The AFC is truly loaded with talented quarterbacks, but which five passers are the best heading into the 2024 NFL Season? Man, the AFC is in good hands for years to come. The quarterback talent is just out of this world, and many of them are still in their mid-20s. In the NFL, teams aren't going to win consistently without, at least, a "very good" QB.
There are quite a few middle-of-the-road QBs, but those players cannot sustain long-term success, and if you look at the recent Super Bowl champions, you'll see just how important an elite QB is. Could these five quarterbacks be the best in the AFC heading into the 2024 NFL Season?
Are these the top 5 QBs in the AFC heading into the 2024 NFL Season?
5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Cracking the top five, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills does seem to have his toughest test yet in the NFL, as his wide receiver room is filled with serviceable veterans and no clear WR1 at this point. Losing both Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason, Allen can truly prove to the league he's elite and QB2 right below Patrick Mahomes.
Many people do think that Josh Allen is the best QB not named Patrick Mahomes, but I just do not see it. A lower than ideal completion percentage an a turnover-prone player is no QB2 anywhere. Josh Allen can prove a ton of people wrong in 2024, though.
4. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
Not including Mahomes, CJ Stroud might be the best possible QB for any team for the long-term. He's still just 22 years old and has firmly cemented himself as an elite QB in the NFL. He helped lead the start-up Houston Texans to a 10-7 record in 2023 and a berth in the AFC Divisional Round. Stroud is simply excellent, and with added additions of Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon, the Texans offense is going to explode.
It's hard to dislike anything with Stroud's game, so you can expect a massive leap in year two for the young signal-caller.
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Winning his second NFL MVP award in the 2023 NFL Season, Lamar Jackson might already be the best dual-threat QB of all-time, but he and the Baltimore Ravens tend to underperform in the postseason, which is not ideal. Right now, it doesn't look like the Ravens are going to be able to get over the hump.
Perhaps a potential parting of ways with long-time head coach John Harbaugh could be what the franchise needs. Jackson is the most electric QB in the NFL and is the third-best in the AFC, which is crazy when you think about just how good he is.
2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
The only person who can take down Patrick Mahomes in the postseason at the moment is Joe Burrow, who is magnificent. Burrow has actually yet to play a full season in the NFL, which is hard to believe, but he simply needs to stay on the field, and there isn't any way around that. If not, Burrow's career will end up being the biggest "what if" story in NFL history.
Going on a Super Bowl run in 2021, the Cincinnati Bengals are clearly good enough to get back to the big game, but it'll all hinge on Burrow's health. How could you rank him any lower than No. 2 in the AFC?
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Obviously. An all-time great through just six seasons as a starter, Mahomes would make the Hall of Fame if he retired tomorrow. With two league MVPs and three Super Bowl titles, no one is going to touch Mahomes, and he may be the only QB for the rest of the NFL's history who could be compared to Tom Brady.
Mahomes still has a lot of work to do, but even during his "down" year in 2023, the Chiefs managed to win the Super Bowl, their third in just five seasons. For Chiefs fans, this is the best possible thing they could witness, but for fans of other AFC teams, it's annoying just how good Patrick Mahomes is.