NFL 2022: Ranking the top 43 quarterbacks in the league

The quarterback position is the most important position in the NFL. If you don’t have one, you’re toast. We rank the top 43 players at the position in 2022.

The NFL is a quarterback-driven league.

How many times have we heard that one?

As cliché as that is to say, it’s very true. If you don’t have a quarterback in today’s NFL, winning is simply very hard to do, if not bordering on impossible.

Yes, certain teams can overcome average to below-average quarterback play. We’ve seen that plenty in recent years. The fact is, however, that top-tier QB play simply puts you in the best position to compete over the long haul.

Even a team like the San Francisco 49ers, which has reached the NFC Championship twice in the last three years, made a bold move for Trey Lance in 2021 because Jimmy Garoppolo is not a true star at the position.

Teams are searching every year for the next star at the position and teams will go to great lengths to be able to find a solution at quarterback.

The unfortunate reality is, out of almost 8 billion people on this planet, there aren’t 32 elite-level quarterbacks in the NFL.

There are still plenty of good ones. For now, I have put together a list of the top 43 overall quarterbacks in the league, a list I’m sure will be agreed upon by all of you readers unanimously.

A combination of factors was included in this ranking, including the production of each player if they’ve already been in the NFL as well as projection, team fit, supporting cast, and of course just pure talent.

No. 43 NFL quarterback in 2022: Matt Corral, Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers enter the 2022 NFL season with arguably the worst overall QB situation of any team in the NFL.

After a trade for Baker Mayfield failed to materialize in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Panthers set their sights on making a more financially responsible move up the board from round four into round three for Matt Corral.

For much of the 2021 college football season, Corral was arguably the most exciting draft-eligible quarterback in the country.

He’s on the smaller side but he’s a playmaker. He will need time to adjust to a more complex offense in the NFL as well as making more reads beyond one and two, but there are tools here and leadership traits that the Panthers are obviously buying.

No. 42 NFL quarterback in 2022: Malik Willis, Tennessee Titans

Could Malik Willis be the successor to Ryan Tannehill? Certainly not if Tannehill has anything to say about it.

The rookie out of Liberty was expected, at one point, to go potentially as the top overall quarterback in this year’s draft and somewhere in the top 10 picks overall.

That obviously didn’t happen as the whole league passed on Willis for two, almost three rounds.

The Titans scooped him up in round three and honestly, it was probably an ideal scenario for Willis to go into.

Not that these players will ever admit to caring about the pressure that can come along with certain draft status, but there are inherently vastly different expectations for Willis the 86th overall pick in the NFL Draft compared to Willis the 25th overall pick in the Draft.

Willis is obviously a tremendous talent and a fascinating prospect with a huge arm, elite athleticism, and playmaking ability.

Can he end up an NFL starter sooner rather than later?

It would be a lot of fun to see what he could do in Tennessee with such a strong running game behind him, namely in tandem with Derrick Henry.

No. 41 NFL quarterback in 2022: Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons

Just before the 2022 NFL Draft, it was clear that NFL teams liked Desmond Ridder more than the masses among Draft Twitter seemed to think they would.

Ridder ended up being the second quarterback selected in the 2022 Draft, but he wasn’t picked until the third round, no. 74 overall, to the Atlanta Falcons

Just as is the case with Malik Willis and the Titans, Ridder landed in a pretty great spot with the Atlanta Falcons, who have been doing their best to add to the receiver room during and after the Draft.

The Falcons added Drake London with the 8th overall pick and they swung a trade for Bryan Edwards of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Ridder brings a ton of poise and experience with him to the NFL as well as a load of tools.

He’s almost a carbon copy of Marcus Mariota in terms of his size and athleticism, and I think he’ll be able to pick up Arthur Smith’s offense rather quickly.

The question is, how fast can he prove himself worthy of a starting job?

No. 40 NFL quarterback in 2022: Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens

Although the Baltimore Ravens would have undoubtedly preferred a fully healthy season from Lamar Jackson in 2021, the former MVP’s missed time paved the way for four starts from backup Tyler Huntley.

Huntley’s four games included plenty of mixed results but it was clear that he had the full trust of the coaching staff to run the offense.

The Ravens lost by a combined three points in Huntley’s first two starts of the year, games against the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers.

It was against the Packers where Huntley really put himself on the map and had a lot of fans Googling his contract situation to find out when he might become available to their favorite team.

Ultimately, the Ravens were plenty competitive with Huntley in the lineup and he showed some really nice things as a potential future starter in this league.

He’ll be the backup to Lamar Jackson again this season, but don’t be surprised to see rumors heat up in the 2023 offseason about teams going after Huntley just as they once did Tyrod Taylor, who went from unknown backup in Baltimore to a Pro Bowl starter in Buffalo.

No. 39 NFL quarterback in 2022: Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers

It is going to seem super harsh to have Sam Darnold this low on a list of the top 43 quarterbacks in the NFL for the 2022 season, but how much longer is the “potential” of the former third overall pick going to last?

I feel like he’s got to start showing something out there on the field before any more stock is purchased.

There’s no more buying low on Sam Darnold.

Even though he’s not yet 25 years old, Darnold has proven exactly what many feared coming out of USC.

He has 52 interceptions in 50 NFL games. He has never played a full season and in the last two years, he’s missed a combined nine games.

He had the same number of fumbles last season (9) as he did touchdown passes.

Ultimately, I just don’t think the Panthers can build around this guy. They need to go after Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo if they want to actually compete this season, which could be a make-or-break year for Matt Rhule.

No. 38 NFL quarterback in 2022: Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons

If not for their NFC South counterparts in Carolina, I would say the Atlanta Falcons had the worst quarterback situation in the NFL.

Arguably, of course.

That distinction could belong to a variety of teams but the Falcons are in the top (bottom?) three.

Marcus Mariota is the projected starter this season after signing a free agent deal to leave Las Vegas and come to Atlanta where he reunites with Arthur Smith.

