The complete ranking of NFL QBs, 2026 edition.

This is usually one of my favorite columns to write, mostly because of the (often faulty) narratives surrounding the quarterback position. So many internal biases go into these sorts of rankings (including my own), so I figured that one more opinion piece can't hurt. Unlike some, I'm going to take my lumps for past misses on these rankings; if a player was ranked in the four previous (2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025) versions of this column, that ranking will be presented so you can track a) how the player is improving or devolving and b) how wrong I've been. A few notes on how this list will be formatted:

1. These rankings are mostly built around my answer to the question, “Which QB would give a team a better chance of success in 2026?” This is why you'll find the list to be overly harsh on rookies or other players with minimal experience; some of these are players I think will eventually be good, but it's very hard to confidently project them to that level for this year. This is not a ranking based strictly on raw talent, nor on who will be better over the next five or ten years (or the previous five or ten years), but who I think will be good in THIS YEAR.

2. I am using a four-tiered system for ranking and rating quarterbacks; Tier 4 guys are players that probably won't (and really shouldn't) ever see the field. They are camp bodies or QB3 types that will more likely than not be out of football in a couple years. Tier 3 guys were players that actively held their teams back, or are too young to be counted on to lift their teams with any consistency. Tier 2 guys were good enough to win with, but not consistently good enough to elevate their teams. Tier 1 players are able to rise above their supporting casts with consistency and will be the reason their teams are successful more often than not. I am also adding a few sub-categories that I think will illustrate the ranking a little better. It should go without saying, but most players have games, stretches of games or even whole seasons where they play in at least one all four tiers; no player is in any of the tiers 100% of the time. The tier I have placed them in is the tier into which they can most consistently and comfortably be projected.

3. Not every QB in the league is listed; there are between 90-120 quarterbacks rostered leaguewide on team's 53 man rosters and practice squads. Most of these guys have never played an NFL down and probably won't ever play. Because of this obscurity it's nearly impossible to include that kind of player on this list. Also, not every player listed has commentary; if you happen to be a fan of a QB that I've said nothing about (good or bad), feel free to drop me a line and tell me what I SHOULD have said. Same goes if you have a disagreement about my assessments.

4. I will be referring a specific ranking of all active QBs who have started at least 16 games (the "16 Start List"). This will help provide a common point of reference for certain players, and come to us courtesy of the incomparable stathead.com.

5. One stat I love and will reference here often is ANY/A; for a simple explanation of what it represents click here.

6. We have previously talked about some of these players' comeback ability and accuracy; these links are there for reference as those points will come up again.

7. When we discussed Jalen Hurts, we began with a composite ranking (formed from the opinions of more than 120 NFL people); about 21 QBs formed the "consensus" top 20 players and we will point out who they are as we count down (that link is here, in case you're curious or want to review).

8. Projected week 1 starters will have asterisks* behind their names. Players are listed with the teams on whose rosters they appeared on September 2. Some changes may have occurred, or it's possible I missed a few of the roster shuffles that took place this month. Let me know if you find a goof.

TIER FOUR (players that you hope and pray never have to start for your team)

Group A: the Cleveland Brown QB room. Last year, I thought the Browns had perhaps the funniest QB room of all time; this year, it's just the saddest and worst.

86. Taylen Green, Browns (LY: college). I actually like this kid, but let's face it: he was drafted by the Browns. RIP, Taylen Green's NFL career. We hardly knew you.

85. Shedeur Sanders, Browns (LY: 65). In the 20 years that ESPN has had their Total QBR metric, they have evaluated something like 700 qualifying QB seasons, give or take. Of those +/- 700 seasons, only one (Jimmy Clausen in 2010, his famously bad rookie season), scored worse than Sanders' 18.9 last year. Sanders did not throw enough passes to qualify last year, which saves him from that particular embarrassment, but try this one on for size: over the last 20 years, there have been 696 QB seasons where a player attempted at least 200 passes; Sanders' rating of 68.1 last year slots him at 666th out of 696. Sorry Shedeur Stans; this guy is not a starting QB in this league.

