Ranking the 32 Starting Quarterbacks Heading into the 2026 NFL Season
- Linus O'Howell
- 2 days ago
- 15 min read
With the Regular Season only a month or so away, it’s time to get back to writing about American Football as I rank all 32 Starting Quarterbacks heading into the 2026 NFL Season!
32nd: Shedeur Sanders (Cleveland Browns)
Now there is actually a chance that Deshaun Watson could end up getting this gig, but for now, we’re going to say that Shedeur Sanders is going to be the Cleveland Browns’ starting Quarterback in 2026 (at least to begin with)! Shedeur Sanders had a pretty terrible Rookie season, with his Passer Rating standing at just 68.1! On a slightly more positive note, Sanders is 3-4 as a starter (which still isn’t great)! Overall, there’s no world in which Shedeur Sanders is good enough to start in the National Football League based on his performances last year, but who knows, it wouldn’t be the first time that someone low down on my list impresses!
31st: J . J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)
Whilst Kyler Murray would perhaps be the slightly better option, it seems like J . J. McCarthy will get another chance in a Minnesota Vikings uniform! After missing his entire Rookie season due to injury, J. J. McCarthy managed to start 10 games, with him actually going 6-4! However, his Passer Rating of just 72.6 tells you that a lot of those results weren’t actually to do with McCarthy himself! Overall, whilst he entered last year as a complete unknown, a poor 2025 season means J. J. McCarthy has dropped 5 places from his 2025 ranking!
30th: Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans)
Cam Ward will be hoping for a lot more from his sophomore season! Cam Ward can take positives from the fact that he managed to start all 17 games in his Rookie season, although he only managed to win 3 of them! Ward’s Passer Rating stands at 80.2! Overall, there were multiple other Rookie Quarterbacks who impressed more than Cam Ward did in 2025, with The Titans’ Number 1 Draft Pick dropping 5 places from last year’s ranking!
29th: Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers)
I have no idea why everyone’s seemingly bought into the Bryce Young hype! Bryce Young went 8-8 in 2025, with a career-best Passer Rating of 87.8 being enough to send Carolina back to the Playoffs as NFC South Champions! Over the course of his 3 years in the league, Young has a QBR of just 80.9, whilst he’s 14-30 as a starter! Bryce is also 0-1 in the Playoffs, with a 71.3 Passer Rating! Overall, I’m still not convinced that Bryce Young is very good, but he has at least risen 2 places from last year’s ranking, with this actually being his highest placement since before his Rookie campaign!
28th: Jacoby Brissett (Arizona Cardinals)
Whilst his contract situation is very much up in the air, it’s pretty much a forgone conclusion that Jacoby Brissett will lead the Arizona Cardinals out in Week 1! Jacoby Brissett went 1-11 as a starter in 2025; a horrible statistic, although his 94.1 Passer Rating wasn’t actually that bad! Over the course of his 10 years in the league, Brissett has a QBR of 86.4 (which is highly exaggerated by a couple of substitute appearances for the Washington Commanders in 2023), whilst his record as a starting Quarterback is 20-45! Overall, Jacoby Brissett did actually play slightly better last year than people give him credit for, but that doesn’t mean he’s any good! This is actually Brissett’s first-ever appearance in these rankings!
27th: Kirk Cousins (Las Vegas Raiders)
Despite drafting Fernando Mendoza first, it looks like the Las Vegas Raiders will start Kirk Cousins at Quarterback in Week 1! Kirk Cousins went 5-3 in his 8 games as a starter for the Atlanta Falcons last year, although his 84.8 Passer Rating wasn’t that good! Over the course of his 14 years in the league, Cousins has a QBR of 96.8, whilst he’s 88-77-2 as a starting Quarterback! Kirk is also 1-3 in the Playoffs, with a Passer Rating of 93.7! Overall, whilst Kirk Cousins has had high moments, his two years in Atlanta were poor, hence why he’s dropped 19 places from his 2024 ranking!
26th: Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars managed to win the AFC South last year, I still think that they could do an awful lot better than Trevor Lawrence! Trevor Lawrence guided The Jaguars to a successful 13-4 regular season, although his Passer Rating was only 91.0! Over the course of his 5 years in the league, Lawrence has a QBR of 86.3, whilst he’s 35-42 as a starting Quarterback! Trevor is also 1-2 in the Playoffs, with a Passer Rating of just 75.8! Overall, I’ve never really rated Trevor Lawrence, and although he did better last year, he’s still dropped another 2 places, with him now 14 places lower than his career-best 12th (in 2023)!
