Best Quarterbacks in the NFL Since 2020

Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL since 2020. He stands alone in Tier 1 because no other quarterback matched his combination of regular-season production, playoff victories, championships and repeated control of high-leverage games from 2020 through 2025.

The next tier contains Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts. Stafford strengthened his case by winning the 2025 AP MVP, while Hurts moves up from the original Tier 3 because his six playoff wins, two Super Bowl appearances and championship outweigh inconsistencies in his passing profile.

This corrected ranking covers 35 quarterbacks across the six completed regular seasons from 2020 through 2025. It removes projection as a factor, adds three omitted quarterbacks and evaluates completed production, efficiency, rushing impact, awards, availability and postseason results.

Key Facts

• Clear Tier 1: Patrick Mahomes.
• Passing-yard leader: Mahomes with 26,527 from 2020 through 2025.
• Second in passing yards: Jared Goff with 25,403.
• Total-touchdown leader: Josh Allen with 254 passing, rushing and receiving touchdowns.
• Highest passer rating: Brock Purdy at 104.0.
• Most playoff wins: Mahomes with 13.
• 2025 AP MVP: Matthew Stafford.
• Statistical window: 2020 through 2025 regular seasons.

Ranking Method and Statistical Scope

This is a tier ranking, not a strict one-through-35 order. Players inside the same tier belong to the same general level, and their sequence inside that tier is not meant to represent an exact ranking.

Regular-season passing production establishes the baseline. Passing yards, touchdowns, interceptions, efficiency and availability are then combined with rushing value, awards, playoff victories, Super Bowl performance and the difficulty of each quarterback’s offensive responsibility.

Postseason success matters more at quarterback than at most positions, but wins are not credited entirely to one player. The ranking asks how the quarterback performed within those runs, not merely whether his team advanced.

Projection was removed from the original method. Drake Maye, Bo Nix, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Jaxson Dart are evaluated only on completed NFL seasons through 2025. The original draft also claimed to rank 35 quarterbacks while listing 32. Matt Ryan, Jimmy Garoppolo and Mac Jones were added to correct that mismatch.

Tier 7: Incomplete, Declining or Short-Window Cases

Tier 7 includes quarterbacks whose case is limited by missed seasons, declining play, backup-level stretches or a very short sample. Every player had meaningful production inside the window, but none built a complete six-year résumé.

Deshaun Watson

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 35 games, 8,188 passing yards, 52 passing touchdowns, 19 interceptions and a 96.3 passer rating.

Watson’s 2020 season was elite, but it was followed by a missed season and three ineffective, injury-shortened years in Cleveland. His cumulative 96.3 rating is heavily carried by the Houston season. A ranking of performance since 2020 cannot treat his reputation as a substitute for availability and current production.

Ben Roethlisberger

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 31 games, 7,543 passing yards, 55 passing touchdowns, 20 interceptions and a 90.4 passer rating.

Roethlisberger played only the first two seasons of the window and was already in the final stage of his career. He still threw 55 touchdowns and helped Pittsburgh reach the playoffs, but his 6.2 yards per attempt reflected a limited downfield offense. The short, declining sample belongs in Tier 7.

Mac Jones

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 63 games, 12,741 passing yards, 67 passing touchdowns, 50 interceptions and a 86.9 passer rating.

Jones was missing from the original list despite starting 63 games and producing 12,741 passing yards. His rookie Pro Bowl season was followed by significant regression, although he rebounded as a fill-in starter in San Francisco in 2025. The volume earns inclusion, while the 86.9 rating and 50 interceptions keep him in Tier 7.

Jaxson Dart

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 14 games, 2,272 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, 5 interceptions and a 91.7 passer rating.

Dart’s inclusion no longer needs to be described as projection. As a rookie, he played 14 games, threw 15 touchdowns against five interceptions and added nine rushing scores while becoming an Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist. One season remains the smallest sample on the list, so Tier 7 is the responsible placement.

Tier 6: Productive Stretches and Starter-Level Value

Tier 6 contains experienced starters and shorter-term contributors who supplied real value without reaching the sustained level of the higher groups. Matt Ryan, Jimmy Garoppolo and Mac Jones were missing from the original graphic and complete the intended 35-player ranking.

Geno Smith

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 69 games, 15,986 passing yards, 95 passing touchdowns, 53 interceptions and a 93.7 passer rating.

