The 2025 NFL regular season officially begins this week, so let's roll out our first QB power rankings of the new season. We've finally made it; the regular season kicks off this Thursday with the Dallas Cowboys facing off against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
All 32 teams are in action this weekend, and it's going to be awesome to have actual football back. One key thing to note about the first couple of weeks of a given NFL season is that anything can happen.
Many times, we see some shocking upsets that just aren't expected, as teams usually take a few weeks to settle into their identity. Anyway, every team in the league has their starting QB for the upcoming season, so let's rank them here.
NFL quarterback power rankings for Week 1 of the 2025 season
32. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
We’re now going to ditch the ‘unranked’ category and actually give each starting QB a ranking for the 2025 NFL Season. Cam Ward was the first overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft and hopes to revive the dysfunctional Tennessee Titans franchise. He is definitely more of a project-type at the position and is not going to find immediate success overnight. He’s last in our QB power rankings.
31. JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
A de-facto rookie, JJ McCarthy has an elite supporting cast around him and honestly has no reason to not succeed, so McCarthy’s true ceiling will be revealed with the Vikings in 2025 and beyond. He’s not taken a snap in a regular season game, so we can’t really rank him much higher than this for Week 1.
30. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints
Beating out Tyler Shough for the starting QB job, Spencer Rattler had a rough rookie season and is likely going to have a rough second season, as the New Orleans Saints have nothing worthwhile going for them and are likely headed toward actually being forced to rebuild.
29. Michael Penix Jr, Atlanta Falcons
Micahel Penix Jr got some action late in the 2024 NFL Season and is in some ways still in his rookie season, as he has a handful of starts. With Kaleb McCary now out, his blindside protector, Penix and the Falcons’ offense is going to be that much more under the spotlight in 2025.
28. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
Daniel Jones did not seem to be the popular choice to be the Indianapolis Colts’ starting QB for the 2025 NFL Season. The sense I got is that fans wanted Anthony Richardson to be the starter, but if Richardson truly could not beat out Daniel Jones in his third year in the NFL, that says a lot more about the young QB than it does Daniel Jones.
Unfortunately, Jones is one of the worst starting QBs in the NFL and is going to waste away this otherwise solid Colts’ roster in 2025. He’s 28th in our power rankings.
27. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young caught fire a bit near the end of the 2024 NFL Season, but he’s not yet established himself as a franchise passer, so we can’t rank him high just yet. If Young does put it all together in 2025, the Panthers do have a shot to compete for a Wild Card spot in the NFC. However, if he struggles, there’d be no reason to believe that Carolina sticks with him into year four. Right now, Young is quite low in our power ranking.
26. Justin Fields, New York Jets
Now on his third team in as many seasons, Justin Fields is a bottom-tier starting QB with an above-average running ability but a massively disastrous ability as a passer. It’s just not going to work out for Fields in 2025 with the New York Jets, and part of me thinks he’ll again be looking for a new team when the 2026 NFL Offseason rolls around. Justin Fields is comfortably one of the worst starting passers in the NFL.
25. Russell Wilson, New York Giants
Teammates with Justin Fields in 2024, Russell Wilson is in line to start for the New York Giants for an unknown period of time in the 2025 NFL Season, and with how well rookie QB Jaxson Dart played in the preseason, you wonder just how long of a leash Wilson has, as he is also on his third team in as many seasons, so it makes you wonder if Dart or even Jameis Winston gets some action in 2025.
24. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
Joe Flacco won the Cleveland Browns starting QB job, but with two rookie quarterbacks behind him, it’s only a matter of time before Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders get on the field. Flacco is a fine backup and does have some starting-caliber spurts in him, as he has simply played so much football in his NFL career and has seen it all. The Browns might honestly not be as bad as you think, as they have solid play in the trenches, but the QB situation will bring them down a bit.
23. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold had a great year with the Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 NFL Season, but I am actually not buying it, as there is way more bad football in his career than there is good, and the Seattle Seahawks simply do not have the infrastructure in place that the Vikings had in 2024, so it’s going to be a rocky year for Darnold and what appears to be a very below-average offense in 2025. Darnold is 23rd in our power rankings.
22. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
The player Sam Darnold replaced in Seattle, Geno Smith seems to have a loud minority of believers in the NFL, and it’s just odd. Smith is in his mid-30s and is a regressing QB who had about a year and a half of solid QB play with the Seahawks a couple of years ago. He was traded for a third-round pick for a reason and is quite easily the worst QB in the AFC West. There isn’t much to like about Geno Smith heading into 2025.
21. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams threw 20 touchdowns against just six interceptions in 2024, which is something, but Williams has to learn how to get rid of the ball quicker and simply not take as many sacks. If he can do that in Ben Johnson’s offense in the 2025 NFL Season, Williams is going to shoot up these rankings and get near the top-10. He’s just outside the top-10 in our power rankings.
20. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers threw for 28 touchdown passes in the 2024 NFL Season with the New York Jets, so that is at least something, but Rodgers is over 40 years old and is not nearly the QB he once was, so the 2025 NFL Season is going to go as most of us expect. Rodgers is a four-time MVP and is still one of the 32-best starters in the NFL, but this is his last year in the NFL, and the amount of change he’s seen over the last year is going to catch up with him.
19. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Drake Maye was a lot better than the raw stats might indicate in the 2024 NFL Season, and I am very eager to start ranking him higher in our QB power rankings when the 2025 NFL Season gets rolling. Maye now has an elite offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels and a proven head coach in Mike Vrabel. Furthermore, the Patriots improved their offensive line in free agency, so the arrow is pointing up to say the least.
18. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence has not found much consistency in the NFL, but part of that is simply not his fault. We’ll see if Liam Coen is the right one for the job, but some of the blame does fall on the shoulders of Lawrence. Still young and only entering his fifth season, the clock is ticking a bit for T-Law and the Jaguars to get this thing trending in the right direction. The Jags’ starting QB is no. 18 in our power rankings.
17. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
When he’s on the field, the Miami Dolphins are a good football team, as Tua Tagovailoa has never finished a season with a losing record in his NFL career, which is outstanding. However, the health has been the primary concern, and there isn’t any reason to believe that he’s going to all of a sudden stay healthy in 2025. That’s the primary reason why he can’t rank Tagovailoa any higher.
16. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
There is a lot to like with Kyler Murray as a quarterback, as he has shown a strong ability as a passer and is elite with the ball in his hands, but for whatever reason, he’s never put all of it together, and some have wondered if he ever will. Now already entering his seventh season in the NFL, Kyler Murray has established himself as a fine, average QB with some top-10 upside here and there. Murray and the Arizona Cardinals do have a strong roster and could sneak into the playoffs in 2025, though.
15. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
I have been low on Jalen Hurts for a while; he’s an average QB on a super-team. He’s never thrown for 25 touchdown passes in season and has never reached the 4,000-yard mark. Simply put, he’s a below-average passer who can’t consistently operate an NFL-caliber passing attack. There’s a reason why GM Howie Roseman put all of these elite players around Hurts. Sure, he can perform when the pressure gets high, but as a QB under normal circumstances, Hurts doesn’t wow you besides the running ability, but he sometimes takes off with his legs because he doesn’t always see the field well.
14. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy is a solid quarterback but isn’t going to carry a team on his back. He’s no. 14 in our power rankings and did get a huge contract extension this past offseason. If nothing else, Purdy is going to keep the San Francisco 49ers in the playoff hunt as long as things don’t fly off the rails, but he’s not close to being among the elite passers in the NFL.
13. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott tends to play quite well coming off a notable injury or a down year in play, so that does bode well for the Dallas Cowboys offense in the 2025 NFL Season. With CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in the mix, the Cowboys passing attack could be among the best in the NFL, as Prescott can operate a higher-volume passing attack.
12. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Over the final eight games of his rookie season, Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos went 5-3, and Nix was on a 45-touchdown pace. It’s safe to say that Nix and the Broncos proved a ton of people wrong in the 2024 NFL Season, as Denver has gone from being thought of as one of the worst teams in the NFL to a team that could dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. Not only is their second-year QB a strong passer, but he can do damage with his legs as well.
11. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans regressed a bit in the 2024 NFL Season, and if the offensive line can get into shape in 2025, they’ll be among the best teams in the NFL. Stroud and Houston are entering a very crucial third year, as in 2023 and 2024, they’ve got 10-7 and won one playoff game, so that’s been their ceiling so far. Stroud is just outside the top-10 in our power rankings but does have a top-10 ceiling in the NFL.
10. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert is probably never going to be better than where he is now, as he has been the same exact QB each year of his NFL career. The LA Chargers have a stable, franchise QB, but they don’t have an elite passer, and in both years the Chargers have been to the playoffs in the Herbert era, they’ve gotten embarrassed.
I have said for a while now that Justin Herbert is simply this generation’s Kirk Cousins, and through five seasons, that does seem to be the case, but there are many quarterbacks who simply aren’t as good.
9. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2024, Baker Mayfield was simply on fire, and with rookie WR Emeka Egbuka now in the picture, Mayfield hitting 4,000 yards again is on the table. He’s not an elite QB and is likely not able to lead the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl, but he’s found a new home and is definitely one of the better passers in the NFL at this point.
8. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love has everything it takes to be a top-tier QB in the NFL, and it feels like he’s quite close to attaining that goal. Green Bay not only added Micah Parsons in a trade the other day, but they did win 11 games in the 2024 NFL Season, so this move was done to try and put the franchise over the top and into contention, and if Love can unlock a bit more of a ceiling in 2025, he could even receive some MVP votes.
7. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford seems prepared to start Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season, and we’ll see if this weird back injury can stay away from the veteran QB. Stafford has played banged up for much of his NFL career, so you get the sense that he’s in the final year or two of his remaining prime years. If the veteran QB can stay healthy, the LA Rams are going to be good enough to win the Super Bowl again, as Stafford is simply excellent and should end up in the Hall of Fame one day.
6. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions actually have to prove themselves again, as losing Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn is going to hurt, and some have wondered if the Lions are in for a regression. Goff has been a stabilizing force for the franchise, but he doesn’t seem to be thought of as highly as he should be, given that he doesn’t have the pizzazz of being a dual-threat QB. He’s an elite pocket passer and is someone who could maintain a high level of play for the next 5-7 years.
5. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels is going to receive some MVP votes in the 2025 NFL Season, as he is simply outstanding and was the best rookie QB the league has ever seen, if you ask me. Coming within just one game of the Super Bowl, Daniels and the Commanders surely have Super Bowl aspirations in the 2025 NFL Season, but the aging roster and lack of top-end talent could be something to take note of here. Daniels is a top-5 QB in the NFL for the 2025 season.
4. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes has not been all that productive over the past two seasons, and you have to wonder of NFL defenses are beginning to figure this offense out. Furthermore, the Chiefs do not have a legitimate downfield threat, so we’ve seen a lot of ‘dink and dunk’ in Kansas City. However, this team turns on a switch when the playoffs roll out, and they become a totally different beast that few teams have been able to beat.
As of now, it’s not controversial to say that the great Patrick Mahomes isn’t the best QB in the NFL, but we can’t really rank him lower than this.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen won the MVP award in the 2024 NFL Season, but is third in our QB power rankings. He should not have won the MVP if you ask me, as Lamar Jackson was better by a mile, way more valuable, and had an all-time great season. Anyway, Allen and the Bills have found a ton of success in recent years, but they can’t get over the hump in the playoffs, and you have to wonder what is needing to change for them to make a big run? Allen has played as good as he possibly can, yet Buffalo is on their couch in January every season.
2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow threw for 43 touchdown passes in the 2024 NFL Season and had the best year of his NFL career, but the Cincinnati Bengals missed the playoffs. Now that Trey Hendrickson is under contract on a better deal and back with the team, the defense could be good enough to keep Cincy atop the AFC like we are used to seeing, although this team has not made the playoffs since the 2022 NFL Season, so are we sure the Bengals are getting back? One thing we do know for sure is that Burrow is arguably the best QB in the NFL.
1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson is an all-time great QB and is first in our power rankings, and it’s not particularly close, either. Jackson and the Ravens have to figure something out when the playoffs roll around, as they have not won multiple games in the postseason since the 2012 NFL Season. The Ravens are an excellent team and well-run from top to bottom. If nothing else, Lamar Jackson is going to go down as a top-5 QB in NFL history when it’s all said and done, but a Super Bowl has evaded him and this franchise for a while now.