We are roughly halfway through the season, and it’s time to update our QB rankings once again. I thought this season was going to be a fascinating season to rank quarterbacks because I felt that the back half of the top 10 was wildly in flux. I felt that the top 5 was pretty well established, and with Father Time catching up to Matthew Stafford, there’s even a spot in the top 5 up for grabs.
But the biggest news is that we have knocked the King from the top spot. Patrick Mahomes has always been first
on this list over the last two seasons, but it’s time to acknowledge a fact: Josh Allen is now the best QB in the NFL.
Here’s a list of the updated rankings, and as a reminder, these rankings are my opinion based on how the QB is playing this year, but also looking at their full body of work. Justin Herbert is not one of the top 30 QBs this season in isolation, but it’s tough to rank him that low based on his previous seasons of success.
1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (2, 2)
The King is dead. Mahomes is still great, but he doesn’t impact the game as Allen does, and Allen has been at this level for the last couple of years. It’s time to make the switch up top.
2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (1, 1)
I think many of us keep wondering if we are ever going to get back to that peak Mahomes 2018 to 2022 version. He seems to be gone, but the 2023-2026 version is still very, very good.
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (5, 4)
Burrow is headed towards his first MVP, and it’s one he absolutely deserves. Elite play without question.
4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (4, 3)
In 2024, Lamar had 45 touchdowns and 4 INTs. That wasn’t that long ago, but the injuries have slowed him down significantly the last two seasons. If Lamar has another injury-riddled season next year, he may start tumbling in 2027.
5. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (15, 9)
Brock Purdy has earned this spot with his play, but I also don’t think he’s truly a top 5 QB at the NFL level. Top 10? Yes. But I don’t think Purdy is in this tier, and there are guys biting at his heels that could easily jump him before the 2026 rankings are finalized in January.
6. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (11, 10)
Caleb’s play from week one and his three-game stretch returning from injury was better than anyone else’s in the league. But 4 INTs, even if it’s a blip, certainly has to be considered, and between that and the injury, it keeps Caleb out of the top 5 (for now).
7. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (13, 11)
I’ve been fairly critical of Love, but it’s hard to argue with what he is doing with a suspect offensive line and no running game. The Packers have the best deep-ball passing attack in the league, and it’s not particularly close.
8. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (14, 12)
After what Lawrence has done in the back half of last season and the first half of this season with Liam Coen, he has cemented Lawrence as a top-10 QB; now it’s time to see how far he can climb.
9. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (7, 6)
Dak has led a maddeningly inconsistent and underperforming offense. He’s still an excellent player, but he’s most accurately considered a borderline top-10 QB, and that’s where he’s sitting midway through the season.
10. Matthew Stafford, LA Rams (3, 5)
Stafford’s season has been fine, but it has vibes quite similar to Tom Brady’s final season in Tampa. The numbers are down across the board. They’re still good, but not MVP-level like last year, and you have to wonder if this might be Father Time knocking at the door.
11. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (10, 7)
There may be nobody better operating from a clean pocket than Goff. Unfortunately, there are many QBs that operate far better under pressure. If Goff ever managed chaos well, he could climb as high as the top 5, but at this point in his career, that’s probably not happening.
12. Drake Maye, New England Patriots (9, 14)
Patriots fans will probably see this ranking and be annoyed, but until Maye starts performing at a much better level against better teams, for me, it’s going to be hard to push him into those elite spots on the rankings.
13. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans (19, 18)
He’s playing the best football since his rookie season, and he’s leading a Texans team that we thought would be carried by their defense. If the Texans make the playoffs, it’s going to be behind Stroud’s right arm.
14. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (17, 16)
Daniels still shows flashes of who he was as a rookie, but a messy offense, injuries, and really poor decisions late in games are keeping Daniels down. He’s going to need to string together a solid couple of months of football while staying healthy if he ever wants to get out of this middle group.
15. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (18, 19)
I still don’t trust Nix, but maybe I should start. When the game is on the line, Nix makes the plays; he just doesn’t do it for the first 50 to 55 minutes of the game. If Nix starts putting together a more complete game on a consistent basis, he can surge towards the top 10.
