With training camp right on the horizon, now is the time for a fresh NFL power rankings of every projected starting QB.
There are some teams across the NFL that have some uncertainty with their QB position approaching the 2025 NFL Season, but this is part of the reason why training camps exist - teams will get to figure out their depth charts during camp and even during the preseason period.
With the start of the 2025 season beginning in early September, teams will still have some time to figure all of this out. As training camps across the league approach, let's crack-open a power ranking of every starting QB in the NFL.
NFL Power Rankings: Starting quarterback rankings as training camp approaches
Unranked: Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints; JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings; Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
I find it odd that people 'rank' quarterbacks who have never taken a snap in a regular season game before. All of Tyler Shough, JJ McCarthy, and Cam Ward should begin the year as their respective team's starters, but they are total unknowns. I am not going to do a 'prediction' ranking of where I think they will finish, so we'll give each QB an unranked label heading into the 2025 NFL Season.
McCarthy is obviously in the best overall situation, as he's got elite weaponry and a much-improved offensive line. Tyler Shough seems to be in the worst situation and might not play well in the 2025 season.
29. Michael Penix Jr, Atlanta Falcons
Michael Penix Jr unexpectedly got some starts near the end of the 2024 NFL Season due to the poor play from Kirk Cousins. Cousins signed a massive four-year deal with the Falcons last offseason, and it seemed to get off to a great start. Atlanta had been able to race out to a 6-3 record and had a nice grip on the NFC South.
However, things fell part, so now Penix is the guy, but with limited on-field experience, he's 29th in our QB power rankings.
28. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
It is hard to put into words just how bad Daniel Jones is, but right now, he seems positioned to be the starter of the Indianapolis Colts for the 2025 NFL Season. In all honesty, the Colts need to go out on the trade market and acquire Kirk Cousins, as Jones is going to take them nowhere, and I believe the entire franchise knows that.
Them picking Anthony Richardson back in the 2023 NFL Draft was a huge mistake, as he's been the worst QB in the NFL and is honestly an all-time bad QB in the 21st century. Daniel Jones as the Colts starter could be what sets this team up to hit rock bottom in 2025.
It would not shock me if jobs were lost after this season and if Indy was taking a big swing on a young QB in the 2026 NFL Draft. Jones is 28th in our QB rankings approaching training camp.
27. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
I suppose Joe Flacco is probably the favorite to start the year as the starter for the Cleveland Browns. Flacco isn't bad, I guess, but it's a known commodity at this point and is clearly in the final year or two of his NFL career. He's not been bad in spot-start duty in recent years, but we all know what to expect from the former Super Bowl champion at this point. Behind Flacco in the QB room is Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders.
Deshaun Watson is off to the side rehabbing the Achilles he tore again.
It's just a bad situation for the Browns as we approach training camp. Joe Flacco is 27th in our power rankings and probably isn't going to start all 17 games for this team for obvious reasons. Expect Gabriel and Sanders to get some looks.
26. Justin Fields, New York Jets
It's hard to imagine Justin Fields all of a sudden figuring things out in 2025 with the dysfunctional New York Jets. Now on his third team in as many years, it's also hard to see why Fields still has so many 'truthers.'
Folks, he isn't good. He's a great runner, sure, but he cannot play on time or in rhythm - he takes way too many sacks, hold onto the ball for too long, and is a below-average passer. The Jets signed him to a two-year deal that can be ripped up after just one season, and I reckon they will do that. Being that the Jets have a new front office and coaching staff in town, my guess is that they are using 2025 as more of an evaluation year and just want Fields to play well enough to get a good reading on the rest of the roster.
It would be a huge shock if he stuck around as their starter in 2026, but I guess that can't be ruled out. Fields is 26th in our QB rankings.
25. Russell Wilson, New York Giants
Another former Pittsburgh Steelers QB, Russell Wilson signed with the New York Giants in free agency and seems to be their starter when Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season kicks off, but with Jameis Winston and Jaxson Dart also in the QB room, Wilson may not have a very long leash. Wilson is also on his third team in as many seasons, and it's easy to see why.