25th: Geno Smith (New York Jets)
Unless he improves, there’s a good chance that this will be Geno Smith’s final year as a starting Quarterback! Geno Smith didn’t have a good time in Las Vegas, going 2-13 with The Raiders as his Passer Rating stood at just 84.7! Over the course of his 13 years in the league, Smith has a QBR of 87.5, whilst he’s 42-56 as a starting Quarterback! Geno is also 0-1 in the Playoffs, with a Passer Rating of 98.9! Overall, Geno Smith will hope for a better year now that he’s back in New York, but that hasn’t stopped him dropping 7 places from his 2025 ranking!
24th: Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
I’d honestly like to know how Caleb Williams has got himself to be this year’s cover star of Madden 27! Caleb Williams was able to guide the Chicago Bears back to the NFC North Title with an 11-6 winning season, although his Passer Rating was still just 90.1! Over the course of his 2 years in the league, Williams has a QBR of 89.0, whilst he’s 16-18 as a starting Quarterback! Caleb is also 1-1 in the Playoffs, but his Passer Rating in those two games was just 65.9! Those two Playoff performances hurt Caleb Williams in my eyes, with him actually dropping a place from last year’s rankings (with him now matching his Rookie ranking)!
23rd: Jaxson Dart (New York Giants)
After replacing Russell Wilson from Week 4 onwards, Jaxson Dart makes his debut in my Quarterback Rankings! Jaxson Dart went 4-8 in his Rookie season, although a 91.7 Passer Rating is something to build on! Overall, as always with second-year players, there’s an awful lot less data to go off, but I think Jaxson Dart has potential to grow quite well!
22nd: Tyler Shough (New Orleans Saints)
Whilst he didn’t end up starting from Week 1 last year, Tyler Shough proved that he should be the New Orleans Saints’ starting Quarterback moving forward! Tyler Shough actually managed to go 5-4 as a starter in his Rookie season, whilst he had a Passer Rating of 91.3! Overall, it’s very close, but I have put Tyler Shough above Jaxson Dart as I saw a tiny bit more from him in their Rookie seasons! Also, although he didn’t actually end up starting from the start last year, I did rank Shough 27th last year, meaning he’s risen 5 places from his Rookie ranking!
21st: Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts)
Daniel Jones enters 2026 as one of the most intriguing Quarterbacks in the entire league! Daniel Jones had by far the best year of his career last season, going 8-5 with a Passer Rating of 100.2! Unfortunately, an Achilles tendon injury at the start of December would rule him out for the rest of the season (which saw the complete downfall of the Indianapolis Colts’ charge)! Over the course of his 7 years in the league, Jones has a QBR of 86.6, whilst he’s 32-49-1 as a starting Quarterback! Daniel is also 1-1 in the Playoffs, with an 87.8 Passer Rating! Overall, Daniel Jones had by far and away the best season of his career to date last year, hence why he’s risen 9 places from his last ranking in 2024! However, because of the injury, it’s hard to put Jones much higher due to the unknown of whether he’s going to come back the same player or not!
20th: Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)
Bo Nix will be hoping for redemption after a season-ending injury ruled him out of the AFC Championship game! Bo Nix had a pretty positive 2025 when it came to guiding the Denver Broncos to Number 1 status in the entire AFC (going 14-3), but his Passer Rating still only stood at 87.8! Over the course of his 2 years in the league, Nix has a QBR of 90.5, whilst he’s 24-10 as a starter! Bo is also 1-1 in the Playoffs, with a Passer Rating of 89.3! Overall, Bo Nix’s levels are pretty consistent across both the Regular Season and the Playoffs, but performance-wise, a slightly weaker 2025 (despite the amount of wins he had) means he’s actually dropped a place from last year’s spot!
