Having a young quarterback is a huge advantage in the NFL, but having a young franchise quarterback in the NFL is an even bigger advantage. There are a ton of players at the most important position in sports who are still in their 20s and right in the middle of their primes.
But there are a large handful of very young starting quarterbacks in this league, and you could argue that all will end up breaking out and playing excellent football in 2026 and beyond. Amidst all of the power rankings, our latest installment ranks all of the projected starting quarterbacks who are 25 years old or younger before the 2026 season.
Let's power-rank the seven starting quarterbacks in the NFL who are 25 years old or younger for the 2026 season.
Power-ranking starting NFL QBs 25 years old or younger for 2026
7. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans (24 in May)
Cam Ward turns 24 years old later this month and did play quite well down the stretch during his rookie season. The Tennessee Titans were a dysfunctional mess, but Ward was making a ton of NFL-caliber throws during his rookie campaign.
With Brian Daboll inserted as the offensive coordinator, Ward is primed for a breakout season. Tennessee also added Carnell Tate in the 2026 NFL Draft, so he suddenly has another weapon, too.
6. Jaxson Dart, New York Giants (23 in May)
Jaxson Dart is going to rise up these rankings quite quickly. He had 24 total touchdowns in just 14 games for the Giants in 2025, so he was a productive player. Only throwing five interceptions and completing nearly 64 percent of his passes, it's not hard to see how the first-round pick hits his stride in 2026 for the New York Giants.
For now, though, until he can prove this all to us, he'll be rather low in these power rankings.
5. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (25 in July)
Bryce Young did play the best football of his career for the Carolina Panthers in the 2025 season, but Young was still rather average overall and just is not a very dynamic player. The Panthers did win the NFC South and were able to give the Los Angeles Rams fits in the playoffs. Having left a good bit of meat on the bone entering his fourth year in the league, Young is just No. 5 in our power rankings.
4. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (26 in December)
Jayden Daniels will turn 26 years old near the end of his third season, and had he been able to stay on the field a bit more in 2025, he'd be ranked higher. Leading the Washington Commanders to within one game of the Super Bowl as a rookie, Daniels' ceiling is rather high, and it's really just going to come down to health.
He's dynamic enough to be a truly elite player, but staying on the field is the 'make or break' for this entire franchise.
3. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (25 in November)
Still just 24 years old, Caleb Williams will turn 25 in November and helped lead the Chicago Bears to the NFC North title in a shockingly productive 2025 season. Williams does have to get that completion percentage up over 60 percent, but I am not sure Chicago Bears fans are complaining right now.
Williams is a stud, and head coach Ben Johnson is clearly the right man for the job. Chicago is in a great spot from the top, down.
2. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans (25 in October)
CJ Stroud is already entering year four and is only set to turn 25 years old in October. Having a shaky 2024 and 2025 season after a breakout 2023 season, Stroud has still helped lead the Houston Texans into the Divisional Round in three-straight seasons.
It's fair to wonder how high the ceiling is, but Stroud is a solid franchise quarterback and could earn a mega-extension with a strong 2026 season.
1. Drake Maye, New England Patriots (24 in August)
Drake Maye was starting in the Super Bowl and having an MVP-caliber season at just 23 years old. He'll turn 24 later this year and is clearly one of the best players in the league. Benefitting from an easy schedule in 2025, Maye and the New England Patriots were still a juggernaut.
Sure, a slight regression could be on the table, but even in that event, Maye still has two years under his belt and has a pathway to continue this high level quarterbacking.