He is a washed-up, regressed quarterback surely on his last straw in the NFL as a starter. The Giants honestly seemed to panic this offseason when they signed Wilson and Winston. Anyway, the former Seahawks and Broncos quarterback comes in at 25th in our QB rankings.
24. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young did play well down the stretch in the 2024 NFL Season, but this wasn't the case all year, and he is still an unknown in this league and more of a 'bad' QB than anything else. Year three for Young and the Carolina Panthers is going to be massive, as this roster is honestly as good as it's been in quite some time, and the team did grab an "X" wide receiver in the offseason with their selection of Tet McMillan in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Bryce Young truly has all he needs to take a leap forward, as the Panthers do sport two 1,000-yard rushers in the backfield with Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle. This could be a heavy running team that uses play-action to open things up in the passing attack and to make things easier for Young.
If the third-year QB can't figure things out this season, there'd be no reason for the Panthers to continue things with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
23. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Coming in at 23rd in our QB power rankings approaching training camp, Sam Darnold broke out in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings and helped the team win 14 games. Darnold played so well that the Vikings let him walk out the door in free agency - let that sink in for a second before you go out and 'buy' Darnold stock for 2025.
The Vikings had a near-perfect situation in 2024 for any QB to succeed in, and now on the Seattle Seahawks, the veteran QB has the total opposite. It's going to be tough for Sam Darnold to replicate the success he had last year, but I guess anything can happen. Darnold comes in at 23rd in our QB rankings.
22. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
Someone is going to have to talk to me like I am six and tell me why there are so many people out where who think Geno Smith is among the better quarterbacks in the NFL - it simply does not make any sense. Smith is entering his age-35 season in the NFL and was shipped to the Raiders for a third-round pick earlier this offseason.
No better than an average QB in this league, I suppose Geno Smith could be viewed as an upgrade to what the Las Vegas Raiders previously had, but he's not nearly as good as Derek Carr was for them and is firmly the worst QB in the AFC West as well.
Smith might barely be good enough to keep the Raiders from bottoming-out in 2025, and I guess that's also why they hired Pete Carroll. Both Carroll and Smith are short-term options for this franchise and will seek to stabilize things in the coming years. Geno Smith is outside the top-20 in our QB power rankings.
21. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers did throw for 28 touchdown passes in the 2024 NFL Season with the New York Jets, so that isn't nothing. Clearly not what he used to be, the four-time MVP is likely playing his final year in the NFL and was probably signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers this entire time.
Still with a little bit of gas left in the tank, Rodgers now has DK Metcalf to throw to after the Steelers made a major move to acquire him. Pittsburgh did trade George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys shortly after that. When you look at the other starting QBs in the NFL, it's hard to rank Aaron Rodgers any higher than this as we get closer to training camp.
20. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams actually played a lot better than you might think in the 2024 NFL Season. Throwing just six interceptions in that dysfunctional offensive mess was a miracle, and he did hit the 20-touchdown mark as well. Now with more weapons, and improved offensive line, and an offensive head coach, Williams could put the entire NFL on notice in 2025.
It would not shock me to see him launch up these rankings very shortly after the season began. The Bears also sport a top defense, so that's going to obviously help out the offense a great deal. Williams does need to improve on taking fewer sacks and getting rid of the ball a lot quicker, but Ben Johnson running the show could see Caleb Williams improve in both areas in 2025.
He's, for right now, 20th in our QB rankings.
19. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence just has not found his footing in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but a lot of that is the fault of the franchise itself. Lawrence and the Jags did breakout in 2022 under Doug Pederson but did regress in the following two seasons, which led them to hire Liam Coen as the next head coach, and all Coen did in 2024 was coordinate one of the most prolific offenses in the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This is the main reason to get excited about the Jags - if Coen can work his magic with this group of offensive players, the Jags could make a run at the AFC South title and find themselves back in the postseason for the first time since that fun 2022 NFL Season.
Lawrence also simply needs to play better and establish himself as a legitimate franchise QB in this league. He's 19th in our QB rankings.
18. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
You have probably read at this point how high I am on Drake Maye for the 2025 NFL Season. With Mike Vrabel, Josh McDaniels, and an improved offensive line now in the mix, the New England Patriots could breakout this year and be 2025's 'surprise' team.
