8. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford is in another one of those seasons where his numbers do not jump off the page, but he’s playing out of his mind. For years, Stafford has been underrated, and it’s wild that he’s on the back-end of his career and is still underrated. He may end up in the Hall of Fame one day, and the Super Bowl the Los Angeles Rams won in 2021 could push him into the Hall.
The Rams suffered a pretty brutal loss in Week 10 at home against the Miami Dolphins. They’re now 4-5 on the season and are still alive in the NFC West and even in the NFC Wild Card race.
Stafford may not play beyond the next couple of seasons, and he is one of the final QBs of that last, older generation. It’ll be sad to see Stafford retire, but the writing is on
7. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield is tied for the league-lead in the NFL with 24 touchdown passes, which is just an insane number. The Buccaneers are down both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, so Mayfield is going to have to carry this team. Their defense is also awful, so while I believe Mayfield is going to continue putting up insane numbers, it may not result in much for the Bucs.
Mayfield has really revived his career with Tampa, and he signed a three-year extension last offseason. I am not sure he is a QB that a team can win a Super Bowl with, but he’s been among the best QBs in the NFL in 2024. After being thrown away by the Browns and bouncing around a couple of other teams, he seems to have found a home with the Buccaneers.