Ranking the 32 Starting Quarterbacks Heading into the 2025 NFL Season
- Linus O'Howell
- Jul 21
- 15 min read
With the Regular Season not too far away from starting, it’s time for me to rank all 32 Starting Quarterbacks heading into the 2025 NFL Season!
32nd: Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts)
Whilst it’s not guaranteed who will be the starting Quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts this year, I’ve decided to go with Anthony Richardson, and either way, it’s not looking good for The Colts! Anthony Richardson had a pretty horrendous season last year, having a Passer Rating of just 61.6! Over the course of his two years in the league, Richardson has a QBR of 67.8 whilst he is 8-7 as a starter (amazingly)! Overall, Anthony Richardson has dropped 4 places from last year’s Ranking, and this is actually the second time he’s been ranked lowest on my list (also in 2023)!
31st: Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers)
Bryce Young is entering what is a make-or-break season for him! Bryce Young improved slightly last year, with a Passer Rating of 82.2 as he took the Carolina Panthers to more wins than the season before! Over the course of his two years in the league, Young has a QBR of 77.3 whilst he is just 6-22 as a Starter! Overall, Bryce Young’s position actually hasn’t changed from my Rankings this time last year, so he needs to work on that!
30th: Michael Penix Jr (Atlanta Falcons)
Michael Penix Jr is ready to have his first full season as an NFL Starting Quarterback! Michael Penix Jr only started 3 games last season, throwing both 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions! Penix Jr has a QBR of 78.9 whilst his starting record is 1-2! Overall, Michael Penix Jr wasn’t even on this list last year, so this is highest position (for now)!
29th: Joe Flacco (Cleveland Browns)
There’s like 4 options as to who could be the Cleveland Browns’ initial starting Quarterback this season, so I’ve just played it safe and gone with the experienced hand of Joe Flacco! Joe Flacco started 6 games for the Indianapolis Colts last season, and whilst he only won 2 games, he did have a Passer Rating of 90.5! Over the course of his 17 years in the league, Flacco has a QBR of 84.4 whilst his record as a starting Quarterback is 105-86! Flacco is also 10-6 in the Playoffs, with a Passer Rating of 87.9! Overall, Joe Flacco is a new entry to this series, and it’s very unclear as to how many games he’ll start this year (if he even starts any)!
28th: Justin Fields (New York Jets)
After things never quite worked in Chicago, and a year in Pittsburgh, Justin Fields is looking to turn his career around as the starting Quarterback of the New York Jets! Justin Fields had his best season to date last year, winning 4 of his 6 starting games as he had a Passer Rating of 93.3! Over the course of his 4 years in the league, Fields has a QBR of 83.9 whilst his record as a starter is 14-30 (which isn’t great)! Overall, after not featuring in the list last year, Justin Fields has dropped 6 places from his 2023 Ranking!
27th: Tyler Shough (New Orleans Saints)
Tyler Shough is raring to go ahead of his Rookie Season for the New Orleans Saints! Tyler Shough spent 7 years in college, with 3 years at Oregon, 3 years at Texas Tech, and his final year at Louisville! In those 7 years, Shough’s average Passer Rating was 147.7, with him having a starting record of 21-11! Overall, Tyler Shough was drafted in the second round by the New Orleans Saints this year, and I would expect him to start straight away!
26th: J. J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)
There are an awful lot of unknowns heading into any NFL Season, but none more so than the true ability of J. J. McCarthy! J. J. McCarthy was drafted 10th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft after a strong college career (having an average Passer Rating of 160.5)! However, McCarthy tore his meniscus in his opening Preseason game last year, resulting in him missing his entire Rookie Season! Overall, because of that, J. J. McCarthy enters 2025 pretty much as a Rookie, and that added with the fact that his injury was pretty serious, means it’s very hard to know how The Vikings’ QB will go!
25th: Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans)
Cam Ward is aiming to be the best Number 1 Overall Draft pick in years! Cam Ward played 5 years in College, averaging out at a 149.9 Passer Rating, although last year proved to be his best season as his QBR raised to 172.2! Ward was ultimately selected first overall by the Tennessee Titans, and overall, it’s now up to him to prove them right!
24th: Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
After missing plenty of games due to injury last season, Trevor Lawrence needs his 5th season in the league to be his best! Trevor Lawrence struggled last year with multiple injuries, but the more concerning thing was the lack of wins, with the Jacksonville Jaguars winning just 2 of 10 games with Lawrence as their starter! Over the course of his 4 years in the league, Lawrence has a QBR of 85.0 whilst his record as a starter is 22-38! Trevor also has a Passer Rating of 72.1 over his two Playoff appearances! Overall, after dropping 7 places in last year’s rankings, Trevor Lawrence has dropped another 5 this year, and that’s not a good sign!
