3. NFC West (Sam Darnold, Matthew Stafford, Brock Purdy, Jacoby Brissett)
The NFC West's QB talent comes in at No. 3 in our power rankings. Sam Darnold is a good, not great player. His passing production took a small hit from 2024 into 2025, and he struggled with turnovers at times, but Darnold was plenty good enough for the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl.
It does seem like Darnold was someone who was more along for the ride than actually driving, if that makes sense. Now, with that said, if Darnold can perhaps elevate his game a bit in 2026 and continue being a part of winning teams, the conversation will change.
The reigning MVP, Matthew Stafford is the best QB in the NFL right now, as even if he regressed a bit in 2026, he'd still firmly be a top-7 QB, which is wild to think about. Stafford flirted with 50 touchdown passes last year and was unthinkably good for the Los Angeles Rams, a team that could win it all this year.
Brock Purdy is also someone that helps out in these rankings. While Purdy has struggled at times with injuries and is not an overwhelming talent, Purdy has been a winner and is someone the San Francisco 49ers have gotten to a Super Bowl with. Purdy and Darnold are in a similar tier, as you can certainly win with them, sometimes win because of them, but likely aren't going to see them ascend to that elite tier.
Jacoby Brissett is currently slated to start for the Arizona Cardinals, and if you crafted your ideal backup QB in a lab, it'd likely look similar to Brissett. He's not a weekly starter, but he's also someone who can come in and start a chunk of games and keep the ship straight if needed. Obviously, the Cardinals are not going to be starting Brissett for the long-term, but he's certainly not a bad QB.
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