The last time Mariota worked with Arthur Smith, he had been demoted from his position as franchise QB to Ryan Tannehill’s backup.

No hard feelings, I guess?

Mariota is absolutely worthy of a dart throw for a team like Atlanta, provided they have the green light from ownership to rebuild and reload.

He’s also a worthwhile reclamation project with tremendous athleticism and a history of being productive, albeit a distant history of it.

We’ll see what he’s learned in his time being a backup to Derek Carr with the Raiders. Hopefully, he is at least capable of putting the ball in spots where players like Drake London and Kyle Pitts can go up and get it.

He’s also getting a former teammate — Bryan Edwards — to join him with the new-look Falcons offense.

No. 37 NFL quarterback in 2022: Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks

The career arcs of Geno Smith and Drew Lock — now competing for the starting job in Seattle in 2022 — are oddly similar.

Both players were somewhat surprising second-round picks in their respective draft classes despite being projected first-rounders.

Both players have underwhelmed despite lower draft status and have, to this point, failed to seize a full-time starting role in the NFL.

That could all change for Smith in 2022 as he gets the first crack at being captain of the Russell Wilson-less Seattle Seahawks ship.

At this point, we simply haven’t seen enough of Smith in recent years to really know whether or not this is a good decision by the Seattle Seahawks or whether they should go trade for Baker Mayfield.

Actually, they should probably just make the trade for Mayfield and throw that dart at the board.

You never know.

Smith is going to be 32 this season and is coming off of one of his better years, at least in terms of being a backup. He completed over 68 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and just one interception.

He also added a rushing touchdown. Although I’m not as high on Smith as the Seahawks seemingly are, it’s not too late for us all to see the best version of Geno Smith at the NFL level that we’ve seen.

No. 36 NFL quarterback in 2022: Case Keenum, Buffalo Bills

Case Keenum is one of the most quality backup quarterbacks in the NFL today.

After going undrafted out of Houston a handful of years ago where he put up video game-like numbers as a college quarterback, Keenum has carved out a rather nice role for himself in the NFL.

He was already a coveted backup before the 2017 season in Minnesota but his play as the starter that year for the Vikings dramatically increased his value, and he got a two-year deal from the Denver Broncos in the 2018 offseason to be the team’s new starting quarterback.

Starting the entire 2018 season, Keenum obviously wasn’t the difference-maker the Broncos had hoped for or believed he could be based on his 2017 season with the Vikings, a magical run that ended in the playoffs after the Minneapolis Miracle.

Keenum was traded to Washington in 2019 where he started half the games.

He has spent the last two years in Cleveland, playing sparingly but getting a start and a win against one of his former teams — the Broncos — in a Thursday night matchup.

He will now serve as the backup to Josh Allen in Buffalo, a fascinating contrast of style of play as well as just the physical makeup of these two guys.

Keenum will be a valuable voice for Allen in the quarterback room.

No. 35 NFL quarterback in 2022: Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants

Tyrod Taylor had a pretty bizarre streak of being the NFL’s version of Good Luck Chuck for a while.

After he left the Buffalo Bills following the 2017 season, they promptly drafted Josh Allen, who has become one of the best quarterbacks in the game.

He joined the Cleveland Browns in 2018 where they immediately found Baker Mayfield, who appeared to be the franchise QB of the future early on.

In 2019, he landed with the Los Angeles Chargers, who found Justin Herbert one year after Taylor signed.

In 2021, he joined the Houston Texans, who used their top pick on Davis Mills. At this point, Mills has shown enough to potentially be the Texans’ guy, at least for this season.

Unfortunately, none of that has meant much for Tyrod Taylor other than unfortunate and untimely injuries leading to young guys taking his job.

Early on in the 2021 season, Taylor was playing lights out for Houston. He had completed 31-of-44 passes to open the season against the Jaguars and Browns with four total touchdowns and no interceptions.

Had Taylor not been hurt against the Browns, who knows what kind of season he might have had?

Now, he will compete with Daniel Jones for a starting job in 2022. In my eyes, he’s got a pretty darn good chance of winning that job but it’s hard to know what the Giants’ plans are this season.

I’d love to see the veteran Taylor get a shot with this Giants team, which has a vastly improved offensive line and a healthy group of skill players.

No. 34 NFL quarterback in 2022: Daniel Jones, New York Giants

This has got to be the final straw for Daniel Jones, right?

The New York Giants didn’t do much to go out and upgrade the quarterback position this offseason, only really raising the floor behind Jones with the acquisition of the aforementioned Tyrod Taylor.

Given Taylor’s experience as a starter and how solid he looked last year to open the season with the Houston Texans, that move might pay dividends for the Giants if they want to compete for the NFC East right away and expedite that “rebuild”.

With a new head coach in Brian Daboll, fresh off of one of the most miraculous quarterback development jobs in recent memory with Josh Allen in Buffalo, the Giants could be poised to see a drastic change — for the better — offensively in 2022.

The question is — can Daniel Jones take a step forward?

At this point in time, I don’t think it’s even arguable that he is one of the worst starters in the league. He turns the ball over at way too high of a rate and has an obscenely low touchdown percentage (under three percent) over the last two seasons and over 800 passes combined.

I think Jones will be in competition for his job this offseason with Tyrod Taylor and I’m not confident he’s going to win it.

No. 33 NFL quarterback in 2022: Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers searched far and wide for a quarterback to pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

As it turns out, they didn’t have to look any further than their own locker room, which is shared by the Pitt Panthers and former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Pickett, the Steelers’ top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, is the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger. At least, for the long-term, he is.

Pickett’s ascent in the 2021 college football season was a lot of fun to watch. He made some outstanding throws throughout the season and although his ascent wasn’t quite on the level of Joe Burrow, you got some similar vibes from thos guys.

Pickett has good pocket awareness and is a good athlete who can make plays with his legs. Don’t believe me?

They literally had to create a rule after one of the plays he made last season.

You love that kind of backyard swag from your quarterback. Although that type of move won’t fly anymore, it goes to show the kind of competitor and instinctive football player that Pickett is.

