Quarterback is the most high-profile position in sports. In a world in which we lean on rankings to make sense of things, few positions attract more debate than this.
Those seeking clarity on the matter are in luck: With each week of the NFL season, it is my job to analyze every snap of every game with a focus on the signal-callers. And after each week's games are complete, I rank every quarterback.
But I typically only handle quarterbacks through an individual lens. What if we were to group them by division, in an effort to determine which four-team collective packs the greatest passing punch?
That's exactly what I've done here -- and I've added a fun wrinkle that taps into the final QB Index from the 2024 season, in which I ranked every QB to start a game last year, to add a bit more order to a process that might otherwise be reputation-dependent. The divisions are listed below according to how each team's expected starting quarterback ranked as of the end of the 2024 playoffs, presented in countdown fashion.
A couple of notes before we get going. First, in cases where there are two QBs who seem equally likely to start for one team, I calculated their average ranking to create one score for that team. And those QBs who did not appear in the final QBI of 2024 -- either because they did not participate in the season or because they are incoming rookies -- were each given a ranking of 29, which is where I would typically rank a rookie walking into a Week 1 starting job. This is also, notably, the exact average ranking of the three rookies who began last season as starting QBs heading into 2024: Caleb Williams (No. 28), Bo Nix (No. 29) and Jayden Daniels (No. 30).
Now, let's sort out this list. Here are your 2025 quarterback rankings by division:
8) AFC SOUTH
Average QBI rank: 26.5
- Houston Texans: C.J. Stroud (No. 15)
- Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Richardson/Daniel Jones (Nos. 35 and 37; 36 avg.)
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence (No. 26)
- Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward (No. 29)
I like to think of the AFC South as the division with the greatest untapped potential. We've already seen what Stroud can do when playing at a high level (see: his 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year award), but the rest have yet to flirt with their projected peaks. We might never see it from Richardson (whom I expected to take a big step forward in 2024 and instead took a couple backward), especially if Jones wins the Colts' QB1 job in training camp. Lawrence is already on his second contract (and his third head coach), and he can claim the 2022 season (4,113 passing yards, 25:8 TD-to-INT ratio, 95.2 passer rating) as proof of a bright possible future. It also stands far above his output otherwise (an average of 3,234 passing yards, 15 TD passes, 13 picks and a passer rating of 80.9 in his other three seasons), and after missing seven games last season, he needs to stay on the field long enough to give fans reason to believe in him. Ward arrives as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and is being given the keys to the Titans right off the bat. If everything falls into place, all four franchises should have their answers under center and vault up the rankings. But that if is currently teetering like a Jenga tower headed toward the endgame.
7) NFC SOUTH
Average QBI rank: 20.25
- Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix Jr. (No. 30)
- Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young (No. 16)
- New Orleans Saints: Tyler Shough (No. 29)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield (No. 6)
I know, it seems wildly unfair to rank Shough, a second-round pick who enters the league with less juice than most QBs in line to start as rookies, one place ahead of Penix, a former first-rounder who showed enough in his limited starts last season to convince the Falcons to move forward with him in 2025. But that's just one of the quirks of the way I accounted for low-experience players here. You're also right if you assume I didn't think Shough -- who seems as likely as anyone on the roster to take over for Derek Carr -- would have to be tossed into this group until Carr's surprise retirement. The real story of this division is centered on two somewhat similar career arcs belonging to Mayfield and Young. The former was a No. 1 overall pick in 2018 and found success before becoming a nomad for a season, learning necessary lessons and gaining humility before putting up consecutive career years with the Buccaneers. Mayfield found his home in Tampa, and his status as an excellent passer in the league is no longer questioned. Young, the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, still has doubters even after reclaiming what once appeared to be a doomed career. Those who didn't watch the Panthers in 2024 will scoff at how I view Young, but real ball-knowers understand Young achieved plenty when the odds were stacked against him and can't wait to see how he builds on that success in 2025. He and Mayfield carry this division, while the intrigue surrounding Penix will keep fans coming back for more. Shough, meanwhile, remains a complete unknown in New Orleans.
6) NFC NORTH
Average QBI rank: 17.75
- Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams (No. 28)
- Detroit Lions: Jared Goff (No. 4)
- Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love (No. 10)
- Minnesota Vikings: J.J. McCarthy (No. 29)
There is one simple explanation for the NFL's toughest division in 2024 ranking this low: youth. Williams, 23, survived a rough rookie season fraught with organizational dysfunction. The Bears brought in reinforcements, including a new coaching regime led by Ben Johnson, keeping the expectations high for their chosen franchise quarterback, with only a season's worth of evidence to suggest he can live up to them. McCarthy, 22, hasn't taken an in-game snap since Week 1 of the 2024 preseason, yet the second-year pro is climbing into the driver's seat of a team that won 14 games last season, raising hopes for a repeat performance in 2025. We know what Goff, the veteran 30-year-old outlier, brings to the table for Detroit, but we don't know exactly how that will translate to the field now that Johnson, Goff's offensive coordinator over the past three seasons, is leading the rival Bears. All we need from Love, 26, is a healthy season and a more reliable showing over 17 games than he's put up in his two years as a starter thus far. The latter two QBs understandably drive this ranking, but if all four thrive, expect the NFC North to climb to the top quickly.
