2026 NFL Quarterback Rankings

Tiers + Rankings

The Elites

While I could write full detailed explanations of these four guys’ games and how one is better than the other in one way or another I just feel it’s more important to stress just how special each of them are. There’s really no nitpicking to do with any four of these guys. All of them are capable of winning MVP in any given season and even more impressively are able to single handedly take over and win games on any given week. These guys give you a chance at a the Playoffs and in turn a Super Bowl run every year and are nearly impervious to situation that surrounds them.

Josh Allen

Patrick Mahomes

Joe Burrow

Lamar Jackson

Nearly Elite

The only aspect of these two guy’s games that separate them from the four guys in the next tier is their inability to consistently singlehandedly take over games. While Stafford and Maye are both capable I don’t quite trust them as much as the four above them. With that being said their games are nearly perfect outside of that and pointing out any other flaws would be nitpicking and unfair to them as talents.

Matthew Stafford

Drake Maye

The Step Above

Justin Herbert

Similar other Quarterbacks in this grouping Herbert suffers from being an incredibly talented Quarterback that plays great but not quite at the level of the Elite guys in the league so his flaws get magnified and talked about as if he’s not what he is, which is a Top 5-10 in the league. Herbert absolutely has his flaws and it’s fair to point them. Whether it’s his struggles with dealing with pressure up front or the inconsistencies when in high leverage situations, such as 2 minute drills or Playoff games, Herbert can have frustrating moments. But when you provide him with just an average support system he quickly shows why he’s ranked this high on my list. Herbert has all of the athletic tools you could ask for and more which he utilizes to threaten all parts of the field, with both his legs and arm talent. Herbert is incredibly sharp when given a clean pocket and his near 1/1 arm allows him to make some throws that should be impossible considering the lack of separation and/or window to throw into at times. While Herbert hasn’t had the success in the big moments that you’d hope for throughout his career I believe this is the year we’ll finally see what we’ve hoped for from him. With the additions to the roster on the offensive side of the ball this offseason and above all else the Chargers bringing in Mike McDaniel as Offensive Coordinator Herbert finally has the support system that he needs to showcase what i believe he’s capable of. So long as the Chargers stay healthy, especially along the OL, I would expect them to make a Playoff run and Herbert to be the biggest part of that.

Jordan Love

There’s a ton of discourse around Love and where he ranks among the rest of the league but for me he’s absolutely established himself as a Top 10 guy. I see and hear far too many people talk about Love as this big armed Quarterback that is turnover prone or simply labeled as a “Gunslinger” but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Love has developed into one of the most efficient passers in the entire league, year after year improving upon his touchdown to interception ratio and just about any efficiency metric you want to point to. While Love absolutely pushes the ball down the field and is daring enough to force balls into tight windows from time to time he does so with incredible decision making and unique arm talent that allows him to push the limits where others would otherwise fail to do so. Along with the efficiency aspect of his game growing year after year where he really separates himself from other passers is with his ability to operate under pressure. Just like any Quarterback Love is better when given a clean pocket and/or time to make the right decision. But with the Packers struggling along their OL last season Love’s ability to operate the offense and even bail out the Packers mistakes/poor play elsewhere truly shined. He doesn’t get enough credit for the pre snap work that he does either and while the Packers had their issues last season throughout the offense Love was not one of them. If he continues down this path of growth from an efficiency standpoint and the Packers do a better job of keeping him clean and overall having a more consistent offense from a health, protection, and execution standpoint around him Love very well may ascend into the Top 5 and find himself dancing around the Nearly Elite or Elite Tier of Quarterbacks.

Dak Prescott

What Dak has done over the past seasons that has been so impressive to me is how he has grown a player when it comes to the pre snap part of being a Quarterback. Dak seemingly always has an answer when he snaps the ball which allows him to get through his progressions very quickly. When you pair Dak’s ability to decipher a defense and his incredible accuracy all across the field it makes for one of the best Quarterbacks in the entire league and he deserves to be put in the conversation far more than he is. The only part of Dak’s game that I would like to see him improve upon moving forward is his ability to stay confident and consistent when pressured. He’s an unbelievable player that can pick apart defenses with the best of them in this league pre and post snap but if you’re able to get pressure on him he can tend to rush into decisions which leads to turnovers and overall poor results.

