NFL Quarterback Power Rankings

Numerous summers ago, I got into an argument with a Facebook friend about Russell Wilson being a top-three NFL quarterback. That, plus Ron Jaworski's quarterback list got me thinking about making a power ranking for signal-callers. I figured it would be nice to have this as a yearly feature during the summer. So, here it is. If you disagree with anything on here, leave a comment below. Note that I'm grading the starters of each team only, so don't be confused if a talented backup is left off the list.

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NFL Quarterback Power Rankings 2022: Updated July 28, 2022

32. Drew Lock, Seahawks. 2021 Ranking: --. 2020 Ranking: --. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
I don't know what the Seahawks are thinking by trusting Drew Lock to be their starting quarterback. He's had a few bright moments in the NFL, but he's been terrible for the most part. Keep in mind that he was protected rather well in Denver. His blocking will be much worse in Seattle unless the team's rookie tackles play well right away, which is unlikely.

31. Zach Wilson, Jets. 2021 Ranking: 25. 2020 Ranking: --. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Zach Wilson has tremendous ability and upside, but he was a one-year wonder who didn't exactly face the toughest competition while playing for BYU. Wilson looked incredibly lost as a rookie. There were some bright moments, but he was a huge disappointment overall. That said, Wilson could easily make huge strides with some experience.

30. Mitchell Trubisky, Steelers. 2021 Ranking: --. 2020 Ranking: --. 2019 Ranking: 27. 2018 Ranking: 26. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Mitchell Trubisky was a huge disappointment in Chicago, but he has a legitimate chance to revive his career in Pittsburgh. Matt Nagy turned out to be a terrible coach, so Trubisky cannot be fully blamed for his struggles with the Bears. He was the second-overall pick in the NFL Draft for a reason, so he could play up to that ability in his new home.

29. Davis Mills, Texans. 2021 Ranking: --. 2020 Ranking: --. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Davis Mills was somehow the second-best quarterback of the 2021 class last year, but that's likely to change soon. Mills did a good job with his completion percentage as a rookie, hitting 66.8 percent of his passes on a 16:10 touchdown-to-interception ratio. However, Mills has a noodle arm, so he possesses very little upside.

28. Marcus Mariota, Falcons. 2021 Ranking: --. 2020 Ranking: --. 2019 Ranking: 21. 2018 Ranking: 17. 2017 Ranking: 13. 2016 Ranking: 14. 2015 Ranking: 18.
Marcus Mariota hasn't been a full-time starter since 2019. We'll have to see if he has made improvements while watching Derek Carr on the sideline. However, Mariota may not get much of an opportunity, given the state of Atlanta's pedestrian offensive line and poor receiving corps.

27. Daniel Jones, Giants. 2021 Ranking: 28. 2020 Ranking: 16. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Daniel Jones still has more turnovers than touchdowns in his career after being even in both categories last year. To be fair to Jones, he's had to endure some horrible offensive lines throughout his 3-year career. That'll likely change in 2022 after the Giants made some nice additions to their blocking unit this offseason. We'll finally discover if Jones is truly a bust despite his brilliant preseason performance that had everyone excited during his rookie campaign.

26. Justin Fields, Bears. 2021 Ranking: 19. 2020 Ranking: --. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: 20.
It seems as though the Bears have set up Justin Fields to fail. They've assembled the league's worst offensive line to block for him, while the receiving corps has just one talented player in Darnell Mooney. This is not a good sign for a quarterback who failed to complete 59 percent of his passes as a rookie. Still, it would be foolish to ignore Fields' immense upside.

25. Carson Wentz, Redskins. 2021 Ranking: 15. 2020 Ranking: 8. 2019 Ranking: 5. 2018 Ranking: 3. 2017 Ranking: 15. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
What in the world happened to Carson Wentz? He was an MVP candidate in 2017, and following an injury-ravaged 2018 campaign, he led a group of backups into the playoffs in 2019. Despite this, he had his worst season as a pro by a long shot in 2020. His decision-making fell off a cliff, and it was somehow even worse once he joined the Colts. Wentz turned into a quarterback recklessly tossing pick-sixes from his own end zone, firing overtime interceptions into double coverage, and completing just one pass in the first 28 minutes of a must-win game in Week 17. Wentz has not been the same since he endured a concussion from Jadeveon Clowney.