19th: Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
After rising heavily from 2024 to 2025, a trickier campaign last time out sees Baker Mayfield drop down my list! Baker Mayfield only went 8-9 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2025, with his Passer Rating much lower down (in comparison to 2024) at 90.6! Over the course of his 8 years in the league, Mayfield has a QBR of 91.2, whilst he’s 58-62 as a starting Quarterback! Baker is also 2-3 in the Playoffs, with an amazing Passer Rating of 105.9! Overall, other than 2024, Baker Mayfield has never stood out as a particular top-quality Quarterback, and with a weaker 2025, Mayfield has dropped 5 places from last year’s ranking!
18th: C . J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
It’s another year where C . J. Stroud has dropped in my Quarterback Rankings! C. J. Stroud played better in 2025 than he did in 2024, going 9-5 with a 92.9 Passer Rating, only to then fall apart in the Playoffs! Over the course of his 3 years in the league, Stroud has a QBR of 93.5, whilst he’s 28-18 as a starting Quarterback! C. J. is also 3-3 in the Playoffs, but his Passer Rating stands at just 80.6; a year after it stood at 100.5! Overall, that terrible Playoff performance combined with the fact that C. J. Stroud hasn’t been able to hit the heights of his Rookie season is why he’s dropped another 5 places in my Quarterback Rankings, with him now 8 places off his career best (in 2024)!
17th: Malik Willis (Miami Dolphins)
Having only started 6 games in 4 years, it’s almost impossible to find a correct spot for Malik Willis! Malik Willis proved himself as a bit of a superstar backup for the Green Bay Packers in 2025, with his Passer Rating across the 4 games he featured in (he only started one of them) standing at a staggering 145.5! Over the course of his 4 years in the league, Willis has a QBR of 98.9, but it doesn’t exactly come from the biggest sample size as Malik is just 3-3 as a starting Quarterback! Overall, Malik Willis has clearly shown that he’s capable of performing, hence the reason why the Miami Dolphins have lost a ton of money in picking him as their new starting Quarterback! The question now is: can Willis perform week in, week out?!
16th: Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
After an incredible Rookie season, Jayden Daniels’ Sophomore campaign was completely ruined by injuries! Jayden Daniels only managed to start 7 games in 2025, going 2-5 with a Passer Rating of 88.1! Over the course of his 2 years in the league, Daniels has a QBR of 96.7, whilst he’s 14-10 as a starting Quarterback! Jayden is also 2-1 in the Playoffs, with a 97.9 Passer Rating! Overall, I think Jayden Daniels is incredibly difficult to rank based on the fact that he suffered majorly with injuries last year, but those injuries are the exact reason why he’s had to drop 5 places from his 2025 ranking!
15th: Aaron Rodgers (Pittsburgh Steelers)
The longer that Aaron Rodgers continues to play Football, the lower he will find himself on this list! Aaron Rodgers managed to have his most competitive season since 2021, guiding the Pittsburgh Steelers to the AFC North Title (by going 10-6) with a 94.8 Passer Rating! Over the course of his 21 years in the league, Rodgers has a QBR of 102.2 (still), whilst he’s 163-93-1 as a starting Quarterback! Aaron is also 11-11 in the Playoffs, with a 98.1 Passer Rating! Overall, the problem for me when it comes to ranking Aaron Rodgers is he’s still statistically one of the best Quarterbacks ever, but his performances since his final MVP-winning season for the Green Bay Packers has been mid (at best)! In fact, Rodgers got destroyed in the Playoffs last year, hence why he’s dropped another 6 places from 2025’s ranking, meaning he’s now 14 places off where he was in both 2023 and 2024!
14th: Tua Tagovailoa (Atlanta Falcons)
Tua Tagovailoa needs to return to his best now that he’s made the move to Atlanta! Tua Tagovailoa’s 2025 was his worst year since his Rookie season, with him going 6-8 with just an 88.5 Passer Rating! Over the course of his 6 years in the league, Tagovailoa has a QBR of 96.4, whilst he’s 44-32 as a starting Quarterback! Tua is also 0-1 in the Playoffs, with a torrid Passer Rating of just 63.9! Overall, I’ve always felt like Tua Tagovailoa has been underrated; you won’t see him this high in anyone other than my rankings, but despite saying that, Tua needs to stay healthy in order for this Falcons “gamble” to pay off!
