NFL QB Rankings Headed Into the 2026 Offseason

1. Patrick Mahomes

Despite coming off a torn ACL and being closer to average for the past 2+ seasons now, Mahomes finds himself still in the top spot. Mahomes still has three times as many Super Bowl wins as any other active QB and has just as many MVPs as any other active QB as well. There is an argument to be made for Mahomes being overrated, in particular his subpar production for the past 2+ seasons and the presence of Andy Reid as his head coach. One could certainly argue that other quarterbacks could have inherited the Chiefs with Andy Reid and been just as if not more successful. However, that is just speculation whereas the results Mahomes has produced are not speculation. Perhaps Mahomes is a lower tier elite QB talent and guys like Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen are more talented. But even then, it’s only slightly so and Mahomes is still an elite talent regardless while being far more decorated than any other QB argued to be more talented than him.

 

2. Josh Allen

Allen is a player who many argue to be in the top spot on this list, but Allen is 0-4 against Mahomes in the playoffs and has never appeared in a Super Bowl whereas Mahomes has appeared in five Super Bowls. In terms of individual accomplishments, Mahomes also bests Allen as he has won two MVPs to Allen’s one MVP. Allen in terms of raw talent could certainly be argued to be in the top spot, and he does not possess a definitive hole in his game either. A hole in his game such as Burrow’s injury proneness and Lamar Jackson’s postseason demons. Allen does not have the choker label like Lamar Jackson had and still may have to many. But it never feels as if Allen comes up clutch in the postseason like Mahomes does and Allen did have a choker-esque performance in the Bills most recent postseason loss. Perhaps if/when Allen wins a Super Bowl, he can climb to the first spot on this list.

 

3. Matthew Stafford

Stafford, the former #1 overall pick coming off a career season in winning his first MVP award, finds himself as the #3 ranked QB in the game today. Stafford is now in an elite group of QBs who have won a Super Bowl and a league MVP and seems set for the hall of fame now. Although Stafford may be older and not quite as talented as some of the QBs beneath him on this list, the talent gap is close enough and Stafford’s advanced age did not keep him from having a career year this past season either. Stafford has won a Super Bowl unlike some of the QBs below him on this list who may be slightly more talented than him. Stafford also does not have a definitive hole in his game like some of the QBs below him on this list have who may be more talented than him, holes such as injury concerns and big game performance concerns.

 

 

4. Joe Burrow

If it were not for Burrow’s lengthy injury history, he would likely find himself in the #2 spot on this list. Burrow is likely the most smart accurate thrower of the football in the NFL and consistently performs as well as any QB when healthy despite having average physical traits. As Burrow has average size, average athleticism, and average arm strength but still performs at an elite level despite that. One could make a very strong argument that when he is healthy, he is the best QB in the game, but Mahomes still has won three Super Bowls compared to Burrow’s zero, and Mahomes still has won two MVPs compared to Burrow’s zero.

 

5. Lamar Jackson

Jackson is likely the most talented QB in the game and perhaps the most gifted QB the game has ever seen. However, subpar postseason performances consistently have haunted Jackson as he has never made the Super Bowl. He has gotten better in that regard in recent memory but still cannot be fully trusted to be elite come playoff time.

 

6. Jayden Daniels

Jayden Daniels, I view to be the potential better version of Lamar Jackson as he is set to start his third NFL season. In terms of playing style and physical attributes, Daniels is an essential clone of Jackson at the QB spot, but without the big game performance concerns. Granted, Daniels has not advanced any further in the playoffs than Jackson has as of yet, in large part because he has not had the time/opportunity. But in Daniels’ lone postseason run he played well in large part and concerns about his ability to perform in big postseason games do not exist yet like they do with Jackson. Daniels had an injury riddled 2^nd NFL season with the Commanders and did not partake in postseason play. However, Daniels in his limited time on the field this past season was subpar, and he has yet to show he can be consistently elite at the QB spot like the QBs ahead of him have. But that is mostly due to him not having the opportunity as of yet to prove it and as he gets more time on the field to prove himself, Daniels could very well climb this list.

 

7. Sam Darnold

Darnold, coming fresh off a Super Bowl win, finds himself in the top ten and deservedly so. Darnold overcame his previous postseason demons and performed very well for the Seahawks in the playoffs. Darnold putting together two straight borderline MVP caliber seasons with two separate franchises is remarkable and shows that he was not just a product of his environment with either team. However, I do not view Darnold’s Super Bowl triumph with the Seahawks as something that he deserves the most credit for. As Seattle’s roster was loaded and Seattle head coach Mike MacDonald is perhaps the sharpest defensive mind in the sport who may just be the best coach in the league as of now. I still feel as if many QBs could have won the Super Bowl with Seattle this season and I have not bought Darnold as an elite QB yet.