24. Jared Goff, Lions. 2021 Ranking: 27. 2020 Ranking: 23. 2019 Ranking: 14. 2018 Ranking: 19. 2017 Ranking: 30. 2016 Ranking: 29. 2015 Ranking: --.
Jared Goff was a byproduct of great coaching (Sean McVay, Greg Olson) as well as an elite offensive line. Goff, however, lost Olson and some key blockers after 2018, which would explain a major decline in his production. Goff needs everything to be perfect because of his low football IQ and poor pocket awareness. However, it could be argued that Goff could revert back to his 2017 and 2018 days this year because the Lions have so much talent on offense.

23. Jalen Hurts, Eagles. 2021 Ranking: 31. 2020 Ranking: --. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Jalen Hurts dazzled with his rushing ability last year, gaining 784 yards on the ground. He also maintained a fine touchdown-to-interception ratio of 16:9. Hurts' downfall has been his consistency regarding his accuracy. However, he works hard and will now have a much better receiving corps at his disposal with A.J. Brown being on the roster and Devonta Smith having experience. Hurts has a legitimate chance to win MVP in 2022.

22. Trey Lance, 49ers. 2021 Ranking: 29. 2020 Ranking: --. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
As I wrote last year, Trey Lance reminds me of Josh Allen coming out of Wyoming. He's very raw, but has immense upside. It might take him a couple of years for everything to click, much like it did for Allen, but Buffalo fans aren't complaining. I'm excited to see what Lance can do with a full offseason of preparation.

21. Jameis Winston, Saints. 2021 Ranking: --. 2020 Ranking: --. 2019 Ranking: 28. 2018 Ranking: 29. 2017 Ranking: 14. 2016 Ranking: 15. 2015 Ranking: 22.
Those expecting 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions from Jameis Winston again were greatly disappointed, as the former Buccaneer quarterback fired 14 scores and only three picks in his first full season as New Orleans' starter. However, Winston tore his ACL in Week 8 of last year, so he may not be 100 percent this year.

20. Ryan Tannehill, Titans. 2021 Ranking: 17. 2020 Ranking: 26. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: 24. 2017 Ranking: 19. 2016 Ranking: 26. 2015 Ranking: 14.
Ryan Tannehill had a great first full season as Tennessee's starting quarterback; he threw 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 2020, all while completing 65.5 percent of his passes. Tannehill's numbers dipped in 2021 despite the extra game, but he still led the Titans to the No. 1 seed. However, he was completely exposed in the loss to the Bengals in the playoffs. Now without A.J. Brown, Tannehill is going to regress this season.

19. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins. 2021 Ranking: 26. 2020 Ranking: 30. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Tua Tagovailoa was frustrating last year. He showed incredible accuracy at times, completing nearly 68 percent of his passes. However, he would make some bone-headed throws once or twice per game that absolutely killed his team. Tagovailoa has a great chance to fix this in 2022, thanks to Tyreek Hill's presence, as well as Miami's greatly improved offensive line.

18. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars. 2021 Ranking: 12. 2020 Ranking: --. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
"Trevor Lawrence is the best quarterback prospect I've seen since I began covering the NFL on this Web site back in 1999. I'll be shocked if he's not a perennial Pro Bowler." I wrote this last year, and it looks stupid now. However, Lawrence endured some of the worst coaching the NFL has ever seen. He also had no help from his teammates. Despite this, Lawrence showed great improvement as his rookie campaign progressed. I'm confident he'll be back in the top 12 at some point in his career.

17. Matt Ryan, Colts. 2021 Ranking: 14. 2020 Ranking: 9. 2019 Ranking: 9. 2018 Ranking: 7. 2017 Ranking: 4. 2016 Ranking: 16. 2015 Ranking: 10.
Matt Ryan has been a perennial top-10 quarterback on this list, but that's no longer the case. He's lost some zip on his passes, but don't take my word for it. Julio Jones demanded a trade for this reason. Now 37, Ryan will continue to regress, yet he'll still be an upgrade over Carson Wentz because he won't make back-breaking mistakes.

16. Mac Jones, Patriots. 2021 Ranking: --. 2020 Ranking: --. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
You would have gotten great odds if you bet that Mac Jones would've been the best rookie quarterback last year. Granted, Jones was in the best situation, as far as his coaching and offensive line were concerned. However, Jones was very impressive at times. He completed nearly 68 percent of his passes while throwing 22 touchdowns.

