The quarterback position is by far the most important in any team sport. Look around the NFL. You won’t find a Super Bowl-contending team without an established superstar signal-caller.
As the 2023 NFL season draws closer, it’s time to see how all 32 NFL starting QBs stack up against each other. So without further ado, let’s dive into the rankings – going from worst to first.
32. Sam Howell (Washington Commanders)
In his lone NFL appearance last season, the 2022 fifth-round pick went 11-of-19 for 169 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the Commanders’ 26-6 win.
Not the worst first impression. But the sample size is too small, and we’re not talking about a highly-touted kid here. Howell has to be the last guy on this list until/unless he shows his worth as a starting-caliber QB.
31. Desmond Ridder (Atlanta Falcons)
Ridder replaced a struggling Marcus Mariota for the Falcons’ final four games of 2022. The third-round pick out of Cincinnati went 2-2 as the starter and put together a nice stat line: A 63.5 completion percentage for 708 yards, two touchdowns and zero picks.
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But like Howell, the sample size is too low to put Ridder any higher than his current placement.
30. Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts)
We are fascinated to see how this boom-or-bust prospect fares as a rookie
There’s limited talent around him, and he’s going to struggle aplenty if that offensive line is anything close to being as bad as it was a year ago. If that happens, the Colts may want to save Richardson’s confidence and put Gardner Minshew II behind center.
29. C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
Houston used the No. 2 selection on the big-armed Ohio State product. But as always, it’s tough to project how a rookie signal-caller will perform.
Stroud has some nice playmakers around him in Dameon Pierce, Nico Collins, John Metchie and Robert Woods. He was oozing with confidence at Ohio State, but only time will tell how he responds to his first NFL action.
28. Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers)
The Panthers gave up a king’s ransom to Chicago so they could get the first overall pick and take Young. Things are fun again for the Panthers.
We don’t doubt Young’s abilities to shine. But of course, the main concern is his 5-foot-10 frame. He could easily exceed all expectations early or struggle mightily like most first-year QBs. It could go either way.
27. Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
This is simply Mayfield’s last chance to show that he can be a starter in the NFL, otherwise the 2018 first-overall pick will have to accept backup duties the rest of the way.
Tom Brady didn’t exactly light it up in his final season with the Bucs, so we’re skeptical Mayfield will do better with practically the same offense. The o-line sucked last year, the rushing offense finished dead-last and there aren’t any impact receivers outside of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
26. Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
Love’s only career start came against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021. In that game, he was 19-of-34 for 190 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Fast forward two years later, and Love is the starter in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers long gone. For what it’s worth, Love absolutely lit it up in preseason play…but will that carry over to the actual meaningful games?
Let’s see how three years of learning behind Rodgers works out for Love…
25. Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans)
It’s just hard to trust Tannehill at this stage of his career. He’s injury prone, entering his age-35 season and has simply regressed more and more since his career year in 2019.
The Titans did add DeAndre Hopkins to bolster the passing game, but how much does the 31-year-old have left in the tank? Will 2022 first-rounder Treylon Burks bounce back after a sluggish rookie year?
Honestly, we won’t be shocked if promising rookie Will Levis takes over as the starter at some point.
24. Jimmy Garoppolo (Las Vegas Raiders)
If Garoppolo could just stay healthy, he’d be a bit higher on here. But you simply can’t trust him to stay healthy at this stage.
If he plays all 17 games, Jimmy G could turn in a career year. He has experience with Josh McDaniels, and the set of weaponry is unfair: Davante Adams, Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow, Jakobi Meyers and Michael Mayer.
23. Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pickett won seven of 12 starts as a rookie despite a mediocre stat line: A 63.0 completion percentage for 2,404 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Like we’ve said, the vast majority of rookie QBs struggle. With a full year of experience under his belt, expectations are higher for the only quarterback taken in the first-round a year ago. Let’s see how Pickett responds now that there’s actually pressure on him as a sophomore
22. Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
If Purdy proves that his rookie year wasn’t lightning in a bottle, he could honestly be a top-10 QB by next year. He did, after all, win all seven games he played from start to finish — including two playoff wins.