84. Dillon Gabriel, Browns (LY: NR). Gabriel only threw 185 passes last year; had he thrown enough to qualify for the list I just mentioned, his passing efficiency season would have been 510th overall. Woof.

83. Deshaun Watson*, Browns (LY: 80, 2024: 19, 2023: 10, 2022: 24). It's harder each year to believe that this guy was once considered a legitimate top 5 QB in this league.

Group B: these guys are on their way out; they'll only start a game in the event of catastrophic injury.

82. Drew Allar, Steelers (LY: college). As a longtime Penn St. fan, Allar is yet another top level pro-style QB recruit ruined by the program, following in the footsteps of Anthony Morelli and Christian Hackenburg. Early reports from the Steelers people indicate that Allar may be showing more promise than the others did at this point.

81. Clayton Tune, Free Agent (LY and previously: NR).

80. Chris Oladokun, Free Agent (LY: NR). Patrick Mahomes' backup was thrown into the fire of a sinking season last year and didn't exactly show anything.

79. Max Brosmer, Vikings (LY: NR). Brosmer is the Vikings' version of Oladokun above, with a similar level of success.

78. Brett Rypien, Free Agent (LY: 77).

77. Riley Leonard, Colts (LY: NR).

76. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Free Agent (LY: 79, 2024: 62, 2023: NR, 2022: college).

75. Zach Wilson, Saints (LY: 70, 2024: 58, 2023: NR, 2022: 32). The Saints become the latest team to talk themselves into the Zach Wilson Experience. Of the 58 players on the 16 Start List (see above), Wilson ranks 58th in passer rating and 57th in ANY/A. Good luck, New Orleans!

74. Kyle Allen, Free Agent (LY and previous years: NR). A player with a bit of starting experience that some team will eventually give a roster spot to and then will hope and pray will never see the field on game days.

73. Brady Cook, Free Agent (LY and previous years: NR). See Kyle Allen, 74 above.

72. Will Levis, Free Agent (LY: 66, 2024: 41, 2023: 51, 2022: college). See Kyle Allen, 74 above.

71. Tyson Bagent, Bears (LY: 67, 2024: 63, 2023: NR, 2022: college). Bears fans apparently love this guy. Good for them, I guess.

70. Drew Lock, Seahawks (LY: 55, 2024: 36, 2023 and 2022: NR). I tried to come up with a comment about Drew Lock, but I realized that I just don't care about Drew Lock.

69. Bailey Zappe, Jets (LY: 73, 2024: 61, 2023: 43, 2022: NR). Zappe is on his fourth or fifth team now, and it makes sense that it's the Jets ("Where Careers Go To Die").

68. Trey Lance, Chargers (LY: 44, 2024: NR, 2023: 37, 2022: 31). I make a version of the following comment seemingly every year: it seems strange that this is only Lance's 6th NFL season. He feels like Josh Johnson in that it seems he's been a backup forever.

67. Desmond Ridder, Vikings (LY: 54, 2024: 43, 2023: 38, 2022: NR). Ridder gets a shot at reviving his failing career with a coach that gets the most out of the position.

66. Tommy Devito, Patriots (LY: 72, 2024: 55, 2023 and 2022: NR). Few teams have a greater dropoff between starter and backup than the Patriots do. Maye really needs to stay healthy.

65. Easton Stick, Buccaneers (LY: 49, 2024: 57, 2023 and 2022: NR). Last year I called Stick "the new Chase Daniel" and I think that still applies.

64. Anthony Richardson, Colts (LY: 47, 2024: 42, 2023: 52, 2022: college). I was hard on Richardson in 2023's column and was unfortunately proven to be right. Last year I predicted that Richardson would be on another team and was proven to be wrong. Still, I don't think anyone will ever go into a season excited that Richardson is on their team again.

63. Carson Beck, Cardinals (LY: college). I'm not a believer in Beck, who seemed to be carried along by a superior supporting cast in every college season he played.

62. Josh Dobbs, Free Agent (LY: 63, 2024: 66, 2023: 50, 2022: NR). Last year I called Dobbs "the best of the bad backup QBs"; that probably still applies although he's currently unemployed.

