4 potential landing spots for Diego Pavia

It was a rough 2026 NFL Draft to say the least for former Vanderbilt quarterback, Diego Pavia. All 257 picks in the seven rounds of the NFL Draft came and went without Pavia hearing his name called. There is plenty of speculation as to why he didn’t get drafted, whether it’s his attitude or the fact that he didn’t sign an agent, just to name a few.

With Pavia now going undrafted, he is now just the second player to come off a season as a Heisman finalist to not get drafted. The last time we saw this happen came in 2014 with Jordan Lynch. Pavia finished second in Heisman voting with 3,539 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, 862 rushing yards, and 10 rushing touchdowns.

There is still hope for Pavia, though, after going undrafted, as teams can still sign the remaining undrafted free agents to deals in hopes of making the final 53-man roster.

Arizona Cardinals

Starting out west with the Arizona Cardinals, despite selecting former Miami QB Carson Beck with the first pick in the third round, their QB room as a whole is pretty thin. They have last year's starter, Jacoby Brissett, who is currently holding out over contract talks, and Gardner Minshew, who attempted just 13 passes last season with the Chiefs before an ACL scare.

That said, this could be a prime spot for Pavia, who would fit what the Cardinals offense is already used to in a dual-threat quarterback.

New York Jets

Like Arizona, the Jets also drafted a quarterback in former Clemson QB Cade Klubnik, whom they selected in the fourth round. This Jets QB room could go down as the worst in the NFL, with Geno Smith slated to start Week 1, followed by Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe.

They have absolutely nothing to lose in giving Pavia a chance. Especially since they’ve started a total of 12 quarterbacks since drafting Sam Darnold back in 2018.

At this point, the Jets just need answers under center, and they have little risk, but all the reward is in at least signing Pavia to a training camp deal.

Tennessee Titans

Right in their backyard, the Titans could do right by their neighbors and bring on Pavia. While this wouldn’t be the most ideal spot for him, given that Tennessee drafted Cam Ward first overall last year, it gives him a chance to compete for a backup role against Will Levis and Mitch Trubisky.

Indianapolis Colts

This one could be a bit of a stretch, but it’s worth throwing out there, and there are multiple ways to go at this. Starting with who sits behind Daniel Jones in Anthony Richardson, who the team is actively looking to trade, and Riley Leonard, who started two games last year.

With Richardson all but out of Indianapolis, it leaves Leonard as the only competition for Pavia to beat out for a backup role. In two starts last season, Leonard went for 415 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions on 58.2% passing.

The other angle is that Daniel Jones is coming off his best year as a pro yet. He went 8-4 as the starter in 12 games before getting injured. It was also his second-highest season in passing yards (3,101) and touchdowns (19).

More: Mike Norvell and Florida State make a decision on their starting QB

However, we’ve all seen Jones at his worst. Before joining the Colts, he totaled 70 passing touchdowns and 47 interceptions to go along with a 24-44 record as their starting QB.

With the somewhat thin competition for a backup spot and a potential burnout with Daniel Jones, this could make complete sense for both the Colts and Pavia to give it a go.

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