Dak Prescott leads the NFL in consecutive Week 1 starts closely followed by three AFC MVPs
Only 10 of the 32 quarterbacks have started with their current team for more than five seasons in Week 1
The first game of the NFL season and Super Bowl rematch is around the corner with the Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots this Wednesday.
This year's kickoff change stems from a truly historic milestone as the NFL stages its very first regular-season game in Australia , featuring Super Bowl favorites the Los Angeles Rams squaring off against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football, which is actually Friday local time in Australia.
For this season, almost a third (10) of teams will have a new head coach , and including the six coaches hired in 2025, half of the league now features leaders with less than two seasons at the helm .
Quarterback Continuity and Dak Prescott's Record Tenure in Dallas
Among quarterbacks, no rookies will start in Week 1 , but five teams will feature a new signal-caller to begin the season, including Malik Willis in Miami, Geno Smith with the Jets, Kirk Cousins in Las Vegas, Kyler Murray in Minnesota, and Tua Tagovailoa in Atlanta.
Furthermore, only 10 of the 32 starting quarterbacks in Week 1 have been with their current teams for more than five seasons, showing how fast the league moves without many noticing.
Take Dak Prescott , for instance, who will begin his 11th campaign as the starter, giving him the most consecutive seasons as a starter with the same franchise among active players.
At 33 years old, Dak is the sixth-oldest starting quarterback this year , a category led by Aaron Rodgers at 42 , yet he stands alone in longevity with his current club. His closest challenger in the NFC is Jalen Hurts , who is opening his seventh season as the Week 1 starter for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Following Prescott and Hurts are former 2021 trade acquisitions Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff , who embark on their sixth seasons as starters for the Rams and Lions, respectively, while Brock Purdy rounds out the top five with his fifth year, leaving all other NFC quarterbacks with less than half a decade of tenure in their current spots.
AFC Heavyweights Chasing Consistency Behind Established Veterans
Over in the AFC , the closest pursuers to Prescott's streak feature a powerhouse trio of former MVPs in Patrick Mahomes , Lamar Jackson , and Josh Allen , who are all starting their ninth consecutive seasons with their respective teams and enter as perennial favorites to reach the playoffs and contend for the Super Bowl .
Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert round out the top five in the conference alongside the elite group, entering their seventh seasons just like Jalen Hurts. While these veterans have occasionally drawn scrutiny in recent years, they anchor the conference's elite tier.
Every single year brings a flurry of roster moves at the game's most important position, so it remains to be seen how many of these signal-callers will extend their streaks next season, but for now, the best news of all is that football is back!