13th: Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
More than anyone else, Justin Herbert has to win a Playoff game! Justin Herbert once again played at a consistent level in the Regular Season, with a 94.1 Passer Rating guiding the Los Angeles Chargers to an 11-5 season! Over the course of his 6 years in the league, Herbert has a QBR of 96.3, whilst he’s 52-43 as a starting Quarterback! The problem for Justin is he’s also 0-3 in the Playoffs, with a horrific 64.7 Passer Rating! Overall, I think we all need to remember just how terrible the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive line was last year; they gave Justin Herbert little to no chance of playing at his best! The worry that I have with Herbert is his awful Playoff record, which is why not only has he dropped 5 places from last year’s ranking, but this is actually his lowest position to date!
12th: Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
Despite having a much better 2025, Dak Prescott’s position in my rankings hasn’t changed! Dak Prescott played well last year; his Passer Rating of 99.5 suggests that, but despite that, he could still only guide the Dallas Cowboys to a 7-9-1 season! Over the course of his 10 years in the league, Prescott has a QBR of 98.3, whilst he’s 83-55-1 as a starting Quarterback! Dak is also 2-5 in the Playoffs, with a 91.8 Passer Rating! I think Dak Prescott did well last year; don’t get me wrong, but the reason he hasn’t risen any places from last year’s placement is because I think there have been other players who’ve improved a ton in 12 months!
11th: Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
I think we need to have a serious conversation about Patrick Mahomes! Patrick Mahomes had the worst season in his NFL career last year, going 6-8 with a Passer Rating of just 89.6! Over the course of his 9 years in the league, Mahomes has a QBR of 100.8, whilst he’s 95-31 as a starting Quarterback! Patrick is also 17-4 in the Playoffs, with a ridiculous 105.4 Passer Rating! On paper, Patrick Mahomes has everything to still be seen as a definite elite Quarterback, but we can’t hide the fact that in the last three Regular Seasons, Kansas City’s star player hasn’t exactly played that well! Overall, If I’m dropping Aaron Rodgers a ton of places based on his performances over the last couple of seasons, it’s not a surprise to me that Patrick Mahomes has dropped another 5 places from his 2025 ranking (after doing the same between 2024 and 2025)!
10th: Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)
Jalen Hurts retains his spot in my Top 10 for the first time in his career! Jalen Hurts played well in the 2025 NFL Regular Season, going 11-5 with a 98.5 Passer Rating! Over the course of his 6 years in the league, Hurts has a QBR of 94.4, whilst he’s 57-25 as a starting Quarterback! Jalen is also 6-4 in the Playoffs, with a 93.5 Passer Rating! Overall, it’s fascinating to me that last year’s performances have seen Jalen Hurts’ Regular Season Passer Rating (average) go up but seen his Playoff QBR get worse! For me, I still view Hurts as a Top 10 Quarterback, although he has dropped 1 place from last year’s standings!
9th: Sam Darnold (Seattle Seahawks)
2 years ago, I had Sam Darnold last in My NFL Starting Quarterback Rankings, and now he enters as the reigning Super Bowl Champion! Sam Darnold managed to remarkably go 14-3 for the second consecutive season, with a 99.1 Passer Rating in his debut season with the Seattle Seahawks! Over the course of his 8 years in the league, Darnold has a QBR of just 86.5, whilst he’s 49-41 as a starting Quarterback! Sam is also 3-1 in the Playoffs, with a 94.9 Passer Rating! Overall, I’m done with underrating Sam Darnold; his last two seasons have been superb, hence the reason why he’s risen another 11 places this year, having already risen 12 places between 2024 and 2025!
8th: Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
After being 31st in my 2023 rankings, Jordan Love now finds himself inside the Top 8! Jordan Love had his best season to date in 2025, going 9-5-1 with a great 101.2 Passer Rating! Over the course of his 6 years in the league, Love has a QBR of 96.8, whilst he’s 27-20-1 as a starting Quarterback! Jordan is also 1-3 in the Playoffs, with a 90.4 Passer Rating! Overall, not only did Jordan Love step up his game in the Regular Season, but he also played pretty well in the Playoffs! Those two things combined are why I’ve got Love 8 places higher than I did in 2025!