In the middle of a game, his brain is thinking of every way possible to create additional yardage instead of typical programming to just slide and go down there.

Pickett is a competitor. He was lights out in the red zone last season. He can drop the ball in a bucket from pretty much anywhere on the field.

He’s set up well for long-term success with the coaching and arsenal of playmakers in Pittsburgh.

No. 32 NFL quarterback in 2022: Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

It was a brutal 2021 season for Justin Fields, whose issues were not entirely his own fault.

Fields had a horrendous offensive line in front of him last year.

He had a head coach with one foot out the door.

The Bears were a team in desperation mode in the 2021 offseason, and Fields felt like the savior at the time he was selected.

Unfortunately, the expectations of Bears fans who felt like Fields could immediately step onto an NFL field and provide a substantial upgrade at the position were not met or exceeded in any way.

Fields struggled with turnovers. He made some splash plays and showed signs that he could be a stud but the results for him in year one were mostly bad.

Now, the Bears have hired a defensive-minded head coach and they spent the majority of the offseason focused on upgrading the defensive side of the ball with their premium assets.

Unfortunately, not even that worked out for first-year GM Ryan Poles (coming over from Kansas City) because the Bears’ top big-money free agent pickup — defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi — failed a physical and his contract was revoked.

I’m not confident — at all — in the group the Bears have put around Justin Fields for his second NFL season. Hopefully, he is able to rise above it.

No. 31 NFL quarterback in 2022: Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks

I still believe there’s something there with Drew Lock.

Going from Rich Scangarello’s offense in Denver in 2019 to Pat Shurmur’s offense in 2020 and 2021 was a nightmare scenario for the young Lock, who has had about 136 different offensive coordinators in the last eight years of football he’s played.

A transition back to the Shanahan/Kubiak/McVay type of offense under Shane Waldron in Seattle is going to be a very welcomed transition for Lock, who has no shortage of playmakers (yet again) to work with in Seattle.

Not to mention, an almost completely overhauled offensive line.

Lock goes from throwing to Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Tim Patrick to throwing to DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and D’Wayne Eskridge.

He’s got Noah Fant coming with him.

The Seahawks also re-signed Will Dissly and Rashaad Penny. They used one of their top picks in the 2022 NFL Draft on Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker.

Could there be growing pains for bookend rookie tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas? Sure, but there are promising days ahead for this Seahawks core and if Drew Lock can win the starting job, he stands to benefit greatly.

He’s got a big arm and tremendous athleticism.

Traits have never been in question for Lock.

What he needs to figure out ASAP is why odd mistakes with the ball constantly follow him around.

No. 30 NFL quarterback in 2022: Gardner Minshew, Philadelphia Eagles

Out of all the placements on this list, I have a feeling my placement of Gardner Minshew here at no. 30 is the most “hot takey” of them all.

Minshew isn’t a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s entering a contract year in 2022 and I think other than Kyler Murray, he’s been arguably the best quarterback from the class of 2019.

Minshew has proven, pretty much every time he’s been out on the field whether he was with the Jaguars or the Eagles, that he’s got the gamer gene.

You love the way this guy competes, his accuracy with the ball, and the confidence with which he plays.

I’m surprised more teams weren’t calling the Eagles this offseason trying to trade for Minshew.

Maybe they still will.

Maybe I’m overrating him.

All I know is, this guy has passed the eye test and would be a worthy dart throw for some team that needed a spot starter for a year.

I’m eager to see him get that opportunity in 2022 or 2023, likely somewhere outside of Philadelphia.

Minshew will turn 27 next offseason, so his best days should still be ahead of him. He might turn out to be another Case Keenum — a high-quality backup and not a long-term starting option — but he deserves another shot to prove it.

No. 29 NFL quarterback in 2022: Davis Mills, Houston Texans

You can count me as one of the biggest skeptics of the Davis Mills pick a year ago for the Texans.

Last year at this time, I was embarrassed on behalf of Nick Caserio and the Texans.

The DeAndre Hopkins trade was still relatively fresh. The team cut JJ Watt. Deshaun Watson was demanding a trade.

They then went out and used their top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft — a third-rounder, mind you — on Stanford’s Davis Mills. This guy hadn’t even started a full season at the college level.

He was a five-star recruit with little else positive to his name until you dove into the tape.

Mills, under the direction of quarterbacks coach and now-offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, enjoyed a very nice rookie season for Houston, proving himself worthy of a shot to seize full control of the job in 2022.

With Kyle Allen as his only competition, this job is Mills’ to lose by a wide margin and I think we’re going to see him do a pretty great job.

He’s a big pocket passer with accuracy to all levels of the field. He’s now got an improved cast around him with first-round offensive lineman Kenyon Green coming in as well as second-round receiver John Metchie.

The Texans went out this offseason and re-signed Brandin Cooks, they brought in running back Marlon Mack, and I think they’re poised to be more competitive in 2022 than most people anticipate.

They may only win six or seven games, if that, but I think Houston is going to be a fun team to monitor this year as they give Mills a legitimate shot.

No. 28 NFL quarterback in 2022: Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers

The big-time traits of Trey Lance on display in the Kyle Shanahan offense will be fun for every NFL fan to watch.

Lance was the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State where his sample size was bordering on historically small for a quarterback prospect being picked that high from the FCS ranks.

The 49ers were obviously sold on the tools and the person, because they moved up and gave up a lot of capital to get Lance in the building.

As of right now, however, Lance is still on the same QB depth chart as incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo, whose offseason shoulder surgery has apparently complicated trade possibilities.

I think a team like Carolina would still be extremely smart to trade for Garoppolo and actually give themselves a shot to compete this season, and I think ultimately, most everyone expects this job to be Lance’s in 2022.

But what if it isn’t?

We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.

For now, the 49ers still have Deebo Samuel. They should have everything in place for Lance to have immediate success upon being named the full-time starter, but Lance needs to be afforded the opportunity for growing pains as well.

I think expectations are going to be really high for him.

