QB rankings according to coaches, executives and scouts

[1960Pats]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25455066-ranking-nfls-true-franchise-players-teams-build-around-2026-season

Maye is the easy #1

The last line on Maye said that the future is wildly bright. Ain't that the truth.

 

[1960Pats]

Without a doubt.

People say the league favored Brady... I don't remember any time during Brady's career where Brady was glazed like Kermit was or national announcers literally fanboing over the QB and making excuses when he loses like they did with Kermit. Embarrassing.

Aaron Rodgers is close behind Kermit when it comes to having his balls washed. I recently saw him being interviewed somewhere and he was asked how he had so many 4th quarter comebacks. Huh!?! He's tied with Andy Dalton and has a little more than half as many as TB12.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

I'd have put Maye #6 ahead of Dak/Herbert for right now. His trajectory is pointing more upwards than those guys too.

The other 5 I think all belong ahead of him based on a combination of current performance and track record. One game to win, all else equal, I'm still taking all of those guys over Maye.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

I'd have put Maye #6 ahead of Dak/Herbert for right now. His trajectory is pointing more upwards than those guys too.

The other 5 I think all belong ahead of him based on a combination of current performance and track record. One game to win, all else equal, I'm still taking all of those guys over Maye.

Pretty spot on.
The only thin I would add is I have never believed in Lamar.
An athletic marvel, but isn't a winner, can't get it done when it matters most.
You could argue the same for Josh, however prior to his game against Denver, his playoff numbers the past few years have been excellent, whereas Lamar seems to shrink in the moment.

 

[1960Pats]

Pretty spot on.
The only thin I would add is I have never believed in Lamar.
An athletic marvel, but isn't a winner, can't get it done when it matters most.
You could argue the same for Josh, however prior to his game against Denver, his playoff numbers the past few years have been excellent, whereas Lamar seems to shrink in the moment.

Lamar has the potential to tie a record that I didn't think was possible, PEDton Manning's nine one and done playoffs.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

Lamar has the potential to tie a record that I didn't think was possible, PEDton Manning's nine one and done playoffs.

You got it.
I like Lamar, but I have a long history of doubting him, said many moons ago he will never win a SB and I still believe that today.
Maybe he can prove us wrong, seems to be a likeable chap so I'm certainly not cheering against him unless of course it adversely affects the Pats.

 

[TommyD4207]

Aaron Rodgers is close behind Kermit when it comes to having his balls washed. I recently saw him being interviewed somewhere and he was asked how he had so many 4th quarter comebacks. Huh!?! He's tied with Andy Dalton and has a little more than half as many as TB12.

Nobody, but nobody, gets their glazing quite as strong and thickly applied as Josh Allen, however.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I'll give him a mulligan on this one considering the state of LT and LG in the playoffs. He played like what I would expect from a sophomore QB with no pass protection against elite pass rushing defenses.

Tougher schedule this year will also tell us a lot.

Yeah, for the most part it was just a rough situation. I actually thought he was pretty effective against the chargers and texans, but needed to protect the ball alot better on some of those sacks.

Against denver, couldn’t understand the first half struggles as it wasn’t a ton of pressure and the weather was still fine, might have been the wr struggling to seperate. In half 2 he started to heat up but then the weather took over.

The sb was rough… there was some analysis on here that he missed alot of plays that were there but it looked to me like he was under siege a great deal of the time. The upgrades at OL and WR should make a big difference.

 

[50-yard-line]

I have a different perspective. I think he is already one of the best long ball QB's, but it's the 6-10 where he needs to improve. Maybe it's not his throwing but his recognition.

I meant ranking him between 6-10 is really kind of a nice acknowledgement at this point.

 

[50-yard-line]

He was the best 10+ downfield passer in the nfl last year

I agree. But I still believe that ranking him in the top 10 is very good at this point.

I expect him to be top-5 ranked almost universally next year if the OL holds and the weapons and Maye stay healthy.

 

[Ring 6]

I agree. But I still believe that ranking him in the top 10 is very good at this point.

