Every week in the NFL 53 players on one team win and 53 players on the other team lose. That means 106 players have the ability to affect the outcome of every single game. And yet most weeks it feels like only one person gets the credit for the win and one other is taking the heat for the loss. The starting quarterback is the face of the franchise. The most important position in the most popular sport. There’s really no comparison.
Fans and media must constantly debate their greatness. That’s why every team has a good or bad quarterback situation. If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one quarterback. And carrying four quarterbacks? That’s a bad sign.
A good sign is winning. You can win with a quarterback who doesn’t hurt you, but a quarterback needs to win. And when they do win the question becomes are they good or great? And then most importantly, is he elite?
But winning isn’t all a quarterback has to do. He must command a locker room. And a board room. Does he have a future in media? Is he a good podcast guest? How many commercials does he have? Has he signed that extension yet? Is he going to retire after this season? Do we care?
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Oh, and who is he dating? Did she show up to hang out at training camp? How does his hair look? If he’s married, how are his #girldad credentials?
With all that in mind, here is the definitive NFL quarterback power rankings heading into the 2026 season. These rankings are final… until we see what happens in Week 1 and completely overreact to the results of every single game.
Preseason NFL quarterback rankings
The worst contract in the NFL. The team drafted two quarterbacks last season to take his job and then used a sixth round pick this year to pick another quarterback who may take some of his reps this season. He’s upset the fans with both his play and attitude. And that’s just the football stuff.
31. Jacoby Brissett
Brissett threw 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season, but the team went 1-11 with him starting which brought his career record to 20-45.
30. Tua Tagovailoa
He won the job by default when Michael Penix Jr. wasn’t ready for Week 1. Anyone watching will be holding their breath hoping he doesn’t get knocked down. And he might not even know if he’s on Instagram.
29. Kirk Cousins
Kirko Chainz is just holding someone else’s job right now. Having said that, he’s one of the greatest bag-getters in NFL history. He’s taken three different franchises to the Super Bowl, has a very cool trophy room and has shown himself to have a valuable sense of humor over the years.
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28. Geno Smith
27. Bryce Young
It’s been a slow march to respectability for Young during his three years in the NFL.
26. Malik Willis
He was an intriguing player backing up Jordan Love in Green Bay and now he’s been rewarded with a nice contract in Miami. Unfortunately, that means he’s on the Dolphins who are in one of the worst financial situations in the league. Surviving the season is the only real goal.
25. Kyler Murray
It’s hard to believe Murray spent seven seasons with the Cardinals and the only thing you remember is that he really liked playing video games. And yet he had no trouble beating out J.J. McCarthy for the job in Minnesota.
24. Cam Ward
It was an uninspiring rookie campaign for Ward so the jury is still out on the No. 1 pick last year who played 17 games and threw 15 touchdowns.
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23. Daniel Jones
He was good enough in his first year with the Colts that they gave him a big contract extension despite the fact that he tore his Achilles.
22. Tyler Shough
People were really excited about him during the offseason. If the Saints actually start winning games he is going to move up the list quickly.
21. Jaxson Dart
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20. Jayden Daniels
Daniels dealt with a number of injuries last season and the magic of his rookie season disappeared. Then over the summer he got into a public spat with his college. He really needs to win some games this season.
19. C.J. Stroud
His numbers have fallen off since his rookie year, but he’s in a great position to win games thanks to an incredible defense. Entering his fourth season, he’s looking to reach the potential everyone saw when he was a rookie.
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18. Aaron Rodgers
17, Baker Mayfield
He speaks freely and finally got paid. He hasn’t missed a game since he got to Tampa. If the Bucs have a good season a year from now we’ll be inundated with Baker Mayfield commercials again.
16. Jordan Love
In his first year as a starter he looked like he would become the Packers next great quarterback. He’s been pretty good the last two years, but the franchise is still waiting.
15. Trevor Lawrence
At this point you have to wonder if his refusal to get a haircut is what’s holding the franchise back.
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14. Caleb Williams
Williams might be the NFL’s next big star. Last season was a great start. Now he just needs to show Bears fans anything is possible by throwing for 4,000 yards in a season.
13. Brock Purdy
He’s really good. He’s 30-15 in the regular season and 5-3 in the playoffs. He has good stats. He wins.
12. Justin Herbert
He’s got the arm and the stats and and a coach that loves him. If the line can stay healthy and Mike McDaniel can really unlock parts of football were only possible in theory then we might be in for a special season.
11. Bo Nix
Who knows what we’d be saying about Nix right now if he hadn’t been hurt in the playoffs. The numbers are good, but the expectations this year should be very high.
10. Jared Goff
By the end of this season he could pass Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana on the all-time passing yards list. That sounds impressive but he will also probably pass Derek Carr so I’m not sure what that means beyond the fact that Goff just gets buckets.
9.
How does the most wholesome quarterback in the NFL play for Robert Kraft, Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots? I think the general public might be more excited about him if he played literally anywhere else.
8.
Burrow has been to a Super Bowl. He’s received MVP votes. And he has a . He’s got it all.
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7. Dak Prescott
6. Matthew Stafford
Stafford has been awesome his entire career, even if he wasn’t always winning. The idea that he’ll suddenly become one of the best ever because Aaron Donald came out of retirement and the Browns traded Myles Garrett doesn’t really make much sense, but Stafford is still fun to watch when he’s slinging it.
5.
Last year he was hampered by injuries, but now he has a new coach and if he can stay healthy and even approach what he did in 2024 he could win a third MVP.
4.Jalen Hurts
His passing stats don’t jump off the page, but he could pass Steve Young on the all-time rushing yards list and has scored 63 rushing touchdowns in his career. He’s very good at football and he has won a Super Bowl.
3.
Patrick Mahomes turns 31 next week. He might not be himself right away as he comes off a devastating injury and a nightmare season, but this is a guy who has already won three Super Bowls and two MVP awards.
2. Josh Allen
Married to a celebrity. The who is maybe the most exciting player to watch on any given Sunday. He’s led his team to the playoffs seven straight seasons. Maybe he really does just need a legacy win.
1. Sam Darnold
Maybe he’ll slip out of the top spot as soon as we start watching other guys playing quarterback, but with all he’s accomplished over the last two seasons, he deserves the top spot. Just know that you because he’s already got it.
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