12. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Just two years into his career, and Bo Nix is one of the most divisive quarterbacks in the NFL.
If you love Bo Nix, you see a guy who had 11 game-winning drives last season, including leading the Broncos to a win over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. You see a guy who is phenomenal as a dual threat, he plays fantastic under pressure, and he's done a lot without a great supporting cast of playmakers around him (most drops in the NFL over the last two seasons).
Nix is one of just three quarterbacks in league history with at least 3,500 yards and 25 passing TDs in each of his first two seasons. He tied Russell Wilson for the most wins (24) over the first two years of his NFL career.
If you hate Bo Nix, you see a guy whose production early in games is maddening. You might see someone whose accuracy inconsistency on downfield throws indicates he can't make it in the league.
As polarizing as Nix is, the results are undeniable.
11. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
During the second half of the 2025 season, there were few quarterbacks in the NFL playing better than Trevor Lawrence.
Although he's got bouts of playing average football just like every quarterback in the league, Lawrence might be closer to an MVP candidate when he goes on a heater than anyone is comfortable admitting. What happens if Liam Coen can truly unlock the version of Lawrence we saw in the second half last season?
From Weeks 10-18, the Jaguars didn't lose a single game, and Lawrence threw 19 touchdown passes and had 5. rushing touchdowns, which would have put him on a 41 passing TD and 11 rushing TD pace over the course of an entire season. Those are MVP numbers.
We'll see what Lawrence has for us this season, but I'm betting we get more of that guy.
10. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Two things can be true: Drake Maye's 2025 regular season was elite, and he was deserving of being in the MVP conversation, but he was also historically bad in the postseason, casting some doubt entering 2026.
The way Maye played during the Patriots' postseason run can't just be ignored, nor can his regular season success against one of the easiest schedules in recent years simply be written off.
The Patriots had one of the best vertical passing attacks in the NFL last season, and Maye's deep ball accuracy was on point. Regardless of who the Patriots were playing, he was putting the ball in spots and his receivers were making plays for him. Now, he's got AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs to throw the ball to, and you can't help but expect him to take his game to the next level.
So what does that look like? For Maye, it's got to be stepping up against the better defenses. Especially with Mike Macdonald's Seahawks seemingly cracking the code on stopping him, there will be a target on his back this season.
9. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
There are a decent amount of people in the NFL community starting to get really critical of Joe Burrow before the start of the season.
Let's address the elephant in the room: Joe Burrow and the Bengals have not played in the postseason since the 2022 season. That's a bit of a staggering reality for them, and a lot of people seem to think that Burrow is still skating by on a reputation he had built in those 2021-22 seasons.
The last fully healthy season Burrow had, the Bengals' defense was too horrendous for the team to make it to the postseason. But it's hard to deny that Burrow is one of the NFL's top game-changers at the quarterback position when he's on top of his game.
There are few quarterbacks who have a better feel for the game, and I would say Joe Burrow has the best pocket presence of any quarterback in the NFL right now.
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