Best QB in NFL – Who belongs in the top tier?
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To play quarterback at a high level in today’s NFL, you have to be sharp as a tack, quick to react, and athletic enough to move in and out of the pocket. Some signal callers have those tools in spades, along with intangible qualities that allow them to win big games. Patrick Mahomes has been the king of the position since Tom Brady rode off into the sunset, but he shares his elite tier with a few other bigtime quarterbacks.
Below, we rank the starting quarterbacks following NFL Week 15 action in their respective tiers, starting with Mahomes and three other names, including the past two MVP winners Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. These tiers are not based on fantasy stats, which you can find our fantasy rankings here.
NFL Quarterback Tiers
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Allen | BUF |
| 2 | Joe Burrow | CIN |
| 3 | Matthew Stafford | LAR |
| 4 | Drake Maye | NE |
| 5 | Dak Prescott | DAL |
| 6 | Jordan Love | GB |
| 7 | Lamar Jackson | BAL |
| 8 | Justin Herbert | LAC |
| 9 | Jared Goff | DET |
| 10 | Brock Purdy | SF |
| 11 | Bo Nix | DEN |
| 12 | Baker Mayfield | TB |
| 13 | Jalen Hurts | PHI |
| 14 | Jaxson Dart | NYG |
| 15 | C.J. Stroud | HOU |
| 16 | Sam Darnold | SEA |
| 17 | Caleb Williams | CHI |
| 18 | Trevor Lawrence | JAX |
| 19 | Jacoby Brissett | ARZ |
| 20 | Aaron Rodgers | PIT |
| 21 | Tua Tagovailoa | MIA |
| 22 | Bryce Young | CAR |
| 23 | Tyler Shough | NO |
| 24 | Cam Ward | TEN |
| 25 | JJ McCarthy | MIN |
Tier 1: Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, Drake Maye
With Patrick Mahomes (ACL) done for the year and the Chiefs eliminated, there is no real debate about the best QB still standing this year. Josh Allen has unbelievable tools and the toughness to win big games in cold weather. His rushing ability puts him over the top.
Joe Burrow came back earlier than expected from toe surgery and has shown flashes of his elite upside while mixing in a few big mistakes. His accuracy is unmatched.
Matthew Stafford is top-five in most advanced metrics and leads the NFL in TD passes (37) by a wide margin. The MVP favorite has a huge test on a short week at Seattle.
Drake Maye didn’t post huge numbers against a run-funnel Bills defense in a Week 15 loss, but he had his team in position to win and potentially clinch the AFC East title.
Tier 2: Dak Prescott, Jordan Love, Lamar Jackson
Dak Prescott still leads all QBs in EPA per play with the second-best QBR (72.8) in the NFL, trailing only Jordan Love, who has been on a heater lately for the Packers despite dealing with injuries all over his receiving corps.
Lamar Jackson posted his best rating (114.6) in six starts while attempting just 12 passes in a shutout win over the Bengals. His rushing ability has dropped off a cliff due to multiple injuries and defenses have been able to sack him far more often.
Tier 3: Justin Herbert, Jared Goff, Brock Purdy
Justin Herbert is doing what he can to survive behind arguably the worst offensive line in modern NFL history. He’s taken 106 hits but has done a solid job escaping with the fourth-best EPA per rush.
Jared Goff has offset a struggling Lions defense by averaging 295.5 passing YPG with 8 TDs over his last four outings. Goff is now fifth in EPA per pass and seems more comfortable with Dan Campbell calling plays.
Brock Purdy is starting to find his swagger after missing the majority of the season with a nagging toe injury.
Tier 4: Bo Nix, Baker Mayfield, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Hurts, C.J. Stroud
Bo Nix is finally moving up on our tiers after a fantastic performance (23-for-34, 302 passing yards, 4 TDs, 132.7 rating) in a close win over the Packers. His numbers are rising as he takes on more responsibilities for a red-hot Broncos team.
Baker Mayfield still has good numbers as a runner, but he’s been the most inaccurate QB by some metrics during a 1-5 stretch for the Bucs.
Jaxson Dart has all the tools with elite pocket presence, good mobility, and arm strength. The Giants appear to be tanking and their top priority is to keep their rookie QB healthy.
Jalen Hurts rebounded from the worst performance of his career to shred the hapless Raiders for 3 TDs on just 15 attempts.
C.J. Stroud has been able to make some great throws on the run lately while evading a consistent pass rush due to his poor offensive line.
Tier 5: Jacoby Brissett, Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold, Trevor Lawrence
Sam Darnold drops two tiers in our rankings after failing to find the end zone at home against a beatable Colts defense. The Seahawks defense has carried their offense in recent weeks.
