Best Quarterbacks in the AFC Today 2026-27 Prediction

Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Drake Maye make up Tier 1 among the best AFC quarterbacks entering the 2026 NFL season. The top of the conference combines four established MVP winners or perennial candidates with Maye, who turned his second season into an All-Pro campaign and a trip to Super Bowl LX.

This is a tier ranking, not a strict 1-through-24 list. Quarterbacks in the same tier are considered part of the same general range, and their order within each tier follows the supplied graphic rather than creating a separate in-tier ranking.

The list projects value for the 2026 season while using completed 2025 performance as its foundation. Current ability matters most, but health, role, supporting cast, coaching, playoff value and realistic development are also part of the evaluation. For the leaguewide version, see our best quarterbacks in the NFL today. We also ranked the best quarterbacks since 2020 and built a separate tier list of the greatest quarterbacks ever.

Last reviewed: August 10, 2026.

How We Ranked the Best AFC Quarterbacks

This ranking asks one main question: How valuable should each quarterback be during the 2026 NFL season? It is not a career-achievement list, a fantasy football ranking or a projection based only on long-term upside.

Recent performance carries the most weight. A quarterback who played at an elite level in 2025 receives more credit than a bigger name living on an older résumé. Established talent and multi-season production still matter because one hot or cold stretch should not erase everything that came before it. The final layer accounts for health, expected role, coaching, offensive support and how much development is realistically available in 2026.

Playoff performance matters, but wins and championships are not treated as individual statistics. Quarterbacks are judged by how well they handled the assignment, not merely whether their team advanced. Rushing value is also considered because Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson can change an offense without throwing the ball, while pocket passers such as Joe Burrow create their advantage through accuracy, timing and coverage recognition.

Eligibility and Scope

This is a curated ranking of the 24 AFC quarterbacks featured in the graphic. It includes established starters, rookies with a legitimate path to the field, notable backups and former starters still involved in meaningful quarterback competitions. It is not intended to rank every quarterback currently on an AFC training-camp roster.

Players are evaluated with the team and role they held on August 10, 2026. When a starting job remained unsettled, the article states that uncertainty instead of treating a camp competition as a finished decision.

Tier 7: Developmental Players and Long Shots

Tier 7 of the best AFC quarterbacks today, featuring Justin Fields, Will Levis, Shedeur Sanders, Anthony Richardson, Deshaun Watson and Riley Leonard.

Tier 7 contains quarterbacks with enough talent or past production to remain relevant, but none enters 2026 with both a secure starting job and trustworthy recent play. Several could rise quickly if an opportunity opens. Every player in this group still has to prove something fundamental.

Justin Fields, Kansas City Chiefs

2026 role: Patrick Mahomes’ primary backup.

Kansas City traded for Justin Fields in March after his one-season run with the Jets. The fit makes sense for both sides. Fields gets to work with Andy Reid and Mahomes without being asked to rescue an offense immediately, while the Chiefs gain a backup who can keep the running game dangerous if he is needed.

The athleticism remains starter-caliber. Fields can erase a free rusher, turn a broken third down into 20 yards and force defenses to account for quarterback runs near the goal line. His placement stays in Tier 7 because the passing operation has never become consistent enough. Holding the ball, taking sacks and missing answers within structure prevented his physical talent from producing stable starting results in Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York.

Will Levis, Tennessee Titans

2026 role: Reserve quarterback competing for a place behind Cam Ward.

Will Levis lost the entire 2025 season to shoulder surgery, removing what might have been his final clean opportunity to establish himself as Tennessee’s long-term starter. He returned healthy in 2026, but Cam Ward now owns the franchise job and Mitchell Trubisky has added veteran competition to the room.

Levis still has the arm to attack outside the numbers and drive vertical throws through tight coverage. The problem has always been everything surrounding those flashes: pressure recognition, turnover-worthy decisions, timing and an urge to manufacture a spectacular play when a routine answer is available. He is young enough to rebuild his value, but he enters the season much closer to a reclamation project than a future franchise quarterback.

Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns

2026 role: Competing with Deshaun Watson for Cleveland’s starting job.