 

8. Drake Maye

Drake Maye, despite having a horrid Super Bowl performance, finds himself in the top ten of this ranking. Maye in year 2 in the NFL finished 2^nd in the MVP voting and his team finished 2^nd in the NFL losing in the Super Bowl. Although Maye’s performance in the Super Bowl was horrid and his performance in the Conference Championship was not much better, Maye is still a remarkable player.

 

9. Jared Goff

Jared Goff is perhaps the most underrated QB in the sport today and could be argued as an elite QB. Goff commanded one of the greatest offenses in league history a couple of seasons ago and people forget he was a #1 overall pick for a reason. Goff has led two of the greatest offenses in league history with two separate franchises as well, which is no easy feat. Goff has also made a Conference Championship with multiple teams as well and a Super Bowl with the Rams. Goff easily could have won a Super Bowl by now if he did not have to face Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl as a very young player and if Dan Campbell did not get reckless in the Lions’ 2023 Conference Championship game loss in blowing a 24-7 lead.

 

10. Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts wins more than any current QB in the sport, not named Patrick Mahomes and likely deserves to be ranked higher than this, but I have him at 10 for now. During the Eagles’ Super Bowl triumph, the offense led by Hurts was elite. The Eagles’ offense commanded by Hurts put up over 50 points in the Conference Championship and over 30 points in the Super Bowl. This was also against two of the greatest defensive minds in league history in Steve Spagnuolo and Dan Quinn as well. It would be essentially impossible for a QB to do any better than that in the two most important games of the year in route to winning it all. However, the Eagles’ offensive personnel surrounding Hurts that year was likely the best in the sport. Hurts also got to work with an offensive minded head coach in Nick Sirianni and one of the smartest young offensive minds in the NFL in Kellen Moore as well. The Eagles’ offensive attack led by Hurts really fell off this season to a below average level as well after Hurts did not have his ideal offensive coordinator. One could certainly argue Hurts is a product of his environment and Hurts is far from an elite talent, but he wins far too much to rank any lower than this.

 

 

11. Justin Herbert

Herbert is perhaps as talented as any player on this list but finds himself only at #11 because he has faltered in the postseason too many times now. Perhaps he is trending towards being in the same group as early Peyton Manning and most recently Lamar Jackson in terms of postseason concerns. Herbert in terms of raw talent is one of the most gifted players I have ever seen standing at 6 foot 6 with a huge arm that is deadly accurate while being an underrated athlete as well with a football IQ off the charts. Herbert’s running numbers this season were the best of his career, and he is perhaps the most underrated dual threat QB in the sport. Herbert’s most recent postseason failures are understandable to a certain extent. Herbert faced two of the best defensive minds in the sport in DeMeco Ryans and Mike Vrabel in his last two playoff losses. While Herbert did not have much to work with from an offensive personnel standpoint in either matchup as well. Let’s not forget that in Herbert’s three career playoff games, although the last two have been awful, Herbert played incredibly well in the first half of the first one vs the Jaguars before unfortunately failing in the 2^nd half of that matchup.

 

 

12. Caleb Williams

Williams, the former number one overall pick, finds himself ranked just outside the top ten after having a solid first two seasons in the league. Williams struggled with consistency in his rookie season but still showed the ceiling the Bears hoped to get from time to time. Williams showed improvement in year 2 with new head coach Ben Johnson but still had his inconsistencies. Williams is an electric talent who in terms of raw talent should probably rank higher than 12. However, he has failed to advance past the divisional round and has been far too inconsistent in his first two seasons to rank higher than 12 for now.

 

13. Trevor Lawrence

Trevor Lawrence, the former #1 overall pick viewed as the next NFL prodigy for a period of time finds himself at #13 on this list after a strong first season with new head coach Liam Coen. Lawrence has had his ups and downs in the NFL and has not quite lived up to those lofty pre-draft expectations, but he has certainly not been a bust and has shown he is capable of being elite for long stretches. It will be interesting to see if Lawrence can come into his own as he progresses in his career with new head coach Liam Coen.

 

14. Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott has officially established himself as perhaps the most underrated QB in the NFL. Prescott because of his average physical traits gets overlooked but I do not know how many QBs I would truly take ahead of him and he may deserve to rank higher than this. Prescott this past season led one of the premier offensive attacks in the NFL despite having a rookie head coach, a rookie offensive coordinator, average to below average offensive personnel, and the league’s worst scoring defense. This is not the first time Prescott has commanded an elite offense despite not having much to work with either. I likely have Prescott too low at this point, but I cannot deny the fact that he is still an average physical talent who has never even made a Conference Championship.