Caleb Williams and Trevor Lawrence are similar prospects with their inaccuracy issues and turnover tendencies that can be frustrating for coaching staffs. Both are former No. 1 overall picks with the potential to become elite signal callers.
Jacoby Brissett is propping up a bad Cardinals team with some solid pocket passing, although much of his production lately has come in garbage time.
Tier 6: Aaron Rodgers, Tua Tagovailoa, Bryce Young, Tyler Shough, J.J. McCarthy, Cam Ward
Aaron Rodgers finally completed some deep balls to spark Pittsburgh’s offense in a key division win at Baltimore. He’s 28th in points added per pass, just ahead of Tua Tagovailoa, who ranks 29th and hasn’t passed for more than 173 yards during Miami’s four-game win streak.
Bryce Young has been able to come up clutch in some spots but he still appears to be limited by his lack of height and arm strength. Tyler Shough has beaten Young’s Panthers twice and looks like a solid and athletic prospect.
J.J. McCarthy has faced two bottom-five secondaries over the past two weeks, but he’s gone from historically poor showings to a couple of tantalizing outings where he mixes in good throws with inaccurate attempts.
Cam Ward isn’t being asked to do much behind a weak Titans offensive line as Tennessee looks to lean into the ground game.
Tier 7: Marcus Mariota, Kirk Cousins, Philip Rivers, Shedeur Sanders, Kenny Pickett
Marcus Mariota is back in a starting role for a Washington team that has had a nightmarish season.
Kirk Cousins steered the Falcons to an upset win at Tampa Bay the week after they were eliminated and 44-year-old Philip Rivers came out of retirement to nearly lead the Colts in a stunning upset at Seattle.
Gardner Minshew is a solid NFL backup and he’ll do his best to resuscitate a Chiefs offense that has became stale and predictable.
Shedeur Sanders had a rough showing in freezing temperatures at Chicago. Kenny Pickett appears to be the sacrificial lamb for a terrible Raiders team the final three weeks.
FAQ
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Who Was The Best QB In 2019?
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Who Is The Best QB Of All-Time?
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Who Is The Best QB Ever On The Dallas Cowboys?
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Who Is The Best QB In The 1980s?
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Who Is The Best Rushing QB Ever?
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Who Is The Best QB To Never Win A Super Bowl?
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Who Has The Most Passing Touchdowns Ever?
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Who Has The Most Passing Yards Ever?
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Who Has The Highest Passer Rating All-Time?
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Who Has The Most Interceptions All-tIme?
Frequently Asked Questions
Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens was the best quarterback in 2019. He played 15 games, rushing for over 1,000 yards. Jackson also had 40+ combined touchdowns and threw just six interceptions. Jackson led the Ravens to a 14-win season.
Tom Brady has won over 200 games in his career and is a six-time Super Bowl Champion. He is a three-time league MVP and sits with over 540 passing touchdowns and over 74,000 passing yards. Brady is widely considered the best of all-time.
Tony Romo is the leading passer for the Dallas Cowboys, as he spent 13 seasons with them. He had 34,183 passing yards and 248 passing touchdowns. Romo doesn’t have the playoff success as a Troy Aikman but is a more skilled passer.
Joe Montana played with both the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, splitting time into the 1980s and 1990s. Montana is a four-time Super Bowl Champion, and threw for 273 touchdowns in 192 games and has over 40,000 passing yards.
Michael Vick was the first quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. He is also the all-time rushing leader for a quarterback and has averaged seven yards per carry in his career. Vick was the most lethal rushing quarterback the game has seen.
Dan Marino threw for over 400 passing touchdowns and over 60,000 passing yards in his career. Marino also was one of the notable names never to win a Super Bowl. You could also make a case for Jim Kelly and those years with the Buffalo Bills.
Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints continues to rack up passing touchdowns in his 20-year career. He has 547 passing touchdowns, which leads all NFL quarterbacks. However, Tom Brady is behind him with 541 as they continue to battle it out.
Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints has the most passing yards in NFL history. He has 77,416 and counting as he continues to play in the NFL. Brees has 3,000 more passing yards than Tom Brady and 6,000 more than Peyton Manning.
Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers has the highest passer rating of all-time, sitting at 102.4. He has played his entire career with the Green Bay Packers from 2005 up until now. Russell Wilson and Drew Brees are right behind him.
Brett Favre leads all quarterbacks in interceptions, with 336. He played from 1991-2010 with four teams, but most notably, the Green Bay Packers. Favre had five seasons where he was over 20 interceptions thrown, and he only had one season under ten.