I expect him to be top-5 ranked almost universally next year if the OL holds and the weapons and Maye stay healthy.

He already is top 5 today, but it depends if you are rating by how good they are right now or by what they gave done over their careers.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

It amuses me that this fanbase is writing Mahomes post-mortem after a mid-career period of decline during a roster transition.

Certainly Brady never looked bad in, say, 2006 or 2013, or late 2015 when the entire offense seemed to be on IR.

Don't be shocked when he's an MVP candidate again in 2027.

I won’t be shocked. Saying he shouldn’t be top 2 isn’t really an insult. Keep in mind a lot of sportswriters were ranking Brady like #10 in 2013 when he was throwing to Kenbrell Thompkins (but still winning 12+ games.)

You could argue that Mahomes was a top 2 / top 3 QB every season solely due to his clutch play and his/the Chiefs winning success, every year going into last year, but he was not a top 2 QB in 2025, probably not top 10 either, and he’s coming off an ACL tear.

 

[p8ryts]

I meant ranking him between 6-10 is really kind of a nice acknowledgement at this point.

I was referring to throwing the ball effectively in the 6-10 yard range

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

1. Allen
2. Stafford
3. Burrow
4. Mahomes
5. Maye
6. Jackson
7. Love
8. Purdy
9. Goff
10. Nix

Pretender Tier: Prescott, Herbert, Lawrence, Mayfield

Maybe Tier (we’ll see this season): J. Daniels, C. Williams

I know you think I’m ranking Nix too high but I was really impressed. He is capable of winning a Super Bowl and will continue to improve. He doesn’t need elaborate scrambling schemes.

 

[Ring 6]

I was referring to throwing the ball effectively in the 6-10 yard range

He led the league in completion percentage and before a few cold weather games was on track to challenge the all time record.

 

[TheRainMaker]

1. Allen: Management will continue holding him back. He gets trashed here without taking into consideration the garbage he's been carrying with him throughout his career. This is by far his worst team and it wouldn't shock me if NE wins this division again by at least 2 games.
2. Mahomes: He's ranked high out of respect, but his team's expiration date was long overdue. KC fans are lucky they pulled two Super Bowl wins out of their asses after Hill left. Mahomes and the Chiefs remind me of the 2000's Favre Packers were the league was passing them up. His mechanics have been getting really sloppy. Late 90's Packers maxed out after 1997 and I'm seeing that happening with the Chiefs. Mahomes, Hill, Kelce and Jones were generational players I don't see the Chiefs finding again anytime soon.
3. Stafford: Absolutely shredded the Seahawks defense with ease, but held back by his own defense and McVay's worst coaching day of his career. Rams would've obliterated the Pats in the Super Bowl. This is the 1996-97 Packers/1997-1998 Denver Brocos.
4. Joe Burrow: The prototypical pocket passer who can shred any defense. The Bengals are making late moves on defense to salvage the trio of Burrow, Chase and Higgins. The lack of running game will hold the offense back.
5. Lamar Jackson: He will have to be carried to ever win a Super Bowl. He really hates throwing the ball when the game is on the line.
6. Prescott: Like Allen, he's constantly dragging bad teams to the playoffs. His most balanced offense was his rookie season, but now it's all WR's, no running game and no TE that scares anyone. Defense has always been bad.
7. Herbet: Another QB dragged through the mud by haters not considering his teams are AWFUL! Bro is constantly taking knives into gunfights. It's quite sad actually. This is a 3-5 win team without him.
8. Maye: Everyone here wants to crown him Dennis Green style after one season. He's playing on a team with the 2nd best roster on this list. Stack another good year and he's going to shoot right up this list.
9. Goff: He has the best offensive supporting cast on this list, but is held back by awful coaching. He would've been in his 2nd Super Bowl had his moron HC not imploded and constantly gone for it on 4th down with 14 point lead in the 2023 NFCCG. They've also had some unfortunate injuries.
10. Williams: The only QB that doesn't belong on the list. He is erratic and had Mahomes esque luck in 2025. That will end.