TIER THREE (players that generally hold the team back)

Group C: the crummy backups. Almost everyone in this group has had a real chance to start but likely won't get another without significant help.

61. Case Keenum, Bears (LY: 74, 2024: 67, 2023 and 2022: NR). Keenum has been in the league since 2012 (!!!). The random excellent season in which he led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game against Philly was nine years ago. Keenum might be one of those players that's still holding a clipboard in his forties.

60. Tyler Huntley, Ravens (LY: 69, 2023: 42, all other years NR). Huntley is no longer the titleholder for "Dumbest Pro Bowl Berth Ever"; that honor now goes to Shedeur Sanders.

59. Spencer Rattler, Saints (LY: 71, 2024: NR).

58. Sam Howell, Cowboys (LY: 61, 2024: 35, 2023: 32, 2022: NR). In his four plus NFL seasons, Howell has now played for three of the NFC East teams. He just needs to sign with the Giants to fill out the punch card.

57. Brandon Allen, Free Agent (LY: NR). See Kyle Allen, 74 above.

56. Quinn Ewers, Dolphins (LY: NR). Ewers wasn't good last year but may have been good enough that I'd have preferred giving him a run this season over paying big bucks to watch Malik Willis get his brains bashed in each week.

55. Ty Simpson, Rams (LY: college). Color me skeptical that Robinson is ever going to "make history" with Sean McVay (what an unfortunate moment to have on video!). Ask yourself this: how many QBs drafted out of Alabama have lived up to the hype?

54. Nick Mullins, Jaguars (LY: 52, 2024: 59, 2023 and 2022: NR).

53. Aidan O’Connell, Raiders (LY: 50, 2024: 54, 2023: NR, 2022: college). O'Connell keeps falling down the Raiders depth chart despite not being awful when called on. He's in the conversation for best 3rd string QB in the league, if that matters.

52. JJ McCarthy, Vikings (LY: 23, 2024: NR, 2023: college). Last year I said "I think he'll be fine by the end of the season". Editor's note: he wasn't. McCarthy's career is on the Zach Wilson trajectory.

51. Justin Fields, Chiefs (LY: 30, 2024: 28, 2023: 22, 2022: 30). You can tell by the four year trend that I've long held out hope that Fields can turn into something; that hope is now largely dead, although if anyone can get that out of Fields, it's Andy Reid.

50. Kenny Pickett, Panthers (LY: 57, 2024: 48, 2023: 30, 2022: NR). Pickett isn't a good QB, but it'll never not be funny to me that he's thrown more passes in the Super Bowl than Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott and Jordan Love COMBINED.

49. Davis Mills, Texans (LY: 50, 2024: 34, 2023: 34, 2022: 36). Mills is 48th in passer rating on the 16 Start List; this ranking seems appropriate.

48. Jake Browning, Free Agent (LY: 41, 2024: 49, 2023 and 2022: NR). See Kyle Allen, 74 above.

47. Josh Johnson, Commanders (LY and all other years: NR). Johnson has been around so long that he played for Jim Harbaugh... at the University of San Diego.

46. Geno Smith*, Jets (LY: 29, 2024: 23, 2023: 18, 2022: 33). It's almost poetic that Geno is returning to the hapless franchise that drafted him. For some reason, he's being looked at even now as a viable option for the Jets, apparently based on a couple decent seasons in Seattle. He slots in at 34th in passer rating on the 16 Start List; not awful but no one will confuse that with being a solid starter.

45. Jacoby Brissett*, Cardinals (LY: 46, 2024: 50, 2023: 33, 2022: 26). I'm a longtime admirer of Brissett as a solid veteran option for a team that needs QB depth. Some of that took a hit when he threatened a holdout for more money this offseason. Jacoby, we all know what this is: you're a placeholder at the position for perhaps the worst team in the league. If you don't want to take that on, don't sign there in the first place.

44. Joe Flacco, Bengals (LY: 43, 2024: 52, 2023: NR, 2022: 28). It's a sad testament to how bad QB play is in this league that Flacco, a longtime mediocre to bad quarterback, continues to make big NFL money. Going back to the 16 Starts List, Flacco rates 38th in ANY/A and 45th in passer rating (somehow worse than Geno Smith). I'm ranking him higher mostly due to the fact that he's had postseason success and hasn't quite had the career variance that Smith has.