Shedeur Sanders’ rookie season was uneven, but it was not empty. He started Cleveland’s final seven games, threw for 1,400 yards and produced his best performance against Tennessee with 364 passing yards and four total touchdowns. His late-season work was enough to earn a Pro Bowl replacement selection and a real chance to compete in Year 2.

The 10 interceptions against seven touchdown passes explain why he remains in Tier 7. Sanders is accurate when his feet and timing are settled, and he showed more downfield aggression than some pre-draft evaluations predicted. He now has to speed up his responses to pressure and avoid turning a difficult situation into a disastrous one. Beating Watson for the job would create the quickest route out of this tier.

Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

2026 role: Third quarterback behind Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard at the time of review.

Anthony Richardson remains one of the most gifted athletes ever drafted at quarterback. He can threaten a defense as a designed runner, escape edge pressure and launch the ball to any area of the field. That profile is why the Colts selected him fourth overall in 2023 and why his theoretical ceiling still looks nothing like a typical third-string quarterback.

The NFL résumé has never caught up to the traits. Richardson played only two games and threw two passes in 2025 before an eye injury ended his season. Through 17 career appearances, he has completed 50.6 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. By August 2026, he was working behind Leonard and had requested a trade after Indianapolis committed to Jones. Talent keeps him on the board; accuracy, health and role keep him near the bottom.

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

2026 role: Competing with Shedeur Sanders for Cleveland’s starting job.

Deshaun Watson’s placement is based on current football value, not the player he was in Houston. He has not appeared in a regular-season game since 2024, and his last extended stretch of play was nowhere close to the accuracy, movement or command that once made him one of the league’s best young quarterbacks.

Cleveland gave Watson and Sanders alternating first-team opportunities early in camp, so a path to the field still existed when this list was reviewed. The only reasonable way to move Watson higher is through evidence. He must show that he can stay available, process cleanly and create explosive throws without the offense collapsing into sacks and stalled possessions.

Riley Leonard, Indianapolis Colts

2026 role: Daniel Jones’ leading backup after moving ahead of Anthony Richardson in camp.

Riley Leonard supplied a meaningful late-season glimpse after Jones tore his Achilles. In the first half of Indianapolis’ Week 18 game against Houston, Leonard completed eight of 13 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns against a Texans defense still playing for the division. That was enough to make the 2026 backup competition more than a formality.

Leonard’s mobility, size and willingness to attack as a runner give him a useful floor. His passing game is still built more on rhythm and defined reads than high-end creation, so projecting him as a future quality starter would be premature. Tier 7 recognizes the progress without turning one promising half into a finished evaluation.

Tier 6: Veteran Bridges, Rookies and Reliable Backups

Tier 6 of the best AFC quarterbacks today, featuring Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza, Geno Smith, Joe Flacco and Davis Mills.

Tier 6 is held together by role more than playing style. Cousins and Smith enter the season as veteran starters, Mendoza is a first-overall pick waiting behind Cousins, and Flacco and Mills are trusted backups. Each can help an offense function, but none enters 2026 with a clean high-end case.

Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders

2026 role: Opening training camp as Las Vegas’ starting quarterback.

The Raiders signed Kirk Cousins because new head coach Klint Kubiak wanted an experienced quarterback capable of running the offense immediately. Cousins has spent most of his career winning with timing, play-action, accuracy and preparation. Those strengths make him a sensible bridge while Fernando Mendoza learns the professional game.

Tier 6 reflects the difference between controlling an offense and elevating one. Cousins is entering his 15th NFL season, his movement has become more limited and his recent play no longer supports a high-end projection. He can keep the Raiders organized and competitive, but the franchise’s future belongs to the rookie behind him.

Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders

2026 role: First-overall pick developing behind Kirk Cousins.

Fernando Mendoza is not an anonymous long-term project. Las Vegas selected him first overall after he won the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to an undefeated national-championship season. The accuracy, poise and command that powered that run give the Raiders a legitimate franchise-quarterback plan for the first time in years.

He remains in Tier 6 because this list projects immediate 2026 value, not five-year potential. Mendoza had not taken an NFL snap when the ranking was reviewed, and Cousins opened camp with the starting offense. If the rookie wins the job and handles pressure at NFL speed, he has enough polish to rise faster than most quarterbacks beginning this low.

Geno Smith, New York Jets

2026 role: New York’s declared starting quarterback.

