The NFC West is one of if not the highest-paid division when it comes to the quarterback position. All four quarterbacks projected to start this year for NFC West teams rank in the top 18 of average annual salary, and all of them are in the top 18 when it comes to total money on their contracts as well.
Needless to say, this is a division where each team feels like they've found "their guy" at the position, if only for the short term. While every quarterback in the NFC West is at a very different stage of his career, this has proven to be a division in which every team is a viable contender on a year-to-year basis.
How do each of these quarterbacks stack up against each other? Our latest NFL Power Rankings will take a look at the final NFC West quarterback rankings before the start of the 2025 regular season.
NFL Power Rankings: Ranking NFC West quarterbacks before the 2025 season
4. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
It's possible that this ranking could look a little silly by the time the season is over. Almost the entirety of the 2024 season, folks were waiting for the clock to strike midnight on Sam Darnold with the Vikings. This was the guy who was seeing ghosts on the field in New York, right?
Darnold went from being a first-round bust (a colossal one at that) to being an overnight success in Kevin O'Connell's system. He's learning another new offense this offseason, and it'll be interesting to find out if the guy we saw with the Vikings is the new "floor" for Sam Darnold, or if last year was a complete outlier.
3. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray is still one of the more dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in the entire NFL, and had a strong year in 2024 on the comeback trail. The question with Murray is whether or not he can truly return to the form that we saw from him in the earlier years of his career when his touchdown percentage hovered at 4.4 percent, and the last three seasons, it's been at 3.8 percent with fewer games played.
The emergence of Marvin Harrison Jr. will undoubtedly help Murray, who was still able to run for the second-most yards of his career (572) last season despite some of the injuries he's dealt with. He should be in line for another strong year as the Cardinals are a breakout hopeful in the NFC.
2. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy is very obviously one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and the 49ers have paid him accordingly. There are a lot of differing opinions about Purdy, his situation, his overall skill level, and whether or not he's a product of his environment. Regardless of how good the coaching staff or playmakers around Purdy have been, that's who's still around him.
For the most part, anyway.
He took a pretty substantial step back last year in overall touchdown percentage, but he's still an accurate passer with the ability to push the ball to all levels.
1. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
If he's healthy, Matthew Stafford is still the best quarterback in the NFC West, even at his age. Stafford now has Davante Adams to throw the ball to, which is going to be one of the most fascinating new connections on any team around the league.
Sean McVay's offense is obviously perfect for Stafford, who has been even better as a member of the Rams than he was with the Detroit Lions, where he was already great.
Even at the age of 37, Stafford is as clutch as ever. He led a whopping five game-winning drives for the Rams last season.