Jayden Daniels

There’s been some doubts surrounding Jayden with what he was able to accomplish his rookie and if it’s replicable, in my opinion the answer is absolutely yes. While Jayden had a injury riddle Sophomore season and the Commanders team seemingly fell apart in just about every way imaginable I can’t help but bet on what he was able to do his rookie year and in the few times we saw him healthy last season. Jayden works through progressions and plays through pressure (in both the sense of pass rush and situational pressure) as if he were a 10 year vet in the league and that’s what truly separates him into this tier for me. Along with the poise and steadiness to his game Jayden’s accuracy at all levels of the field is very impressive and when you pair that with his ability as runner it truly allows him to attack every blade of grass on every snap. The few things I would like to see Jayden improve upon to reach that next tier/level adding some weight to be able to sustain the wear and tear of the NFL and I’d like to see him attack the middle of the field more which I expect him to do under new OC David Blough. All things considered Jayden is phenomenal Quarterback and he plays far beyond his experience level at such a young age.

Plus Starters

Brock Purdy

While Purdy won’t wow anyone from an arm talent or physical standpoint he continues to exceed expectations year after year and has solidified himself as one of the 10-12 best Quarterbacks in my opinion. The biggest flaw of Purdy is truly the fact that he can’t stay on the field consistently. When he’s out there he’s a conductor for the 49ers offense, controlling the game pre snap and at the LOS along with playing a Point Guard style of Quarterback at an extremely high level. It’s undeniable that HC Kyle Shanahan makes things easy on Quarterbacks and is one of the 2 best offensive play callers in the league but Purdy’s ability to operate under pressure and keep the offense in rhythm adds a whole other level to the 49ers offense. When he’s on the field the 49ers are close to an unstoppable force and if it wasn’t for the injuries I’d have him in “The Step Above” Tier.

Caleb Williams

While some may have Caleb ranked higher following the Bears playoff success he still has some flaws that hold him back from being above others for me. Caleb made a huge leap last season under HC Ben Johnson, improving in nearly every statistical category and more importantly on film as well. With a vastly improved OL and an offense that provided Caleb with defined reads and “operating instructions” he was able to get the ball out on time consistently. This allowed the Bears offense to stay on track and Caleb to limit forced turnovers from trying to play hero ball like he was in his rookie year. Caleb’s pocket movement/awareness also took huge leaps which allowed him to extend plays safely when his first few reads weren’t there which combined with his unique lower body strength and unbelievable arm talent allowed him to extend and create explosives for the Bears. While we saw these drastic improvements in a number of areas Caleb also showed clear flaws in his game. Struggles with accuracy on “layup” or routine throws within the offense and a tendency to get off track and play on his own script in the red zone left the Bears and Caleb with room to grow heading into this season. If Caleb can find a touch more consistency in his game in all fronts you could see him jump into the top 5-10 Quarterbacks very quickly.

Jared Goff

Leading the Lions offense for years now Goff has become the prototypical but high end version of the “Game Manager” type Quarterback in today’s game. Similar to other Quarterbacks labeled with the “Game Manager” tab Goff struggles come when the support system around him suffers, such as facing pressure especially from the interior of the OL or a lack of receiving talent which the Lions have done a good job of avoiding. Where Goff separates himself from the rest of those “Game Managers” is his deadly ability to threaten all spots on the field and not only that but with week in and week out consistency. Goff is a master of deciphering defenses pre snap and picking them apart post snap and while some may point to what he can’t do I believe it’s far more important to focus on just how much this guy can do. He’s a very good Quarterback and absolutely a guy you can win with down the stretch of the season so long as you supply him with a well built roster and a competently called offense.