Luckily, as Lance grows as a passer, he has elite tools to be able to keep the 49ers in playoff contention as a runner just like Josh Allen was able to do early in his career with the Buffalo Bills.

No. 27 NFL quarterback in 2022: Zach Wilson, New York Jets

There is no question that Zach Wilson is in a much better position to succeed here in the 2022 season than he was as a rookie.

The Jets have gone out and made necessary and substantial upgrades to their roster on both sides of the ball.

In free agency, the Jets lured a familiar face to New York with offensive guard Laken Tomlinson joining the offensive line and some of his former pals with the 49ers who are now part of the Jets’ coaching staff.

The Jets then went out in the 2022 NFL Draft and landed Garrett Wilson out of Ohio State and Breece Hall out of Iowa State to upgrade (significantly) their offensive weaponry.

At the tight end position, veterans CJ Uzomah and Tyler Conklin will give Wilson a couple of really desperately needed outlets and safety valves.

Overall, there’s really nowhere for Wilson to go but up after his rookie season. I think, probably more than any other 2021 quarterback besides Trey Lance, the Jets have done the best job of putting a supporting cast around Wilson.

Even if the pieces are mostly young, I like the players around Wilson the best out of the 2021 class sans Lance in San Francisco.

Wilson was sacked a whopping 44 times in 13 games last year so the fact that the Jets upgraded the offensive line with the pickup of Tomlinson and the sneaky great pick of Max Mitchell in round four makes his 2022 projection even better.

No. 26 NFL quarterback in 2022: Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers

Am I putting Mitchell Trubisky too high on this list?

Maybe.

He’s coming off of a year in which he was Josh Allen’s backup in Buffalo, where he got a desperately needed reset.

What’s really interesting about every debate surrounding Mitchell Trubisky is that people can’t figure out whether Trubisky’s faults in Chicago are his own or whether Matt Nagy and the coaching staff — which were objectively very bad at the end — contributed heavily to Trubisky’s downfall.

Let’s not forget, the Bears were actually quite good with Trubisky in 2018.

Actually, from 2018-2020, the Bears were 25-13 with Trubisky as the starter and he completed over 65 percent of his passes with 57 touchdowns.

I’m perhaps a little overly optimistic about how things could go with Trubisky in Pittsburgh and I’m okay with that.

Trubisky was the second overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, a class that included Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes.

Bears fans know that tale all too well.

With the Steelers, Trubisky has the structure in place all around him to be successful. Yes, the Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round this year, presumably to play right away, but there’s an opportunity for Trubisky to fend him off.

No. 25 NFL quarterback in 2022: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are hellbent on proving that Tua Tagovailoa was the right pick in 2020.

Time will tell if they are right.

Apparently, two winning seasons with Brian Flores was not enough to make up for a difference of opinion over Tua, and because of the difference of opinion, Flores was fired this offseason.

The Dolphins ended up hiring Mike McDaniel from the 49ers to replace Flores, and they followed that up by adding a bunch of playmakers for Tua to get the ball to, including star Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill.

The Dolphins’ blockbuster deal for Tyreek Hill was the clearest signal yet that this team is bought into Tagovailoa. That’s simply not a move you make just for the sake of doing so.

The question is — will Tua Tagovailoa be able to take advantage of all the weapons he now has at his disposal, or will we all be left wanting more yet again?

Part of the issue with Tagovailoa is the fact that his peers in the 2020 NFL Draft class — namely Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert — have been doing incredibly well in their young NFL careers.

Tagovailoa has been benched and very inconsistent. To be fair, it hasn’t been a very healthy working environment because the front office clearly has had Tua’s back and the coaching staff under Flores obviously didn’t.

Now, he has the freedom of knowing the front office and the coaching staff have his back. How quickly can we see a major progression in his game?

For the Dolphins’ sake, hopefully very quickly to start the season.

No. 24 NFL quarterback in 2022: Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints

What are we to make of the start Jameis Winston had to the 2021 NFL season?

Winston was playing some lights out football for the Saints before a knee injury not only derailed his season but put his future with the franchise in jeopardy.

His recovery went well, the Saints obviously were pleased with what he showed last year, and the two sides agreed to a two-year deal worth $28 million.

Winston is coming back to a vastly different Saints team than a year ago.

The Saints said goodbye in the 2022 offseason to left tackle Terron Armstead and replaced him in the 2022 NFL Draft with Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning.

They will welcome back a healthy Michael Thomas in 2022, and also added Ohio State’s Chris Olave to the wide receiver room along with veteran slot man Jarvis Landry.

With a strong defense at his back and Alvin Kamara at his side, all of the pieces are in place for Winston to continue to revive his career as a rival of the team that drafted him first overall in Tampa Bay.

The only issue at this point?

Sean Payton is no longer with the Saints. Dennis Allen has taken over and Pete Carmichael will be calling the plays for the Saints’ offense.

Can Winston come back strong from the ACL? The pieces on the roster are certainly in place.

No. 23 NFL quarterback in 2022: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns

The situation surrounding Baker Mayfield right now is a massive bummer, for a variety of reasons.

First of all, it feels like it was just yesterday that Mayfield was being celebrated as one of the bright young stars of the NFL.

Now, just four years into his NFL career, we’re all wondering where Mayfield is going to play in 2022 and beyond because the Browns moved on from him for Deshaun Watson.

The former top overall pick and Heisman winner needs a new home in the NFL and I think he’s going to find one soon, whether that’s in Seattle or Carolina or Houston.

For the time being, Mayfield will have to wonder like everyone else what his future might hold.

Mayfield undoubtedly was a spark for the Cleveland Browns organization. This franchise is 29-30 with Mayfield as the starting quarterback, including 11-5 during the 2020 season.

Is that overwhelming success? No, of course not, but the Browns weren’t even sniffing 11-5 before Mayfield’s arrival and he also helped them to a playoff win over their division rivals in Pittsburgh during that 2020 season.

I think Mayfield still has a bright future in the NFL and I hope he lands in a great situation so he can prove the Browns wrong for moving on from him.