15. Baker Mayfield, Panthers. 2021 Ranking: 11. 2020 Ranking: 20. 2019 Ranking: 13. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Baker Mayfield has gotten tons of flak for how he performed in 2021. However, Mayfield suffered a shoulder injury in Week 2, and by the time he got healthy in Week 6, he re-injured his shoulder in a shootout against the Chargers. He was never the same after that. There's a chance these shoulder issues could pop up again, but people shouldn't forget how good Mayfield was in 2020.

14. Derek Carr, Raiders. 2021 Ranking: 22. 2020 Ranking: 25. 2019 Ranking: 24. 2018 Ranking: 14. 2017 Ranking: 5. 2016 Ranking: 18. 2015 Ranking: 26.
It's hard to believe, but Derek Carr nearly threw for 5,000 yards last year (4,804). He completed 68.4 percent of his passes on a 7.7 YPA. His touchdown-to-interception ratio wasn't great (23:14), but it wasn't terrible either. What is remarkable is that Carr did all this amid poor offensive line protection and multiple off-the-field distractions involving his head coach and top deep-threat receiver. Carr still has offensive line problems he'll have to endure, but Davante Adams' presence will make things easier.

13. Kirk Cousins, Vikings. 2021 Ranking: 18. 2020 Ranking: 22. 2019 Ranking: 19. 2018 Ranking: 15. 2017 Ranking: 16. 2016 Ranking: 19. 2015 Ranking: --.
Kirk Cousins is as mediocre as it gets. He posts great numbers sometimes, thanks in part to the fantastic receivers he has at his disposal. However, Cousins just isn't good enough to consistently beat good teams.

12. Kyler Murray, Cardinals. 2021 Ranking: 8. 2020 Ranking: 11. 2019 Ranking: 22. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Kyler Murray is a dynamic dual threat, but there are some concerns. There were earlier worries about his presence in the locker room. Even worse, Murray's work ethic came into question when his new contract stipulated that he must study four hours of game film on his own every week. It's not a good sign if the Cardinals have to motivate Murray to work hard. It's an indication that he doesn't love football, so it wouldn't totally blow me away if at some point, he quit football to go play baseball, which requires far less effort.

11. Dak Prescott, Cowboys. 2021 Ranking: 13. 2020 Ranking: 19. 2019 Ranking: 25. 2018 Ranking: 21. 2017 Ranking: 12. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Dak Prescott has played behind a great offensive line for most of his career. He's been exposed when some of the blockers have been injured. He posted tremendous numbers last year, but Prescott will now have to proceed without La'el Collins, Connor Williams, Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson. Michael Gallup is also a huge question mark coming off a torn ACL.

10. Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens. 2021 Ranking: 7. 2020 Ranking: 7. 2019 Ranking: 23. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Despite what some may think, Lamar Jackson is a terrific quarterback. He's a constant presence in the top 10 of this list for a reason. Jackson hasn't completed worse than 64.4 percent of his passes if you exclude his rookie season, and his YPA has always been in the sevens. He has thrown 84 touchdowns to 31 interceptions in his career. I haven't even gotten to Jackson's rushing ability yet, but I thought that I would demonstrate that he throws the football incredibly well.

9. Deshaun Watson, Browns. 2021 Ranking: 6. 2020 Ranking: 5. 2019 Ranking: 11. 2018 Ranking: 10. 2017 Ranking: 24. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
It'll be interesting to see if Deshaun Watson doesn't skip a beat once he returns under center. There's a chance it could take him some time to adjust because he's been out of football for a while. However, Watson will surely be great again at some point, and his 2022 season could ultimately have a happy ending. People may not want to hear this because Watson has rubbed them the wrong way, but he's unquestionably a top-10 talent.

8. Justin Herbert, Chargers. 2021 Ranking: 10. 2020 Ranking: 31. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Justin Herbert took the NFL by storm as a rookie. He did this despite poor blocking from the offensive line, so he had to frequently target Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler. The Chargers did a great job of upgrading Herbert's offensive line heading into 2021, which allowed the young quarterback to take more downfield shots to Mike Williams. The Chargers' blocking will be even better in 2022, so Herbert could have an MVP campaign.