Smith’s career resurgence supplied 15,986 yards and 95 touchdowns over the window. He proved capable of leading efficient offenses after spending years as a backup. The later inconsistency and limited postseason success keep the overall case below the higher multi-year starters.

Derek Carr

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 75 games, 18,452 passing yards, 114 passing touchdowns, 50 interceptions and a 95.6 passer rating.

Carr accumulated 18,452 passing yards with a 95.6 rating, one of the stronger volume profiles in the lower tiers. His weakness is not basic competence but the absence of a defining peak or playoff run. Tier 6 reflects several solid seasons without a period of genuine elite play.

Ryan Tannehill

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 55 games, 11,705 passing yards, 71 passing touchdowns, 34 interceptions and a 94.2 passer rating.

Tannehill began the window with an excellent 2020 season, posting 33 touchdowns and a 106.5 rating. The production declined each year afterward, and his final Tennessee season ended with four touchdowns against seven interceptions. That early peak still deserves recognition, but the full trajectory fits Tier 6.

Jimmy Garoppolo

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 43 games, 8,882 passing yards, 52 passing touchdowns, 31 interceptions and a 95.8 passer rating.

Garoppolo was omitted from the original graphic despite quarterbacking San Francisco to a conference championship game during the window. He posted a 99.2 rating from 2020 through 2022 and remained efficient when healthy. Injuries, a poor Raiders season and a smaller workload prevent a higher tier.

Matt Ryan

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 45 games, 11,606 passing yards, 60 passing touchdowns, 36 interceptions and a 89.7 passer rating.

Ryan was another clear omission from the original 32-player graphic. He threw for 11,606 yards in only three seasons inside the window, including 4,581 in 2020. The lack of team success and a difficult final year in Indianapolis limit the case, but his volume easily warrants inclusion in the intended top 35.

Daniel Jones

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 70 games, 14,656 passing yards, 65 passing touchdowns, 43 interceptions and a 86.4 passer rating.

Jones supplied rushing value and one playoff victory, but his passing production remained modest for the workload. He threw 65 touchdowns in 70 games with an 86.4 rating. The 2022 season represents the peak, while injuries and turnovers defined much of the remaining window.

Tier 5: Strong Starters With Clear Limitations

Tier 5 includes productive starters with either uneven efficiency, limited postseason success, injuries or a shorter sample. Several players here produced enough to challenge Tier 4, but each has a material weakness in the completed résumé.

Trevor Lawrence

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 77 games, 17,822 passing yards, 98 passing touchdowns, 58 interceptions and a 86.3 passer rating.

Lawrence produced 17,822 yards but also threw 58 interceptions with an 86.3 rating. His playoff comeback and 2025 MVP-finalist season show a ceiling much higher than the aggregate efficiency. Tier 5 balances those peaks against the long stretches of uneven quarterback play.

Jayden Daniels

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 23 games, 4,752 passing yards, 33 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 98.6 passer rating.

Daniels created an immediate postseason run as a rookie and won two playoff games before injuries disrupted 2025. His 98.6 passer rating and major rushing value show why the peak belongs high on the list. The 23-game regular-season sample is still too small for Tier 4.

Russell Wilson

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 77 games, 17,232 passing yards, 126 passing touchdowns, 46 interceptions and a 96.4 passer rating.

Wilson opened the window with high-level Seattle production before a difficult Denver stretch changed the trajectory. He still threw 126 touchdown passes with a 96.4 rating across 77 games. The early peak earns inclusion, while the decline and limited recent team success hold him in Tier 5.

Tua Tagovailoa

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 78 games, 18,166 passing yards, 120 passing touchdowns, 59 interceptions and a 96.4 passer rating.

Tagovailoa’s rhythm passing has produced 18,166 yards and a 96.4 rating. Miami’s speed and structure helped maximize his anticipation, but availability and postseason performance remain major concerns. He has strong starter-level production without a complete high-end résumé.

Kirk Cousins

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 81 games, 20,593 passing yards, 143 passing touchdowns, 60 interceptions and a 96.9 passer rating.

Cousins accumulated 20,593 yards with 143 touchdowns and a 96.9 rating. Those totals are stronger than several quarterbacks ranked above him, but quarterback evaluation cannot stop at regular-season volume. Injuries and the lack of postseason success during the window keep him in Tier 5.