No. 22 NFL quarterback in 2022: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

I don’t blame the masses for being lower on Jared Goff than I currently am.

I have a handful of reasons why I think Jared Goff is a candidate for a very strong rebound season in 2022.

First of all, he finished the 2021 season very well and it looked like the Lions, as a team, were really beginning to galvanize and play hard for each other.

From weeks 5-9, Goff threw only one touchdown pass. That was absolutely embarrassing and the Lions’ offense looked like it was asleep at the wheel.

Goff was inactive in Week 10 and came back in Week 11, two weeks after the team had claimed Josh Reynolds off of waivers from the Los Angeles Rams.

It’s hard to give so much credit to an in-season waiver pickup, but the addition of Josh Reynolds was a jumpstart for the Lions’ offense and Goff started playing much better after Reynolds got into the lineup.

In his final five starts last season, Goff completed nearly 70 percent of his throws with 11 touchdowns, just two interceptions, and a 107.1 rating.

Now, the Lions have not only brought back Josh Reynolds, but Amon-Ra St. Brown returns after a huge rookie season and those two are joined by former Pro Bowl receiver DJ Chark and first-round pick Jameson Williams.

I think Goff has a good offensive line in front of him, he’s got big-time weapons (including TJ Hockenson at tight end as well as the aforementioned receivers), and I like the coaching staff in Detroit.

Overall, I think Goff is set up rather well for some success in 2022.

No. 21 NFL quarterback in 2022: Mac Jones, New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have to be absolutely thrilled with the way things turned out in the 2021 offseason.

They went absolutely bonkers in free agency last year, spending more money than they ever had before in a single offseason by a wide margin.

They stayed put smack in the middle of the first round of last year’s draft and wound up getting their preferred quarterback in Mac Jones, who ended up making the Pro Bowl and getting the Patriots back to the playoffs his rookie season.

Questions about in year two for Jones, however.

Josh McDaniels is gone. The infrastructure of the Patriots’ offense will likely stay in place and there are coaches who know football well enough to call plays but won’t it be odd to see Matt Patricia or Joe Judge out there scheming offense?

That’s what we’re facing in 2022.

The Patriots took a shot on a couple of real wild cards at receiver to help Jones’ production as a passer, trading for former Dolphins first-round pick DeVante Parker and drafting Tyquan Thornton out of Baylor and his sub-4.3 speed in round two.

Jones should be set up for decent success as a sophomore but I’m skeptical of the Patriots’ offensive brain trust at this point.

No. 20 NFL quarterback in 2022: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

What has 2021 number one overall pick Trevor Lawrence done in the NFL so far?

Nothing, really.

Is he a top 20 quarterback in the NFL right now?

Probably not, but part of this list involves some projecting. I think Lawrence is going to make huge strides this coming season for one primary reason — coaching.

I don’t think it can be overstated just how toxic of an environment it was in Jacksonville last year with Urban Meyer as the head coach.

In hindsight, the Jaguars are lucky that Meyer didn’t try to pull a fast one on everyone and take someone other than Lawrence with the top pick.

Considered a “generational” prospect coming out of Clemson, Lawrence didn’t exactly live up to the hype as a rookie, coaching or not.

Although the “generational” term is way too loosely thrown around these days, there were certainly times when you watched Lawrence play at Clemson where you saw an athletic version of Peyton Manning out there.

With Doug Pederson now in place as the Jaguars’ head coach, Lawrence has a chance to really thrive. I’m not sure the Jaguars did everything they needed to do at the wide receiver position to really make substantial upgrades, but perhaps the combination of Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram will be better as a group than its individual parts.

I still really like Lawrence’s projection moving forward to the 2022 season and I think he’ll end up solidifying a top 20 spot when all is said and done.

No. 19 NFL quarterback in 2022: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

It’s hard not to love success stories like Jalen Hurts.

I’m old enough to remember when Hurts was essentially a change of pace at the quarterback position at Alabama behind Tua Tagovailoa, who had taken Hurts’ starting job after a stellar relief performance in the National Championship game.

Hurts was a great teammate to Tagovailoa, and didn’t transfer until his senior season.

Going to Oklahoma and playing for Lincoln Riley ended up being one of the best decisions Hurts would make. There were times in his lone season with the Sooners that Hurts looked like he could be another first-round QB out of the Lincoln Riley factory.

Even the second round of the NFL Draft felt like a laughable projection given what we had seen from Hurts in most of his time at Alabama. He grew so much in Norman and continued that growth in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In just two seasons, Hurts looks like he might end up being the franchise guy for the Eagles. I would say, to be a little more on the conservative side, Hurts is still not quite there yet, but he’s given the Eagles reasons to believe in him and build around him for the time being.

He needs to take that next step in 2022 to really solidify that he is the guy for the Eagles for the long term.

I think he is going to do it.

No. 18 NFL quarterback in 2022: Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Let’s just make one thing clear — everyone should have a healthy level of respect for Jimmy Garoppolo.

Compared to other top-flight quarterbacks in the NFL, he may not be a preferable option. But let’s put some respect on this man’s name.

Garoppolo has been to the NFC Championship game in two of the last three seasons. What other QBs in the NFL have done that in the same timeframe?

I get it. Garoppolo is not the one elevating the 49ers to title contender status, but he does have stretches of play that are rather impressive, and even if he’s good for one bad mistake a game, this guy is a gamer whose teammates have his back.

I think Garoppolo is a quality starter in the NFL when he’s healthy and he’s obviously a great fit in the Shanahan offense.

The 49ers obviously believe that there are limitations with Garoppolo under center and that’s also understandable.

He hasn’t been able to consistently stay healthy in the NFL and he doesn’t have the kind of physical tools of a guy like Trey Lance.

With that being said, I think having Garoppolo would drastically change the projection this season for a team like the Carolina Panthers.

He’s a solid starter and he’s proven he can help good teams get into the final four or better.

No. 17 NFL quarterback in 2022: Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders

Is Carson Wentz unanimously beloved? No.

