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NFL analyst Mike Sando has put together his annual “Quarterback Tiers.” This list takes the opinions of 50 NFL GMs and coaches and then ranks the veteran quarterbacks. Rookies are excluded since they haven’t played yet.
Veteran
Jacoby Brissett has been penciled in as the starter for the Arizona Cardinals on the team’s first “official” depth chart. Despite missing all of the offseason programs, this was expected and is no surprise. It remains a possibility that either journeyman Gardner Minshew or rookie Carson Beck may be named the starter for Week 1, but for now, the coaching staff has named Brissett.
Sando has announced his list of this year’s QBs from 1 to 35. Yes, there are only 32 clubs, which means the same number of starting quarterbacks. But some teams are unsettled about who their starter actually is, such as the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons, so there is a sprinkling of extra candidates listed.
Where do the Cardinals rank? What about the remainder of the NFC West Division? One thing is certain: there’s clarity at the top.
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Tier 1
- Carries his team each week
- The team wins because of him
- Expertly handles pure-passing situations
- Has no real holes in his game
- Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs
- (tie) Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills, Matthew Stafford – Los Angeles Rams
Sando said this about Stafford:
“Elite physical talent plus experience plus fast processing plus top-flight scheme has equaled Tier 1 status and MVP honors for Stafford. He wins at the line of scrimmage, and then he’s got this elite arm talent, and they’re well-schemed. Everything they put on him at the line of scrimmage, he makes it come to life. Best in the league at that.”
Go deeper:
After making his Tier 1 debut by a narrow margin last year, Stafford surged into the elite ranks on the strength of his MVP season.
“He’s scary,” a defensive coordinator said. “When I first got in the league, there were more guys you had to worry about. You knew if you played Peyton (Manning), you played (Brett) Favre, (Tom) Brady, (Drew) Brees, it was, ‘Oh my God!’ Stafford has still got that, and he’s operating in a difficult-to-defend offense.”
Stafford’s 46 touchdown passes last season were 12 more than any other QB’s total.
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Tier 2
- Carries his team sometimes
- Handles pure-passing situations in doses
- Or has other dimensions that elevate him above Tier 3
- Has a hole or two in his game
11. Brock Purdy – San Francisco 49ers
Sando’s reasoning:
“Purdy regained all the ground lost after his 2024 season, and then some, among voters. His average tier vote (2.28) and ranking (T-11th) are career bests. I think he is better than given credit for. Kyle (Shanahan) is great, but I think Brock Purdy – he can see it so fast, and he makes quick decisions, and he’s more athletic than you think. Really good player.”
Go deeper:
The 49ers rank third in offensive EPA per play since 2023, Purdy’s first full season as their starter. Purdy is No. 1 in EPA per pass play over that span.
“Purdy is so impressive to watch in terms of how he creates,” an offensive coordinator said. “The scramble game is awesome. He’s really hard to sack. He’s in a great system with great players around him. It’s just a good fit.”
It’s tough finding voters who don’t mention Shanahan’s system when discussing Purdy.
“Solid 2,” an exec said. “Deceptive athletically, deceptive strength. He is the one guy who plays bigger than he is, and then obviously he’s a good fit with Kyle.”
There’s that system talk again.
14. (tie) Baker Mayfield – Tampa Bay Buccaneers & Sam Darnold – Seattle Seahawks
Sando had these thoughts:
“Darnold’s climb over the past three seasons is rare for an established starter in the 13-year history of QB Tiers. Sam played his ass off the last two years. Darnold’s improvement from 4.00 to 2.36 is a full tier better than runner-up Daniel Jones among the 19 quarterbacks who appeared in all three surveys and had debuted before 2024.”
Go deeper:
“There are so many factors that determine a quarterback’s success, and Darnold’s the best example of it,” an exec said. “To get him into the right system, with the right coaches, and you have a game-breaking receiver, and a good defense. It’s a lot easier.”
Drafted by the Jets in 2018, Darnold spent two years in Tier 3 with New York, mostly on the strength of his pedigree. He dropped into Tier 4 with Carolina and stayed there entering his first season with Minnesota.
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Tier 3
- Legit starter but needs better running game or defense to win
- Lower-volume dropback passing offense suits him best
23. Kyler Murray – Minnesota Vikings
Sando stated this about Murray:
“This is Murray’s fourth consecutive year in Tier 3 and the first time he has fallen outside the top 17 in the rankings. But there is hope. The person I think who will change a lot is Kyler Murray, just because he’s around a quarterback coach, he will have weapons, he probably has something to prove, and his ability to escape the pocket, when he is on, is no joke.”
Go deeper:
“I love the signing,” an offensive coach said. “He will respect the head coach (Kevin O’Connell) because he is legitimate, and he needs to shine up what people think about him. He will be on his best behavior because it’s like being in a contract year. He will have better players around him than he ever had in Arizona.”
An exec suggested Murray could thrive if the Vikings continue to play good defense while putting Murray under center, giving him a solid rushing attack and featuring him in a quarterback keeper game that regulates his exposure to injury.
“They were doing a good job on offense (in Arizona), but losing the line coach (Klayton Adams, who left for Dallas in 2025) was a big loss, because their run game totally changed,” an exec said.
Murray is going from one of the toughest places for a quarterback to win to one of the easiest. Last season, the Vikings were the only team to finish with a winning record (9-8) while ranking outside the top 25 in offensive EPA per play. They did it on the strength of their defense and special teams, which rank third in combined EPA over the past three seasons (Arizona ranks 31st).
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Tier 4
- Unproven player; not enough information to classify
- Veteran who ideally would not be a full-season starter
33. Jacoby Brissett – Arizona Cardinals
Sando expressed his thoughts about the low ranking:
“Brissett has a 2-15 starting record over the past two seasons partly because his teams, New England and now Arizona, have been so bad on defense and/or special teams. Of the 28 quarterbacks with at least 17 starts over the past two seasons, none has gotten worse defense/special teams support than Brissett (-6.8 EPA per start). Not that Brissett himself has been a star. He can read defenses and put the ball where it’s supposed to go. Gets it out of his hands quick, can take shots, can challenge you down the field.”
Go deeper:
“I’m not saying this from a talent standpoint, but he operated as a quarterback as well as anyone we saw.”
Defensive coaches rated Brissett higher than offensive ones did, producing the third-largest split in that direction behind Tagovailoa and Prescott.
