas Cowboys — Dak Prescott: RoboCop: Rogue City
Prescott will passionately discuss Robocop: Rogue City at any opportunity. He’ll go on and on about how it was one of the best games of 2023, and yet no one really talks about it. His eyes kind of glaze over into a thousand-yard-stare the longer he talks about it.
Denver Broncos — Bo Nix: Shower With Your Dad Simulator 2015
Nix noted that coach Sean Payton had introduced him to the game, and subsequently “encouraged” him to play it as frequently as possible. When asked, Payton noted that Nix has become a very skilled player, adding that the rookie, “doesn’t even get distracted by the other dads.”
Detroit Lions — Jared Goff: Cities: Skylines II
After Goff kept hearing about how he was helping the city of Detroit get back on its feet, he decided to see how good he would be at actually building a city. He reports that he especially loves the game’s ever-present tooltips.
Green Bay Packers — Jordan Love: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Love is constantly talking about all of the new things that Tears of the Kingdom introduced on top of Breath of the Wild’s world. If you try to argue that it owes a lot to the game that came directly before it, he’ll point out that Tears added a full underworld as well as islands in the sky to the world map. Don’t try saying that the Depths are kind of boring and pointless after a while, or that Breath was a more cohesive experience. He’ll throw a full-on tantrum.
Houston Texans — C.J. Stroud: Astro Bot
The second-year quarterback is adamant that the Playstation title will go down as the greatest 3D platformer of all time, despite the fact that it’s a new franchise. Whenever anyone brings up Mario, he says that the plumber was, “playing a different game.”
Indianapolis Colts — Anthony Richardson: MultiVersus
Richardson was a vocal fan of the game’s “relaunch” strategy. “Even after a few hiccups, I think it was good that MultiVersus got a chance to reintroduce itself,” he said.
Jacksonville Jaguars — Trevor Lawrence: Halo Infinite
In 2024, it’s hard to deny that Halo Infinite was a disappointment. While some fans were initially optimistic—to the point of falling into a weird Stockholm syndrome and pretending it was good upon release—most have given up hope. Not Lawrence, who says he still thinks it’s still a generational game.
Kansas City Chiefs — Patrick Mahomes: Fortnite
The only people who aren’t sick of Fortnite are people with Mahomes’ exact haircut.
Las Vegas Raiders — Gardner Minshew: Hi-Fi Rush
It’s a sick game that everyone loves, but Microsoft wouldn’t give it a chance. Of course Minshew relates to it.
Los Angeles Chargers — Justin Herbert: Helldivers II
This game came out of nowhere to universal acclaim and enthusiastic player response. While it inevitably couldn’t live up to that explosive introduction forever, it’s still a very good game.
Los Angeles Rams — Matthew Stafford: Cyberpunk 2077
Famed for being both a CD Projekt Red fanboy and a patient gamer, Stafford didn’t even start Cyberpunk until this summer. His patience was once again rewarded, and he had a surprisingly good time playing the game in 2024.
Miami Dolphins — Tua Tagovailoa: Destiny 2
Destiny 2 sort of stumbled out of the gate, but despite taking some blows along the way, it’s still going strong. But doesn’t it always kind of feel like it’s about to collapse?
Minnesota Vikings — Sam Darnold: Pac-Man
Darnold describes the game as an, “empowering experience.” The Vikings training staff have reportedly taken to giving Darnold a bottle of sugar pills labeled, “Power Pellets,” before practices and games.
New England Patriots — Jacoby Brissett: Concord
Brissett has become obsessed with the game, confident that it will somehow find a second lease on life. Unfortunately for him, the rest of us know that it’ll be gone for good after a few weeks.
New Orleans Saints — Derek Carr: Cult of the Lamb
Carr has reportedly felt conflicted about the game since the Sins of the Flesh update, which he refuses to download.
New York Giants — Daniel Jones: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Believe it or not, Jones is still maintaining his island. He frequently brags about how he has learned to write letters over the past year, often challenging his teammates to read them.
New York Jets — Aaron Rodgers: None
Rodgers says he is too busy updating his “Sweet Baby Inc Detected” spreadsheet to actually play any video games.
Philadelphia Eagles — Jalen Hurts: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
While he confirms that he hasn’t played the game yet, Hurts has always been an advocate for women in spaces that have been traditionally dominated by men. He expresses hope that it will be a full game, unlike like Princess Peach: Showtime! which Hurts calls, “a patronizing, child-targeted mess.”
Pittsburgh Steelers — Russell Wilson: EA Sports College Football 25
EA Sports College Football 25 is currently the best selling game of the year.
San Francisco 49ers — Brock Purdy: Alan Wake 2
According to those close to him, Purdy has never beaten the game and rarely actually plays it. He just boots it on max settings and stares at the screen. His PC handles it with ease. He whispers to himself, saying he never thought his life would be like this.
Seattle Seahawks — Geno Smith: Galaga
Smith has rediscovered his love for classic arcade games while waiting for the inevitable. He reportedly hopes to be a streamer in his, “second career.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Baker Mayfield: Sea of Thieves
Can you believe that Sea of Thieves came out 6 years ago? It had such an exciting debut, but then everyone kept expecting it to fall off. While it may not have maintained the electricity it had when it launched, it’s still defying expectations and going strong in 2024.
Tennessee Titans — Will Levis: Jurassic Park Evolution 2
The original game was mediocre, and this sequel feels more like a glorified expansion pack. I guess Levis just really likes dinosaurs.
Washington Commanders — Jayden Daniels: Half-Life: Alyx
Daniels famously uses VR as part of his training. He reportedly feels more comfortable in “that world” than our own.
