As we look ahead to this coming season, we see a lot of uncertainty around the most important position in football. Quarterback play is the most vital to a football team’s success, so these are the 10 quarterbacks who are the best at what they do.
By the way, I must preface that there are no rookies on this list because they have yet to play a single snap in the NFL. If you want to see the rookie quarterback predictions, you can see them here.
HM. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Since the start of his career on the Lions, Matthew Stafford has been one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league. He is known for his grit, poise, and leadership. In his first year on the Rams, he led them to a Super Bowl victory.
Though they do not have nearly as much talent as they did then, Stafford is still at the top of his game. A duo of a healthy Cooper Kupp and Puca Nakua should be dangerous to opposing defenses. Tyler Higbee and Tutu Atwell also add solid production for third and fourth passing options.
10. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Due to his injuries and narratives around how much he plays Call of Duty, many people have written off Kyler Murray. He is still one of the better young quarterbacks in the league and I think he will prove that this season. Many forget he was a Pro Bowler in the two seasons he played at least 14 games, the 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the 2018 Heisman.
In the 8 games he played last season, he put up just under 1800 yards and 10 touchdowns. Coming off his first fully healthy off-season in a while, he returns to a team with a solid offensive line, a new number 1 wide receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr., and one of the league’s best under-the-radar tight ends. Don’t sleep on his return.
9. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Despite what the memes have been saying about Jalen Hurts’ passing ability, he is still a premier quarterback in this league. In his second season starting every game, he led his team to the Super Bowl. That same season, he was second in MVP voting, which was only two seasons ago. Last season, he put up 3800 yards and 23 touchdowns on 65.4% completion percentage.
He also set a career high in rushing touchdowns with 15. While it is true that he had a little bit of a down year in his passing game and arguably got exposed, he is undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The fact of the matter is that Jalen Hurts plays winning football.
8. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
If I’m being honest, Jordan Love proved me wrong last year, as I’m sure he did to almost everyone else. In his first season as a starter, he recorded 4100 yards, 32 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 96.1 passer rating.
He unexpectedly led his team past the Cowboys to the Divisional Round. If he managed to achieve those stats in his first year as a starter, I expect him to be even better this year. After all, he is still only 25 years old. Looking back, we should have trusted in the Packers’ ability to draft and develop quarterbacks.
7. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins is the textbook definition of consistency. He has put up over 4000 yards and 25 touchdowns in seven of the eight seasons where he played at least 15 games while putting up no more than 14 interceptions.
During his 6 year tenure in Minnesota, his lowest passer rating was 92.5. Now, he enters a loaded Falcons offense where his weapons are Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Kyle Pitts, not to mention a top-ten offensive line. My main knock on Captain Kirk is that he will be 36 this season and is bound to regress some. Nonetheless, I still expect a high level of play from him.
6. Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow has had two season-ending injuries in his four years in the league. The first year where he played the whole season, he put up 4600 yards, 34 touchdowns, and only 14 interceptions. He followed up that year with a very similar one where he put up almost 4500 yards, 35 touchdowns, and only 12 interceptions. He placed fourth in MVP voting that year.
Burrow has an immense amount of talent that he still has yet to unleash. He was the number 1 pick for a reason. Since coming into the league, he has taken them to the playoffs every year he played the whole season. He even led the Bengals on a Super Bowl run but came up short in 2021. I wish I could put him higher because he’s hot and very talented but I am a bit skeptical about his injury.
5. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy has outlived everyone’s expectations being Mr. Irrelevant, even his coaches. He has provided the 49ers with the stable quarterback play that they so desperately needed to get over the hump when they had Jimmy Garappolo. Though they have yet to win more than the Garappolo-led 49ers, Purdy’s 49ers already look much better.
In his one season as a starter, he led his team to the Super Bowl and was 4th in MVP voting. While some people like to attribute his success to his juggernaut of a supporting cast, his numbers are too good to deny his ability. He put up almost 4300 yards and 31 touchdowns on 11 interceptions while also leading the NFL in passer rating with 113. Purdy is the perfect fit for Kyle Shanahan’s offense and they will remain atop the league with Purdy at the helm.
4. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
As NFL fans, we were so fortunate to watch the Texans’ turnaround. Their team has looked electric in this new Demeco Ryans-C.J. Stroud era. C.J. Stroud showed everyone that he has all the talent in the world. The word on the street is that the Texan’s are now America’s Team because they truly are that fun to watch. On paper, their offense looks like it’s set to be one of the NFL’s best.
Stroud has the ability to choose between Joe Mixon, Dameon Pierce, Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, Nico Collins, Dalton Schultz, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, John Metchie III, and Ben Skowronek. Put together with their great offensive line, C.J. Stroud has all the tools that he needs to take his game to the next level, which I think he will.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen has been a borderline MVP since his breakout season in 2020, coming as close as second in MVP voting. He can steadily give your favorite team 250 yards, 2 passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown if he really wanted to. He arguably has the best arm talent in the whole league. We have seen him effortlessly launch the ball 60 yards down the field for a touchdown time and time again.
The main thing stopping him from being the best quarterback in the league is his inconsistency. He can struggle with interceptions at times. When he is at the top of his game, he can light up any defense. I think he will start off a little slow as he transitions from Stefon Diggs to Keon Coleman, but once they get in stride, they will make a brilliant duo. You could argue that he deserves the number two spot but I personally have him at three.
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Obviously, Lamar Jackson is the reigning MVP so he has to be near the top of this list. Everyone knows he is already one of the best rushing quarterbacks of all time, but this year he proved that his passing game was not another weakness but another strength. He set career highs in attempts, passing yards, and completion percentage.
Don’t forget he did all this while adding 800 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground and leading his team to the AFC Conference Championship game. His dynamic ability is unmatched, making him a top 2 quarterback in the league.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes is undoubtedly the best quarterback in the league to me. Even when he had a down year in the regular season, he rose to another level in the postseason. He only threw for 4100 yards and 27 touchdowns (which is low for his standards) with his leading receiver besides Travis Kelce being Rashee Rice. Rashee Rice is not bad by any means necessary, but he is not Tyreek Hill. Mahomes shows up when it matters most without his WR1 and his tight end having a down year.
You can put him on any team and he can lead them to contention. His illustrious career already entails 3 Super Bowl MVPs, 3 time All-Pro, and 6 Pro Bowls in 6 seasons as a starter. He is an absolute game changer and his impact cannot be measured. There are already discussions of Mahomes being the G.O.A.T., which is far-fetched to me but still wild to think about. He is the face of the league and will be for a long time. He will be up there with the greats one day.