43. Cooper Rush, Falcons (LY: 56, 2024: NR, 2023: 45, 2022: 34). Rush is on his third team in three years, this time joining a crowded room of players in Atlanta. I can't imagine a scenario in which he'll play this year, which is probably for the best.

Group D: the decent backups. These guys are probably good enough to hold a season together for a couple weeks but you probably don't want to rely on them for more than that.

42. Tanner McKee, Eagles (LY: 34, 2024 and 2023: NR, 2022: college). Tanner's struggles in preseason cast some doubt on his cred as a backup but this ranking reflects my belief that he'll still be at least passable (get it?) if called upon. McKee had almost nothing but success in both preseason and regular season work before this year; do we really think that all of that ability completely vanished in a few months? Or that preseason (famous for this effect) is a good place to evaluate a backup QB?

41. Carson Wentz, Vikings (LY: 45, 2024: 26, 2023: 26, 2022: 19). Wentz is now a league-average backup QB. I think that's where this will finally settle.

40. Jameis Winston, Giants (LY: 39, 2024: 33, 2023: 39, 2022: 25). Basically, ditto what was said about Wentz above.

39. Mason Rudolph, Steelers (LY: 37, all other years: NR).

38. Andy Dalton, Eagles (LY: 35, 2024: 31, 2023: 27, 2022: NR). R-E-L-A-X, Eagles fans. First, preseason means nothing at all. Second, it's theoretically possible but really unlikely that a longtime pro like Dalton would suddenly forget how to play the sport after 15 seasons in the league.

37. Marcus Mariota, Commanders (LY: 36, 2024: 32, 2023: 29, 2022: 23). Mariota is well suited in a reserve role, something he's had to fulfill several times over the last few years. With Jayden Daniels' fragility, it seems possible we'll see more of Mariota again this year.

36. Jarett Stidham, Broncos (LY: 53, 2024: 56, 2023 and 2022: NR). Had a shot at the Super Bowl in January, came up short. Probably shouldn't hold that against him, right?

35. Mitchell Trubisky, Titans (LY: 56, 2024: 51, 2023: NR, 2022: 37). See Carson Wentz, 41 above. The reliable trend seems to be to reclaim former highly drafted QBs who failed early in their careers and make them backups.

34. Tyrod Taylor, Packers (LY: 32, 2024: 27, 2023 and 2022: NR). Longtime solid backup Tyrod Taylor now backs up Jordan Love. His placement on the 16 Starts List is higher than at least seven projected starters for this coming season.

33. Mac Jones, 49ers (LY: 38, 2024: 29, 2023: 17, 2022: 17). Jones played well when Brock Purdy got hurt last year. Of course, the Shanahan system tends to manufacture productive QBs.

32. Gardner Minshew II, Cardinals (LY: 33, 2024: 22, 2023: 28, 2022: NR). Minshew has been the longtime line of demarcation between backups and starters at the position. Unfortunately for him, if he plays this season it'll look rough, considering the team he's on.

TIER TWO (players you can win with, but not because of)

Group E: the young guns. These guys are largely raw and/or unproven. It's reasonable to expect their profile to rise in short order but they aren't there yet.

31. Cam Ward*, Titans (LY: 24). I get that he was a rookie and on a bad team, but last year did NOT go well for Ward. He's currently 53rd out of 58 on the 16 Start List. Tennessee will have sneakily solid offensive players this coming season and it's reasonable to say that 2026 will be more representative of Ward's quality than last year was.

30. Michael Penix, Falcons (LY: 19, 2024: 40, 2023: college). Penix has disappointed in a situation that's been a little weird; still, the offensive supporting cast in Atlanta is really good, so excuses are rapidly disappearing. If he can't beat out Tua and Cooper Rush this year, things may get ugly in a hurry.

29. Fernando Mendoza, Raiders (LY: college). I just believe in this kid. Hopefully the Raiders don't ruin him like they've ruined so many others.