Is he a product of Kyle Shanahan’s system? Maybe, maybe not, but Jimmy G and Trey Lance never looked as good as Purdy did in his short stint. A 67.1 completion percentage, 13 TDs and four picks is not a joke.
The only question now is if Purdy is for real, or if last year was beginner’s luck.
21. Justin Fields (Chicago Bears)
Fields’ abilities as a runner aren’t in question. His 1,143 rushing yards were the second-most ever by a QB in a single-season, behind only Lamar Jackson’s 2019 total of 1,206.
Now it’s time to grow as a passer. The Bears acquired star wideout DJ Moore from Carolina to give Fields a true WR1. D’Onta Foreman and Khalil Herbert give Fields a nice 1-2 set in the backfield, too.
Does he finally break out in year three? Improvement is imperative, at least, or else the Bears could eye a new QB in the deep 2024 draft class.
20. Russell Wilson (Denver Broncos)
Wilson’s first year in Denver was one of the all-time great NFL flops that we’ve seen. The good news for Bronco fans: He definitely cannot be any worse.
Having Sean Payton calling the shots on offense definitely bodes well for Wilson’s chances of regaining his Pro Bowl form. But if 2023 is another woeful year, Denver will have to consider cutting the cord on No. 3…
19. Mac Jones (New England Patriots)
Like Wilson, Jones can only be better after a rough 2022 season. We still refuse to blame him much, because Bill Belichick still owes the entire organization an apology for making Matt Patricia and Joe Judge the co-offensive play-callers.
Jones has a real OC now in Bill O’Brien. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Gesicki and Ezekiel Elliott were nice additions to an offense that already has DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Rhamondre Stevenson.
We’re not sure how the Patriots will fare in an awfully tough AFC, but you can bet on Jones regaining the star-like form we saw in 2020.
18. Daniel Jones (New York Giants)
Jones’ numbers weren’t eye-popping last year, but he certainly flourished in a game manager role with 15 passing TDs and just five picks to go along with a career-high 708 rushing yards and seven TDs.
Jones helped the G-Men to a final eight appearance last year. With newcomers Darren Waller, Jalin Hyatt and Parris Campbell upgrading the passing game, “Danny Dimes” could easily build off his career year here in 2023.
17. Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
Goff’s 29 passing TDs in 2022 were the second-best of his career, and his efforts earned him a third career Pro Bowl nod and led Detroit to its first winning season since 2017.
So, what does he do for an encore? Amon-Ra St. Brown and the new super-RB duo of David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs give Goff plenty of weaponry. Just imagine how far this offense could go if Jameson Williams goes off following his six-game suspension…
16. Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
Yes, he’ll miss considerable time this year, but Murray has cemented himself as a top-half starter. Losing DeAndre Hopkins and AJ Green doesn’t help matters whatsoever, but the Murray critics will see his value to the team if — ahem, when — the offense stinks during his absence.
15. Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)
Smith won Comeback Player of the Year honors after completing a league-high 69.8 percent of pass attempts for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. The reward? A three-year extension worth $105 million.
To think Smith should only get better, too! The ‘Hawks used a first-round pick on Ohio State wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, giving Geno another weapon to help DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Kenneth Walker.
Go off Geno!
14. Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints)
Carr was released from the Raiders following a rough year under Josh McDaniels. No matter, he’s got it nice with a New Orleans team featuring a top-10 o-line and defense plus Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, Juwuan Johnson, Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams as his weapons.
Not to mention the Saints play in football’s toughest division and have the second-easiest strength of schedule. Should be a fun comeback player of the year-like campaign for Carr.
13. Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
Consider Stafford’s 2022 season was a writeoff. The o-line was a mess, Cooper Kupp missed eight games and Stafford was never close to 100 percent.
If healthy, he’ll be near the top of the leaderboard in every major passing category. Stafford won a Super Bowl in his first year with Sean McVay, so don’t sleep on the 35-year-old if he can get back to near-full-strength.
12. Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Watson was suspended the first 11 games for last season. Upon returning, Watson’s play in his six-game stint last season was mediocre at best.
Gotta think Watson will bounce back now that the rust is gone. The Browns added Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman to round out an offensive arsenal led by Pro Bowlers Nick Chubb and Amari Cooper, so expect Watson to regain his previous Houston Texans-like form here in 2023.