Geno Smith’s career has completed an improbable loop. The Jets reacquired their 2013 second-round pick from Las Vegas, and head coach Aaron Glenn named him the starter entering 2026. Across his four seasons as a primary starter for Seattle and Las Vegas, Smith averaged 3,812 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and a 68.1 percent completion rate.

That recent body of work gives Smith a higher floor than the developmental players in Tier 7. The concern is how much of the Seattle peak remains at age 35 after a difficult Raiders season. He can still throw with anticipation and attack the middle of the field, but New York must protect him well enough to prevent pressure from turning manageable downs into sacks and turnovers.

Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals

2026 role: Joe Burrow’s backup.

Joe Flacco did far more than survive after Cincinnati acquired him during Burrow’s injury absence. In nine games with the Bengals, including six starts, he completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,664 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. The late-career revival earned him the first Pro Bowl selection of his 18-season career.

Cincinnati brought him back because his aggressive downfield style fits a receiving group led by Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Flacco can still enter a game and make an offense dangerous. Tier 6 accounts for the other side: he is entering his 19th season, offers little rushing value and is now being evaluated as one of the conference’s best backup plans rather than a preferred full-season starter.

Davis Mills, Houston Texans

2026 role: C.J. Stroud’s primary backup.

Davis Mills has settled into a useful role after starting 26 games during his first four NFL seasons. He knows Houston’s system, has enough arm strength to access the full playbook and does not need an entire offense rebuilt around him when called upon.

That experience makes Mills more dependable than many developmental backups. It has also provided enough evidence to define the ceiling. He can keep the Texans functional for a short stretch, but he has not consistently created outside structure or lifted unstable situations. Tier 6 is the right home for a credible QB2 without a strong claim to another franchise opportunity.

Tier 5: High-Variance Starters

Tier 5 of the best AFC quarterbacks today, featuring Malik Willis and Cam Ward.

Malik Willis and Cam Ward are expected to start, possess obvious playmaking talent and could climb multiple tiers. They also enter 2026 with small or inefficient samples that make either projection fragile.

Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins

2026 role: Miami’s new starting quarterback.

Miami made one of the offseason’s biggest quarterback bets by signing Malik Willis to a three-year contract after releasing Tua Tagovailoa. Willis earned the opportunity through limited but explosive work in Green Bay. Across his three starts in 2024 and 2025, he protected the ball, stressed defenses as a runner and consistently generated chunk plays within Matt LaFleur’s structure.

The leap from successful spot starter to weekly answer is enormous. Willis enters a rebuilding offense that moved on from Tyreek Hill and traded Jaylen Waddle, leaving fewer easy answers when protection breaks. His arm strength and rushing ability give Miami a path to outperform expectations, but six career starts are not enough to place him alongside proven franchise quarterbacks.

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

2026 role: Tennessee’s unquestioned franchise starter.

Cam Ward’s rookie year produced 3,169 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, seven interceptions and an 80.3 passer rating. Those numbers were modest, and he finished at the bottom of the league in QBR among qualifying passers, but the context was rough: Tennessee changed coaches during the season and offered little help from its running game or receiving corps.

Ward still showed the creativity that made him the first pick in the 2025 draft. He can alter his arm angle, attack while moving and create a throw after the original structure disappears. New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll now has to turn that improvisation into a more efficient down-to-down offense. Tier 5 rewards a full season of starting experience while leaving room for the substantial improvement Tennessee expects in Year 2.

Tier 4: Proven Starters With Major Questions

Tier 4 of the best AFC quarterbacks today, featuring Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers and C.J. Stroud.

Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers and C.J. Stroud have each played high-level NFL football. Their reasons for landing in Tier 4 are completely different: Jones is returning from a major injury, Rodgers is fighting age, and Stroud is trying to recover the trajectory established by his rookie season.

Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts

2026 role: Indianapolis’ unquestioned starter.

Daniel Jones revived his career in 2025 before a torn Achilles ended his season in December. Indianapolis believed enough in that stretch to keep him with the franchise tag and then complete a two-year deal. By training camp, Jones had returned to full-team work and was taking the first-team repetitions.