28. Jaxson Dart*, Giants (LY: NR). I apparently forgot to even give Dart a ranking last year. He did show a few things in the playmaking department but has a long way to go in terms of consistency and protecting himself. Perhaps it's because he's a Giant and I hate the Giants, but I'm just not sure this goes anywhere.

27. Bryce Young*, Panthers (LY: 22, 2024: 39, 2023: 36, 2022: college). I've been a Young defender over the years but I believe we're at the point where reputation is exceeding performance. Young is 51st on the 16 Start List, which is rough for a player about to start his 4th season. Some allowance could be made for the fact that Carolina has generally been really bad for those three seasons.

26. Tyler Shough*, Saints (LY: 48). Shough definitely outperformed my expectations as a rookie and now has a chance to lead what might be a sneaky good offense in 2026. If he's able to take that second year step forward we might see the Saints get involved in the weak NFC South this year.

25. Malik Willis*, Dolphins  (LY: 60, 2024 and 2023: NR, 2022: 35). Willis was awful in Tennessee and looked promising in Green Bay. One wonders what the motivation would be for a player like that to commit himself to a terrible roster that probably won't be good for years? Oh yeah...

24. Aaron Rodgers*, Steelers (LY: 25, 2024: 7, 2023: 6, 2022: 1). NFL Rank: 21st. Aaron Rodgers was the oldest player in the league at this time last year. He was better in Pittsburgh than some thought he would be but is also clearly at the end of a fine career. Let's see if there's any magic to be made with this reunion with longtime frenemy Mike McCarthy.

23. Caleb Williams, Bears (LY: 21, 2024: 38, 2023: college). NFL Rank: 10th. We are absolutely skipping steps with this kid, who was wildly inconsistent last season and was generally bad before the 4th quarter in pretty much every Bears game I saw. Going back once again to the 16 Starts List, Williams slots at 29th in passer rating and 31st in ANY/A. Even last year, his supposed coming out party, Williams was just 17th out of 33 qualifiers in ESPN's total QBR and 13th in PFF's grades. There are no objective arguments to support a top ten ranking for this guy, not yet.

Group F: the Kirk Cousins All Stars. These are players that have at one time or another been treated (and paid) like elite quarterbacks but aren't. These are players that have combined for 71 years of NFL service but have 10 career playoff wins between them. These guys have combined for $1.59 BILLION (with hundreds of millions more coming in 2026) in career earnings and have one Super Bowl to show for it. To qualify for the Kirk Cousins All Stars, you need to have played at least four years, have moved on to your second contract, and have no good reason for why you've consistently failed to produce at an elite level or win big in the playoffs.

NOTE: this group carries Cousins' name even as he's dropped off, as he is the absolute poster child for this kind of quarterback. I'm making fun of these guys but obviously nearly half of the NFL would love to have someone like this under center; they provide a baseline of competence but not much else. Paying them the big bucks will likely result in disappointment. To summarize, I'm going to paste my go-to comment about Kirk Cousins from the last few years: "His career stats as a passer are perfectly fine, but we all know in our hearts that any deep postseason run he’ll ever have will come on the back of a great defense.” A version of that statement will apply to each of the Kirk Cousins All Stars.

22. Kirk Cousins*, Raiders (LY: 26, 2024: 13, 2023: 14, 2022: 15). Cousins is like the line of demarcation between bad and passable starters. He exemplifies the "high floor, low ceiling" player, and will bring your offense up to a certain level of respectability but nothing more. Now, can he do that in the Black Hole?

21. Tua Tagovailoa*, Falcons (LY: 16, 2024: 11, 2023: 9, 2022: 13). We know what Tua is; an intelligent, very accurate passer who's not athletic, not big, lacks real arm strength and is made of glass. I don't know if Kevin Stefanski runs a West Coast offense but that's about the only way I can see this working out.

20. Daniel Jones*, Colts (LY: 31, 2024: 21, 2023: 19, 2022: 27). NFL Rank: 20th. If you've read this column for a few years you've seen that I always felt that Jones was a better player than he showed in New York; I'd say that he showed that last year before his injury. Now can he replicate it? If so, the Colts might finally be back in the playoffs.