Maye also played a lot better than the raw statistics might indicate, and it's important to take note of that with the rookie QBs, as the stats do not always tell the full story at all. With McDaniels running the show on offense, Maye is going to skyrocket in a crucial year two.
It would not be a shock to see him not only cement himself as a franchise QB, but also creep closer to being top-10 at his own position. Please, do not sleep on Drake Maye and the New England Patriots in the 2025 NFL Season.
17. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa just cannot stay healthy for a full season, and because of this, he's not really viewed as a franchise quarterback. Still quite efficient when he can stay on the field, he's actually never finished a season with a losing record, which makes this even more frustrating for the Miami Dolphins.
It feels like the 2025 NFL Season is 'the year' for this current regime, and it would not shock me to see Miami blow things up after the season if they can get back into the playoffs.
Tagovailoa came into the NFL out of Alabama with injury concerns, and those have continued into his NFL career, sadly. The left-handed passer is one of the more efficient and pin-point pocket quarterbacks in the NFL who can be quite efficient when he gets on a roll.
However, his ranking is 17th as we get closer to training camp, as he's never taken that leap into 'very good' or 'elite' status and probably won't be able to in the 2025 NFL Season.
16. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Here I am again being lower on Jalen Hurts than most, but I don't see how some have him near the top-5. What appears to be happening is people are taking the massive success of the Philadelphia Eagles and using that to bump Hurts up, but when you really look at it deeper, Hurts is an average QB just along for the ride.
For years now, the Eagles have had a top-tier OL, wide receiver room, running game, and defense. Despite the loaded talent on both sides of the ball, Hurts has never thrown for 4,000 yards or 25 touchdown passes in a single season. He also does take a lot of sacks and is not one to always play on time.
Jalen Hurts just isn't a legitimate drop-back quarterback in the NFL and has never been a high-volume passer, but that's kind of the first responsibility of a QB in this league, right? Hurts is average and is 16th in our QB rankings for 2025.
15. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
We keep waiting for Kyler Murray to hit his stride, but what if he doesn't? Murray has the profile to be a top-10 QB in this league, but it feels like he has floated around this 15th mark for years now. A legitimate dual-threat QB, Murray can take games over with his arm and with his legs.
But for whatever reason, those two things haven't morphed together into something special like we have seen from other dual-threat passers in the NFL. You really have to wonder if the Arizona Cardinals would look to make a bold QB move next offseason if they aren't able to take another step forward and perhaps get into the playoffs.
Kyler Murray is a fine QB at the moment and comes in at 15th in our QB rankings.
14. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
We're now starting to get into some of the better QBs in the NFL, as Jordan Love is 14th in our QB rankings as training camp approaches. Love really caught fire toward the end of the 2023 NFL Season and did kind-of continue that into 2024, but he and the Green Bay Packers seem to have hit a ceiling over the last two years, as many of us thought 2024 was going to be the year where Green Bay ascended into contender status, but that just did not happen.
A 'good' QB and nothing more, Jordan Love is 14th in our power rankings but does have room to hit top-10 status this year if all goes well and he finally puts it together in his third year as a starter in the NFL. Jordan Love at 14th seems pretty fair.
13. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy signed a huge deal this offseason and is a good QB, but he does not seem to be a passer that can elevate others around him, but rather a passer who plays based on what is around him. And that's fine, but the San Francisco 49ers aren't going to win the Super Bowl without a high-end passer unless they have a totally loaded roster.
Purdy is a winning QB and is going to keep people's jobs, but he's not in the tier of guys like Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and some of those top-tier guys. Brock Purdy can be a top-10 QB in any given week, but when you look at the entire league, he's below 10th for sure.
He comes in at 13th in our power rankings heading into 2025, a crucial year for the San Francisco 49ers franchise after losing key players this offseason.
12. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott does get some odd hate simply because he's the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. If we're being fair here, Prescott is an above-average QB and has been quite efficient for years now, but that does not excuse the lack of playoff success, and that is a driving factor in why Prescott simply isn't an elite QB. In each year following an injury or a 'down' season, Prescott lights it up, so there is reason to believe that the 2025 version could be insanely efficient.