Is he consistent? No.

Is he still one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league? I believe so.

Physically, Wentz is an incredibly gifted dude. He was the second overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft and his combination of talent and athleticism hasn’t exactly disappeared.

This guy can sling the ball around the yard.

The Indianapolis Colts simply weren’t willing to stick with Wentz after a 98 percent chance of making the playoffs disappeared in the final two games of the 2021 season.

Apparently, the organization held Wentz solely accountable for that.

Part of that is understandable.

At the same time, you don’t have quarterbacks that can throw 27 touchdowns compared to just seven interceptions growing on trees.

The Washington Commanders have been starved for competent quarterback play for as long as just about any team in the NFL.

They have not found anyone that can solidify that spot but they are obviously hoping that Wentz can figure it out.

He’ll have better receivers in Washington than he had with the Colts — at least, in my opinion they are better — and a great defense to lean on as well.

No. 16 NFL quarterback in 2022: Matt Ryan Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are hoping they can follow in the footsteps of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams and win the Super Bowl with a veteran QB joining their squad.

I’m just not certain the Colts made the right call this offseason.

Time will tell.

Were Matt Ryan’s wings being clipped with the Atlanta Falcons?

It’s certainly possible.

With that said, I’m just not so sure the Colts are getting the “Matty Ice” of old in 2022. This move could turn out to be a sequel to the Philip Rivers move for the Colts a couple of years ago, and there’s nothing really wrong with that.

Rivers helped get the Colts to the playoffs, and Matt Ryan is good enough to help the Colts get there as well.

Ryan just turned 37 this month and will obviously have a lot of pressure on him now that he’s changed teams for the first time in his illustrious career.

Ryan won the MVP as recent as the 2016 season and he can still put up big numbers.

My biggest questions here — do the Colts have enough weapons in the passing game for Ryan? Are they going to be fine at the left tackle position?

Having a smart veteran like Ryan should be a breath of fresh air for the Colts, at least in terms of what we all perceive they are looking for at the position right now — veteran savvy, some serious clout, and leadership in the locker room.

No. 15 NFL quarterback in 2022: Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

I don’t really buy Ryan Tannehill.

The question is — why?

Tannehill has been pretty darn good since taking over as the starting quarterback of the Titans midway through the 2019 season.

Tannehill replaced Marcus Mariota in the lineup during a shutout loss to the Denver Broncos and he hasn’t looked back.

The Titans are currently in the midst of one of their most prosperous stretches of football in recent team history.

Mike Vrabel is being recognized for his outstanding coaching.

Tannehill earned his first Pro Bowl nod and has been able to stay healthy since relocating to Tennessee.

The Titans have lost only 13 regular season games in three years since Tannehill took over as the starter. You will take that kind of team success 10 times out of 10 if you can get it.

The Titans gave Tannehill a big contract but you can’t help but wonder if they’re experiencing some buyer’s remorse. Their name still comes up in plenty of QB rumors, and they just drafted Malik Willis out of Liberty.

I think Ryan Tannehill deserves some due respect for the way he’s led this Titans team the last couple of years, but I can’t buy him as a top-10 quarterback. I think the Titans have peaked with the kind of success they can have with him under center.

No. 14 NFL quarterback in 2022: Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

Kirk Cousins puts up such good numbers, you’d have a hard time believing the Vikings just can’t find consistent success as a team with him under center.

The Vikings have a record of 33-29-1 with Kirk Cousins under center.

They have been the epitome of average over the last handful of seasons despite Cousins throwing 68 total touchdowns in 2020 and 2021 combined.

Again, Cousins experiences plenty of individual success. He has a high completion rate. He throws for a lot of yards. He has a lot of touchdowns.

He makes a ton of money.

Unfortunately, the results are just not there for the Vikings, who have only made the playoffs one time since signing Cousins to a massive free agent contract.

I would say if you were to look up the definition of “above average NFL quarterback” you would find a picture of Kirk Cousins there.

He’s not just average. He’s better than the average NFL quarterback. But just like I feel with many of the players in the “teens” on this list, there is a proverbial ceiling that you reach with a quarterback like Kirk Cousins.

Can he finally break through that after almost $162 million in career earnings?

No. 13 NFL quarterback in 2022: Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

I’m just not ready to vault Deshaun Watson back into the top 10 quarterback discussion.

Not yet.

Watson has to earn that type of distinction back on the field, where we haven’t seen him since the Texans’ pathetic finish to the 2020 season.

I’m not saying great quarterbacks don’t go through slumps if they’re on bad teams, but how did a Watson-led Texans team only win four games in 2020?

There was a lot going on with that team off the field, to be fair, but Watson was certainly contributing to the distractions. We only found out about it months after the season was over.

Now a member of the Cleveland Browns, Watson has the distinction of highest-paid NFL player in league history, at least in terms of one individual contract.

No NFL player has ever received a guaranteed contract the likes of Watson’s $230 million deal with the Browns.

Now, he must elevate this roster to legitimate Super Bowl contender status — immediately — or the Browns will face the music for that kind of move.

Football-wise, it’s hard to blame the Browns for this. Watson has shown signs of being a legitimate MVP candidate in the past.

In terms of how this move makes the organization look?

The only word that comes to mind is desperate.

No. 12 NFL quarterback in 2022: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

It is going to be a lot of fun to see how Lamar Jackson responds in 2021 to all the things being said about him over the last handful of months.

I think a lot of pundits and analysts are giving Jackson bulletin board material, giving him absolutely scathing reviews for not trying to get a contract done with the Ravens sooner rather than later.

In terms of what we saw from Jackson on the field in 2021, it was not good. Certainly not by his standards, really just not good by any standard.

The former MVP of the league looked like a shell of his former self. He struggled with injuries and ultimately saw his touchdown percentage decrease significantly and his interception percentage rise significantly as well.

It was always going to be tough for Jackson to sustain the type of other-worldly success we saw from him in 2019 when the Ravens ranked 32nd in pass attempts and somehow 1st in the NFL in passing touchdowns in the same year.