23rd: Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
After doing decently in his Rookie Season, Caleb Williams is looking to take it to the next level as the leader of the Chicago Bears! Whilst Caleb Williams might have only won 5 games last season, he did manage to feature in all 17, and only throwing 6 interceptions is pretty good going! Williams’ Passer Rating last season was 87.8, and overall, he’s in fact risen one place from his Rookie ranking!
22nd: Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
After featuring as a replacement in February’s Pro Bowl, Drake Maye is ready for his first full season as New England’s QB! Drake Maye started 12 games for the New England Patriots last year, winning just 3, but his QBR of 88.1 was very decent compared to his fellow Rookies! In fact, overall, Maye has risen 5 places from last year’s Rankings, so there’s definitely more expectation on his shoulders now!
21st: Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
For whatever reason, I just keep having less and less faith in Kyler Murray with each passing season! Kyler Murray finally had a full season last year, guiding the Arizona Cardinals to an 8-9 record as his Passer Rating was at a respectable 93.5! Over the course of his 6 years in the league, Murray has a QBR of 92.4 whilst his record as a starting Quarterback is 36-45-1! Kyler has also played in 1 Playoff game in his career, but that was an absolute disaster (his Passer Rating was 40.9)! Overall, Kyler Murray has dropped another 4 places in my Rankings, and he’s now 11 places off his overall best!
20th: Sam Darnold (Seattle Seahawks)
After being last in my 2024 Rankings, a terrific season has seen Sam Darnold shoot up as he starts a new chapter in Seattle! Sam Darnold was superb in the Regular Season last year, he guided the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record as he had an overall Passer Rating of 102.5! Over the course of his 7 years in the league, Darnold (only) has a QBR of 83.9 whilst his starting record is 35-38, despite last year’s success! However, Sam’s first trip to the Playoffs last year didn’t exactly go particularly well (losing with a Passer Rating of 77.6)! Overall, last year’s performance did a lot for my belief around Sam Darnold, and that’s why he ranks 12 places higher than last year as he heads The Seahawks’ charge!
19th: Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)
Bo Nix proved to be one of the best Rookies in the National Football League last season, and now he’s looking to build on it! Bo Nix’s strong Rookie Season was enough to guide the Denver Broncos back to the Playoffs, with his performance in the Playoffs being pretty damn similar to his performances during the Regular Season! Nix’s QBR stands at 93.3, and overall, that’s enough for him to rise up 7 places from last year’s Rankings!
18th: Geno Smith (Las Vegas Raiders)
After salvaging his career in Seattle, Geno Smith has now found himself a new home as the starting Quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders! Geno Smith had another decent season last year, with a 93.2 Passer Rating enough for a 10-7 record! Over the course of his 12 years in the league, Smith has a QBR of 88.0 whilst his record as a starter is 40-43! In Geno’s one and only Playoff appearance, his Passer Rating stood at 98.9 (which isn’t actually half bad)! Overall, Geno Smith has stayed in exactly the same place as I had him last year, and in fact, he’s only 1 place off his 2023 Ranking!
17th: Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
Matthew Stafford is aiming to take the Los Angeles Rams back to the Playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons! Matthew Stafford was pretty solid last year, his Passer Rating of 93.7 would suggest that, but he was very strong in the Playoffs, averaging out at 105.0! Over the course of his 16 years in the league, Stafford has a QBR of 91.2 whilst his starting record stands at 108-113-1! In his 10 Playoff appearances, Matthew has a Passer Rating of 102.3, and that is actually very, very good! Overall, Matthew Stafford has risen 4 spots from my 2024 Rankings, and this is in fact his highest position since 12th in 2022!
16th: Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
Jordan Love is definitely one of the most consistent Quarterbacks in the league! Jordan Love won 9 of his 15 starts last year, and a Passer Rating of 96.7 was enough to guide the Green Bay Packers into the Playoffs once again, only for things to go pretty south when they got there (Love’s Passer Rating was just 41.5)! Over the course of his 5 years in the league, Love has a QBR of 95.1 whilst his starting record stands at 18-15! Jordan has also started 3 Playoff games, and his average Passer Rating in that is 83.4! Overall, whilst Jordan Love may have dropped 1 place from last year’s 15th spot, I think that says more about the others, I think Love is consistently good!
15th: Russell Wilson (New York Giants)
It’s another year where we’re talking about Russell Wilson at a new team! Russell Wilson was decent again last year, with a 95.6 Passer Rating enough to guide the Pittsburgh Steelers into the Playoffs! Wilson was then superb in the Playoffs, but despite a 121.3 rating, it still wasn’t enough for The Steelers to progress! Over the course of his 13 years in the league, Wilson has a QBR of 99.8 whilst his starting record is 121-77-1! Russell is also 9-8 in the Playoffs, and his Passer Rating there is 96.8! Overall, Russell Wilson has dropped 6 places from my Rankings last year simply because he’s not at the level he once was, but despite that, that doesn’t mean that Wilson isn’t still capable of doing a strong job because he totally is!
