The start of the 2025 NFL Season is right around the corner. Let's power rank the AFC quarterbacks before the regular season. The AFC might be the deepest conference of the two for the 2025 NFL Season, as there is a ton of young QB talent, and certain teams could really make things interesting.
The AFC has been dominated by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for years, but could that be coming to an end soon? We've seen the Chiefs barely scrape by in recent years, and them getting blown out in Super Bowl LIX revealed more problems than solutions.
The start of the regular season is right around the corner. Let's unveil our final AFC quarterback rankings for the 2025 NFL Season.
Final AFC quarterback rankings for the 2025 NFL Season
16. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Cam Ward has not taken a snap in an NFL game before, so we aren't going to rank him any higher than last for the time being. There is a legitimate chance that he'll end up leaping a few spots when the 2025 season is over, though. Ward and the Titans are in a legitimate rebuild and might take a few years to truly get going, so patience is necessary.
15. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
Officially named the starting QB of the Indianapolis Colts, Daniel Jones is still among the worst QBs in the NFL and honestly might be one of the worst players in the league, period. Jones is likely getting benched at some point this year, so perhaps Anthony Richardson has one last shot when Jones inevitably gets booted out of the lineup.
14. Justin Fields, New York Jets
Justin Fields is a bad quarterback, folks. He's on his third team in as many years for a reason. Fields simply can't see the field at an NFL-caliber level, so he holds onto the ball for too long and ends up relying on his legs too much. Justin Fields is also just not a capable and consistent passer outside of a few splash plays here and there. The Jets are going nowhere with Fields under center.
13. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
A fine backup, Joe Flacco is the starting QB of the Cleveland Browns, but with two rookies behind him, you get the sense that the Browns will turn to Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel at some point in the 2025 NFL Season. Heck, this might be Flacco's last year in the NFL.
12. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
I really do not get the fascination with Geno Smith. There is a reason why the Seattle Seahawks traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick. He's a below-average QB with an average ceiling and is in his mid-30s. There really isn't much left to talk about here with Smith. The Raiders did upgrade their QB position from last year, but in the deep AFC, Smith and the Raiders are not going anywhere and are again staring down a losing season.
11. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence, as we know, has all the tools to be a great QB in this league, but the dysfunction of the Jacksonville Jaguars' franchise has thrown a massive wrench into Lawrence's career, but some of the blame should fall on the QB himself. We'll see of first-year head coach Liam Coen ends up being what Lawrence and the Jags need, but at this point, he's nothing more than an average QB approaching the 2025 NFL Season.
10. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
An encouraging QB on his rookie deal, Drake Maye now has Mike Vrabel as his head coach and Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator, so Maye is in great hands and is going to take a leap in the 2025 NFL Season. He's 10th in our power rankings right now but is absolutely going to move up a few slots. Buy Drake Maye stock, as his rookie season was better than you think.
9. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers did throw for 28 touchdown passes in the 2024 NFL Season with the New York Jets, so the Pittsburgh Steelers may get a competent passer for a year, but Rodgers is a one-year rental and is not nearly the QB he once was, so this could end up aging poorly for Pittsburgh. Rodgers is a good ways down in our AFC quarterback rankings.
8. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
If nothing else, and I have said this before, Tua Tagovailoa is not a loser. In each year of his NFL career, he's got a winning record, so that has to be good for something, right? Well, the main issue with Tagovailoa is the clear injury history and overall inability to establish himself as a high-end quarterback.
But not every QB in the NFL is a high-end guy. Tua Tagovailoa should hold down a starting job for years to come, but the Miami Dolphins could look to make some major changes if they aren't in the postseason in 2025. Tagovailoa is a fine QB. He's eighth in our power rankings.
7. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
After a regression in 2024, CJ Stroud takes a little hit in our AFC quarterback rankings. Yes, he's a good QB, but he and the Texans' offense took a huge step back last year. The remade offensive line could be what fixes things, but Stroud himself has to take a leap. Now that he's entering his third year in the NFL and has a taste of what it's like to play both good and bad, this could be his best year. If so, the Texans could vault into contender status.
6. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Over the final eight games of the 2024 regular season, Bo Nix was on a 45-touchdown pace, which is insane production. Nix and the Denver Broncos are on the right track for 2025, and Nix not only proved a ton of people wrong, but he's got a ton of room for growth in the 2025 NFL Season and could edge up a spot or two in our power rankings months from now.
5. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
This is Justin Herbert's ceiling in the AFC. He's been the same QB each year of his career and does not seem to have that extra gear. Besides being big and having a rocket arm, what makes him an elite QB as some label him?
4. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes' production has taken a hit over the past two seasons, but 2023 and 2024 have still ended in a Super Bowl title and another Super Bowl berth. On paper, this Chiefs' team isn't quite as good as we are used to seeing, so Mahomes might have to continue carrying the load.
He turns 30 years old this year, so do with that what you will. Mahomes and the Chiefs turn it on when the playoffs roll around, but as of now, he's not quite the best QB in the conference.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen won the MVP award in the 2025 NFL Season, but I and many other disagreed with the voting, as Lamar Jackson should have taken home his third MVP. Anyway, Allen and the Buffalo Bills were largely seen as 'the team' in the AFC in 2024, but their season again ended thanks to the Chiefs.
There really isn't much that Allen and the Bills haven't done besides making a Super Bowl run, so you have to wonder what it's going to take for this franchise to get over the hump.
2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow was on fire last season, tossing 43 touchdowns in what could have been an MVP season, but Burrow's defense let him down. Cincinnati ended up winning five games in a row to end the season, but their 4-8 start was too much to overcome.
On a broader note, is Joe Burrow getting fed up with the franchise? He's got a Hall of Fame-caliber skillset but is wasting away on the Bengals. You have to wonder if Burrow takes matters into his own hands if 2025 goes like 2024 does?
1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
The best QB in the NFL and a future Hall of Famer, Lamar Jackson is the top AFC quarterback in our power rankings heading toward the 2025 NFL Season. He should be a three-time MVP and is already the best rushing QB of all-time, period.
Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens collapse when the playoffs roll around, so that is a huge concern, but you can't dispute how good of a player he is and the kind of impact he has on opposing defenses and the game itself.