Jackson has plenty of pressure from the outside in 2021, but I think he’ll put enough pressure on himself that the outside pressure isn’t going to faze him even a little bit.

Jackson is still one of the game’s most dangerous threats at the quarterback position with the ability to jump right back into the MVP conversation.

No. 11 NFL quarterback in 2022: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

It feels like the Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray are at a real crossroads with each other.

Although earlier in the offseason, it felt like Murray was using social media to express his disdain with the team and perhaps contract negotiations (or lack thereof), it stands to reason that cooler heads have prevailed here.

The Cardinals must have given Murray some assurance that something was on the horizon, because Murray’s tune has changed.

The Cardinals traded for one of his best buddies during the 2022 NFL Draft when they acquired Marquise Brown from the Baltimore Ravens.

Brown’s arrival comes at a perfect time because the Cardinals will be without DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games of the 2022 season due to suspension.

Murray has been pretty much exactly as advertised coming out of Oklahoma. He’s a dynamic dual-threat at the quarterback position whose ability to make plays with his legs is overshadowed only by his elite arm talent.

He’s so dynamic and explosive as an athlete, but he is also still growing and evolving as a passer.

As his game continues to grow, so should the Arizona offense.

Not having Hopkins for a handful of games could be a blessing in disguise for this team if Murray can spread the ball around and really gain some trust with the other targets in this offense.

The Cardinals brought back Zach Ertz, they brought back AJ Green, they brought in Hollywood Brown, and they’ve got Rondale Moore coming off of his rookie season where he showed some promise.

Don’t be shocked if Murray can top 40 total touchdowns this season.

No. 10 NFL quarterback in 2022: Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

Derek Carr is such a fascinating study.

Statistically speaking, putting him as a top-10 NFL quarterback is borderline laughable.

The problem is, this list is not being assembled based purely on the statistics a player is capable of putting up or has put up in their career.

Derek Carr is a high-impact player at the quarterback position who understands how to involve every single player in the offensive arsenal.

He understands his teammates’ strengths, and he plays to them. He’s an accurate passer and a mostly good decision maker.

The stats haven’t always reflected it, but I think Carr is one of the best 10 quarterbacks in the NFL anyway, and the fact that he now has Davante Adams will probably boost him into that spot for good.

There are some weeks when Carr looks like just another guy out there at the QB position. He’s not immune to the occasional clunker of a game. But when it comes to managing the game and also having the ability to make clutch plays, I think Carr is one of the most underrated in the game today.

No. 9 NFL quarterback in 2022: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott’s comeback season from the horrendous leg injury he suffered in 2020 was nothing short of remarkable.

Prescott has undoubtedly become a legitimate top 10 quarterback in the NFL today, and he’s reestablished his position in this group after a massive year in 2021.

Prescott completed nearly 69 percent of his passes last season for nearly 4,500 yards and a career-best 37 touchdowns.

He finished as the runner-up in the Comeback Player of the Year race but Prescott went out and earned that massive contract he signed with the Cowboys, a great gesture of faith on the part of the Dallas front office given the nature of the injury Prescott was coming back from at the time.

As of right now, it’s really hard to see anyone taking the Cowboys’ spot atop the NFC East as long as the quarterback alignment in that division remains how it is.

The Giants are not currently a legitimate threat.

The Eagles played better last season than I think most people expected, but are they going to be able to dethrone Dallas over the course of a 17-game season?

Prescott gives the Cowboys a viable MVP candidate at the position and they are obviously hoping (as well as investing a lot in that hope) that Prescott can get this team back into playoff prominence.

That’s the next step for him to take as a player — be a major difference-maker in the playoffs.

No. 8 NFL quarterback in 2022: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

It was a glorious year in 2021 for Matthew Stafford.

The Lions were getting ready to take on a total rebuild, and for a variety of reasons, they agreed to trade Stafford and part ways with their former top draft choice.

Stafford has led the Lions into relevance, but it really felt from the outside looking in that there was a ceiling on how far Stafford could take the franchise. Perhaps everyone agreed he’d already taken them as far as he could with what he was given.

General manager Brad Holmes gave his buddies with the Rams a serious discount to acquire Stafford and everybody knows how the story ended.

The Rams won the Super Bowl and Stafford went from arguably one of the NFL’s most cursed franchises to being on the stage hoisting the Lombardi overnight.

They say you can’t microwave success, and that’s not really what the Rams did, but kind of.

Stafford was the missing piece. He was a perfect fit in Sean McVay’s offense.

He instantly legitimized every opinion that many NFL fans held of Stafford, which was that he could shine as the elite quarterback he truly was if he could get out of Detroit.

It happened.

Heading into the 2022 season, Stafford should be expected now to be even better.

No. 7 NFL quarterback in 2022: Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos

After six years in quarterback purgatory, the Denver Broncos are finally back.

It wasn’t that long ago that the Denver Broncos were Super Bowl 50 champions.

At the same time, it feels like it was a lifetime ago.

The Broncos won the Super Bowl in the 2015 season thanks largely to their dominant defense, one of the best defenses in the history of the league.

Peyton Manning was borderline dragged to the finish line in his final NFL season by Von Miller and the No Fly Zone, but nobody in Denver cared. That team delivered this franchise its first Super Bowl win since the 90s.

It came just two seasons after the Broncos were destroyed in the Super Bowl by this guy — Russell Wilson.

Wilson and the Seahawks made it to back-to-back Super Bowls in 2013 and 2014, and were a goal line interception by Malcolm Butler away from being back-to-back champions.

Despite some of the tough times and tough moments he has had in the NFL, Russell Wilson is undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks in the league and he’s got a plethora of weapons to get the ball to in Denver.

With so many weapons to spread the ball to, it won’t be shocking in the least to see Wilson return to the MVP conversation now that he’s a member of the orange and blue.

Sometimes a change of scenery can do wonders for a player. Just ask Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford, who have won the Super Bowl in consecutive years in their first year with a new team.