The Colts gave Jones a better environment than he had during the end of his Giants tenure. Jonathan Taylor creates play-action opportunities, Tyler Warren gives him a matchup target, and Jones’ own rushing ability adds another layer when healthy. Tier 4 assumes much of the 2025 improvement was real, but an Achilles recovery and a career full of uneven passing prevent a more aggressive placement.

Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

2026 role: Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback.

Aaron Rodgers signed a one-year deal to return for another season at age 42, reuniting with new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy. The partnership is familiar: McCarthy coached Rodgers through most of his Green Bay prime, including his first MVP season and Super Bowl championship.

The current version cannot be ranked on those achievements. Rodgers no longer escapes pressure or creates late in the down at his peak level, but the release, coverage recognition and ball placement still allow him to punish predictable defenses. Pittsburgh can win with that version if the run game and protection hold up. Tier 4 respects what remains without pretending the four-time MVP is still physically close to his prime.

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

2026 role: Houston’s established starter.

C.J. Stroud followed his sensational rookie year with two more complicated seasons. In 2025, he threw for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a 92.9 passer rating. Houston still reached the playoffs, but his four-interception loss to New England created a long offseason discussion about his development.

The decline has not erased the evidence from 2023. Stroud can layer throws between zones, attack intermediate windows and remain composed when the pocket is stable. Houston’s pass protection ranked near the bottom of the league in 2025, making the evaluation less simple than blaming the quarterback. Tier 4 places him below the AFC’s rising young passers until he proves he can turn clean flashes back into consistent high-end production.

Tier 3: Rising Young Starter

Tier 3 of the best AFC quarterbacks today, featuring Bo Nix.

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

2026 role: Denver’s franchise starter.

Bo Nix stands alone in Tier 3 because his first two seasons created more certainty than the group below without yet reaching the individual ceiling of Tier 2. He was particularly effective late in 2025, then helped Denver beat Buffalo 33-30 in the Divisional Round before fracturing his ankle late in overtime. The injury forced him to miss the AFC Championship Game against New England.

Nix was back at full speed by training camp. His processing, mobility and willingness to take the available completion give Sean Payton a dependable operator, while his late-game play showed that he can create when structure alone is not enough. The debate is whether he will become a true top-end passer or remain an excellent extension of the system. Tier 3 splits that difference.

Tier 2: High-Level Franchise Quarterbacks

Tier 2 of the best AFC quarterbacks today, featuring Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert.

Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert have Tier 1 physical talent and enter 2026 with improved reasons for optimism. Lawrence is coming off the best season of his career. Herbert finally gets to pair his arm talent with an offensive coordinator capable of building a modern, quarterback-friendly passing game.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

2026 role: Jacksonville’s franchise starter.

Trevor Lawrence delivered the breakthrough season Jacksonville had been waiting for. In his first year with Liam Coen, he set career highs with 29 touchdown passes, a 58.3 QBR, 359 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. The Jaguars won the AFC South, and Lawrence finished the year as an MVP finalist after powering an eight-game winning streak into the postseason.

The change was larger than the box score. Lawrence used his legs more decisively, attacked favorable matchups earlier in the down and looked more comfortable when the first read disappeared. One season does not erase the inconsistency of his first four years, which keeps him below Tier 1. The 2025 version was no longer a projection, however. It was high-level franchise quarterback play.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

2026 role: Los Angeles’ franchise starter.

Justin Herbert threw for 3,727 yards, accounted for 28 touchdowns and earned his second Pro Bowl selection in 2025 despite losing both starting tackles and playing through a broken left hand. He was sacked 54 times, faced pressure constantly and still helped the Chargers win 11 games.

New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel gives Herbert a chance to play faster and collect more easy answers. Herbert’s average time to throw was 2.9 seconds in 2025, partly because protection breakdowns forced him to extend plays. McDaniel wants the ball out much earlier, allowing Herbert’s processing and accuracy to matter before the rush takes control. Tier 2 reflects a quarterback with elite tools and toughness who still needs the offense and postseason résumé to catch up.

Tier 1: The AFC Quarterback Elite

Tier 1 of the best AFC quarterbacks today, featuring Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Drake Maye.

