One position where there never seems to be a clear-cut agreement in the NFL landscape is the quarterback position. Ranking quarterbacks is an exercise that never gets old and almost always has a debate attached to it.
Besides the obvious, like which passers are the best and worst in the league, there are almost these micro-debates that follow. Some people might think a certain quarterback should be ranked 10th and not 14th, for example.
We could go on and on about the endless quarterback debates among NFL fans. Let's delve into some more 2026 NFL predictions and predict how the quarterback hierarchy looks when the season ends, so this exercise is us looking months in the future.
Predicting the top quarterbacks in the NFL when the 2026 season ends
10. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Drake Maye was excellent during the 2025 season, finishing second in the MVP voting, only losing out to Matthew Stafford. Maye is going to keep that up in 2026, but I do believe the tougher schedule is something that could drag down Maye and the New England Patriots this year.
This team will still be solid, but a notable step back could also be on the table.
9. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes is great, but, at least statistically speaking, we have not seen that "Mahomes Magic" for years now. It's not the worst thing in the world, as the Chiefs did win the Super Bowl as recently as 2023, but it's a thing.
Not only is Mahomes coming off a major knee injury, but the offensive personnel around him still isn't great, so, while he's still excellent and should end up being a top-10 quarterback at worst for the rest of his career, don't be surprised if he doesn't light the world on fire this year.
8. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams had a fun season in 2025, but obviously, that completion percentage needs to tick up about five percentage points, if we're being honest. Williams did take massive steps forward at not taking sacks, and he's also simply does not throw many interceptions.
Williams is a near-complete quarterback, and I believe we'll see close to his final form in 2026.
7. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Bo Nix comes in at No. 7 in our quarterback future predictions. Nix helped lead the Denver Broncos to a stellar 14-3 season and dealt with the second-most drops in the NFL in 2025, according to Pro Football Reference. Denver had 43 drops, and only the Jacksonville Jaguars had more.
Nix is going to take a huge step forward this year with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in the picture. The efficiency is going to tick up, and we should then see Nix playing the best football of his career.
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