In a pass-heavy league where dynamic playmakers at the quarterback position provide massive advantages, every team searches for their own franchise signal-caller until they find the one. It's safe to say all teams employing the following 10 quarterbacks have found theirs.
We waited until Week 1 of the regular season to release the rankings, just to gauge more of a feel for young quarterbacks, guys coming off injuries, and confirmation that the best QBs in the league are, indeed, the best.
A few parameters before diving into the list:
The list is based on how each quarterback has played over the last few years, with a heavy emphasis on their 2025 performance.
Some projection will be used based on age, and performance at the end of 2025.
Numbers don't tell the whole story, watching them play to gain context for those numbers is more important.
Football is the ultimate team sport, wins are not a QB stat.
1. Josh Allen
Team: Buffalo Bills
Age: 30
The undisputed most dominant force in the sport right now, Josh Allen, takes the No. 1 spot on our list. He was voted as the top-ranked QB by scouts, executives, and coaches in ESPN's consensus rankings, and for good reason.
Once a player that some would describe as "reckless," Allen has cut down on the number of turnover-worthy plays that plagued himself in his earlier years. Even with the turnovers coming down, he's maintained his uber-aggressive playstyle, hunting big plays while scrambling in the backfield and still putting his body on the line once he crosses the line of scrimmage.
With that said, his four turnovers (two being egregious) against the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round certainly led to the Bills' downfall. When he didn't turn the ball over, he played phenomenally and still ended up putting 30 points on the board.
When he's on, he's virtually impossible to stop. He can make any throw in the book with the best velocity and distance in the league and turns into a 237 lb running back when he takes off with the ball in his hand. The former MVP has also continued his outstanding play without much talent around him in the receiving game. Khalil Shakir has been his No. 1 target ever since Stefon Diggs left, and now with the established DJ Moore in the mix, Allen's ceiling is even higher.
In his first game of 2026, he proved why he's the undisputed best: 334 pass yards, four total touchdowns, and a game-winning dart down the middle of the field to Josh Palmer for the win against the No. 1 ranked defense from last year in the Houston Texans.
2. Lamar Jackson
Jackson had an injury-hampered down year in Baltimore last year, but in 2024 he threw for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns while, of course, being a major threat with his legs.
There are no questions about Lamar's game anymore. He can throw it with the best of them, maneuvers the pocket well, scrambles only when needed, and is always a threat to house it when he does move out of the pocket.
Last season was a disaster all around in Baltimore that eventually led to the dismissal of head coach John Harbaugh, so I think we can mostly lay that year to bed and move on. Jackson still has all the talent and scrambling ability that has made him great for so long, and I'm expecting that he bounces back in a major way.
In the first game against the Colts this year, he proved that last year was a throwaway season. The Ravens offense was dominant: Lamar completed 17 passes for 324 (!) yards, while also adding 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground. One of his runs was an awesome scramble where he eluded two defenders that were on the verge of sacking him and turned it into a first down gain.
With a genius defensive mind at head coach now in Jesse Minter, Jackson and the Ravens are coming for their first Super Bowl in his era.
3. Joe Burrow
For the second time in three seasons, Burrow missed a significant amount of time last year. He only played in eight games, but he deserves the No. 3 spot (or higher) when healthy.
In 2024 he led the league with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns, while only throwing nine picks, and he continued a similar trend in 2025 despite playing less than half the season. There's not much to say about Burrow. He's consistent, extremely accurate, a fantastic processor, moves well in the pocket, and has a strong enough arm to make all the throws needed.
Burrow has a trend of starting the season out poorly, which he did in Week 1 last Sunday, but eventually finds a major rhythm with elite targets Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The former Heisman trophy winner threw for 254 yards on 35 attempts and threw a pick-six to rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter, but he and the Bengals offense could click as soon as Week 2.
4. Matthew Stafford
Last year's MVP winner gets the No. 4 spot on our list. The 38-year-old had the best season of his career in Year 17, leading the NFL in pass yards and touchdowns last year even after there were concerns that his back would be a serious problem moving forward.
His age and those lower-back issues do give pause for his future, which is why the Rams selected QB Ty Simpson in the first round, but as long as he keeps his terrific play up, he belongs in the top-five.
While his legs are virtually immobile, his arm is gummy and flexible, and he uses it to sling balls around linemen and linebackers to receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. His arm is still a cannon and he can place the ball all over the field - he throws over the middle, towards the boundary, and has an accurate deep ball while also being very clutch.
His first game against the Niners did not go as planned - he only threw the ball 25 times and had 155 yards and an interception in Week 1 in Australia.
5. Patrick Mahomes
It's always fascinating where fans and analysts rank Patrick Mahomes, and we have him fifth on ours. A quarterback who started his career with absurd downfield throws that no fan had ever seen before has turned into more of a "game manager" of sorts. His escapability, arm flexibility, and processing skills are all still phenomenal, but his deep accuracy and willingness to throw the ball down field have both left him.
It might be the curious play-calling from Andy Reid in recent seasons, or the lack of a true No. 1 wide receiver since Tyreek Hill was traded, but he certainly has to reprove that he is still as talented as he once was. Albeit in his first game back since recovering from a torn ACL, Mahomes didn't complete a single pass over six air yards in the blowout win against the Denver Broncos.