 

15. Jordan Love

Love had an electrifying first season as the starter for Green Bay and was viewed as the next QB to join that elite group with Josh Allen/Patrick Mahomes etc. However, Love has tailed off since and talks about him as an elite QB have obviously simmered. Many even state that his backup in Malik Willis was/is better than him and doubts about how good Jordan Love truly is have continued to persist. However, Jordan Love is still absolutely a bonafide franchise QB in my estimation and I likely have him too low. Love is an underrated runner of the football and throws the football with spontaneity and flare similar to Mahomes. Jordan Love can certainly skyrocket back up this list to much higher with a bounce back season next year.

 

16. J Stroud

Stroud is in a similar boat to Jordan Love where both had phenomenal first seasons starting for their franchises, but both have tailed off since. But just like with Jordan Love, one cannot deny the raw talent that Stroud has despite the drop off in his play. Stroud’s drop off in his play can certainly be attributed to Houston surrounding Stroud with subpar personnel on offense along with the Texans having questionable offensive coaching. Stroud has the quickest release in the NFL and is an underrated athlete. However, Stroud will need to rebound from a disappointing two seasons in a row and a horrid playoff performance this past season in order to climb up this list.

 

17. Daniel Jones

Jones, the former top 10 overall pick, has had a hit and miss career thus far in the NFL but certainly has some talent and is a starting caliber QB. The Colts’ offense this season commanded by Jones when he was healthy was in the discussion for being the best overall offense in the NFL. Jones is an underrated athlete at the QB position and is a strong dual threat player. Jones has shown the ability to overcome a weak offensive line and has shown the ability to be a strong player with multiple franchises as well. It will be interesting to see how Jones looks like as he returns to the Colts’ lineup in hopefully good health.

 

 

18. Baker Mayfield

Mayfield, as a former #1 overall pick, clearly has talent but also has his misgivings and inconsistencies as a player. Mayfield has been a backup QB/borderline starter in the NFL for several seasons but also has made multiple pro bowls as well. Mayfield a few seasons ago under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Liam Coen had a borderline MVP caliber campaign with the Bucs offense he commanded being one of the league’s best. One would be hard pressed to argue Mayfield as an elite QB as outside of the tutelage of Coen, one could argue he isn’t even a surefire starter. However, when paired with a very smart offensive coach, Mayfield can be a very strong trigger man for one’s offense.

 

19. Kyler Murray

Murray entering the NFL was viewed as a borderline generational type of prospect as no QB perhaps ever had his combination of arm strength and foot speed. Murray was also known for being a very accurate thrower of the football as well in addition to his raw talents. The biggest concern surrounding Murray was the fact that he was so undersized checking in at under 6 feet tall. Murray in the NFL has been far from a bust but has not lived up to expectations with Arizona. As Murray is set to play for a new franchise beginning next season, perhaps he can start to live up to those sky-high expectations.

 

20. Aaron Rodgers

The future hall of famer Rodgers at QB is on the last legs of his career but perhaps still has some good football left in him. Rodgers had a solid season playing for the Steelers in 2025 and perhaps he can be just as good if not better if he returns next season to the Steelers. If he were to return to Pittsburgh, perhaps he could recapture some of his prime magic with former head coach Mike McCarthy. But I would love to see him go to a team like the Vikings that has a very smart young offensive head coach and electric offensive personnel. If that were to occur, then maybe Rodgers could have another MVP caliber season as his career is dwindling.

 

21. Brock Purdy

Despite the elite offenses he consistently leads with the 49ers and how he has gotten them to a Super Bowl already and won multiple playoff games, Purdy finds himself at only #21. Purdy has some talent but in my estimation is a product of his environment. Kyle Shanahan is an offensive wizard at head coach and has molded multiple other backup level QBs such as Jimmy Garoppolo and Matt Schaub to look like pro bowl to MVP caliber players. I still believe that Purdy may just be a high-end caliber backup QB that Shanahan is making look like an MVP caliber player. However, he is very accurate and is an underrated athlete at the position and does deserve some credit for the success he has seen with San Francisco.

 

22. Bo Nix

Nix as a first-round pick of the Denver Broncos has played well in his time with the team under Sean Payton but has failed to blow me away. The offense in both seasons under Nix has been very average despite Nix having an elite offensive line and an elite offensive mind as his head coach. Nix, however, has been very clutch for Denver and has still shown a decently high ceiling having an above average arm and above average mobility as well. The skill position players that Nix has had to work with in his time with Denver have ranked near the bottom of the NFL. Perhaps if the Denver front office can provide him with stronger players in that regard, he can take the next step and climb this list.

