NFL Top 10 lists, especially during the dog days of Summer when news is slow, are a fun way to prepare for the upcoming season. They are always a great source of discourse and contention amongst fans of the game. Everyone likes to believe that they know best, when in reality, nobody really knows anything for sure.
The quarterback position, in particular, tends to receive the most scrutiny. As the general of the offense, and with much of the game relying on their quality of play, it is an occupational hazard. No matter what the result of a game is, the QB will receive the credit or the blame. Whether this is fair or not, this is the way the NFL, its media, and fans operate.
Having an elite quarterback is often the difference between a competitive team and one that’s more concerned with draft position by the end of October. Luckily for the teams with players on this list, they are much more likely to fall in the first category. Without further ado, here is the undisputed correct ranking.
#10 Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
Justin Herbert is one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the league. He possesses a combination of size, mobility, arm strength, and toughness that coaches and general managers dream of. So if he’s this great, why is he barely making the list?
The fact that Herbert is entering his seventh season, and he hasn’t won a single playoff game, certainly doesn’t help his case. Somehow, despite losing in all three postseason appearances in spectacularly embarrassing fashion, he is still the media darling and is always given an out for failing.
The industry’s undying devotion to making excuses for the Chargers’ QB isn’t his fault, but a goose egg in the playoff win column can’t go unacknowledged. The arrival of Mike McDaniel in Los Angeles should be a major asset in furthering Herbert’s development and making his life easier. The lack of team success has not been a direct result of his play, but he needs to be better. Until Herbert proves to be a winning player, it is irresponsible to have him as more than a fringe top-ten quarterback.
#9 Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Trevor Lawrence probably hasn’t lived up to the expectations that followed him from high school and college, but those were unfair and unrealistic to begin with. At 21 years old, he was hailed as the QB messiah and had to endure the fiasco that was the Urban Meyer experience in Jacksonville.
Doug Pederson seemed to get the train back on track in Lawrence’s second year, leading the team to a playoff berth and one of the most improbable wins of all time. Unfortunately, the good feelings did not last long, as he only lasted three seasons before being fired.
First-time head coach Liam Coen entered in 2025 and flipped the narrative for the Jaguars. He led the team to an out-of-nowhere 13-4 record and was a key cog in getting Lawrence back to top form, with a fifth-place MVP finish.
The name of the game for the former Clemson Tiger is consistency. He is still only 26 years old and entering his second year in Coen’s system. He is head and shoulders the best quarterback in the AFC South, and with stability at head coach, the sky is the limit for a talent like Lawrence.
#8 Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
Caleb Williams, quite frankly, is one of the most special young players the sport has to offer. His elusiveness in and out of the pocket and ability to make ridiculous off-balance throws cannot be taught and show shades of a certain other QB who will appear later in the list.
Williams had his rookie season effectively sabotaged by the coaching staff’s blatant incompetence. Luckily for him and Bears fans everywhere, Ben Johnson entered the equation in year two and immediately made a world of difference.
The season might not have ended the way they would have liked it, but it was undoubtedly a success. Williams looked infinitely more polished, the team won a playoff game, and took a superior Rams team to the brink. He still needs to improve his completion percentage and play more on time, but that will come with experience. With another offseason to develop and learn from Johnson, fans should fully expect a breakout third-year leap.
#7 Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
Drake Maye is coming off an extremely impressive sophomore campaign. He led his team to a Super Bowl appearance and finished just behind Matthew Stafford in the MVP race. While the Patriots did not accomplish their ultimate goal, it’s hard to imagine the organization and its fans could have imagined last season going much better.
The front office did right by Maye last offseason, bringing in head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Stability and competence in the coaching staff are paramount for young quarterbacks, and it appears New England will have this for the foreseeable future.
Although the Patriots were highly successful last year, their offense lacked weapons and benefited from a weak schedule. The additions of AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs should be major assets for Maye, allowing him to take the next step in year three. Brown has the potential to be a headache, but reuniting with Vrabel and getting a fresh start in Foxborough may be exactly what the doctor ordered for all parties.
History says that teams that lose the Super Bowl often struggle the following season. With a much tougher strength of schedule and infinitely higher expectations, this year will be a litmus test for Maye. Was last year a fluke or just the beginning?
#6 Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
This will be the pick that ruffles the most feathers. Dak Prescott is one of the most wrongfully disparaged quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. He is consistently held to a higher standard than other QBs who are allegedly “better” than him. If people can drop the blind Cowboys hatred act for just a minute, they would see this is one of the best signal callers the league has to offer.
Prescott has led top offenses with three different head coaches now. He has proven not to be coach-dependent and has shown the ability to produce despite the dysfunctionality that is the Dallas Cowboys. It is a genuine miracle that he was able to win seven games last year despite having a rookie head coach, a young offensive line, and one of the worst defenses to ever step foot on a football field.
Looking at Dak’s career, when he is healthy for a full season, his stats can essentially be penciled in. He’s going to put up about 4,500 yards, 30+ TDs, 10 or fewer interceptions, and a 70 QBR. Take away the name, and every single fan would sign up for this type of production from their quarterback.
The only area of Prescott’s resume that is lacking is his postseason success. A 2-5 record in the playoffs is not acceptable for a player of his caliber. It’s fair to say that only one or two of those losses were actually his fault, but no excuses will ever be heard from the Mississippi State man.
Nobility aside, the clock is ticking on Prescott and the Cowboys. With an offense that’s still elite and a revamped defense, including rising star Christian Parker as defensive coordinator and highly touted first-round pick Caleb Downs, they will challenge for the division in 2026.
#5 Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
Lamar Jackson is arguably the most electric athlete to ever play quarterback. His next-level speed and shiftiness have made him a must-watch player since his Louisville days. While his running ability has been his superpower, his most impressive feat has been his improvement as a passer.
