The NFC was quite the conference in the 2025 NFL Season, as not many people expected the Seattle Seahawks to represent the conference in the Super Bowl, and I am not sure we thought that the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings would finish with the same record.
The 2026 NFL Season is rapidly appproaching, and with training camps on the horizon, the regular season only gets closer. For many NFC teams, a Super Bowl run is on their minds, but for others, it's really just about continuing to build in the right direction even if competing for the playoffs, at least, isn't in the cards.
With us having ranked the AFC starting quarterbacks recently, let's do the same for the starting passers in the NFC. We'll primarily use 2025 production as the basis for our rankings.
Ranking the starting quarterbacks in the NFC as training camp gets closer
16. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
Jacoby Brissett went 1-11 as a starter for the Arizona Cardinals in 2025 and was an efficient player if you only looked at his counting stats. Brissett has always been of the high-end backup variety, and that remained the case in 2025. With his trending toward again starting for the Cardinals, it's hard to see how this team wins many games.
15. Tua Tagovailoa, Atlanta Falcons
Tua Tagovailoa was an unfortunate disaster forthe Miami Dolphins in 2025, and it's why he finds himself on a new team. If Tagovailoa can play how he did in the 2022-2024 seasons, the Atlanta Falcons will win the NFC South, but his 2025 production was forgettable and honestly benchable play.
14. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Tyler Shough and the New Orleans Saints won four of five games to end the 2025 NFL Season. Shough does need to make that desired year two quarterback leap, but we did see a kind of clever, backyard-style of play from the rookie last year, which could help bring him to that breakout status.
13. Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
Jaxson Dart amassed 24 total touchdowns in 14 games for the New York Giants as a rookie in 2025. He does appear to have 'the goods,' but the big thing for 2026 is being able to protect himself better and not rely as much on his legs. A natural progression as a passer would have Dart flirting with being among the best in the NFC.
12. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young was mediocre in 2025 but also played the best football of his career for the Carolina Panthers, going 8-8 as a starter. Unless Young can find another level to his game, this is about as high as he'll be ranked. He had just four games last year with 200 passing yards or more.
Four.
11. Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
Kyler Murray has been a functional quarterback his entire career, and he's now finally in a situation where he could actually blossom. His dual-threat ability does make him a threatening player, but the dysfunctional Cardinals teams he was on for years prevented that from being the case. He wasn't special in 2025, but does have all the pieces around him to shoot up these rankings.
10. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels only played in seven games in 2025 due to injuries, and no matter how good a quarterback is, availability is the top priority. With Daniels hardly on the field, he simply has to take a hit in these rankings.
9. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts has never thrown for more than 4,000 yards in a season or for more than 25 passing touchdowns. He's below-average as a passer and is more of a quarterback who is along for the ride rather than conducting the train. Not having AJ Brown in the mix in 2026 is also going to be a huge 'make or break' year for Hurts.
8. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a down year across the board last year, especially on offense. One year after throwing 41 touchdown passes and 4,500 yards, Mayfield only finished with 26 touchdown passes and 3,693 yards. Mayfield has still been a prolific quarterback since signing with the Bucs back in 2023 and does own a modest 27-24 starting record.
He's a good quarterback, but he's not great and does offer a distinct ceiling.
7. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Another quarterback in the similar tier, Brock Purdy is productive and is a winner, but Purdy does seem to be a player who doesn't necessarily elevate those around him, but rather is elevated with a strong supporting cast and elite play-caller. Purdy is plenty good enough to be a quality starter for another decade, but nothing really jumps off the page with him.
6. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
One thing we have to commend Caleb Williams for is his overall ability in keeping the ball out of harm's way. In his two NFL seasons, he's tossed just 13 interceptions. While the completion percentage needs to get about five points higher, Williams keeps the ball out of harm's way and led quarterbacks in fourth-quarter comebacks in 2025, proving that a clutch gene is present.
Williams will need to do this again in 2026 if he wants to progress higher on this list.
5. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Coming in at No. 5 in our power rankings, Sam Darnold has sustained great quarterback play for two seasons now, owning a 28-6 regular season record as a starter. He did turn the ball over 20 times in 2025, which is concerning, but helping the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl was quite the accomplishment, and he's now thrown for nearly 8,400 yards since 2024, so his ability to push the ball down the field has really developed nicely.
4. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love has won exactly nine games in all three years of his starting career. He's missed four regular season games over the past two seasons and just has not yet broken through into that elite tier, but he's getting closer. If Love can stay on the field for a full 17 games, the Green Bay Packers may finally see this entire operation get to that top step.
Love has all the necessarily tools, high-end athleticism, and exceptional size. Perhaps a healthy season from start to finish is really what's missing.
3. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
We're now approaching the 'big three' in the NFC. Dak Prescott is third in our power rankings, as he's one of the best pocket passers in the NFL and continues to sustain high-end quarterback play. Now approaching his 11th year in the league, all Prescott has done is put up fabulous number and continue to win games.
He owns a 83-55-1 record over 10 years, which works out to be a 10-7 record over a full 17-game season. Prescott also averages 30 touchdown passes over a 17-game season and is someone who plays a style of QB that can be sustained much further into his 30s.
2. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Also from the 2016 NFL Draft class, Jared Goff just barely beats out Prescott. Goff was a bit more productive than Prescott in 2025 and does have a few more wins, passing yards, and passing touchdowns than the Dallas Cowboys starter. Goff, to me, flies under the radar. He's thrown four 4,000-yard passing seasons in a row and has no fewer than 29 passing touchdowns over the past four seasons.
Sure, he's not a dual-threat player, but the production with Goff is almost always off the charts, and he has been a winning passer for much of his career.
1. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
The MVP of the NFL, Matthew Stafford comes in at No. 1 in our power rankings. Finishing just shy of 50 touchdown passes, Stafford played the best football of his career despite pushing 40 years old, and if not for a stumbling defense down the stretch, the Los Angeles Rams may have won it all.
He led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns, also helping the Rams sport the league's best scoring offense.