No. 6 NFL quarterback in 2022: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

The most shocking part of the first two years of Justin Herbert’s NFL career might just be the fact that his elite play at the quarterback position has not helped get the Chargers into the postseason.

You’ve got to think that changes this year, right?

In the tough AFC, nothing would be surprising.

Herbert is bordering on create-a-player status. The throws he makes or is able to make are bordering on superhuman.

He can put the ball in windows nobody thought were even possible for an NFL quarterback.

You just don’t attempt this kind of throw, even if you’re one of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

The Chargers are understandably giddy about their future with Herbert under center. He’s only two years into his rookie contract and he’s already put together two MVP-caliber seasons statistically.

He has 69 passing touchdowns and eight rushing touchdowns over his first two years in the league and it doesn’t appear as though he’s hit any type of ceiling.

In fact, just the opposite.

Herbert, like all young quarterbacks, has plenty of room to grow.

It’s going to be scary as this guy keeps on getting better.

No. 5 NFL quarterback in 2022: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady is back for his 500th season as an NFL quarterback, and he doesn’t look a day over 35.

In all seriousness, the departure of Bruce Arians as the Buccaneers’ head coach in 2022 has been borderline non-news given the fact that Brady is back.

Seriously, nobody is talking about Arians stepping down. At all.

That’s because everyone knows one thing to be true — with no. 12 under center, the Buccaneers are going to be title contenders out of the NFC.

Brady has shown absolutely no signs of slowing down, even as he enters his mid-40s.

He’s still out there slinging the ball around the yard, attempting a whopping 719 passes last season alone.

Brady threw 43 touchdowns last season, more than any individual season since his 50-touchdown campaign back in 2007.

His interception percentage of just 1.7 is astounding considering the volume of passes he’s throwing these days.

There’s no debating it anymore — Brady is the GOAT and it’s flat out fun to watch him play at this high of a level, defying Father Time in the process.

No. 4 NFL quarterback in 2022: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

It’s hard to recall a quarterback having as much immediate success as we’ve seen from Joe Burrow.

In his final season at LSU, Burrow went from being pretty much an unknown to the football masses to having the best season for a quarterback in college football history.

He was the obvious no. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and saw a solid rookie season cut short by a devastating hit and subsequent knee injury.

He came back with a chip on his shoulder in 2021 and led the Cincinnati Bengals on a huge run in the second half of the season, which included some tough wins in a variety of cities that it’s just downright hard to get wins in late in the year.

Perhaps the most impressive win of Burrow’s career so far is the overtime victory in Kansas City in the playoffs. It’s hard to go toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes in a shootout. Many have tried, and most have failed.

Burrow simply kept making plays, including avoiding being sacked late in the game to extend a scoring drive.

Burrow is elite at avoiding pressure in the pocket. He’s outstanding at distributing the ball to his enviable collection of targets.

He’s accurate, he’s got plenty of arm talent to all levels of the field, and he’s smart.

He’s simply a superstar.

No. 3 NFL quarterback in 2022: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

It was difficult to put the back-to-back MVP at number three on this list, but it had to be done.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers had yet another wild offseason in 2022, but this one was vastly different than the speculation and drama-filled 2021 offseason.

Instead of wondering where Rodgers actually wants to play football, we all know that he will be playing in Green Bay.

For a lot of money.

We also know that he will not be playing with Davante Adams anymore after the Packers struck a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.

With the picks they acquired in the Adams trade, the Packers selected Georgia linebacker Quay Walker and North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson (after trading up in round two).

Now, it’s arguable that the Packers may have one of the five worst receiver groups in the entire NFL.

But Rodgers is still Rodgers. He’s going to elevate the guys around him and play MVP caliber ball. What remains up in the air is whether or not Rodgers can be the type of difference-maker the Packers need in the playoffs.

No. 2 NFL quarterback in 2022: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

What else needs to be said about Josh Allen at this point?

I think pretty much everyone was wrong about him in the 2018 NFL Draft process except for a small handful who really bought into his traits, including the Buffalo Bills.

In case you’ve never heard or seen me mention it before, I was there at the 2018 Senior Bowl when Allen was chucking the ball through the uprights out of the back of the end zone, not on purpose but because his arm strength was like an unbridled stallion at the time.

Now, Allen has become one of the most dynamic weapons in the NFL at the game’s most important position.

He’s too big, too strong, too athletic, and too good for most defenses to handle at this point.

If teams can get a beat on Allen as a passer, he’s able to ruin defensive gameplans with his legs as a runner.

The type of consistent play we are seeing from Josh Allen now is what many hoped we would see from Cam Newton coming out of Auburn, but we only got a glimpse of that in 2015.

Physically and athletically, Allen is not far off from Cam Newton coming out of Auburn and it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see him win an MVP in his fifth NFL season, just like Newton did.

No. 1 NFL quarterback in 2022: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Looking back on his career up to this point, isn’t it kind of hard to believe that Mahomes sat for all but one game of his rookie season back in 2017?

He’s accomplished so much in such a short time as an NFL starter, and the scary thing for the rest of the league is — what happens as this guy gets better and smarter?

Mahomes is a real-life cheat code at the quarterback position. He has all of the arm talent in the world, and although he may not be setting any track on fire with his 40-yard dash time, he knows how to avoid pressure and make plays with his legs.

In four seasons as a starter in the NFL, Mahomes averages 38 touchdowns per season. Is he willing to put the ball in harm’s way at times?

Sure. But that hasn’t resulted in very many losses for the Chiefs because with Mahomes under center, there’s virtually no lead that is safe against Kansas City, if you can even get one in the first place.

Even though Mahomes set a new career-high last year with 13 interceptions and the Chiefs got off to a slightly slow start, there’s no reason to panic about his abilities.

The only cause for concern with Mahomes at this point is his supporting cast. Tyreek Hill is off to Miami and he was obviously a major contributing factor to Mahomes’ success.

How good can Mahomes be without no. 10 throwing up peace signs in 2022? We’re fixing to find out.