Tier 1 contains the quarterbacks capable of defining the AFC race. Allen is the most overwhelming individual force, Mahomes owns the greatest completed résumé, Burrow remains the conference’s purest pocket passer, Jackson changes defensive structure with his legs, and Maye has already converted his upside into elite production.

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

2026 role: Buffalo’s franchise starter and the 2024 AP NFL MVP.

Josh Allen followed his 2024 MVP with another finalist season, completing 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,668 yards and 25 touchdowns while adding 579 rushing yards and 14 scores. His 39 total touchdowns came even though Buffalo’s receiving group lacked a dominant outside target for much of the year.

No AFC quarterback combines arm strength, movement and short-yardage power the same way. Allen can operate a normal passing game, beat man coverage as a runner or turn a collapsing play into the best gain of the drive. The remaining criticism is postseason completion: Buffalo’s latest playoff exit led to Sean McDermott’s departure and Joe Brady’s promotion to head coach. That pressure does not change the present evaluation. Allen enters 2026 as the conference’s most singular physical problem.

His rushing production is already historic, including a place near the top of the NFL’s career quarterback rushing-touchdown leaderboard.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

2026 role: Kansas City’s franchise starter after returning from ACL surgery.

Patrick Mahomes enters 2026 in unfamiliar territory. Kansas City missed the playoffs for the first time in his starting career, and a torn left ACL ended his season in December. The encouraging development is that Mahomes was cleared for full practice when training camp opened and looked increasingly comfortable during team drills.

The injury creates more uncertainty than usual, but nobody else in the conference has matched his completed combination of peak play and postseason problem-solving. Mahomes owns two league MVP awards, three Super Bowl championships and three Super Bowl MVPs. He has won from explosive spread formations, patient underneath attacks and chaotic late-down improvisation. Until the recovery proves that a core part of his movement is gone, one lost season cannot push him below the elite tier.

His rapid accumulation is already visible on the Chiefs’ career passing-yards leaderboard and Kansas City’s passing-touchdown rankings.

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

2026 role: Cincinnati’s franchise starter.

Joe Burrow missed nine games with a toe injury in 2025, but his return reminded everyone why health is the only reason to hesitate. Over the final six weeks, he threw for 1,620 yards and 15 touchdowns with a 102.2 passer rating. He finished that stretch among the league leaders in completions, touchdowns, passing yards, completion rate and efficiency.

Burrow wins differently from Allen or Jackson. He manipulates safeties, anticipates route breaks and remains willing to hold his ground long enough for a difficult window to open. His career completion rate reached an NFL-record 68.5 percent among qualified passers, reflecting how rarely his aggressive style becomes careless. Repeated injuries and three straight missed postseasons for Cincinnati matter. When Burrow is actually on the field, the quarterback play remains Tier 1.

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

2026 role: Baltimore’s franchise starter.

Lamar Jackson’s 2025 season was a step back from his MVP-level standard. He missed time, never fully found his rhythm and now enters a new offense under coordinator Declan Doyle. A disappointing season does not erase two MVP awards or the most dangerous rushing profile the position has produced.

Jackson forces defenses to change their front, edge rules and coverage structure before the ball is snapped. Linebackers cannot fit the run normally, and man coverage becomes dangerous because a cleared-out middle gives him space to escape. His growth as an intermediate passer prevents defenses from solving the problem by simply crowding the box. The lack of a Super Bowl appearance remains part of the debate, but there are very few quarterbacks capable of altering an opponent’s entire plan as completely.

Jackson leads our career quarterback rushing-yards list and sits at the top of the SOG Sports ranking of the best running quarterbacks ever.

Drake Maye, New England Patriots

2026 role: New England’s franchise starter after an All-Pro season and Super Bowl appearance.

Drake Maye is no longer in Tier 1 because of tools alone. He led the NFL with a 72.0 percent completion rate in 2025, threw for 4,394 yards, averaged a league-best 8.93 yards per attempt and earned second-team All-Pro honors. Maye finished second in MVP voting and led New England through the AFC playoffs to Super Bowl LX.

The Super Bowl loss also exposed the next layer of his development. Maye threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns against Seattle, but he was intercepted twice and New England spent too much of the postseason living around sacks and fumbles. Those mistakes matter without outweighing an elite 17-game season. At 24, Maye already combines high-end accuracy, movement and vertical arm talent. The bold projection would now be leaving him out of the top tier.