 

23. Bryce Young

Young, the former #1 overall pick, has had a hit and miss career thus far in the NFL but has shown some promise. Young was viewed as the next Russell Wilson entering the NFL in that he was an undersized mobile QB who could become a superstar. Young was viewed as a bust in his early time with Carolina but since he has become more acclimated to working with head coach Dave Canales, he has shredded that label and is now viewed as the potential future of the Panthers franchise. Whether or not he is a true franchise caliber QB capable of winning a Super Bowl remains to be seen, but he clearly has ability.

 

24. Tua Tagovailoa

Tua is likely to move on from the Dolphins this offseason and perhaps a change of scenery would bode him well. Despite his shortcomings in that he is undersized, immobile, injury prone, and cannot play well in the cold, Tua can still be a starter in my estimation. The last time Tua was healthy for the season and was given at least a solid offensive line, he led the top total offense in the league. Tua could be argued as the most accurate thrower of the football in the NFL and was a top 5 overall pick for a reason. I could easily see Tua going to a new team and having a Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones type of effect.

 

25. Fernando Mendoza

Despite not playing a snap in the NFL yet, Mendoza finds himself ranked on this list ahead of a few guys. The future face of the franchise for the Raiders is coming fresh off a season where he won the National Championship and the Heisman trophy. Mendoza is a prototypical pocket passer standing at 6 foot 5 inches and being deadly accurate. However, it remains to be seen how much of his success in college was due to head coach Curt Cignetti and how much of his game will translate to the NFL.

 

 

26. Tyler Shough

Shough as an overlooked 2^nd round rookie had a strong rookie season that went under the radar and may very well be the future face of the franchise in New Orleans. In 11 games as a rookie, Shough graded higher as a QB than Lamar Jackson and more than half of the NFL. This was despite being a rookie with a rookie head coach and a rookie offensive coordinator as well. It will be interesting to see how Shough progresses with the Saints if he continues as the starter.

 

27. Jaxson Dart

Dart had an under the radar rookie season and played strongly for the Giants and may very well be the future face of the franchise in New York. As he enters his second season in the NFL with new head coach John Harbaugh, perhaps he can come into his own and emerge as a star. Dart is a dual threat QB known for his improvisational ability outside the pocket and beyond the line of scrimmage.

 

28. Shedeur Sanders

Sanders was a highly touted prospect entering the NFL draft but slipped all the way to the 5^th round in a historic draft slide. Sanders appeared in less than half the Browns’ games this season and had his ups and downs. However, there was only so much he was going to be able to do as the Browns put all their QBs in miserable positions to fail this past season and Sanders was still a rookie. In the limited time that Sanders spent on the field, he still showed flashes of very strong play and was viewed as a potential #1 overall pick for a reason as well. Sanders has above average athletic ability and completed an astounding 70%+ of his passes on the collegiate level. Sanders is more than capable of being a franchise level player and could skyrocket up this list in time as he likely will start for the Browns next season.

 

29. Michael Penix Jr

Penix Jr clearly has some talent running a sub 4.6 40-yard dash and having a huge arm. He has shown flashes of very strong play with the Falcons but has struggled to stay on the field. Penix Jr was a huge injury risk entering the NFL and those concerns have unfortunately manifested in his time with Atlanta thus far. Perhaps if he can stay healthier, he can prove to be a high-level starter and climb this list in a big way, as he is now paired with a proven veteran offensive minded head coach.

 

30. Cam Ward

Ward was a number one overall pick but unfortunately really underwhelmed as a rookie being graded as one of the worst starting QBs by Pro Football Focus in his first season starting. However, Ward’s head coach was fired midseason, and Tennessee’s offensive personnel was amongst the weakest in the NFL and Ward was still a rookie. I was never blown away by Ward as a talent as he entered the NFL as he had a pretty average arm, average size, and average athletic ability. Perhaps he was just taken #1 overall because it was a very subpar QB draft and Ward is potentially closer to a mid-first to high second round prospect. However, it will be interesting to see how he continues to progress as he heads into year 2 with the Titans as he still threw more than twice as many touchdowns as interceptions in his rookie season.

 

31. J McCarthy

McCarthy has had a very disappointing first two seasons with the Vikings as he has struggled with injuries and even in his time on the field he has really underwhelmed. McCarthy was graded as amongst the worst starting QBs in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus in his time on the field in 2025. However, he did show some flashes of strong play from time to time and was a top 10 overall pick for a reason. Perhaps if he can stay healthier in year 3 with the Vikings, he can prove to be a franchise level player.

 

32. Jets

The Jets as of now have the most undesirable QB position in the sport and need to explore getting a talented player such as Ty Simpson or Malik Willis to start for them next season.