Jack’s 2024 NFL QB Power Rankings

In the era of Tom Brady’s “mediocrity at the quarterback position” and Cam Newton’s “game managers”, it’s often difficult to tell who the elite quarterbacks are in the NFL. Guys like Brock Purdy are notorious for being “game managers”, propped up by elite weapons and coaching. Quarterbacks like Kyler Murray or Joe Burrow get left out of peoples’ ranks due to recent injury bias. Then you have veterans like Matt Stafford and Aaron Rodgers, who both have Super Bowl rings but are slowly aging out of the game.

When I evaluate quarterbacks there are many factors to consider, but one simple hypothetical holds the biggest weight in my mind. I have a big game this season, it’s the fourth quarter and the score is close. My team has the ball needing a touchdown to win it.

What quarterbacks can get the job done? Which of the 32 starters in the NFL can lead their offense down the field as time expires, leading his squad to victory? That’s the biggest factor. While there are plenty of other attributes to look at (mental toughness, intangibles, composure, determination, focus, leadership, durability) I always go back to that one, simple, hypothetical.

With all that being said, here are my NFL quarterback power rankings heading into the 2024 NFL season. I’m ready for the death threats. Here we go…

Patrick Mahomes

Please don’t make me explain this to you. Patrick Mahomes is easily the best quarterback in the NFL. It’s not a debate.

Lamar Jackson

Coming fresh off of his second MVP Trophy, Lamar Jackson is possibly the most dynamic quarterback that we’ve ever seen in the NFL. With Derrick Henry coming in as the workhorse running back, defenses will be shaking in their boots on read plays, making Lamar’s dual-threat ceiling exponentially higher in 2024. If Zay Flowers makes the year two jump like many anticipate and Mark Andrews can stay healthy, Jackson could be in line for yet another MVP.

Joe Burrow

When healthy, Joe Burrow is one of the only quarterbacks who has shown the ability to out-duel Patrick Mahomes, which gives him the edge over Josh Allen for the three spot in my rankings. Assuming Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins are healthy and available all season, Burrow should be in store for a huge bounce back 2024 campaign.

Josh Allen

Josh Allen has the most upside out of any quarterback in the league. However, the Bills employ an entirely new receiving core in 2024, making it tough to project what Allen’s success will look like this season. Allen’s partner in crime, Stefon Diggs, is gone. So is Gabe Davis. Buffalo’s quarterback is going to have to rely heavily on his tight ends, running backs, and a ragtag group of receivers consisting of rookies and gadget-guys this season. Normally that would be a problem, but hey, it’s Josh Allen we are talking about here.

Matthew Stafford

People forget that just 3 seasons ago Matt Stafford won Super Bowl LVI. His number one target that season, Cooper Kupp, won the Triple Crown. Since then, they’ve been battling their respective share of injuries, but the Rams have improved the offensive line and added a new young pass catcher, Puka Nacua, who just set the rookie receiving record with nearly 1,500 yards in 2023. Stafford is elite. So are Puka and Kupp. If they put it all together in Sean McVay’s elite offense, Stafford and the Rams should impress once again. As Cooper Kupp likes to say, “It’s different with 9 back there”.

Aaron Rodgers

This one might surprise people, but it shouldn’t. We’re talking about the general, an MVP, Super Bowl Champion, again, people forget this guy won back-to-back MVP awards just three seasons ago. The impact and command Rodgers has on a football game as a whole is second to only Patrick Mahomes. Rodgers would be higher on this list if he wasn’t coming off an achilles tear at age 40.

Kyler Murray

Again, are you surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be. Kyler Murray is now two years removed from his ACL injury in 2022. The 27-year-old just gained the No. 1 wide receiver prospect ever, and now has an elite tight end emerging in Trey McBride. Expect Murray to be back and better than ever this season. He’s an insane athlete that is so hard to get a hold of in the pocket, and will absolutely KILL defenses with his scrambling ability. Dare I say he’s even tougher to stop on third down than the No. 2 quarterback on my list, Lamar Jackson? Kyler is going to surprise NFL fans with how he leads Arizona’s offense this year.