Dallas now also has George Pickens in the mix, which is a significant addition even if it's just for one season. Roster-wise, though, this Cowboys team is not great and is going to struggle to find their footing in the NFC. A winning record is possible, but it's hard to see this team in the postseason. Regardless of that, Dak Prescott is a good QB and comes in at 12th in our QB power rankings ahead of training camp.
11. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans regressed in the 2024 NFL Season, but they still won 10 games, the AFC South, and a playoff game, so that does go to show you just how good this team can be. An overhauled offensive line, replenished WR room, and an improved secondary could really be what throws this team into contention in 2025.
Stroud himself can be quite good and was arguably a top-10 QB during his stellar rookie season. He's also set to play in his age-23 season, so he's quite young. It's not clear at the moment if the Texans will vault into contention, but they do have the necessary pievces in place. CJ Stroud is just outside the top-10 in our QB rankings ahead of training camp.
10. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Bo Nix played a lot better than you think in the 2024 NFL Season. While he did throw for 29 touchdown passes, Nix was insanely efficient over the final eight games of the regular season. He was actually on a 45-touchdown pace during that stretch. Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos are in a great spot heading into 2025, as they are projected to bring back the same exact starting offensive line from last year, and Nix now has guys like Evan Engram, RJ Harvey, and JK Dobbins at his disposal.
The Broncos and Nix proved a ton of people wrong in the 2024 NFL Season, and there is no reason to believe that they won’t again prove more people wrong in 2025. This roster is flat-out loaded and is secure at the most key positions. A second-year leap for Nix is absolutely on the table. He comes in at 10th in our QB rankings.
9. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Just inside the top-10 is Justin Herbert, a QB who has been the same “B+” passer every year of his career. Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers have gotten embarrassed in both playoff appearances in 2022 and 2024, and that is significant. Herbert has not really ascended to elite status - what we have seen on the field is quite literally the same product we’ve gotten every year since 2020.
Justin Herbert isn’t elite, but I do believe that people see how big he is and how strong of an arm he has, and use that to cloud their judgment. A good QB who is surely going to have a starting job for years to come, this is Herbert’s ceiling. He’s ninth in our QB power rankings for 2025 as we approach training camp. Can the Chargers make a playoff run? It doesn't seem likely with Justin Herbert running the show.
8. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I have actually been a bit inconsistent with Baker Mayfield’s ranking - it really is hard to plug him into a certain spot in the NFL QB hierarchy. Mayfield was essentially kicked to the curb by the Cleveland Browns and bounced around on a couple of teams before landing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played quite well in 2023 and honestly hit a new level in 2024. Just last year, Mayfield threw for a whopping 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns while completing over 70% of his passes.
If Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen had that type of production, we would not hear the end of it. For this main reason, and since it’s the last bit of on-field performance we have from Mayfield, a ranking inside the top-10 does make sense. Mayfield is eighth heading into training camp.
7. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford is still probably underrated and had yet another efficient season for the Los Angeles Rams in the 2024 NFL Season. LA finished 10-7 on the year and made the playoffs. When you look at this roster and what they added this offseason, it’s hard to believe this team does not become a Super Bowl contender in 2025.
Stafford is a driving reason for that as well. He’s got a wealth of experience and is just flat-out money when his team needs him to be. The future Hall of Famer is seventh in our power rankings as we get closer to training camp in the 2025 NFL Season.
He may not have much more time in the NFL, so you get the impression that GM Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay really want to make another deep run, as they will soon be tasked with finding a long-term replacement.
6. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Statistically speaking, Patrick Mahomes has not played all that well over the last two seasons. The efficient just has not been there, but when it matters most, he and the Kansas City Chiefs always seem to find a way. They did get blown out in Super Bowl LIX, though.
Mahomes hasn’t been the best QB in the NFL for multiple years now, and it’s OK to state this simple fact - he’s not perfect even if he one of the best QBs of all-time. A three-tie Super Bowl champion and two-time league MVP, Mahomes is one of one.
