If you don’t have a quarterback in the NFL, you’d better at least have a plan for the future. Believe it or not, as many quarterbacks as come to the NFL from the college ranks every year, there are still plenty of starting jobs in the NFL either up for grabs now, or they will be in the future.
There are plenty of teams in rough spots at the quarterback position around the league, but today, we’re going to be taking a look at the worst of the worst.
Our latest NFL power rankings will take a look at the worst quarterback in each division, and rank them worst to best overall for the 2025 season.
NFL Power Rankings: The worst QB in each division ranked worst to best
8. Whoever is Starting, New Orleans Saints
It doesn’t matter if it’s Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, or Tyler Shough – the Saints have the worst starting quarterback in the NFL. That doesn’t mean they can’t have someone step up and maybe even break through for them this year, but going into the season, there is no quarterback situation that is worse than this one.
The Saints are being projected to pick in the top two or three of the 2026 NFL Draft for a reason, and this is it. They have some decent pieces on their roster, including some playmakers for whoever is under center to spread the ball to, but this could be an ugly year for them.
7. JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
JJ McCarthy is getting ranked extremely low on this list because he’s never played a down of regular season football. You can project all you want in this business, but you can’t predict whether or not one of the youngest starters in the NFL, one who has zero experience and is coming off of a major knee injury, to be one of the top-tier quarterbacks in the league.
I have faith in Kevin O’Connell to set McCarthy up for success. I loved McCarthy coming out of the draft. But he’s got a long way to go toward proving he can be an effective NFL starter. He’s got the right coaching and weapons around him, there’s no question about it.
6. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
You hate to pull this phrase out of the archive, but Anthony Richardson struggles to hit the broad side of a barn. The Colts have been understandably patient with Richardson, who barely played at Florida, but their patience might soon run out.
Richardson was listed as an “OR” in the initial depth chart released by the Colts along with former Giants first-round pick Daniel Jones. He’s simply going to have to hit the “easy” throws with more consistency to make it in the NFL. You can’t make it on physical abilities alone. You have to evolve and adapt. He completed less than 48 percent of his throws last year.
5. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
It’s sad that Flacco is not at the bottom of this list. With all due respect to Flacco, who has been in this league for a long time and was the NFL Comeback Player of the Year just two years ago, there’s got to be someone else more capable of starting for an NFL franchise.
Flacco is now in his 40s and inspires absolutely no hope for this Browns franchise. Even if he’s able to give that team a bit of a jolt at times, he still throws picks at a higher rate than he ever has in his NFL career (3.9 percent in 2023, 2.8 percent in 2024).
4. Justin Fields, New York Jets
I’m in the camp that actually liked what we saw out of Justin Fields with the Steelers last season, but I’m not sure how sustainable it would be over the long haul. The Steelers obviously agreed, and they pivoted to Russell Wilson as soon as they had the chance, even with the team having success overall.
Fields is capable of being one of the most dynamic dual threats in the game, but can he be a consistent passer from the pocket? He might have the best supporting cast around him that he’s ever had as a member of the Jets, but there’s a lot of new to adjust and adapt to.
3. Russell Wilson, New York Giants
The New York Giants decided to kill their quarterback need with fire this offseason, completely overhauling the position by bringing in Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Jaxson Dart with a 1st-round pick. Wilson is the first man up for this team, but you can’t help but wonder if he’s going to be on a shorter leash than we saw last year in Pittsburgh.
Wilson can still drop the ball in a bucket deep downfield, and he can still make plays in the clutch. Can he avoid taking too many sacks and turning the ball over at the worst possible times?
2. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
There is no question that the Las Vegas Raiders have one of the most upgraded quarterback situations in the NFL this year. Going from Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell to Geno Smith is going to be a night and day difference, even if it’s not a long-term fix.
I still believe Geno is teetering on the cusp of being overrated. There are so many people out there in the NFL media world who seem to think Smith is in the upper echelon of quarterbacks, but that’s simply not the case. He’s a solid starter who offers a high floor and a low ceiling. The Raiders needed him badly, and he’ll be a nice upgrade for them. But the AFC West is loaded at QB.
1. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
The guy the Seahawks decided to move on from Geno Smith for is former first-round pick Sam Darnold, who has been given his “journeyman” badge but has upgraded it from just “journeyman” to “highly-paid journeyman”. Darnold was outstanding last year for the Minnesota Vikings as a full-time starter, but how is he going to be with no more Kevin O’Connell, no more Justin Jefferson, no more Jordan Addison, etc.?
There’s inherent risk in changing quarterbacks in the NFL regardless of what way you decide to pivot, but the Seahawks are going all-in with Darnold and Klint Kubiak to run their offense, and they had better hope they’re right, or they’ll be the laughing stock of the league.