It's not hard to see which divisions are stronger and which are weaker. For the loaded divisions, like the NFC West, for example, we saw three of four teams win at least 12 games during the 2025 season, but in a division like the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers won that title with a losing record.
Heading into the summer here in the 2026 offseason, much of the divisional talent is pretty much sorted out, and I am not sure there will be many major surprises in this regard when the regular season begins, but just as I say that, it's possible that I end up being totally wrong, as 2025 brought some major shock.
Let's continue our NFL power rankings with a fresh ranking. We're going to rank all eight divisions based on sheer starting quarterback talent as the regular season approaches.
Power-ranking all eight divisions based on quarterback talent for the 2026 NFL Season
8. NFC South (Bryce Young, Baker Mayfield, Tua Tagovailoa*, Tyler Shough)
I would guess, personally, that Tua Tagovailoa is the likely starter for the Atlanta Falcons in 2026. The best quarterback in this divison is Baker Mayfield, who is, solidly, the 15th-best in the NFL on most weeks.
Bryce Young has been rather underwhelming, and we still do not know if he's the long-term answer, and Tyler Shough is largely unproven, but could shed that label with a large breakout campaign in 2026.
Tagovailoa is who he is at this point - he's average, for the most part, but could thrive in a loaded Falcons offense. All in all, the quarterback talent in the NFC South is the worst in the NFL among the eight divisions, and it's not a shock that they are dead last in our power rankings.
We could see another single-digit win team capture the NFC South title in 2026.
7. AFC South (Trevor Lawrence, CJ Stroud, Daniel Jones, Cam Ward)
There is a lot of potential with this division, but you could argue that all four quarterbacks are still in a 'we need to prove it' type of season. Trevor Lawrence was rather inefficient the first half of the 2025 season, before turning it on in a big way over the last month and a half.
It was not sustained for a majority of the season, and if you look across his entire career, there really isn't a lot of 'special.' Despite Lawrence having all the talent in the world, most of us are still wanting to see more in 2026.
CJ Stroud was excellent as a rookie but has since been rather average the past two seasons. Stroud is also in a bit of a make or break year, as he's been eligible for a contract extension, but if he can't elevate his game in 2026, I am not sure the Houston Texans would give him that deal.
Stroud has definitely been in that middle tier of starting quarterbacks since the start of 2024, despite Houston's success.
Daniel Jones was a borderline MVP candidate in the first half of 2025, but he and the Indianapolis Colts regressed big-time, and now Jones is coming off a major injury, so he's also quickly gone into an uncertain category and has really not amounted to much in the NFL thus far.
Cam Ward might honestly have the highest ceiling of any quarterback here. Rookie quarterback seasons can be misleading, as Ward's overall play was definitely a bit better than the raw stats might indicate, but that year two jump is a tough thing for passers to hit.
With a much improved situation around him, though, 2026 could see an elevation. Overall, the AFC South just does not scare you at this position.
6. AFC North (Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson)
It might not be a stretch to think that the AFC North could have two bottom-7 quarterbacks starting with Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson. Rodgers was fine on paper last year, but the Pittsburgh Steelers had a painfully average offense that didn't do much of anything well.
Rodgers is now entering his age-43 season and is left with a new coaching staff and, once again, a rather average supporting cast from top to bottom. There is a real chance that he regresses again this year, as the age is now a major concern.
Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow were both banged up in 2025, and that has unfortunately continued a bit of a trend for each player. No one can dispute just how talented each is, but neither Baltimore nor Cincinnati made the playoffs in 2025.
If Jackson and Burrow can each stay on the field in 2026, both teams could emerge as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Burrow, especially, has had multiple seasons of notable injuries, which has somewhat derailed what has still been a stellar career thus far.
Deshaun Watson should end up starting for the Cleveland Browns, but Watson simply hasn't been a playable quarterback since his days with the Texans, which feels like an eternity ago. There really isn't much to like with Watson at this point, as he's coming off two major injuries, hasn't been good in years, and is also on what could be the worst team in the NFL.