League Average Starters

Sam Darnold

Darnold is coming off his 2nd straight high end season but unlike his 24’ season with the Vikings he was able to carry that high level play throughout the Playoffs. Where Darnold breaks away from the league average type Quarterbacks is his combination of arm talent, athleticism, and accuracy on dangerous tight window throws. While these daring decisions get him trouble from time to time and you see him drift towards the early career version of Darnold the otherwise high end level play makes up for it and more. The only concerns with Darnold are more to do with the Seahawks ability to keep a high level support system around him, which to be fair very much impacts how I feel about him. Similar to what we saw from Goff this past season with the Lions I don’t worry so much about him regressing to a below league average player but rather I see him straying closer to a league average player than I do the Top 10 guys.

Trevor Lawrence

It’s been a LONG road for Trevor Lawrence throughout his NFL career so far as he’s dealt with a unhealthy amount of coaching turnover including his rookie season where he was coached by arguably the worst NFL Head Coach of all time, Urban Meyer. While Lawrence has always flashed the elite physical traits and polished game that we saw coming out of Clemson this was the first season I felt that he really proved what he’s capable of at the NFL level. It wasn’t all pretty as it took him almost half of the year to acclimate to the Liam Coen coached offense and his connection with 2nd Wide Receiver, Bryan Thomas Jr, looked completely lost. Around that half way point though you really saw Trevor come alive. His decision while still not perfect was drastically improved from the first 8 weeks which allowed his plus arm and ability to make near 1/1 throws to shine. A big part of Trevor’s success down the stretch of last season was the addition of Jakobi Meyers and the rapid development of Parker Washington in the WR room which thankfully isn’t going anywhere. Trevor may not be the perfect Quarterback yet or even what we thought he was coming out of college but he’s finally headed the right direction which I would be more than willing to bet on. Finally having a stable support system surrounding him from a HC/offensive play caller perspective and a WR room that has gotten a ton of hype through early camp this offseason I expect Trevor will have his best year yet and may even find himself climbing up the rankings for me by the end of the year.

Baker Mayfield

Last season almost perfectly encapsulated Baker’s career as a whole. Starting off the first half of the year Baker was in the running for MVP and was lighting up teams with a healthy Bucs offense but as the year went on and more guys went down/were dealing with injuries, including Baker, we saw a drastic decline in play. Baker’s gunslinger and overall aggressive mentality as a player makes for some incredibly fun games and seasons when there’s a proper supporting cast around him and he’s healthy. The problem with the mentality Baker plays with is it gets him in trouble far too often as he is willing to throw his body around which leads to injuries such as the one he dealt with last season. Another issue for Baker is when he deals with these injuries he’s incredibly tough and willing to play through it but he’s unwilling to make any real change to his play style which leads to him not being able to have the success due to the injury limiting him as a passer and/or runner. When Baker is healthy and he has a solid support system around him, which the Bucs appear to have built, he’s capable of playing at a Top 10 level but he HAS to be smarter when it comes to taking in contact and adjusting his play when he does deal with injuries. If Baker didn’t have the injury history and concerns that he does he more than likely would in the text tier for me and ranked above Trevor Lawrence.

Bo Nix

Nix isn’t a Quarterback that will wow you with athletic traits or tools nor a guy that is super sharp that plays mistake free football but he’s absolutely a winner. Making timely plays and coming through when Denver needed it most Nix seemingly always found a way to extend a play or make a tough throw. To be fair Nix got away with most mistakes due to how special Denver’s defense was last year and if he wants to take that next step he’ll have to find more consistency on early downs. The good news for Nix and Denver’s future is you have one of the best Offensive minds and Quarterback developers in football as your HC in Sean Payton. Nix has a tough road ahead of him as he’ll have to heal up from the ankle injury he suffered in the AFC Championship game but with the support system Denver has built around him I fully expect him to grow and develop into a guy that’s borderline Top 10 at some point in his career.