Purdy should've made the list. He had a bounce back season with supporting cast that was absolute crap. 49ers should've had at least 2 Super Bowls without Tom Brady and it would've been more with him. Their window is just about shut.

 

[p8ryts]

1. Allen: Management will continue holding him back. He gets trashed here without taking into consideration the garbage he's been carrying with him throughout his career. This is by far his worst team and it wouldn't shock me if NE wins this division again by at least 2 games.
2. Mahomes: He's ranked high out of respect, but his team's expiration date was long overdue. KC fans are lucky they pulled two Super Bowl wins out of their asses after Hill left. Mahomes and the Chiefs remind me of the 2000's Favre Packers were the league was passing them up. His mechanics have been getting really sloppy. Late 90's Packers maxed out after 1997 and I'm seeing that happening with the Chiefs. Mahomes, Hill, Kelce and Jones were generational players I don't see the Chiefs finding again anytime soon.
3. Stafford: Absolutely shredded the Seahawks defense with ease, but held back by his own defense and McVay's worst coaching day of his career. Rams would've obliterated the Pats in the Super Bowl. This is the 1996-97 Packers/1997-1998 Denver Brocos.
4. Joe Burrow: The prototypical pocket passer who can shred any defense. The Bengals are making late moves on defense to salvage the trio of Burrow, Chase and Higgins. The lack of running game will hold the offense back.
5. Lamar Jackson: He will have to be carried to ever win a Super Bowl. He really hates throwing the ball when the game is on the line.
6. Prescott: Like Allen, he's constantly dragging bad teams to the playoffs. His most balanced offense was his rookie season, but now it's all WR's, no running game and no TE that scares anyone. Defense has always been bad.
7. Herbet: Another QB dragged through the mud by haters not considering his teams are AWFUL! Bro is constantly taking knives into gunfights. It's quite sad actually. This is a 3-5 win team without him.
8. Maye: Everyone here wants to crown him Dennis Green style after one season. He's playing on a team with the 2nd best roster on this list. Stack another good year and he's going to shoot right up this list.
9. Goff: He has the best offensive supporting cast on this list, but is held back by awful coaching. He would've been in his 2nd Super Bowl had his moron HC not imploded and constantly gone for it on 4th down with 14 point lead in the 2023 NFCCG. They've also had some unfortunate injuries.
10. Williams: The only QB that doesn't belong on the list. He is erratic and had Mahomes esque luck in 2025. That will end.

Purdy should've made the list. He had a bounce back season with supporting cast that was absolute crap. 49ers should've had at least 2 Super Bowls without Tom Brady and it would've been more with him. Their window is just about shut.

Allen is very good, but he makes bone head plays, especially in the playoffs. He lost the Denver game all by himself. We don't want Drake to repeat that.
Surprisingly, I think people underrate Mahomes. He is the best currently.
Jackson and Prescott just seem to be missing some important gene.
Undecided about Herbert. Probably could equal Stafford if he was on the Rams.
I might put Burrow in the Jackson, Prescott group. There were times, I thought he was the next great thing. He still may be.
I wish we had Goff behind center instead of Newton and Jones.

 

[Ring 6]