14th: Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
After being 29th in my 2023 Rankings, Baker Mayfield has really risen since his move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers! Baker Mayfield was superb last year, his Passer Rating of 106.8 proved that, and his Rating in last year’s Wildcard Round defeat to the Washington Commanders was a ridiculous 146.5! Over the course of his 7 years in the league, Mayfield has a QBR of 91.2 whilst his record as a starter is 50-53! Baker is also 2-3 in the Playoffs, with his Passer Rating standing at an incredible 105.9! Overall, Baker Mayfield seems to be getting better with every passing season, and his brilliant 2024 campaign rightly moves him another 8 places up heading into this season!
13th: C. J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
A tougher second season in the league results in C. J. Stroud dropping out of my Top 10! C. J. Stroud struggled a bit last year, having a Passer Rating of 87.0, although he was still able to guide the Houston Texans into the Divisional Round! Over the course of his 2 years in the league, Stroud has a QBR of 93.7 whilst his starting record is 19-13! C. J. has also played in 4 Playoff games, with his Passer Rating there standing at 100.5! ! Overall, C. J. Stroud has actually dropped 3 places from last year’s Top 10 spot, although I very much still view Stroud as a Playoff Quarterback!
12th: Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
Dak Prescott is looking to get back to his best after an injury-limited 2024 campaign! Dak Prescott had a really tough 2024 season, not only did he average a Passer Rating of just 86.0 in his 8 starts, but he also missed more than half of the season due to injury! Over the course of his 9 years in the league, Prescott has a QBR of 98.1 whilst his Regular Season record stands at 76-46! Dak is also 2-5 in the Playoffs with a Passer Rating of 91.8! Overall, whilst injuries didn’t help matters, Dak Prescott simply wasn’t good enough when he played last season, and that’s why he’s dropped a massive 7 places from last year’s Rankings, his lowest position to date!
11th: Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
Last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year comes in as the biggest riser in my Rankings! Jayden Daniels ended up having one of the greatest Rookie Seasons of all time, taking the Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship game with a Passer Rating of 100.1! I thought Daniels could be good, but I didn’t think he’d be quite so good so soon, and that’s why Jayden’s risen an incredible 14 places from his Rookie ranking!
10th: Aaron Rodgers (Pittsburgh Steelers)
In what appears to be his final season in the league, Aaron Rodgers just about holds on to a Top 10 spot! Aaron Rodgers’ first proper year with the New York Jets (after missing the entirety of the previous season) didn’t go to plan at all, The Jets won just 5 games as Rodgers’ Passer Rating only stood at 90.5! Over the course of his 20 years in the league, Rodgers has a QBR of 102.6 whilst his record as a starter stands at 153-87-1! Aaron has also started 21 Playoff games, winning 11 of them, and his Passer Rating there is also over 100 (100.1)! Ultimately, though, Aaron Rodgers’ game has dropped in the last couple of seasons, he’s no longer the second-best Quarterback in the league, and that’s why overall, Rodgers has dropped 8 places from both his 2023 and 2024 rankings!
9th: Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)
Jalen Hurts returns to the Top 10 after taking the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl glory! Jalen Hurts had his best season to date last year, with his Regular Season Passer Rating of 103.7 being beaten further by a 108.6 Playoff rating that saw Hurts seal his first Vince Lombardi Trophy! Over the course of his 5 years in the league, Hurts has a QBR of 93.5 whilst his record stands at 46-20! Jalen is also 6-3 in the Playoffs, with his Passer Rating in those 9 games standing at 95.4! Overall, Jalen Hurts was very good last year, hence the reason he’s risen 7 places from last year’s 16th place. However, if Hurts is going to break into the Top 5, he’s going to need to do what he did last year again!
8th: Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
Justin Herbert’s best season to date sees him saw back into a Top 8 spot! Justin Herbert had his first 100+ average Passer Rating season last year, with his 101.6 rating enough to guide the Los Angeles Chargers into the Playoffs! Over the course of his 5 years in the league, Herbert has a QBR of 96.7 whilst his overall record is 41-38! However, Justin has lost both of his Playoff games, and his Passer Rating there is a pretty shambolic 60.7! Despite all of that, Justin Herbert definitely had his best season to date last year when he really needed it, and that’s why overall, Herbert has risen 4 spots from last year’s Rankings!