Inconsistent Average Starters

CJ Stroud

It’s a tough year to defend Stroud as he regressed in just about every single aspect this past season. While I can’t place the blame entirely on the situation around him I do think it’s worth pointing to the injuries this offense had to their weapons along with just how poorly the OL played in front of Stroud. The Texans offense as a whole was a mess last year and yet we still saw flashes of great play from Stroud, granted that was also paired with abysmal play that sunk the Texans offense at times. While I can’t say with certainty that we see the rookie version of Stroud ever again I have a strong belief Stroud is a capable starting Quarterback in this league. With that being said he absolutely has to improve in a multitude of ways not the least being handling pressure. Stroud consistently looked panicked and frustrated when dealing with pressure which led to turnovers and errant throws, to the point where the Texans had arguably the best Defense in the decade and struggled to scratch out wins week to week. If Stroud finds a way to keep a clear head and mental image when processing defenses post snap, especially when faced with pressure, he’s capable of being a Top 10 Quarterback but there’s far too many flaws in his game right now to be any higher.

Jalen Hurts

Hurts is by far one of the most divisive Quarterbacks in the league but the truth to me lies somewhere in the middle. Hurts has incredibly high moments where he’s decisive with where he wants to go to with the ball and he’s complementing the Eagle’s run game with the threat of his ability as a runner. With that being said, seemingly every game he plays that well he plays another or even two that are frustratingly lackluster. His unwillingness to work the intermediate and middle parts of the field lead to a predictability in the Eagles passing offense which stalls drives as teams can expect short dump offs or shots down the sidelines. The hope for Hurts rebounding this coming season is the frustrations within the Eagles offense were due to former OC Kevin Patullo’s play calling and unwillingness to adjust throughout the year. Hurts has to improve by growing as a passer in the middle of the field which will open up where he shines, that being vertical balls down the boundary.

Cam Ward

Cam Ward is a super tough evaluation as you almost have to take out any regular way of watching a Quarterback as the support system was just about as bad as it gets. While there were a few players that shined and had promising moments in the offense, including Ward, it came with much more incompetence. Ward flashed too much talent for me to doubt or lay off of. Making throws under constant pressure from unreal bases or rather lack there of Ward flashed arm talent and a creativeness that you just don’t doubt. With new OC Brian DaBoll being a great fit from a scheme perspective to help Ward develop I expect Ward and Tennessee overall to take a major step this coming season which should put him even higher up this list.

Kyler Murray

Kyler is a guy that I really struggle to believe in but those special flashes of talent that he shows from an athletic, arm talent, and creativity/play extension standpoint are just too good to fully be out on. For all of the special moments Kyler creates for the Cardinals offense there’s this looming feeling of downfall when watching him for me. Kyler is the worst example of a guy that limits where he targets the field as he almost completely avoids working the intermediate part of the passing game. It’s a lot of quick passes underneath and to the sideline to stretch the field and then nearly the complete opposite targets where he’s willing to push the ball vertical. That leaves this 20 yard gap for the defense to basically dare Kyler to target and work throughout a game and we saw last year that he really struggles to do so with any consistency. I’m hopeful for a bounce back season where we see the guy that was a borderline MVP candidate early in his career especially now that he gets to work with one of the best offensive minds in the league, HC Kevin O’Connell. There’s a lot of questions that will need to be answered by Kyler, nonetheless of simply winning the starting job in Minnesota.

Daniel Jones

It’s been a roller coaster of a career for Jones as he’s had really solid middle of the road seasons and also some that leave you questioning if he’s even a starter in league, luckily for the Colts last season was more of the former. While Jones’s level of success so far throughout his career has been up and down year to year his game has largely stayed the same in terms of flaws and strengths. Jones is a very solid runner and a great deep ball thrower as well but that’s also accompanied by a multitude of inconsistencies in the rest of his game. Early in his career he really struggled with taking of the ball and while that’s reared its ugly head at times he’s mostly cleaned that up but one thing he hasn’t been able to figure out really at any point, including last season, is how to deal with pressure. When Jones is supported with a good run game and in turn given time in the pocket as a passer he plays really solid football, not at a level of a franchise guy but absolutely someone you can win with. When he’s not given that time to process through his reads he quickly looses composure and you see turnovers start to pile up and overall flaws in his game from an accuracy and decision making standpoint start to show more and more. The big question surrounding Jones this season is what he’ll look like following his Achilles injury from last year. It’s a huge question and something I can’t say I’m overly optimistic about and to be honest the Colts overall seem to be headed for regression following an outstanding first half of last year.