7. Matthew Stafford, Rams. 2021 Ranking: 9. 2020 Ranking: 15. 2019 Ranking: 18. 2018 Ranking: 12. 2017 Ranking: 9. 2016 Ranking: 13. 2015 Ranking: 15.
Matthew Stafford was always limited by bad coaching and a mediocre supporting cast in Detroit. We all saw how great Stafford could be with incredible coaching and a stellar group of receivers and blockers. It was no surprise that he won the Super Bowl in his first year with the Rams.

6. Russell Wilson, Broncos. 2021 Ranking: 4. 2020 Ranking: 2. 2019 Ranking: 4. 2018 Ranking: 4. 2017 Ranking: 3. 2016 Ranking: 2. 2015 Ranking: 3.
Many are not believers in the Broncos because they think Russell Wilson is close to being washed up. Wilson suffered a finger injury last year and returned much earlier than expected. He struggled as a result, but caught fire late in the year when he was 100 percent. Wilson will have a great supporting cast in Denver, so I think he has a good chance of being the latest veteran quarterback to join a .500-ish team and make a run for the Super Bowl.

5. Tom Brady, Buccaneers. 2021 Ranking: 3. 2020 Ranking: 3. 2019 Ranking: 1. 2018 Ranking: 1. 2017 Ranking: 2. 2016 Ranking: 6. 2015 Ranking: 8.
Peyton Manning retired when he was around 38 years old. If you take Tom Brady's career from age 38 until now, you have a Hall of Fame resume. Isn't that insane? It seemed as though Brady retired himself this offseason, but all it took was 40 days for him to change his mind. I imagine that the rest of the NFC is salty that Gisele made him go to Whole Foods that fateful Sunday afternoon. Brady should still be great, but there's always a chance that he could regress, especially now that he's 45.



4. Josh Allen, Bills. 2021 Ranking: 5. 2020 Ranking: 10. 2019 Ranking: 29. 2018 Ranking: 31. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Josh Allen was a raw passer with great mobility as a rookie, and then he made a big leap in his second season. And yet, he made the same type of jump in his third season, becoming a top-five NFL quarterback. Allen, who battled Patrick Mahomes to the very end in an epic playoff game, is still just 26, so he could continue to improve, especially with a bolstered offensive line and receiving corps. This should terrify every franchise in the AFC East.

3. Joe Burrow, Bengals. 2021 Ranking: 16. 2020 Ranking: 17. 2019 Ranking: --. 2018 Ranking: --. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Joe Burrow was on pace to set rookie records before suffering a crushing knee injury against the Redskins. The knee injury is why I ranked him just 16th last year. Burrow had a shaky start to the season, losing to the Bears and nearly falling to the Jaguars, but he caught fire at the end of the year. It was truly remarkable how great Burrow happened to be against the blitz. This is why he was able to carve up the Chiefs so easily. Now armed with an improved offensive line, Burrow figures to be even better in 2022.

2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers. 2021 Ranking: 2. 2020 Ranking: 4. 2019 Ranking: 3. 2018 Ranking: 2. 2017 Ranking: 1. 2016 Ranking: 1. 2015 Ranking: 1.
The reigning two-time MVP will be tested this year. Aaron Rodgers has a new contract that kept him in Green Bay, but he won't have Davante Adams at his disposal any longer. Rodgers will now have to rely on the likes of Allen Lazard, Christian Watson and Sammy Watkins, which doesn't sound promising. Still, it would be foolish to doubt Rodgers' ability to drag a team like this to another divisional crown.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs. 2021 Ranking: 1. 2020 Ranking: 1. 2019 Ranking: 2. 2018 Ranking: 16. 2017 Ranking: --. 2016 Ranking: --. 2015 Ranking: --.
Someone working the ticket counter at a Las Vegas sportsbook told me that "Patrick Mahomes is no longer a difference maker at this stage of his career." This person is clearly an idiot. Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL, and there's no doubting that. He has no weaknesses. He has a rocket arm, great accuracy, dangerous mobility, infectious leadership, a very high football IQ, and a tireless work ethic. It's scary to think that Mahomes has just four years of starting experience. Imagine how good he'll be when he has even more starts under his belt. Mahomes has the potential to go down as the greatest quarterback of all time.








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