Overall, the AFC North has emerged as a bit of a mess. This division used to be tough, rugged, and respected, but all four franchises have dealt with major dysfunction in recent years, and I am not sure the quarterback play is all that great compared to the rest of the league.
5. AFC East (Drake Maye, Josh Allen, Malik Willis, Geno Smith)
The AFC East is a funny division. Drake Maye and Josh Allen both might be top-5 players at the position right now, but Malik Willis and Geno Smith could both be bottom-5 players. Maye burst onto the scene in 2025 and finished second in MVP voting.
He carved out an insanely efficient season, and while he and the New England Patriots benefited from an insanely easy schedule, great quarterback play is great quarterback play. Allen has been an elite player for years now, and there really isn't much to disagree about in that regard. The playoff heartbreak is really what has been the main storyline with Buffalo, but Allen is emerging as one of the best quarterbacks of this generation.
Willis signed a free agency deal with the Miami Dolphins this offseason and was quite the backup for the Green Bay Packers, but Willis has such limited on-field play that it's hard to assume he's going to be anything special. Given how talentless the Dolphins are, Willis might end up with a rather forgettable season.
Smith is now on his third team in as many seasons and is simply not a good player anymore. He had a couple of strong years with the Seattle Seahawks, but he's been replaced after one season recently for a reason. While Smith could function as a high-end backup as a potential ceiling, the New York Jets aren't going to win many games with Smith under center.
He's getting older and just does not have much to offer at this point. Maye and Allen are both excellent, though, and honestly doing a lot of the heavy-lifting here. And I guess if you want to be optimistic about Willis and Smith, Willis' efficiency as a backup was stellar, and Smith still has enough arm talent to make some slick throws,
4. NFC East (Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott Jayden Daniels, Jaxson Dart)
The NFC East could be one of the more competitive divisions in the NFL this year. Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles won it in 2025, but there is no more AJ Brown, and as most of us can see, Hurts is a limited player at the position.
He's never thrown for 4,000 yards in a season and has also never thrown for more than 25 touchdown passes in a year, either. Hurts is definitely someone who needs a lot around him to go right to succeed, as he does not possess the raw passing talent to captain a prolific offense.
Hurts is a rather average player, possessing unspectacular passing ability, but above-average running ability.
Dak Prescott is quite good for the Dallas Cowboys, and has a track record of winning and playing some prolific football. One of the more efficient quarterbacks in the NFL, Prescott is a wizard pre-snap and can consistently win from the pocket.
He's not quite an elite player, but he's top-10 at the position, as he does the most important things extremely well. Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders got within one game of the Super Bowl in 2024, but the entire operation took a hit in 2025, primarily thanks to injuries.
Daniels also takes a bit of a hit, as he simply was not able to stay on the field, so the availability is now a concern until he proves it won't be. When on the field, Daniels plays the position well and is probably a top-10 player if he can sustain a full 17 games in 2026.
Jaxson Dart was solid as a rookie, as he racked up 24 total touchdowns in just 14 games, showing off some nice arm talent and also some game-changing rushing ability. Dart needs to learn how to protect himself better, and also needs to clearly make that coveted year two leap, but it's all there for him.
Dart is definitely more in the unproven category, but his rookie season was cause for optimism.
3. NFC West (Sam Darnold, Matthew Stafford, Brock Purdy, Jacoby Brissett)
The NFC West comes in at No. 3 in our power rankings. Starting off with Sam Darnold; he helped lead the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl this past season. While Darnold was playing some great football at times, he did turn the ball over more times than you would like, and I am not sure anyone would mistake him for being an elite player at the position.
Darnold has won 28 total regular season games the past two seasons, but he's definitely in that 10-12 range, as he also only has these past two seasons to really look at. Matthew Stafford won the MVP award in 2026 and enjoyed the best season of his NFL career, flirting with 50 touchdown passes.