Tyler Shough

Shough flashed some really special play last season despite the Saints having a rocky season overall. You saw him threaten all levels of the field which really opened up the Saints passing attack. That aggressiveness was also surprisingly well balanced with a level head and good decision making, most of the time that is. That same aggressiveness and want to create explosives also turned its ugly head at times where Shough would hold onto the ball and force throws he simply didn’t need to. If Shough gets more help from the talent around him, which I expect him to considering the additions New Orleans made this offseason, I believe Shough has the ability to rocket up the board and put himself a Tier or even two above where he is now. Shough reminds me a lot of Jared Goff just with more mobility and a bit more of a gunslinger mentality which like I mentioned is at times a great thing and others it gets him trouble.

The Limited and/or Ascending

Jaxson Dart

Dart had a very impressive rookie year and found far more success than many expected he would coming out of Ole Miss. From an electric personality and play style to plus athletic tools that lead to explosive and exciting plays Dart sparked a life in Giants football that has been missing for quite a while. He consistently found ways to escape pressure and extend plays to make the offense right when it wasn’t from a play calling and/or play execution standpoint. But for every electric and exciting play that Dart created he would struggle to simply operate the offense as well. Holding onto the ball and trying to be a hero too often led to negative plays and even more frustrating than that issue Dart was constantly putting himself in harms way and taking unnecessary punishment. Dart’s ability to create exciting plays and make up for faults in the offense have to excite you but the inconsistencies in his game from a technical standpoint and truly frustrating mental lapses leave a lot of room for growth heading into his Sophomore season. His style of play right now is too dangerous for himself and for the betterment of the offense moving forward but if he can learn to dial the recklessness and play more consistent when operating the offense he very well could fly up these rankings. If everything goes right I see Dart as Baker Mayfield with a more explosive running ability but if he continues to play like he did last season I would expect him to hover around this grouping or worse as injuries and mistakes will become too much of an issue to be a solidified starter.

Bryce Young

Young while taking major steps over last season and helping the Panthers make and compete with a great Rams team in the Playoffs he still has a long way to go. Young still struggles under pressure, looking panicked and lost for answers which causes erratic throws and mental mistakes. For all of Young’s struggles he does have some good qualities as well one of them being the aforementioned playing well within structure. Young does a great job of taking care of the ball especially when faced with zone coverage where he seems to have a comfortability that allows him to see the field better to pick apart defenses. Young also has an ability to come through in the big moments which may be my favorite part of his game. He undeniably has a clutch factor to him that often times makes up for inconsistent play throughout the game. When given a support system Young is a capable starter that flashes above average play but the flaws are still evident and I don’t see him getting a contract extension in Carolina until he proves to take another step in terms of accuracy and comfort when the support system and help isn’t there.

Malik Willis

A very small sample size leaves me questioning where Willis should be ranked but what he showed in the limited time we saw him last season was very impressive. Willis showed an impressive ability to stay poised in big moments and under pressure which allowed him to extend plays and use his impressive running ability and big arm to create explosives when the play call didn’t work out. While I’ve talked about many of the positives from last season for Willis it wasn’t all perfect. The big play and explosive creation was phenomenal but the results on early downs were inconsistent. Willis will have to find comfort in settling for small but consistent plays to keep the offense in rhythm so his big plays will be even more backbreaking. Possibly the biggest question for Willis is what he’ll look like without the support system that Green Bay provided him with. With a top end play caller in HC Matt LaFleur and an underrated group of weapons in Green Bay it will be a very drastic change in Miami who is in the middle of a tear down style rebuild. With that being said the Dolphins do have an underrated group up front along the OL and one of the best RBs in the league in Devon Achane who will provide Willis with a solid run game to work off of.