19. Kyler Murray*, Vikings (LY: 17, 2024: 17, 2023: 23, 2022: 14). Murray gets a significant upgrade in terms of coaching, supporting cast and overall organization. This is probably his last chance to prove he can be a high level starter in this league. If he balls out, the Vikings will be a playoff team.

18. Sam Darnold*, Seahawks (LY: 28, 2024: 46, 2023: 44, 2022: NR). NFL Rank: 11th. Sorry, but Sam Darnold is not the 11th best QB in this league. He was considered a massive bust as recently as 2023 and a mediocre starter at this time last year. Darnold is 38th in passer rating on the 16 Starts List, wedged between Daniel Jones and Jacoby Brissett. Credit to Darnold for manning the position for the best team in the league last year, but it's telling that no one thought to give him the Super Bowl MVP in February. Why? Because we all know that he was largely along for the ride. Now that the supporting cast isn't maybe as good and that expectations are high once again, we'll see if he can keep it up.

17. Baker Mayfield*, Buccaneers (LY: 15, 2024: 24, 2023: 48, 2022: 29). NFL Rank: 17th. Baker may be settling as the spiritual successor to Kirk Cousins in that on balance he's a perfectly average QB who will never be confused with being the guy that's carrying a team to victory after victory. For whatever reason, people seem to be focused on the few highs of his career and not the fact that three teams have given up on him or that he's won a total of two playoff games in nine years. I've said this before, but every time I see Tampa winning a game it doesn't seem like Mayfield is the one responsible.

16. Trevor Lawrence*, Jaguars (LY: 13, 2024: 12, 2023: 7, 2022: 12). NFL Rank: 16th. As you can tell by the rankings over the years, I've been a longtime Lawrence fanboy but this is about the last year I'll give him any benefit of the doubt. Lawrence is 41st on the 16 Start List and has one playoff win in his five years as a starter (and that took a remarkable comeback to dig out of a hole that Lawrence dug himself). I do think the ceiling is very high with this guy and we did see some of that last year, which keeps Lawrence in the midfield of the NFL starters.

15. CJ Stroud*, Texans (LY: 7, 2024: 8, 2023: 49, 2022: college). NFL Rank: 19th. Here's the list of QBs who have won at least one playoff game in each of the last three seasons:

Stroud

Josh Allen

That's it. Stroud has struggled the last couple seasons, which may be partially explained by the constant coaching staff shuffle and the fact that he's had maybe the worst OL in the league over that time. I still think there's an elite QB in there but will admit that the burden of proof is back on the player.

14. Justin Herbert*, Chargers (LY: 9, 2024: 4, 2023: 4, 2022: 4). NFL Rank: 7th. For whatever reason, Eagles fans get a rap for questioning why the NFL world seems to love Herbert so much. As you can tell, I have to include myself in that Herbert Love group for the first few years of his career when he seemed to show so much promise. Now, I have more questions than confidence: why is Herbert only 16th on the 16 Starts List if he's a top ten QB? Why does he have no playoff wins in six seasons? Why does Herbert get a pass for a bad OL but a player like Stroud doesn't? Why does Herbert get no demerits for having good weapons and (for the last two years) a good head coach but a player like Jalen Hurts does? I think Herbert is a good QB, at least better than league average, but there is no evidence as of yet that he's more than "modestly above average". Sounds like the captain for the Kirk Cousins All Stars! Or at least, he would be, if not for...

13. Dak Prescott*, Cowboys (LY: 12, 2024: 14, 2023: 13, 2022: 10). NFL Rank: 6th. Prescott rates highly in the 16 Starts List (top ten in both QBR and ANY/A), but I can't get excited about a guy that's won a whopping two playoff games in ten years and is nearly perfectly average in playoff performance. Prescott is a nearly perfect avatar for how things have gone for Dallas in the last 30 years; great regular season, can't get it done when it matters.

Group G: young guys on the brink. These are relatively young players who have demonstrated real promise but have legitimate questions about their ability to break into the very top level.

