The AFC flipped on its head during the 2025 NFL Season, as the final two quarterbacks remaining in the conference were none other than Drake Maye and Jarrett Stidham, an incredibly unlikely combination.
But what 2025 did show us is just how wide open this conference was and could continue to be into 2026. There are a ton of capable teams and competent passers, and there will be some teams that miss the playoffs in 2026 with a winning record, perhaps even teams with double-digit wins.
We still have a long way to go before the start of 2026, but right here, we power-ranked the projected starting quarterbacks in the AFC. Our basis for these rankings is simply the most recently quarterback play we saw from these 16 passers. Let's dive in.
NFL Power Rankings, 2026: Ranking projected QB starters in the AFC
16. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson might 'win' a potential quarterback competition in Cleveland this offseason, simply because it would be the best-case scenario for the Browns. Ideally, Watson looks a little bit like his days as a Houston Texan, wins the quarterback job from Shedeur Sanders, and helps the Browns float around .500.
15. Geno Smith, New York Jets
Geno Smith, bluntly, was horrendous for the Las Vegas Raiders, and he's now headed back to the team that drafted him. To be fair to Smith, the Raiders situation was dysfunctional to say the least, but Smith himself is a regressing player at the most important position in sports.
14. Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers
As of now, Mason Rudolph could be in line to start for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2026, but that isn't a recipe for success. Rudolph is a fine backup, but nothing more. The Steelers are clearly waiting for whatever Aaron Rodgers decides to do. Rudolph has been competent in spurts when he's needed to start, but he'd comfortably be one of the worst quarterbacks in the conference.
13. Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
There is only so much quarterback play that Malik Willis has in his NFL tenure thus far. He did look great with the Green Bay Packers as Jordan Love's backup, but Willis doesn't even have 175 passing attempts in the NFL yet, so he's still a very unknown player.