While he hasn't been as aggressive throwing deep in recent seasons, his quick game style of play is elite. He diagnoses coverages quickly, gets the ball out of his hands almost immediately, and is still very good at maneuvering the pocket before finding someone open. There's also the clutchness factor that never seems to waver. It's still difficult picking anyone else other than Mahomes when someone asks which quarterback you'd rather have when down one score with less than two minutes left.
In reality, Mahomes has played like a top 7-11 quarterback since 2023, but his experience and ability on third downs and end-of-game situations put him in the top-five. He's always tinkering with ways to better himself and he could easily move up the list by the season's end. If he keeps his "checkdown merchant" style of play, however, he will move down.
6. Trevor Lawrence
This might be the highest a list has Lawrence, but I'm convinced that Liam Coen has unlocked all his potential. A 6'6, 220 pound quarterback with a cannon arm and quick legs has all the makings of becoming a dominant quarterback in this league, and in year six, he's on the verge of just that.
Lawrence has struggled with his mechanics - which has led to poor accuracy - throughout his career, but things seemed to really click towards the back-half of last year. Fans could tell something was difference with T-Law and the Jags last year when he miraculously rushed in for a touchdown to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5.
Then, the Jags ended the season on an eight-game win streak, putting up plenty of points throughout. From Week 12 to Week 17, Lawrence had 19 total touchdowns and one turnover, throwing for 266 yards per game. He made tons of big-time throws in tight windows and formed a major connection with Parker Washington, overcoming a league-leading 45 drops by the receiving corps.
His wonderful play took another step up in the first game of 2026. The Browns defense should be around average this season, Lawrence and the offense put up an easy 34 points in the first three quarters. It's clear he's become very decisive at the top of his drop, quickly firing throws to any part of the field. He made plenty of high-level throws - all four of his touchdown passes were elite.
7. Caleb Williams
The No. 1 overall pick from 2024 has arrived. He's shown consistent growth and the unbelievable superman plays in big situations that show just how high is ceiling is. There are certainly two sides to Williams' coin: he made several game-winning plays in the Bears' magical 2025 season last year, but most of the time, he would put himself in those situations in the first place because of his inconsistencies in early-down situations.
The high of his highs outweigh his lows significantly, and it seems that he's cutting out those inconsistencies as he gains more experience. Head coach Ben Johnson has completely changed the trajectory of the Bears and has been very public about wanting to break the Broncos' 2013 scoring record this season. His prophecy got off to a fast start against the Panthers in Week 1, scoring a league-high 59 points.
Williams played a massive part in the Bears' offensive outburst. Outside of one throw, he didn't miss the easy ones and also made the hard ones - like the dime to Cole Kmet in the endzone. It looks like Caleb has taken another step and could easily end the year as a top-five quarterback.
8. Justin Herbert
Another year went by, and Justin Herbert is still one of more polarizing quarterbacks in the league. Some fans think he's a future MVP, and other fans think it's impossible to win a Super Bowl with him at QB. I lean towards the former, but there's no denying that his playoff performances have been disappointing to say the least.
There's nothing much prettier than a Herbert laser down the middle of the field at the top of his drop, which he does consistently. He hangs tough in the pocket, can put the ball wherever, and has adequate enough legs to scramble for first downs when needed.
Herbert carried the Chargers to an 11-6 record and a playoff appearance with a horrid offensive line and a non-existence running game last year, but once they reached the playoffs, he became the problem. It was as if he was blinded right before the game, missing open receivers downfield, running into pressure, and making mistake after mistake.
After going 0-3 in his playoff career so far, he needs to prove that he can come through in big moments to move up this list.
9. Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold has put together two seasons in a row of top-ten quarterback play, and he deserves a spot on the list after helping the Seahawks win the Super Bowl last year. Everyone knows the story with him: former bust who turned his career around during his final chance at earning a starting spot in the NFL with the Vikings. But he's become more than just average - he's turned himself into one of the league's best.
Darnold is terrific in play-action and, like Herbert, throws darts down the middle of the field. He's accurate in his deep throws to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed while also being smart about when to hit his checkdown.
Over the last two years, he's gone 28-6 and his TD:INT ratio is 60:16. He's been productive and wins. He does have his faults, however. He's still too careless with the football (19 fumbles in his last 34 regular season games), but he didn't throw a pick during his Super Bowl run.
10. Jordan Love
Jordan Love wraps up our list at No. 10. Other contenders include Baker Mayfield, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Jared Goff, Brock Purdy, and Dak Prescott, but Love's constant threat to push the ball down field puts him in the top-ten.
For the most part, he had a fabulous season last year leading the Packers to a 9-4-1 record before getting hurt. He threw for 23 touchdowns and six interceptions and closed out his season with big-time production against the Bears in the Wild Card game. Even though they lost, Love did his part throwing for 323 yards and four touchdowns with no picks.
Love is always looking for big plays down the field, which can sometimes get him into trouble, but it also bends the defense in a way that can help against the run. He's terrific with off-platform throws and use different arm slots to fit balls into tighter windows. However, he's yet to take that next step on a down-to-down basis to get him into the tier of superstardom. While he's good at maneuvering the pocket, he's not particularly mobile and won't make much happen outside of the pocket.
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