12. Bo Nix*, Broncos (LY: 18, 2024: 44, 2023: college). NFL Rank: 18th. I'm projecting a bit here as Nix doesn't rate this highly yet in terms of his statistical accomplishments, but I'm leaning on the fact that he's the NFL's Comeback King, that he's been to the playoffs in both of his NFL seasons, and that he's tied for third in wins since he came into the league.

11. Drake Maye*, Patriots (LY: 20, 2024: 38, 2023: college). NFL Rank: 8th. Like draftmate Caleb Williams, there's some step skipping going on here. I'm a believer in Maye's potential (see previous two year's articles for details), but there's definitely a prisoner-of-the-moment phenomenon going on with ranking Maye 8th. As has been pointed out before (and will continue to be pointed out), the Patriots faced a historically easy schedule in 2025 and that applies to the slate of opposing defenses that Maye faced. It depends on the measurement that you prefer, but as a general rule you'll find that the average Patriot opponent's defense was effectively as good as the Raiders. What QB wouldn't look good playing 17 straight against the worst team in the league?

10. Jayden Daniels*, Commanders (LY: 6, 2024: 37, 2023 and 2022: college). NFL Rank: 14th. When healthy in 2024, Daniels played the position about as well as it can be played. Legitimate questions about his ability to stay healthy remain, as do questions about other forms of fragility.

9. Brock Purdy*, 49ers  (LY: 8, 2024: 10, 2023: 20: 2022: NR). NFL Rank: 13th. Last year I pointed out that we'd start to see the real Brock Purdy as his supporting cast started to erode; in the nine games he played, he still slotted as a top ten player in passer rating, ANY/A, Total QBR and PFF grade. I want to see Purdy stay healthy and I guess I'm still influenced by the pump that all QBs get statistically when playing in a Shanahan offense, but to suggest that Purdy isn't a top ten QB is pretty ridiculous.

8. Jordan Love*, Packers (LY: 11, 2024: 9, 2023: 35, 2022: NR). NFL Rank: 12th. This is the third year I've slotted Love in this stratosphere but the truth is that he's flirting with Kirk Cousins All Stats territory; three plus years as a starter, no division titles and just one playoff win. Not all that is on Love, of course, but at some point we need to see more high level success. This is a pivotal year for the player and the team.

TIER ONE / Group H (players that can win games on their own, consistently)

7. Matthew Stafford*, Rams (LY: 14, 2024: 16, 2023: 12, 2022: 8). NFL Rank: 3rd. Last year, I spent some time making the case that Stafford was a pretty middle of the road QB statistically and was overrated by the league as a whole. I still feel that way, while being able to acknowledge that his 2025 season was remarkable and was worthy of the MVP award (I'd have voted for him if I had a vote). Does that necessarily mean that my overall impression of him (average statistically, overrated by the media) is incorrect? No. Stafford slots in at just 22nd in passer rating and 19th in ANY/A on the 16 Start List, is nothing but mediocre in terms of playing from behind and in accuracy. Stafford's longtime habit of putting the ball at risk hurts him too; people forget that he placed the ball nicely on a 49er defender's hands in the 2021 NFC Championship game when a pick would have nearly ended it; Tartt dropped the pass. In that clip you hear Troy Aikman talking about how poorly and recklessly Stafford was playing in those playoffs. It's also forgotten that the Rams "comeback" in the 2024 playoffs against Philly was only possible because Eagles defenders dropped at least three interceptions in that game.

My conclusion: Stafford is a modestly above average player who had the season of his life last year. Betting on a repeat performance is not a good idea.

6. Jared Goff*, Lions (LY: 10, 2024: 15, 2023: 11, 2022: 22). NFL Rank: 9th. The NFL seems to largely agree with my placement of Goff as a top ten QB overall but will probably disagree with my ranking of Goff over Stafford. This has been a running theme of this column over the last couple seasons, but once more with feeling: Goff has a higher career passer rating, a higher career ANY/A, a higher career completion percentage, a better accuracy rating, a higher career yards per attempt and a higher winning percentage as a starter. If you still want to rate Stafford ahead of Goff, just know it's an opinion not founded on objective evidence.