Now some may disagree with this ranking and may think that he should still be ranked no. 1, but in terms of straight-up raw QB play, Mahomes has not been the best.
Obviously still inside the top-10, Patrick Mahomes is sixth in our QB power rankings ahead of training camp in the 2025 NFL Offseason.
5. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff has done wonders for the Detroit Lions franchise since coming over in that major trade with the Los Angeles Rams a few years ago. The Rams did win the Super Bowl in the first year after getting rid of Goff, so they are the big winners from this trade, but the Lions seem to have more of a long-term plan in place.
GM Brad Holmes has hit on countless draft picks and clearly made the right move in getting Goff back in the Stafford deal. One of the few elite pocket passers left in the NFL, Jared Goff could honestly finish his NFL career quite high in some all-time QB rankings like passing yards and touchdowns.
Him not being a dual-threat QB could make him seem a bit worse than others, but he’s a wizard from the pocket and is simply a winner, period. Jared Goff is fifth in our QB power rankings approaching training camp, and this is probably as high as we will ever see Goff.
4. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Are people ready for Jayden Daniels to be an elite QB in the NFL? Yes, he is better than Jalen Hurts and honestly might be the best quarterback in the NFC right now. He and the Washington Commanders won 14 total games in the 2024 NFL Season between the regular and postseason, getting just one game away from the Super Bowl.
In the offseason, the Commanders added players like Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel via trade to shore up the offense in hopes of making a run. Daniels quickly established himself as an elite running QB in the league and is honestly a threat to not only throw for 4,000 yards, but also run for 1,000 in 2025.
Daniels could absolutely get some MVP votes and could emerge as a favorite as 2025 progresses. There honestly may not be a notable flaw in his game, and the sky is truly the limit for this youngster. Jayden Daniels has turned this franchise around for the better and is fourth in our QB rankings for 2025.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen won the MVP in the 2024 NFL Season, but it honestly should have went to Lamar Jackson. Allen was quite efficient, but not nearly as much as his rival in the AFC North. Anyway, many people looked at the Buffalo Bills in 2024 as the favorites to win the AFC and even the Super Bowl, but they again could not get past the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason.
You have to wonder what Buffalo has to do differently here… they’ve got the better roster and quarterback. Allen simply might have to carry the team in the playoffs even more than he usually does, and if he wants to build a legacy of his own, he’ll have to win one of these Super Bowls.
Josh Allen is no worse than a top-5 QB in the NFL and comes in at third in our QB rankings before training camp in 2025.
2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow comes in at no. 2 in our QB power rankings for the 2025 NFL Offseason as we approach training camp. Burrow had the best statistical season of his career in 2024, so you’d think that the Cincinnati Bengals made a deep playoff run, right?
Wrong…
A bottom-five defense spelled disaster for this team, as they won four of their first 12 games but did end up winning the final five games of the 2024 NFL Season. They managed to finish with a 9-8 record but fell just one game shy of the postseason, as that final spot went to the Denver Broncos.
The Bengals simply need to field a top-20 defense and would be in a position to make a Super Bowl run. Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins are just so good and can take any game over. Both Chase and Higgins got extensions this offseason, but the Bengals have not been able to get deals done with Trey Hendrickson and the rookie Shemar Stewart, which is not good.
You have to wonder how much more of this nonsense Burrow is going to put up with before he takes things into his own hands…
1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson is, objectively speaking, the best quarterback in the NFL. Not only is he still elite as a runner, but Jackson legitimately threw for 41 touchdowns in 2024 against just four interceptions.
Four!
Twenty years from now, people are going to look back at the 2024 NFL Season and ask why Josh Allen won the MVP over Jackson, and while the Baltimore Ravens have turned into regular season experts, things just fall apart when they get into the playoffs. They have not won multiple games in the playoffs since the 2012 NFL Season, which was when Joe Flacco was still in town.
Something has to give, and if Lamar Jackson wants to continue building his all-time legacy, he’ll have to figure out how he can lead this team on a Super Bowl run at some point, but if we put that aside for a second, it’s clear that he’s no. 1 in the NFL at what he does as training camp approaches.