7th: Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
Despite winning the 2024 NFL MVP Award, I do not view Josh Allen nearly as the best Quarterback in the league! Josh Allen had a strong season last year, returning to a 100+ season Passer Rating (101.4) which was enough for him to be named as the MVP! Over the course of his 7 years in the league, Allen has a QBR of 93.4 whilst his starting record stands at 76-34! Josh is also 7-6 in the Playoffs, with his Passer Rating there standing at a much stronger 101.7! Overall, winning the MVP award has seen Josh Allen rise 4 places from last year’s Rankings, but despite that, I can’t put him any higher, I don’t rate Allen higher than the guys I’m yet to talk about!
6th: Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
After being Number 1 for the last two years, Patrick Mahomes doesn’t even make my Top 5 heading into 2025! Despite winning almost every game he played in, Patrick Mahomes didn’t play that great last year, his Passer Rating of 93.5 is not what you would expect out of the supposed best player in the league, and his terrible performance in the Super Bowl shouldn’t be forgotten either! Over the course of his 8 years in the league, Mahomes has a QBR of 102.1 whilst his Regular Season record stands at 89-23! Patrick is also 17-4 in his 21 Playoff appearances, with his Passer Rating standing at an amazing 105.4! Overall, I find Patrick Mahomes the hardest player to judge, on his day he’s untouchable, but you have to look at his performances over the last two seasons, and that isn’t good enough to be seen as the best Quarterback in the league! In fact, there’s 5 guys I have above Mahomes who have all been better over the past 3 years, but I will say that Patrick could easily be back to Number 1 this time next year!
5th: Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
After being 4th and 6th in the previous two years, Tua Tagovailoa completes the set with another Top 5 finish! Tua Tagovailoa struggled with injuries yet again last year, ultimately costing the Miami Dolphins any chance of making the Playoffs, albeit Tua was very strong, with his 101.4 Passer Rating making him the only player in this list with three-straight 100+ seasons! Over the course of his 5 years in the league, Tagovailoa has a QBR of 97.9 whilst his starting record stands at 38-24! Tua’s one and only Playoff appearance didn’t go well, however, with just a Passer Rating of 63.9! Overall, Tua Tagovailoa may have dropped one place from last year’s P4, but that’s simply due to others, not him, because Tua continues to be an incredibly underrated Football player!
4th: Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
Joe Burrow returns to the Top 4 after recording his best season to date! Joe Burrow was amazing last year, he was the only good thing about the Cincinnati Bengals, and his Passer Rating ended up being an amazing 108.5! Over the course of his 5 years in the league, Burrow has a QBR of 101.2 whilst his record stands at (just) 38-30-1! Joe is 5-2 in the Playoffs, however, his Passer Rating there is just 93.8! Overall, Joe Burrow has risen 2 places from last year’s 6th place, and he easily could’ve been higher!
3rd: Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
The rise of Jared Goff over the last three years needs to be studied! Jared Goff had an incredible 2024 campaign, with an average Passer Rating of 111.8 leading the Detroit Lions to being the Number 1 team in the NFC! Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan in the Playoffs, with Goff’s poor 59.7 performance enough for The Lions to be eliminated in their first game! Over the course of his 9 years in the league, Goff has a QBR of 95.7 whilst he is 81-52-1 in his Regular Season career! In the Playoffs, Jared is 4-5 with an 85.1 Passer Rating! Overall, I could’ve really put Jared Goff anywhere between 7th and maybe even 2nd, but either way, he’s risen 10 places from last year’s Rankings, and it’s crazy to think that I had Goff 27th in 2022!
2nd: Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
This is going to need some explaining! Brock Purdy had his toughest season to date last year, with plenty of injuries not helping his cause, albeit his Passer Rating for the year still stood at 96.1 (which isn’t exactly terrible)! Over the course of his 3 years in the league, Purdy’s Passer Rating stands at a ridiculous 104.9, and he’s 23-13 as The 49ers’ starting QB! Brock has also played in 6 Playoff games, and his Passer Rating there is lower at 96.2! Okay, so the strange thing here is Brock Purdy has actually risen a place in my Rankings, despite last year’s struggles! However, the two guys he was behind last year both had worse seasons last year, in fact worse seasons the last couple of years, and Purdy has arguably been the best Quarterback overall of the past three years, certainly at least in the Top 3!
1st: Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
We have a new Number 1 Quarterback heading into 2025 as Lamar Jackson leads the way! Lamar Jackson was absolutely incredible last year; his season Passer Rating of 119.6 is absolutely ridiculous, and he somehow managed to beat that with a 122.5 average rating in his two Playoff games! Over the course of his 7 years in the league, Jackson has a QBR of 102.0 whilst he is 70-24 in his 94 starts! Despite last year, though, Playoff Football has been a struggle for Lamar, he’s won just 3 of his 8 games as his Passer Rating stands at just 84.6! Lamar Jackson was 7th in my Rankings last year, that was his highest position to date, but last year, Jackson was levels above everyone else, I can’t understand how he didn’t win the MVP award, but overall, Lamar is definitely Number 1 around here!
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