5) AFC NORTH
Average QBI ranking: 17.38
- Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson (No. 1)
- Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow (No. 3)
- Cleveland Browns: Kenny Pickett/Joe Flacco (Nos. 47 and 40; 43.5 avg.)
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers (No. 22)
I live in Cleveland, yet I'm granting all of you permission to pelt the Browns with rotten tomatoes for what they've done to the AFC North's ranking. This should be the NFL's best division, as the home to a two-time MVP (Jackson) and perennial MVP contender (Burrow), with the arrival of a late-career four-time MVP (Rodgers) bringing even more potential spice to the quartet. But then there's Cleveland, the team that has four options at quarterback and no answer as of late June, a reality created by the decision to go all in on Deshaun Watson in 2022. Not only are the Browns still paying for that ill-fated move, but they are also tanking the standing of this otherwise stellar group in this piece. There certainly isn't any debate regarding Jackson or Burrow, and if the 41-year-old Rodgers can find some consistency in Pittsburgh and extract the last of his magic before riding off into retirement, there will be none about him, either.
4) AFC EAST
Average QBI ranking: 17
- Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen (No. 2)
- Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa (No. 18)
- New York Jets: Justin Fields (No. 27)
- New England Patriots: Drake Maye (No. 21)
Ever since Buffalo rose from the role of David to aspiring Goliath (yes, Bills fans, a team needs to win the conference to truly become a Goliath), Allen has represented their strength. Last season, he won NFL MVP and finished second in my QB rankings, and nobody is questioning his superstar bonafides. He's also shouldering the weight of the division in this ranking, with Tagovailoa existing near the Dalton Line among 32 starters and needing a bit of a bounceback campaign in 2025 to improve his reputation. If New England's busy offseason produces tangible improvement, Maye will have played a direct part in the team's growth. He's already proven he can be the Patriots' franchise quarterback, and I'm highly intrigued to see how he performs with a better cast surrounding him. Finally, I've probably over-indexed on my placement of Fields, but consider me one of the few remaining believers in his potential.
3) NFC EAST
Average QBI ranking: 14
- Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott (No. 19)
- New York Giants: Russell Wilson (No. 23)
- Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts (No. 9)
- Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels (No. 5)
For a division that commands big-market attention annually, this feels right. There is a new hierarchy of main actors, however. In many previous years, Prescott would be the unquestioned top quarterback among the four. Instead, after missing nine games in 2024, he's third among this group, according to the year-end QBI rankings, and is going to need a strong bounceback season to usurp the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year (Daniels) and Super Bowl LIX MVP (Hurts). That's how high the bar is in the NFC East, where Wilson's Big Apple arrival will almost certainly be overshadowed, especially compared to the amount of attention his move to Denver in 2022 drew. More eyes will be focused on Daniels' sophomore season and Hurts' title defense. We'll see if the latter QB bumps his ranking up, which would appease the many Eagles fans who likely spend their free time throwing darts at my headshot.
2) NFC WEST
Average QBI ranking: 13
- Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray (No. 17)
- Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Stafford (No. 8)
- San Francisco 49ers: Brock Purdy (No. 14)
- Seattle Seahawks: Sam Darnold (No. 13)
This division carries the most potential for volatility entering 2025. Murray appears to be entering a pivotal season with the Cardinals, having yet to put up the kind of wire-to-wire performance that would put a permanent end to speculation about the seventh-year pro's future with the franchise. I know, it seems outrageous, considering Murray's capabilities, but game-by-game consistency was lacking in 2024. Purdy, meanwhile, just signed a lucrative deal that delivered a long-overdue payday to the former Mr. Irrelevant; now, the pressure will be on him to deliver during what might be a transitional year for San Francisco. Darnold is likely feeling a similarly heavy weight after signing with Seattle following a career year in Minnesota; the move placed him in another new situation with even greater responsibility. And finally, Stafford resolved his contractual standoff with the Rams and is back for his 17th NFL season. Do you see how this could all go horribly wrong? Murray could struggle. Purdy could end up as a victim of surrounding circumstances. Darnold could revert back to a passing pumpkin. The 37-year-old Stafford could feel the effects of Father Time. Or, it will all go right, the NFC West will produce three playoff teams and this group will live up to its end-of-2024 ranking. For now, the quartet is far from guaranteed to follow a strong 2024 with more collective excellence in 2025.
1) AFC WEST
Average QBI rank: 12.5
- Denver Broncos: Bo Nix (No. 20)
- Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes (No. 7)
- Las Vegas Raiders: Geno Smith (No. 12)
- Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert (No. 11)
Surprised? I was, at least a little bit. We knew Mahomes and Herbert would lift this division's overall ranking to a certain level, but the true linchpin of the group is the new student in the class; not only did Smith's acquisition by the Raiders give Las Vegas a legitimate starter, it also filled out the league's strongest quarterbacking division entering 2025. I haven't forgotten about Nix, who flirted with end-of-year awards consideration in 2024, even as a bit of a tumultuous late-season stretch reminded us of the challenges that face every rookie. Nix married quite well with coach Sean Payton, helped the Broncos return to the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade and positioned Denver for a very optimistic 2025. If he keeps it up, he'll climb the ranking and confirm the supremacy of a division otherwise populated by proven veterans.