When Jackson came into the league, it was assumed that he would need to change positions to carve out a career. Two MVP awards later, and it seems he’s actually a decent quarterback. This is even more impressive when taking into account that he has never had a top wide receiver. Mark Andrews has always been a great tight end, and Zay Flowers is a good, not great receiver. Neither one is a game-breaking weapon, but Jackson has still been able to achieve great numbers with them as his main targets.
Playoff success, like many others on this list, has come at a premium for the Ravens leader. Truthfully, the AFC is loaded with quarterback talent, and it is a brutal time to have to compete in it. That point notwithstanding, a 3-5 postseason record and only one AFC championship appearance do not meet the standards of the organization, or the ones Jackson has for himself.
There are quite a few questions surrounding the Ravens and Jackson this coming season. With first-time head coach Jesse Minter taking over, and Jackson coming off an injury-riddled 2025, both will have much to prove. The former Heisman Trophy winner is coming off a career low in carries and rushing yards, and will be 30 in January. Is this the new norm for him, or will he be back to familiar form come September?
#4 Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
Joe Burrow burst onto the scene in his senior year at LSU when he put up perhaps the greatest season in college football history. The former first overall pick’s lore quickly grew even larger with a Super Bowl appearance in his second season and an AFC Championship appearance in his third. Since then, however, his Bengals have missed the playoffs three years in a row.
Burrow’s biggest issues in his career have been staying healthy and his own defense. He has played in 10 or fewer games half his NFL career (three years out of six). With a defense that has been mediocre to plain bad throughout that time, he’s had to carry most of the load for the team to succeed.
The correlation is clear: whenever Burrow plays a full schedule, he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and puts up the stats to prove it. He still has impressive weapons on offense, and the front office has made moves on defense this offseason, attempting to give themselves a fighting chance.
History has shown that the season after Burrow misses a significant amount of games, he comes back the next one and lights up defenses like it’s nothing. He will be looking to put the league on notice that he is still an MVP-caliber QB and should be feared in 2026.
#3 Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
This is where the list gets tough. Josh Allen is one of the NFL’s best success stories. Despite being a first-round pick, he was viewed as more of a project and definitely not a surefire star. Heading into his ninth season, he is now the face of the Bills franchise and probably the most beloved man in Buffalo.
Last season was a tough pill to swallow for Allen and the Bills as a whole. With the big bad Chiefs having a down year and missing the playoffs, it seemed like it was finally their time to make a Super Bowl run. Sadly for Buffalo, a disastrous four-turnover game by Allen in Denver ended their championship hopes.
The former Wyoming quarterback may have been a big part of that playoff defeat, but he was also the main reason they were even there. He and James Cook essentially were the team’s entire offense. The two combined for 26 rushing touchdowns, and no player had more than 719 yards receiving or five touchdown receptions.
The DJ Moore acquisition will certainly be a major addition to help diversify the passing game. Allen hasn’t had a true number one receiver since the departure of Stefon Diggs, and that has proven to be an issue in big games. Khalil Shakir is a great slot receiver, but he can’t be the best receiver on a team trying to win it all. He will benefit from Moore’s presence perhaps as much as Allen will.
The Bills will be opening their new stadium this year and expect to contend for a Super Bowl. Allen should be more focused than ever after last year’s heartbreak and prove that he is capable of bringing a Lombardi Trophy to a city that so desperately craves it.
#2 Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
Matthew Stafford has always been a highly thought-of quarterback throughout his career. The former first overall pick put up big numbers for many big seasons in Detroit, but could never get over the hump and win a playoff game. That narrative has certainly changed since he arrived in Los Angeles.
In Stafford’s first year with the Rams, he immediately justified the decision to trade for him. He threw for over 4,800 yards and 41 touchdowns in the regular season and went on to win the Super Bowl. This cemented his Hall of Fame resume, but at 38 years old, he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Ironically, in 2025, there was much concern about Stafford’s ability to stay healthy going forward. All he did was play every game on the schedule, win his first MVP trophy, and narrowly miss out on his second Super Bowl appearance.
The Rams’ QB remains clearly at the top of his game. While LA decided to draft his heir apparent in Ty Simpson this offseason, he still has a lot of football left in him. With multiple key additions on defense and a still lethal offense, this is a team that should be on a short list of championship contenders.
Stafford is surgical in the pocket when it comes to diagnosing defenses, and Sean McVay will always put him in the best situation to succeed. The Rams will maximize this window at the end of his career, and there’s no reason why the former Georgia Bulldog can’t win another championship or more before he rides off into the sunset.
#1 Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
Patrick Mahomes has had three consecutive “down” years by his own astronomically high standards. While he might not have been lighting up the statsheet the way he was at the beginning of his career, it’s important not to let recency bias take over. This is still the best quarterback in football.
During Mahomes’ first seven years as a starter, the Chiefs made it to at least the AFC championship every time and won three Super Bowls in five appearances. That is a ridiculous level of consistent greatness that cannot be taken for granted. Now that his team has finally had a bad season and missed the playoffs, all of a sudden, he’s not number one? That makes no sense.
The future Hall of Famer should receive a major boost from the signing of Kenneth Walker this offseason. The Chiefs’ running game has struggled immensely in years past. This put more pressure on Mahomes when they didn’t have the talent at receiver to sustain such a pass-heavy offense. Adding the most recent Super Bowl MVP gives Kansas City a rushing attack that defenses will have to respect, opening up the field for the passing game.
Mahomes is coming off a torn ACL, but is expected to be ready for Week 1, and when he does take the field, he will surely be looking to remind the league what he’s capable of. The Chiefs are not an organization that accepts losing, and with the best QB in the league on their side, they will be fully planning on returning to their normally scheduled deep playoff run.