1. Allen: Management will continue holding him back. He gets trashed here without taking into consideration the garbage he's been carrying with him throughout his career. This is by far his worst team and it wouldn't shock me if NE wins this division again by at least 2 games.
2. Mahomes: He's ranked high out of respect, but his team's expiration date was long overdue. KC fans are lucky they pulled two Super Bowl wins out of their asses after Hill left. Mahomes and the Chiefs remind me of the 2000's Favre Packers were the league was passing them up. His mechanics have been getting really sloppy. Late 90's Packers maxed out after 1997 and I'm seeing that happening with the Chiefs. Mahomes, Hill, Kelce and Jones were generational players I don't see the Chiefs finding again anytime soon.
3. Stafford: Absolutely shredded the Seahawks defense with ease, but held back by his own defense and McVay's worst coaching day of his career. Rams would've obliterated the Pats in the Super Bowl. This is the 1996-97 Packers/1997-1998 Denver Brocos.
4. Joe Burrow: The prototypical pocket passer who can shred any defense. The Bengals are making late moves on defense to salvage the trio of Burrow, Chase and Higgins. The lack of running game will hold the offense back.
5. Lamar Jackson: He will have to be carried to ever win a Super Bowl. He really hates throwing the ball when the game is on the line.
6. Prescott: Like Allen, he's constantly dragging bad teams to the playoffs. His most balanced offense was his rookie season, but now it's all WR's, no running game and no TE that scares anyone. Defense has always been bad.
7. Herbet: Another QB dragged through the mud by haters not considering his teams are AWFUL! Bro is constantly taking knives into gunfights. It's quite sad actually. This is a 3-5 win team without him.
8. Maye: Everyone here wants to crown him Dennis Green style after one season. He's playing on a team with the 2nd best roster on this list. Stack another good year and he's going to shoot right up this list.
9. Goff: He has the best offensive supporting cast on this list, but is held back by awful coaching. He would've been in his 2nd Super Bowl had his moron HC not imploded and constantly gone for it on 4th down with 14 point lead in the 2023 NFCCG. They've also had some unfortunate injuries.
10. Williams: The only QB that doesn't belong on the list. He is erratic and had Mahomes esque luck in 2025. That will end.

Purdy should've made the list. He had a bounce back season with supporting cast that was absolute crap. 49ers should've had at least 2 Super Bowls without Tom Brady and it would've been more with him. Their window is just about shut.

Agree Purdy should be on the list but when did Brady prevent to 9ers from winning a SB? He never faced them in the postseason.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Agree Purdy should be on the list but when did Brady prevent to 9ers from winning a SB? He never faced them in the postseason.

Tom's first choice after he decided to leave the Pats were the 49ers:

"He reached out to Wes Welker, who was now the 49ers’ receivers coach, and let him know that if San Francisco was interested, it would be his choice—no free-agency tour, no bidding war, full stop; he would end his career where his love of football began, in scarlet and gold, allowing his parents to drive to games for the first time since the 1990s."

The 49ers passed:

"The coaches liked Brady’s film—but didn’t love it."

"A few days before free agency began, the 49ers decided to stick with their guy. This time, Garoppolo won."

The Inside Story of Tom Brady’s Departure From New England

The winningest quarterback in history has always stayed quiet about his departure from Foxboro, but now the story of his disillusionment and move is becoming clearer.

www.si.com

"The 49ers have acknowledged that they evaluated Brady in 2020. There was reason to think that Brady was considering playing for the 49ers in 2022, but that the team once again said “thanks” and “no, thanks.”

Kyle Shanahan seems to regret passing on Tom Brady in 2020

Tom Brady has wanted, at least once in the past three years, to play for the 49ers.

www.nbcsports.com

It's clear why Kyle Shanahan didn't want to sign him and it's because Tom would've stolen the spotlight. Kyle is a pretty arrogant guy and wants to be the star of the show. They passed on him in 2020 and once again in 2022. Kyle's best shot to win anything was from 2019-2023. That roster has been deteriorating yearly.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Allen is very good, but he makes bone head plays, especially in the playoffs. He lost the Denver game all by himself. We don't want Drake to repeat that.

Allen is the only reason the Bills have an 8-7 record since 2019. Without Allen, they are a 3-5 win team at best. That roster has been mirage for years and is continually getting worse. Every playoff loss has the same theme and that is their defense gets exposed allowing over 30 points in those games. Even in their playoff wins since 2020, their defense tries their hardest to lose the games allowing at least 24 points in half of their playoff wins including one 30+ point game. Not to mention the 13 second game against KC.

When all you have is James Cook on offense and an unreliable defense, Allen is going to feel the pressure to put the team on his back which is going to cause turnovers. When the Bills finally understand that Allen needs a real team around him, that's when you'll notice him not forcing anything anymore.

Meanwhile, Maye had the most turnovers in the 2025 playoffs. The difference was the defense backed him up until the Super Bowl.