5. Jalen Hurts*, Eagles (LY: 5, 2024: 6, 2023: 3, 2022: 11). NFL Rank: 15th. This feels like a homer ranking, even to me. Just know that I did what I could do to talk myself into a lower ranking but after carefully looking at the players slotted in behind him, I just can't do it. We've already talked more than enough about Hurts' credentials so I won't repeat all of that here. You might wonder, legitimately, why I'm rating a player who's only 18th on the 16 Start List so highly; allow me to explain:

• The 16 Start List doesn't reflect a player's impact running the ball; Jalen has been extremely impactful in that regard.

• Hurts is possibly the era's premier winner (covered above)

• Hurts is one of the best in the NFL when trailing (covered above, and also here)

• Hurts is tied for third in accuracy rating among qualifiers for the 16 Start List.

• Jalen has accomplished all of this despite working with six playcallers in his six seasons (about to be seven in seven).

• Jalen has played with a pretty good supporting cast over the last four years or so, but as was pointed out previously, this is a standard that is only applied to Hurts. By any objective measure, players like Prescott, Purdy and Lamar Jackson have had comparable if not superior supporting casts and haven't achieved the success Hurts has. Jalen spends four years throwing to AJ Brown and is somehow punished for it; does anyone punish Stafford for throwing to Calvin Johnson for seven years?

• Perhaps most remarkably, Jalen is a ridiculous 17-2 in head to head games against the other seven guys listed in the top eight here. In case you think that doesn't matter, keep in mind that head to head record was basically the only argument in the pro-Tom Brady camp 20 years ago when the "Who's the Best QB?" question came up then. Brady wasn't even a top ten QB statistically in that era but his track record of winning against other great QBs and winning in the postseason carried the day. Hurts checks those boxes also, at least more than most of the players behind him do.

This has already gone on longer than I intended, but I aimed to show why I think Jalen is the league's most underrated QB and I believe I hit that target.

4. Lamar Jackson*, Ravens (LY: 3, 2024: 3, 2023: 8, 2022: 6). NFL Rank: 5th. As you can tell from the history, I'm a longtime Jackson fan (my fandom actually goes all the way back to 2015), but I'll be honest: he's in danger of joining the Kirk Cousins All Stars if we don't see some postseason success soon. It's getting old to arrive at the end of each season saying some version of "Man, Lamar played great at times but they just can't break through.". Jackson's postseason performance has been lacking, to say the least. I can't rank the two-time MVP lower than this, but he's running out of rope.

3. Joe Burrow*, Bengals (LY: 4, 2024: 5, 2023: 2, 2022: 7). NFL Rank: 4th. If Burrow could just stay healthy (probably more the fault of his OL than anything), he's good enough to be 1st on this list. The fact that this largely terrible Bengals team is viewed as an annual Super Bowl contender is entirely due to his presence, which is saying something.

2. Josh Allen*, Bills (LY: 2, 2024: 2, 2023: 5, 2022: 3). NFL Rank: 1st. Take what I just said about Burrow, swap out the health questions with questions regarding lack of consistent postseason success and you nail Josh Allen. I've got a nagging suspicion that the Bills have already squandered Allen's prime; the team they've built around him is really not very good.

1. Patrick Mahomes*, Chiefs (LY: 1, 2024: 1, 2023: 1, 2022: 2). As you can tell by the historical rankings, I've had an awful lot of positive things to say about Mahomes over the years; if you want to read the particulars, links to the previous four issues are at the top of the page. I'm going to give a warning to the Mahomies out there: cracks are appearing in the foundation. Mahomes is just 18th (out of 36 QBs who've started 16 games in the last three seasons) in ANY/A and 20th in passer rating. Some of the close game luck crashed back on the Chiefs this past year; these trends will need to reverse soon or a whole new narrative about Patrick Mahomes will begin to develop.

There you have it; one man's ranking of 86 NFL quarterbacks. As we've seen, some of these narratives will look absurd by Thanksgiving, some will prove all too true. Either way, this is always a fun ride.

Now, if I've gotten your blood boiling, let me have it in the comments.