11. Kirk Cousins (Minnesota Vikings)
Only Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady had more passing yards than Cousins between 2019 and 2022. And only those two plus Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen had more passing TDs.
Cousins gets a lot of hate, but he’s a model of consistency as far as stats go. Three straight seasons with a completion percentage above 65 percent, over 4,200 passing yards and 29-plus touchdowns.
10. Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
This may seem high to some, but Tua was 8-5 in starts last year with 25 touchdowns against only eight picks in the 13 games he played.
Tagovailoa had the league’s top QB rating at 105.5 and averaged the most yards per completion at 13.7. If he can stay healthy, Tua will be a darkhorse MVP candidate. Book it.
9. Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
Love or hate the Cowboys all you want, but don’t tell us there are 10 QBs better than Dak.
His 61-36-0 record as a starter speaks for itself. Dallas has fielded a top-four offense in each of the last two seasons, so it’s odd to hate on a Prescott-Mike McCarthy pairing. And to think Dak missed five games last year…
With Brandin Cooks joining this offensive machine, Prescott just might put up his best statistical season yet.
8. Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Didn’t take long for Doug Pederson to unlock T-Law, who broke out as a sophomore with a 66.3 completion percentage, 4,113 yards and 25 touchdowns against only eight picks.
The fun part? He’s only going to get better with experience. Oh, and ex-Falcons star Calvin Ridley is about to join this loaded offensive arsenal. Good luck stopping it, NFL.
7. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
Jackson has a ridiculous 45-16-0 record as Baltimore’s starting QB. It’s a damn shame he suffered season-ending injuries in back-to-back years, because a healthy Jackson moves the needle as much as any other NFL QB.
We know what he is: The league’s best dual-threat QB who keeps his Ravens in title contention. Now, if he can just stay healthy…
6. Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets)
After a disappointing final year in Green Bay, Rodgers gets a long-overdue fresh start in Gotham.
He’s sure well-equipped to regain his four-time MVP-like form. Garrett Wilson, Dalvin Cook and Breece Hall give him three Pro Bowl-caliber weapons. Mecole Hardman and old pals Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb should contribute aplenty as well.
5. Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
Herbert’s 14,089 passing yards are the most through a player’s first three seasons. And only Dan Marino’s 98 passing TDs through the same amount of time top Herbert’s total of 94.
Herbert’s stats are MVP caliber year-in and year-out. The only question is if the Chargers’ defense and special teams will end the “classic Chargers” scrap and actually help Herbert win big games. He’s done his part entirely for three years now.
4. Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)
If Hurts didn’t miss two games last year, he likely would have won MVP honors over Patrick Mahomes. And if his defense didn’t sleep all game, Hurts would have led Philly to a Super Bowl championship over the powerhouse Chiefs.
Hurts’ performance from Week 1 on to the Super Bowl showed that he can lead the way and perform under pressure. Playing behind football’s best o-line and with a wealth of weapons, he’ll again be in the MVP running in 2023. No question about it.
3. Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
Allen’s all-world abilities aren’t a question. Three straight seasons now of over 4,000 yards passing and 35-plus touchdowns…not to mention 1,525 rushing yards and 13 rushing scores in the last two seasons alone.
But after a second straight disappointing playoff exit, questions are beginning to arise about Allen’s ability to win the big one. We’d say it’s a little too premature for that, but anything less than a conference championship appearance will be deemed a failure in Orchard Park.
2. Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
He doesn’t run as much as Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts, and he doesn’t have as many “wow” plays as Patrick Mahomes. But there’s nothing wrong with being a pure pocket passer with robot-like accuracy.
Burrow plays with complete calmness and coolness, reminiscent of Joe Montana. Having led Cincy to consecutive AFC Championship Games – and almost consecutive Super Bowls – he has cemented himself as Mahomes’ greatest competition for the crown of the league’s best QB.
1. Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
Mahomes has truly put himself on another level since taking over as KC’s starter in 2018.
Five AFC championship appearances, two league MVPs, three Super Bowl berths, two rings, two Super Bowl MVP awards. What more do you wanna know?
It’s Patrick Mahomes’ NFL world, and we’re all just living in it.
What changes would you make to our quarterback rankings?
