The NFL regular season is 59 days away, and according to sportsbooks, the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills will probably meet in the Super Bowl. There’s a long way to go before that, though, so in the meantime, VikingsTerritory is embarking on an annual tradition — ranking the league’s starting quarterbacks.
This year was more difficult than usual, mainly because the section between Caleb Williams and Bo Nix below has similarly efficient signal-callers.
Until Watson proves he can return to 2019 or 2020 form — assuming he starts for the Browns at all — he lives at the bottom of quarterback power rankings. Them’s are the rules.
It’s laughable that the Jets will make Smith their QB1 solution with a head coach who may already be on the hot seat. At best, Smith is a bridge quarterback to someone promising.
Ward’s numbers and efficiency metrics were just as bad, if not worse, than J.J. McCarthy’s last year, but nobody cared. He must take a developmental step in 2026.
Willis put good games and memorable moments on tape in Green Bay, and good for him. Now, he must prove he can handle the full brunt of a passing attack when defensive coordinators plan for him every week. Cousins can pop off for a 400-yard passing game at any time, but he’s also old and slow.
Brissett is the best backup quarterback in the league, but that’s where it ends. It’s wild that the Arizona Cardinals think he’s a better QB1 solution than Kyler Murray. They must be biding their time for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Dart can easily climb this list in no time, but by NFL standards, his team needs a record better than 4-8, which is what the Giants fired up on his watch. He also looked lost in the December game against the Vikings. Buffonish, even.
Young ranked 25th in EPA+CPOE last year, but because his team made the playoffs, many saw hope in his future.
Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. will probably play hot potato with the QB1 job in Atlanta. Still, with Kevin Stefanski running the show, there’s a path for Tagovailoa to throw for 3,500+ yards and 25+ touchdowns with all those weapons.
Jones looked great for two months before he began tailing off and then tore his Achilles. That injury is never a straightforward recovery, and folks wondered about Jones’s long-term consistency in the first place. He has to prove himself all over again in 2026. It feels disrespectful to place Rodgers this low based on career achievement. But let’s face it: he ranked 22nd per EPA+CPOE in 2025. This spot is just.
Stroud produced 19 passing touchdowns last year with a completion percentage below 65%. His numbers are supposed to be ascending, not declining.
Nix ranked 18th per EPA+CPOE last year. He’s propped up by a Top 3 defense. He has limitations that eventually will be exposed.
Shough’s stat line as a rookie — if he played 17 games — would’ve looked like this:
4,261 Passing Yards Is the entire NFL sleeping on Shough? The numbers say yes. Murray averages 3,900+ passing yards, 30 total touchdowns, and 600+ rushing every 17 starts. Why he’s considered a big reclamation project is an utter mystery. The guy is productive when healthy, just a step below Lamar Jackson’s numbers.
Darnold’s performance dipped late in 2025, but the Seahawks’ defense masked everything. He has a Super Bowl now that can never be taken away. But you must ask yourself: is he better than the remaining men on this list?
How long will the Lions carry on the Goff experience without reaching a Super Bowl? Will it ever get stale? He’s in the old Kirk Cousins boat where his stats are great, but it feels like the Lions peaked in 2023 with Goff under center.
Mayfield’s grit ranks No. 1 or No. 2 in the NFL, but his EPA+CPOE quietly ranked 19th last season.
Purdy missed eight games in 2025, and the 49ers’ offense didn’t miss a beat with Mac Jones under center. Strange.
Daniels, probably because of injuries, endured a textbook sophomore slump. He needs a big rebound season in 2026, and he has physical tools to do precisely that.
Love is not good enough to be feared every Sunday, but he’s good enough to start every Sunday and get his team the seventh seed in the postseason tournament like clockwork. Lawrence threw for 4,007 passing yards and 29 touchdowns in 2025. Has he turned the corner under the tutelage of Liam Coen and Grant Udinski?
Draft this guy late in our redraft fantasy leagues; he won’t disappoint. It’s 4,000+ yards and about 30 touchdowns like clockwork when he plays a full season.
Williams ranks 20th per EPA+CPOE last year but bedazzled the masses in the postseason. There’s a chance he totally turns the corner this season and morphs into the next big thing.
Hurts’s career stock might be a low point, but he still accounted for 65 touchdowns since the start of 2024. That ain’t nothin’, and it doesn’t grow on trees.
Maye had a case for the MVP award last season; Maye also faced one of the easiest schedules in NFL history — before turning into a shell of himself in the AFC Championship and Super Bowl.
Another steady-eddy, Herbert is desperately searching for his breakthrough moment. Ranking him below six doesn’t feel right. The league MVP should probably be higher on this list, but he’s old and always has confusing moments with gaffes that everyone just sweeps under the rug and then smirks.
Burrow has missed 32% of all games from 2023 to 2025. If he plays 17 in 2026, the Bengals will return to the playoffs and maybe even the AFC Title Game.
Jackson’s numbers tumbled a bit in 2025, and he also missed four games. But with a game on the line, he just has to be a Top 3 selection.
Bounceback and revenge season incoming.
Has there ever been any sports player who more embodies a team than Allen and the Bills? He is the Buffalo Bills.
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker
QB Stability Separates the NFL’s Contenders from Everyone Else
32 | Deshaun Watson (CLE)
31 | Geno Smith (NYJ)
30 | Cam Ward (TEN)
29 | Malik Willis (MIA)
28 | Kirk Cousins (LV)
27 | Jacoby Brissett (ARI)
26 | Jaxson Dart (NYG)
25 | Bryce Young (CAR)
24 | Tua Tagovailoa (ATL)
23 | Daniel Jones (IND)
22 | Aaron Rodgers (PIT)
21 | C.J. Stroud (HOU)
20 | Bo Nix (DEN)
19 | Tyler Shough (NO)
25 TDs
9 INTs
69.2% Comp
18 | Kyler Murray (MIN)
17 | Sam Darnold (SEA)
16 | Jared Goff (DET)
15 | Baker Mayfield (TB)
14 | Brock Purdy (SF)
13 | Jayden Daniels (WAS)
12 | Jordan Love (GB)
11 | Trevor Lawrence (JAX)
10 | Dak Prescott (DAL)
9 | Caleb Williams (CHI)
8 | Jalen Hurts (PHI)
7 | Drake Maye (NE)
6 | Justin Herbert (LAC)
5 | Matthew Stafford (LAR)
4 | Joe Burrow (CIN)
3 | Lamar Jackson (BAL)
2 | Patrick Mahomes (KC)
1 | Josh Allen (BUF)