Justin Herbert

Despite being this high on my list, I expect a very disappointing season for Justin Herbert. The 26-year-old comes into 2024 banged up and has a completely new team. The Chargers have a new head coach, new offensive coordinator, and new skill position player across the board, leading me to believe it might take a season or two for Los Angeles to gel as a unit. Still, Herbert’s talent is undeniable and good enough to keep the Chargers relevant. He’s thrown for 5,000 yards in a single season, which something only two other starting quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Matthew Stafford, have accomplished.

Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts was in MVP contention just 2 years ago before losing in the Super Bowl to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. He is one of the best athletes at quarterback, boasting 38 rushing touchdowns over the last three seasons. The ceiling is the moon for Hurts, and with Kellen Moore coming in as the new OC, the 26-year-old might be an MVP candidate again in 2024.

Trevor Lawrence

There may be a little bias in here, but hear me out. After a disaster of a rookie year led by “he who shall not be named”, Lawrence in his first real season of NFL football took the Jaguars to the playoffs. He led Jacksonville to a playoff win after being down 27-0. We’ve seen his ceiling. He can be a slightly less physical, slightly more accurate Josh Allen, and I’ll take that! Everyone wants to doubt him after a disappointing season a year ago, but he was hurt and played through the injuries. He lost his No. 1 receiver, Christian Kirk, for the back half of the season, Calvin Ridley dropped everything, the offensive line dealt with injuries and honestly just bad. It was rough last year. But that’s last year. The Jaguars have upgraded the offensive line, brought in weapons, and have Kirk rested and healthy. Lawrence and the offense should be better than ever in year three under head coach Doug Pederson. Don’t sleep on Duval.

C.J. Stroud

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft was the highlight of the NFL last season outside of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s “Love Story” (you’re welcome Brian). Gaining two veteran weapons in Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon should certainly help Stroud with his consistency in 2024. He’s just outside of my top 10, but there are many who would have him in there. He did win Offensive rookie of the year, but it was his rookie year, let’s see him do it again to crack the top 10.

 

Editors Note: I may not agree with the ranking, but appreciate the pun greatly, Jack.

Jordan Love

Like C.J Stroud, I need to see a second year of high-level play from Jordan Love. For now, I’m bought in. Love had a great first season commanding Green Bay’s offense, which happened to be the youngest in the NFL. Leading the Packers to the playoffs, Love beat Dak Prescott in Dallas and lost a tight game to a good 49ers team in San Francisco. As he develops and his teammates develop, the Packers could have yet another 10+ year starter following in Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre’s footsteps.

Brock Purdy

I think Purdy is an elite game manager, but I also think the 24-year-old is talented and goes above and beyond to win the 49ers games. It’s easy to look at Purdy and be unimpressed, “Mr. Irrelevant” and all, but I’ve seen him make more plays in the clutch than the following players in my rankings. For now, No. 13 might be too low considering his impressive play since being drafted by San Francisco in 2022.

Jared Goff

Goff has his ups and downs… and I know why. Goff is ELITE at home in Detroit. Through 17 games at Ford Field (they have a roof) since the start of 2022, he is 11-6 and all of those six losses were by one score. On the road and in the elements, that’s a whole different story. Given the Lions No. 1 ranked offensive line and his weapons across the board, Goff is set up for a very successful 2024 season.

Dak Prescott

I’m not going to get too deep with this one. Dak has proven to have 0 “clutch gene” and doesn’t win the big games when they count. Maybe it’s the Cowboys organization’s fault, but Prescott stops impressing after the regular season consistently. He’s only this highly ranked due to his physical abilities and regular season numbers.

Tua Tagovailoa

Tua always starts the season hot and falls off. It’s become a trend to bet on. His durability is the big issue, something he’s been working to fix, but in the end, injuries happen. Let’s not forget the most important games are at the end of the season. He’s got an elite coach, elite playmakers, and he’ll soar up this list if he can stay healthy and see postseason success.

Geno Smith

Geno Smith still has some gas in the tank. We saw it just 2 seasons ago. Last year he was hurt and the offense was stuck in 1965, but with a new coaching staff in place and some outstanding weapons, 2024 could be a big year. Expect the 31-year-old to air it out all over the field to DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett, and Kenneth Walker II out of the backfield.

Deshaun Watson

This is an important ranking. The quarterbacks after Watson in these rankings are either unproven, confirmed old and washed, or lack the talent to be above Watson. The 28-year-old led the league in passing during an impressive 2020 season. That’s four years ago now, and many think Watson is washed, but I’m not fully there yet. Luckily, this season will certainly give me an answer. Reports say he’s fully healthy and he can’t hide behind Nick Chubb for at least the first 4 weeks, so we should really see exactly what Watson has left in the tank.