7th: Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
Matthew Stafford returns to the Los Angeles Rams as the reigning MVP! Matthew Stafford delivered by far the best season of his career last year, with a 109.2 Passer Rating enough for him to take home the MVP Award (The Rams went 12-5)! Over the course of 17 years in the league, Stafford has a QBR of 92.4, whilst he’s 120-118-1 as a starting Quarterback! Matthew is also 7-6 in the Playoffs, with a much better 100.4 Passer Rating! Overall, when you win the MVP award, your stock automatically grows, hence the reason why Matthew Stafford has risen 10 places from my 2025 rankings! However, there are still others I’d put above him!
6th: Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
Drake Maye enters the 2026 NFL Season off the back of being the Number 1 Quarterback in the league! Drake Maye had an incredible 2025 Regular Season, going 14-3 with the New England Patriots as his Passer Rating stood at a league-best 113.5! Over the course of his 2 years in the league, Maye has a QBR of 103.1, whilst he’s 17-12 as a starting Quarterback! Drake is also 3-1 in the Playoffs, but his Passer Rating is just 82.2! Overall, that’s honestly the reason why Drake Maye isn’t even higher in my list, because he really struggled to do anything against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60! Still, Maye has risen 16 places from his 2025 ranking; the most of anyone this season!
5th: Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
After two years on the Podium, Brock Purdy’s injuries are starting to catch up with him! Brock
Purdy struggled a lot last year when it came to staying healthy, but he still played well when he was on the field: going 7-2 with a 100.5 Passer Rating! Over the course of his 4 years in the league, Purdy has a QBR of 104.0, whilst he’s 30-15 as a starting Quarterback! Brock is also 5-3 in the Playoffs, with an 89.1 Passer Rating! Overall, I still rate Brock Purdy as one of the best Quarterbacks in the entire league; he’s shown it multiple times, but his injuries are why I’ve had him drop 3 places from last year’s second place!
4th: Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
Josh Allen needs to win a Super Bowl with the Buffalo Bills this year! Josh Allen had his second-best Regular Season to date in 2025, guiding the Buffalo Bills to a 12-5 season thanks to a 102.2 Passer Rating! Over the course of his 8 years in the league, Allen has a QBR of 94.4, whilst he’s 88-39 as a starting Quarterback! Josh is also 8-7 in the Playoffs, with a 101.5 Passer Rating! Overall, I think Josh Allen’s last two seasons has seen his stock rise in my eyes, with Josh rising another 3 places from last year’s rankings! In fact, this is Allen’s joint-highest ranking to date (tying with 2023)!
3rd: Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
Just like in 2023, Joe Burrow is on my Quarterback Podium! Joe Burrow played really well in the 8 games he played last year; going 5-3 with a 100.7 Passer Rating, but in a similar style to Brock Purdy; injuries held him back! Over the course of his 6 years in the league, Burrow has a QBR of 101.1, whilst he’s 43-33-1 as a starting Quarterback! Joe is also 5-2 in the Playoffs, although only with a 93.8 Passer Rating! Overall, I rate Joe Burrow so incredibly highly; in fact, he’s one of my two favourite Quarterbacks in the entire league, and another strong year will probably see him rise at least one more spot again!
2nd: Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
For the 4th-straight year, Jared Goff has risen in my Quarterback Rankings! Jared Goff had another great season Passer Rating-wise (105.5), but he missed out on the Playoffs as the Detroit Lions “slumped” to a 9-8 record! Over the course of his 10 years in the league, Goff has a QBR of 96.8, whilst he’s 90-60-1 as a starting Quarterback! Jared is also 4-5 in the Playoffs, with an 85.1 Passer Rating! Overall, I think Jared Goff’s last couple of years has been absolutely fantastic, with The Lions QB rising another place from last year’s rankings!
1st: Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
For the second-straight year, Lamar Jackson tops My Quarterback Rankings! Lamar Jackson struggled with injuries last year, going just 6-7 in his 13 starts, although his Passer Rating still stood at a pretty impressive 103.8! Over the course of his 8 years in the league, Jackson has a QBR of 102.2, whilst he’s 76-31 as a starting Quarterback! Lamar is also 3-5 in the Playoffs, with just an 84.6 Passer Rating! Overall, Lamar Jackson has had the best 3 seasons of any Quarterback in the league, so even if his standard dropped in comparison to a ridiculous 2024 performance, Lamar deserves to stay at Number 1 for another year!
YES!! American football is back, really good article. Go Hawks!!!