If it wasn't for some bad defensive performances by the Los Angeles Rams, they likely would have won the Super Bowl. Stafford is probably entering the Hall of Fame one day and is the league's best quarterback at the moment.
Brock Purdy is kind of just there for the San Francisco 49ers. He's efficient, a good player, but he isn't really a player-elevator. The best quarterbacks in the NFL are able to make their teammates better, but Purdy definitely falls more into that tier right below.
We've seen him put up some awesome seasons, but we've also seen some regressions in situations where there's been injuries on offense. He's also struggled to stay healthy at times, too. He's played in just 24 regular season games the past two seasons, and in that period, has thrown 40 touchdowns against 22 interceptions, so he's not really a special player at the position.
Jacoby Brissett is likely the Arizona Cardinals starter in 2026. Quite obviously a backup-caliber player, Brissett might end up being a fine placeholder until 2027. He'll play OK football for the team and will rack up some stats in garbage time, but that's really it for the veteran backup.
2. AFC West (Bo Nix, Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins)
The AFC West comes in at No. 2 in our power rankings, and for good reason. This division has three slam-dunk franchise passers, and perhaps one of the greatest of all-time in Patrick Mahomes. Bo Nix has helped the Denver Broncos win 24 regular season games in the last two seasons, which may have included a Super Bowl berth, had Nix not broken his ankle.
Between his clutch and how much winning has followed the Broncos, it's obvious that Nix is not only one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but could get better in 2026 with the addition of Jaylen Waddle on offense.
Justin Herbert has been a very efficient passer his entire career. The disappointing playoff performances have kind of turned Herbert into a regular season passer, but he's still someone many teams would trade for today if that was a possibility.
Herbert, I have maintained, is this generation's Kirk Cousins - efficient most every single season, but not much of a playoff passer. That could change, though, but that is also how his career has shaken out.
Speaking of Cousins, he's likely starting for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026. The Raiders did take Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft this year, but with the addition of Cousins, the Raiders are clearly wanting to take it slow with their rookie passer.
Cousins is probably in that 'functional' category at this point - he's not the worst quarterback in the NFL, but he's far from the best, perhaps profiling best as a high-end backup. Las Vegas clearly isn't banking on Cousins doing anything special, but in the right situation, he could be a moderately-efficient player for them.
The AFC West as a whole is flat-out loaded at the position.
1. NFC North (Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, Kyler Murray, Jared Goff)
This was tough, but I am slapping the NFC North atop our divisional quarterback power rankings for the 2026 season. The addition of Kyler Murray for the Minnesota Vikings was a great move by that front office, and Murray is no slouch, either.
Despite being on some horrid Cardinals teams, Murray carved out some solid production since arriving with the first overall pick back in the 2019 NFL Draft. I would also argue that Murray is stepping into a situation in Minnesota that he just has not experienced before, but in a good way.
The personnel is quite good, and head coach Kevin O'Connell is going to get the most out of him. Caleb Williams is a special quarterback for the Chicago Bears and has helped lead a positive change for the franchise. Williams can truly do a bit of everything, and if that completion percentage can get better in 2026, Williams could potentially emerge as an MVP candidate.
Jordan Love might be the most 'good, not great' quarterback in the NFL. He's won exactly nine starts in all three years of his starting career, and while he's been very efficient, true greatness has evaded him. This is still a capable, franchise-caliber quarterback, and I am not sure that could be more obvious.
Jared Goff has been excellent for the Detroit Lions and is honesty a bit underrated. He's thrown no fewer than 29 touchdown passes in each of the last four seasons and is simply a high-end passer most years. He's not a dual-threat weapon, so I think that kind of prevents him from being seen as the top quarterback he really is.
All four teams in the NFC North have capable quarterbacks, and as we saw in 2025, each team can win, so this division could be quite competitive in 2026, especially with the insane quarterback talent.