16. Justin Herbert, LA Chargers (6, 8)
Herbert entered the season with a chance to finally break into the top 5 with a big season; instead, he’s playing at a level that makes him the worst starting QB in the NFL. Tough to drop him all the way down with his history of regular season success, but he’s playing at a level that nobody can consider him one of the league’s top 10 QBs until he proves otherwise.
17. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (8, 13)
Darnold is another guy who had a chance to start changing the narrative around his name after two great seasons and a Super Bowl championship, but he has struggled this year and arguably looked worse than his backup, Drew Lock. If Seattle is going to get back into the playoff hunt, Darnold needs to return to form.
18. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (12, 15)
It’s tough to have Hurts much higher than this point when the Eagles are clearly stocking up to potentially replace him. Hurts being out for the year with blood clots is awful for him, but based on where Hurts was prior to the issue, the writing does seem to be on the wall here in Philly.
19. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (22, 17)
Young had really started stringing together some good games where you had to potentially consider him being in the top half of the league’s QBs, but in the last three games, he has 5 TDs, 4 INTs, has completed less than 60% of his passes, and a Y/A of 6.1. He’s reminded us who he is as a QB.
20. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints (23, 21)
Shough had a brutal game against the Vikings but has been pretty darn good in all his other games. He needs to start leading the Saints to some wins (which he could) down the stretch to start pushing his way out of the 20s.
21. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (31, 23)
Cousins has done a nice job winding the clock back and playing some pretty darn good football. He doesn’t have a high ceiling in Minnesota, but he does have a much higher one than their other QBs, and he helps this Vikings team tremendously.
22. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers (24, 24)
Rodgers isn’t playing as well as some are hyping him up to be, but he’s playing a lot better than most thought he could. He’s quite limited at this point, but he can still deliver the football when he needs to.
23. Jaxson Dart, NY Giants (20, 22)
Dart awaits his chance next year to show that he’s ready to leap an NFL QB.
24. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (16, 20)
Baker is certainly showing signs of slipping. He’s 31, has been dealing with injuries, and doesn’t look like the guy Tampa has had the last three years. The Baker extension that he signed in September may age like warm milk for Tampa.
25. Michael Penix, Atlanta Falcons (36, 27)
I think the question for this point with Penix is whether he is truly a low-end QB1, or a high-end QB2. He’s the best QB on Atlanta’s roster, but that QB room doesn’t exactly have Joe Montana and Steve Young in it.
26. Geno Smith, New York Jets (32, 28)
Geno is playing much better this year in New York than he did last year in Vegas, but he’s still quite limited and not going to be anything more than a bridge QB for whatever team he’s with.
27. Jacoby Brissett, Baltimore Ravens (29, 25)
Brissett lost his job in Arizona and is now going to try and keep the Ravens afloat while they hope Lamar can get back in December. Brissett has shown he’s an excellent QB2 but really shouldn’t be starting anywhere, and I’m curious if this is who Penix ends up becoming.
28. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (41, 26)
Watson continues to play better than what many thought he was capable of at this point in his career, but it’s also safe to say that Cleveland is winning despite Watson, not because of him. Cleveland needs to find something better at QB; if they do, Monken could really take off in Cleveland.
29. Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers (28, 29)
Jones is the best QB2 in the NFL. He hasn’t needed to play this year, but when he had to fill in for Purdy last year, he ran Shanahan’s system fantastically. It’ll be curious if Jones gets a chance somewhere to be a starter again in the next couple of years.
30. Jameis Winston, NY Giants (44, 31)
This is probably a little too high for Jameis, but when pressed into duty, he’s been giving the Giants a lot more good than bad. It’ll be curious what the Giants do next year. His contract is guaranteed, but they’ll have JJ McCarthy and Jaxson Dart as well.
31. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans (25, 35)
The Titans offense isn’t exactly a juggernaut, but they have a pretty good offensive line, Tony Pollard, Carnell Tate, and a couple of other decent weapons. It’s definitely getting to the point where the Titans have to wonder if Ward was the right call at QB. He just isn’t taking that next step.
32. Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings (27, 33)
Murray was a better option for Minnesota than Carson Wentz or JJ McCarthy, but there’s a reason they went out and got Kirk Cousins. The team wasn’t going anywhere with Murray as their QB1.
33. Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks (49, 36)
Lock has really played well, all things considered, for Seattle this year. He’s won all 3 games that he’s had to play; meanwhile, Darnold is 2-4 when he’s under center. Lock has established himself as one of the top 5 QB2s in the league.
34. Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins (26, 37)
It made plenty of sense for the Dolphins to give Willis a shot, but he’s not the answer at QB. The Dolphins are going to have a top-5 pick (maybe first overall), and they’ll need to look long and hard at the QBs available.
35. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts (21, 30)
He has officially turned back into a pumpkin. The Giants gave Jones a big contract, and it blew up in their face. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And that’s why Chris Ballard doesn’t have a job.
36. Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals (30, 38)
Burrow has been as good as anyone in the league, but he does have a tendency to get injured, and having a capable backup like Flacco is a great spot for Cincinnati if he’s called upon.
37. Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders (38, 39)
It’s time to see what Mendoza can do and have an actual idea of where he should actually be ranked on this list.
38. Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens (42, 34)
Another very capable QB2 who unfortunately has joined Lamar Jackson on IR. It would have been interesting to see how Huntley would look in extended time.
39. Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders (33, 40)
Mariota has settled nicely into his role as QB2. With a guy like Daniels who can easily get banged up, like the Bengals, Mariota is a nice guy to fall back on.
40. Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns (35, 42)
Sanders definitely looked better than Watson did in his opportunity. It’ll be curious to see if Monken makes the switch in the next couple of weeks to see if Sanders can spark the Browns, who have lost two straight and 3 of their last 5.
41. Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings (39, 32)
Wentz’s performance on Monday Night Football was one of the worst by a QB we’ve ever seen. He’s lucky he’s still this high on the list.
42. JJ McCarthy, NY Giants (50, NR)
McCarthy has certainly looked better in New York than he did in Minnesota, but we need to slow down on the praise. His overall numbers still aren’t great, and he threw a crippling interception to end Thursday Night Football. He still isn’t showing that he’s a starting-caliber QB.
43. Jalon Daniels, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NR, 41)
Daniels has played better this season than Mayfield; not sure if that’s praise for a UDFA rookie QB or criticism for a veteran QB who just got handed a second extension from Tampa. Either way, he remains a really nice story this season.
44. Gardner Minshew, Arizona Cardinals (NR, NR)
Minshew probably should have been in the top 50 despite not really playing because he is exactly what you need out of your QB2. He had a nice moment in Arizona, but his season is over due to injury.
45. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints (37, 43)
Rattler keeps slipping further and further down the list because there are just QB2s getting opportunities and showing some skills. Rattler hasn’t played and has fallen 8 spots so far this season, but that’s the way the ole cookie crumbles.
46. Davis Mills, Houston Texans (40, 44)
Remember when Davis Mills hit the game-winning touchdown for Lovie Smith and that gave the Bears the first pick in the 2023 draft, which led to the Bryce Young trade, which led to the Bears drafting Caleb Williams? Good times.
47. Case Keenum, Chicago Bears (NR, 45)
Keenum still rides on the list thanks to his performance against the Eagles this year. It’s still one of the feel-good stories of the year.
48. Tyrod Taylor, Green Bay Packers (45, 48)
I still think Taylor is a solid QB2 even if he hasn’t seen the field for the Packers.
49. Tyson Bagent, Chicago Bears (46, 49)
Bagent is still clinging to his top 50 spot on the list, but it won’t take much to bump him off with guys like Justin Fields tumbling off the list completely; Bagent could easily be next.
50. Mitch Trubisky, Tennessee Titans (48, 50)
I would suspect Mitch is actually a better QB than Cam Ward is at this moment, but the Titans need to see if Ward can become their guy, so Mitch continues to hold the clipboard and be a veteran presence in the QB room.