Biggest Debates and Tier Boundaries

Why Drake Maye belongs in Tier 1

Maye’s placement would have been projection-heavy before 2025. It is evidence-based now. Leading the NFL in completion percentage and yards per attempt while finishing second in MVP voting is an elite regular-season case, and taking New England to the Super Bowl added meaningful postseason responsibility. He has less career proof than Allen, Mahomes, Burrow and Jackson, but this is a 2026 value ranking rather than a lifetime-achievement list.

Why Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert remain in Tier 2

Lawrence finally delivered a top-end season, while Herbert survived one of the league’s most difficult protection environments. Both have the physical ability to join Tier 1. Lawrence must stack another elite season instead of treating 2025 as an isolated peak. Herbert must turn talent and regular-season toughness into a deeper postseason résumé.

Why Bo Nix stands above C.J. Stroud

Stroud owns the better rookie season, but the ranking is not frozen in 2023. Nix finished 2025 playing his best football, won a playoff game and had Denver in position to compete for the AFC championship before his ankle injury. Stroud’s recent inconsistency and four-interception playoff exit leave him with more to repair entering 2026.

Why starters and backups appear on the same list

The supplied graphic is a curated ranking of 24 notable AFC quarterbacks rather than a simple list of 16 starters. That allows the article to compare current starters with rookies and reserves who have a realistic path to meaningful snaps. Role still affects placement. Flacco may be a better emergency option than some lower-end starters, but a quarterback expected to spend the season on the bench cannot be valued exactly like an established QB1.

Full AFC Quarterback Tier List

The tier determines the ranking. Quarterbacks are not separately ordered within the same tier.

FAQ

Who are the best AFC quarterbacks entering the 2026 season?

Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Drake Maye make up Tier 1. Allen brings the strongest combination of passing and rushing force, Mahomes owns the best postseason résumé, Burrow is an elite pocket passer, Jackson changes the structure of a defense, and Maye is coming off an All-Pro season.

Are quarterbacks ranked within each tier?

No. The tier is the ranking. The name order inside each tier follows the supplied graphic and does not create a separate first-through-fifth order.

Why is Drake Maye already in Tier 1?

Maye led the NFL with a 72.0 percent completion rate and an average of 8.93 yards per attempt in 2025. He threw for 4,394 yards, earned second-team All-Pro honors, finished second in MVP voting and led New England to Super Bowl LX.

Why are backup quarterbacks included?

This is a curated list of the 24 AFC quarterbacks featured in the graphic, not a ranking limited to the 16 opening-day starters. It includes notable backups, rookies and former starters with a realistic path to meaningful snaps.

Which AFC quarterback could make the biggest jump?

Cam Ward has one of the clearest paths upward because he already owns Tennessee’s starting job and now enters his second season with Brian Daboll coordinating the offense. Shedeur Sanders could also rise quickly if he wins Cleveland’s competition and improves his decision-making.

Conclusion

The AFC still owns the NFL’s deepest collection of elite quarterback talent. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson have already established MVP-level peaks, while Drake Maye’s 2025 season moved him from exciting projection to proven Tier 1 quarterback.

The next groups are where the 2026 season can reshape the board. Trevor Lawrence finally delivered a career year, Justin Herbert gets a potentially ideal coordinator in Mike McDaniel, and Bo Nix returns healthy after losing an AFC Championship opportunity to a fractured ankle. C.J. Stroud, Cam Ward and Malik Willis carry more volatility but also have enough talent to make this ranking look conservative.

This list will change as starting competitions settle and the season produces new evidence. The standard is simple: projection can open the door, but sustained quarterback play decides who stays in the upper tiers.

More NFL Rankings

Continue with these SOG Sports quarterback rankings and statistical leaderboards:

• Best Quarterbacks in the NFL Today
• Best Quarterbacks in the NFL Since 2020
• Best Quarterbacks of All-Time
• Best Quarterback in the NFL Every Season
• Highest Career Passer Rating in NFL History
• Most Passing Yards in a Single NFL Season
• Most Rushing Yards by a Quarterback in NFL History

You can also follow SOG Football on Instagram for more NFL rankings, tier lists and football history.