Aaron Rodgers

While Rodgers is a legend of the sport and one the best Quarterbacks I’ve ever watched, he’s taken significant steps back over the past two seasons following his Achilles injury. Even the last year or two in Green Bay you saw a hesitancy to push the ball down the field and even work the middle of the field at times as well. Since the Achilles injury you’ve only seen those issues pop up more and more. Rodgers has too heavily leaned on dinking and dunking his way down the field with a few shot plays down the sideline sprinkled and it’s quickly caught up to him. Teams are sitting on every route he throws daring him to work down the field like he used to which only makes mounting the 10-15 play drives that much harder. On top of the issues it brings to the passing game it also limits what the Jets and Steelers have been able to do in the run game as opposing defenses are just loading up the box with no real repercussions. While I’m hopeful for Rodgers and the Steelers this year as they did a great job of adding weapons for him to target and Rodgers still being one of smartest minds at the Quarterback position in the game there’s also a realistic side to my brain that has a hard time believing in an offense that was very limited last season. Rodgers has to be willing to work with the new targets and offense the Steelers brought in and even more importantly he HAS to push the ball down the field and make defenses respect the entirety of the field when facing them.

Fernando Mendoza

N/A as I’d like to see what he plays like in the league before I make judgements on his game

Preferred Backups

Geno Smith

Geno is coming a very rough year that in my opinion largely wasn’t his fault. The entirety of the Raiders organization last season seemed dysfunctional with the offensive play calling and coaching along the Offensive Line arguably being the worst part of it all. What that meant for Geno was he consistently had to play with no real plan or rhythm within the offense and worse than anything the constant issues along the Offensive Line forced him to speed up his clock and make throws/decisions that he otherwise wouldn’t have. Geno wasn’t perfect and certainly could have made the offense work more than it did but when you’re going into every game knowing you’re playing from behind in a coaching perspective it’s hard to win games in the NFL. When Geno is kept clean and given just a competent offensive from a coaching and play calling perspective he’s capable of being a starter in the league. So while the Jets haven’t exactly had the most talented roster in recent years I do believe the situation is significantly better than what he was dealing with in Vegas. If the Jets OL can keep Geno up right and clean of pressure and Frank Reich is able to call a competent offense next season I think we very well could see Geno bounce back and show he’s capable of being a starter in this league still.

Tua Tagovailoa

Tua at his best is a super sharp passer that can be a quality “game manager” type of Quarterback for an offense that utilizes a quality run game and play action passing attack off of it. Where the trouble comes for Tua is when everything isn’t perfect around him. His lack of arm strength limits his ability to attack smaller passing windows and when dealing with a lack of protection he tends to speed up and make mistakes as well which compounds into turnovers and overall an offense that struggles to do much of anything in the passing game. If Atlanta and HC Kevin Stefankski can provide Tua with a quality run game and help up front from a protection standpoint we could see Tua bounce back and rebound from a very disappointing season but that’s assuming he’s able to beat out Michael Penix for the starting job.

Jacoby Brissett

Jacoby Brissett is the perfect backup Quarterback, well so long as he’s happy to be in a backup role. Brissett is limited as a passer largely due to his risk adverse way of play. While the consistent settling for conservative plays may leave you frustrated from a starter, when it comes to a backup that’s all you’re asking for. Consistent and safe play that allows you to stay in games so long as you show up on defense and special teams is exactly what Jacoby brings. Going into a year with Brissett as your starter like the Cardinals are I wouldn’t expect to win more than 5 – 7 games but as your backup I’m not sure you could ask for more as you know he’ll keep you floating around .500 so long as he plays less than 6 games give or take.

Kirk Cousins

Cousins looks to have lost quite a bit of athleticism following his Achilles injuries 2 years ago, which is saying something considering he was far from being considered an athlete at the Quarterback position prior to it. I believe Kirk has some stable play as a backup left in him but the limits on his play ever since that injury leave me worried about him playing more than a handful of games. Atalanta avoided even using under center play action as he was having issues getting to the spot on time to actually sell the play action. I believe Kirk still has a solid arm and is capable of getting hot and virtually the human equivalent of a jugs machine but I don’t believe at his age following his injury that he’ll be able to sustain play throughout an entire season.

The Replaceables / Need Development

This group consists of guys that I view as flawed to the point they are bordering on deserving a real role in rooms around the league. For the most part these are young guys that I need to see major steps from to prove they can play more consistent football and be considered high level backups at the least.

Shedeur Sanders

Michael Penix

Deshaun Watson

JJ McCarthy

Anthony Richardson Sr