As we continue with our quarterly QB rankings for the year, we have reached the midseason edition. Before we dive into the rankings, I want to talk about the process of how these rankings are determined.
First of all, there’s no equation, there’s no chart, it’s my eye test. Now, certainly, statistics come into play, both traditional and analytical. These rankings are not based on this season alone; they are based on the QBs previous equity they’ve built through their play and based on how they are playing this season, which, of course, is weighed fairly heavily.
The idea here is, when analysts talk about, “This QB is a top 5 QB,” “This QB is a top 10 QB,” “This QB is a top 20 QB.” Sometimes an analyst will say something like that, This is the list to reference. So here are the definitive midseason QB rankings (subject to change).
In our preseason rankings, we ranked the top 50 QBs in the league. At the quarterpole, we just ranked the 32 week 1 starting quarterbacks. With about 45 QBs that have played significant snaps in at least one game, we decided to rank the top 40 QBs that have played this season.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (Prev. 1 preseason, 1 at the quarter pole)
Mahomes is going to push for another MVP this season. The spot is his until further notice.
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (2, 2)
He’s lurking in the MVP race, but he’s going to need a strong second half to repeat and take the award again.
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (3, 3)
He won’t win MVP this year, but he’s still an elite talent who is in the elite tier.
4. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (4, 4)
He’s not getting dropped due to an injury; he’s the last of the top tier in the league.
5. Justin Herbert, LA Chargers (5, 5)
All Herbert does is put up numbers. If he wants to jump into the next tier, he needs an MVP or some playoff success.
6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (6, 6)
15 passing TDs and 1 INT in a season where people say the Eagles offense isn’t playing that well.
7. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (10, 7)
Goff continues to show that he’s now a legit top ten QB and no longer just a benefit of Ben Johnson.
8. Matthew Stafford, LA Rams (9, 8)
Everybody wondered if Stafford could stay healthy. Well, 17 TDs, 2 INTs, 11th in QBR. Stafford is turning back the clock.
9. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (12, 10)
Love is getting close to locking himself in as a top 10 QB in the league. He made some questionable decisions in the past, but those are way down this season.
10. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (8, 12)
Everyone used to debate how good Eli Manning is. This era of QB, Dak is the new Eli. We all know he’s good, but how good is he?
11. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15, 11)
Baker has slowed down a little after a hot start, but he’s locked himself in as a top-half QB in the league, and continues to push towards becoming a top 10 QB in the league.
12. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (7, 9)
Daniels has been hurt a bunch this season, but when he’s played, he hasn’t looked like the same QB as a rookie.
13. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts (36, 16)
What is happening? Did a different multiverse merge with ours? What Danny Dimes and the Colts are doing is truly remarkable.
14. Drake Maye, New England Patriots (21, 18)
Maye is on the periphery of the MVP race. He’s poised to lock himself in as a top 10 QB in the league next season, perhaps by the end of this season.
15. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (22, 17)
Darnold and Goff are the two guys who are proving their doubters wrong this season. Both of them were thought to just be beneficiaries of their offensive coaches, but both of them are proving they are good QBs, no matter who coaches them.
16. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (14, 13)
Purdy hasn’t played much. He appears to be close to returning to the field, and we will have to see how he looks in the offense because Mac Jones has looked pretty decent.
17. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (19, 22)
Nix has been hot of late and has put the rough start to the season behind him. It was hard to do, but it was time to put him in front of Caleb Williams.
18. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans (11, 15)
Stroud just doesn’t have it for the second straight season. Will Stroud receive a huge extension from Houston this offseason? Or will they simply pick up the 5th year option and see how things look in year four?
19. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (18, 14)
Caleb was trending in the right direction, but things have looked disjointed the last few weeks. He still is capable of the big play at any moment, and he’s greatly reduced his sack issues, but he needs to operate more cleanly before he can start steadily moving up this list.
20. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers (24, 19)
He’s going to throw over 30 touchdowns this season at 41. Love him, hate him, you can’t deny his greatness.
21. Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers (NR)
Jones has bounced back after some absolutely brutal seasons. Kyle Shanahan will do that for you.
22. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (17, 20)
Murray hasn’t played since early October, and when he played, it wasn’t spectacular. He feels like he’s already past his peak, and his peak wasn’t that high.
23. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (13, 23)
Lawrence should be better than he is. It’s time to really start questioning the former number one pick.
24. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (16, 24)
Tua’s situation in Miami isn’t on steady ground. His contract almost locks him into the team next year, but they will almost certainly have a new coach, and he probably will be on a new team in 2027.
25. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns (28, 30)
Turns out if you have Chase and Higgins, you can look pretty good, which makes Jake Browning’s performances all the more tough to stomach.
26. Jaxson Dart, NY Giants (35, NR)
It’s been a pretty good start for Dart, but he has plenty of work to do to move up into the top 20.
27. Michael Penix, Atlanta Falcons (23, 27)
Penix hasn’t had a strong season in his first full season as a starter, but should they turn to Cousins? That question got answered last week: no.
28. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (25, 29)
It feels like we know who Bryce is, and it’s probably a guy who will be a QB2 in the coming years.
29. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders (20, 21)
It was a fun few years for Geno, but it certainly feels like that ship has sailed. He doesn’t have it this year,
30. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints (51, 31)
He’s better than I thought he would be, but he’s still just a QB2; he’s not going to be a starting-caliber QB at the NFL level.
31. Justin Fields, New York Jets (29, 28)
One has to assume that the Jets will pivot away from Fields in 2026 or 2027. Will he be able to start anywhere else, and if not, who will want him as their QB2 when he doesn’t run a traditional offense? Perhaps his future is Taysom Hill.
32. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans (31, 25)
The Titans are a mess. It’s tough to blame Ward. He’s going to be down here all season, and we’ll see if the infrastructure is better around him next year.
33. Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders (38, NR)
He’s played for Daniels quite a bit, and he’s shown that he’s still a functional QB.
34. JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings (30, 26)
Tough to drop JJ when he isn’t playing, but I don’t trust that this wasn’t a soft benching by Kevin O’Connell. He’s playing again, and if he plays well, he can jump up a good 10 to 15 spots relatively quickly.
35. Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns (47, NR)
Gabriel is a QB2. I think the Browns drafted him knowing he was a QB2. They need to find a new QB, and I’m sure Shedeur Sanders isn’t the answer either.
36. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints (40, NR)
He’s only played a handful of snaps. Let’s see how he looks with a few starts under his belt.
37. Russell Wilson, New York Giants (26, 32)
Russ is officially cooked. For his sake, hopefully, he retires after this season because I’m not sure anyone else is going to sign him.
38. Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings (39, NR)
It was borderline criminal watching KOC keep Wentz on the field. He’s a tough son of a gun, but he just isn’t a great QB at this point.
39. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (NR)
He hasn’t been horrendous filling in for Kyler Murray, but he isn’t winning any games either.
40. Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens (NR)
Hey, he beat the Bears, that’ll get you on the list over Jake Browning or Andy Dalton.