Caleb Williams

I’m going against my own rule of “don’t believe what you see in preseason”, especially against second string defenses, but Caleb Williams looked really freaking good. With the amazing weapons the Bears brought in, there won’t be many excuses if this doesn’t work out in Chicago. He’s an easy preseason favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield could be higher on this list after last year’s impressive performance, but I think it was a fluke. Outside of Mike Evans, the Bucs have a pretty lackluster offense and really lack any downfield, explosive playmakers. With Dave Canales out of Tampa Bay, I expect this offense to take a step back in 2024.

Gardner Minshew

Minshew going to make Davante Adams happy this year. I think the Raiders will be a lot better than people expect this season. At least offensively, it starts with Gardner feeding Adams and rookie tight end Brock Bowers.

Kirk Cousins

Don’t want to hear it. What has he done? Put up 4,000 yards in the regular season? Cool. Him and Dak Prescott are in the same boat. Regular season warriors. Kirk doesn’t have the physical attributes Dak does however. On top of being 36 and coming off an achilies tear, I’m out on Kirk Cousins and have been since his time in Washington.

Russell Wilson

This corny “mothafer” might lose the starting job to Justin Fields by week 6. That’s already too many words on “DangerRussss”. Weirdo.

Anthony Richardson

I truly believe Anthony Richardson could be top 5 or bottom 5 by the end of the season. He hasn’t shown the ability to throw at a high level, but his rushing and scrambling ability is undeniable. Durability is already a huge red flag too. Let’s see the second-year quarerback play in more than 2 full games before making any hard decisions.

Will Levis

Will Levis is the perfect combination of Josh Allen and Jay Cutler. He’s got a big arm, likes to chuck it deep all over the field, and adds a physical running style to his game. Unfortunately he’s a bit of a wildcard with his accuracy and turnovers. Let’s see what kind of quarterback Will Levis really is in year two with new weapons like Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard. Overall, I think he’s generally underrated.

Derek Carr

He should be lower. He’s wasting Chris Olave’s talent and that’s all I got to say.

Jayden Daniels

He may be fellow Section 400 member Brian’s Rookie of the Year, but the reigning Heisman trophy winner isn’t doing it for me. I’d put him closer to Anthony Richardson than I would C.J. Stroud. We just haven’t seen it yet. The Commanders have not set him up nearly as good as the Bears did with Caleb Williams, and for that, I could see Daniels struggling mightily in year one.

Bryce Young

I saw enough from Bryce Young in year one to say year two is going to be better, but still a work in progress. Fortunately for him, the Panthers were active this offseason getting him some more weapons to work with. The biggest acquisition of all should be new head coach Dave Canales. Known in some NFL circles as a “QB whisperer”, he has reignited both Geno Smith’s and Baker Mayfield’s careers over recent seasons. I have optimism for Bryce Young to grow in year two.

Daniel Jones

Jones is under Bryce Young in my rankings because I know what his ceiling is, unlike Bryce. He’s ass. If the opposing defense doesn’t do their homework, he might get lucky and win the Giants a game or two with his underrated scrambling ability, but he’s still ass. Outside of Sam Darnold and maybe Derek Carr, he has to be the least inspiring Quarterback heading into 2024.

Sam Darnold

Kids see ghosts sometimes. Sam Darnold, once known for “seeing ghosts”, aka defensive backs, is in the best situation of his career. He failed with the Jets and the Panthers, two teams a lot of players fail with, so there’s optimism for him in Minnesota under Kevin O’Connell. With a great core of receivers and the best wide receiver in the game, Justin Jefferson, I could see Darnold having a decent season at best.

Bo Nix

Y’all know I have no love for Bo Nix. I really don’t think he’s all that good. Sean Payton could turn him into a glorified game manager, but his ceiling maxes out at a Derek Carr/Kirk Cousins type of career.

Drake Maye

I know that the Patriots officially declared Jacoby Brissett as the starting QB, but that won’t last long. Brissett has had one of the unluckiest NFL careers and something is going to happen early on where the Patriots make the switch. I’ll call it right now. After they get blown out in week 4 against the 49ers, Drake May era will commence in week 5.