Kyler Murray

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 71 games, 16,738 passing yards, 101 passing touchdowns, 48 interceptions and a 93.3 passer rating.

Murray’s rushing ability and arm talent create a ceiling that the basic passing line cannot capture. He still produced 16,738 passing yards and a 93.3 rating, but injuries and inconsistent team results interrupted the strongest stretches. Tier 5 reflects talent without overrating incomplete seasons.

Bo Nix

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 34 games, 7,706 passing yards, 54 passing touchdowns, 23 interceptions and a 90.5 passer rating.

Nix started all 34 games across his first two seasons and threw 54 touchdown passes. Denver’s 2025 division title added team success to a rapidly growing statistical case. His 90.5 rating and short sample keep him in Tier 5, but this is based on completed production rather than future projection.

Caleb Williams

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 34 games, 7,483 passing yards, 47 passing touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 89.0 passer rating.

Williams improved from 20 touchdown passes as a rookie to 27 in 2025 while cutting down sacks dramatically. He finished the two-year window with 7,483 passing yards, 47 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions. The efficiency remains inconsistent, but the growth and division-winning second season justify Tier 5.

Tier 4: High-End Multi-Year Résumés

Tier 4 contains quarterbacks with major recent peaks, strong cumulative production or meaningful playoff success. The group includes veterans who revived their careers and young passers whose completed results already justify a high placement.

Dak Prescott

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 75 games, 20,211 passing yards, 146 passing touchdowns, 56 interceptions and a 99.3 passer rating.

Prescott produced 20,211 passing yards and a 99.3 rating despite missing substantial time. His regular-season command and scoring efficiency have repeatedly placed Dallas among the league’s strongest offenses. The lack of a deep playoff run remains the clear barrier to Tier 3.

Baker Mayfield

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 93 games, 20,973 passing yards, 148 passing touchdowns, 66 interceptions and a 93.0 passer rating.

Mayfield’s six-year line includes uneven seasons in Cleveland and Carolina, followed by a major revival in Tampa Bay. He accumulated 20,973 yards and 148 touchdowns while restoring himself as a legitimate franchise starter. The peaks are strong enough for Tier 4, but the complete window is less consistent than the Tier 3 résumés.

Sam Darnold

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 74 games, 14,542 passing yards, 87 passing touchdowns, 54 interceptions and a 88.8 passer rating.

Darnold’s late-window rise changed his evaluation. He produced 8,367 passing yards and 60 touchdowns across 2024 and 2025, then completed the turnaround by quarterbacking Seattle to the Super Bowl LX championship. His poor early-window seasons still count, which keeps him in Tier 4 rather than allowing one title to carry him higher.

Drake Maye

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 30 games, 6,670 passing yards, 46 passing touchdowns, 18 interceptions and a 103.1 passer rating.

Maye jumped from a promising rookie to the 2025 MVP runner-up and led New England to Super Bowl LX. He finished 2025 with 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and a league-best 113.5 passer rating. Two seasons are not enough for Tier 3, but the completed production is already much stronger than the original projection-based explanation.

Jordan Love

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 57 games, 11,535 passing yards, 83 passing touchdowns, 31 interceptions and a 96.8 passer rating.

Love has produced 11,535 yards, 83 touchdowns and a 96.8 rating while starting for most of three seasons. His best stretches combine aggressive downfield passing with playoff-caliber efficiency. The inconsistency between those stretches prevents a Tier 3 placement.

C.J. Stroud

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 46 games, 10,876 passing yards, 62 passing touchdowns, 25 interceptions and a 93.5 passer rating.

Stroud’s rookie season immediately produced a division title and playoff win, and he has accumulated three postseason victories. His efficiency declined after that opening year, finishing the full window with a 93.5 rating. The playoff value and 10,876 yards make Tier 4 fair, but he has not maintained an elite regular-season level.

Tier 3: MVP Peaks, Super Bowl Runs and Sustained Excellence

Tier 3 features MVP-level seasons, exceptional efficiency, major playoff runs or massive passing volume. These quarterbacks fall below Tier 2 because their six-year cases contain either durability, consistency or postseason limitations.

Aaron Rodgers

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 83 games, 19,328 passing yards, 163 passing touchdowns, 39 interceptions and a 101.7 passer rating.

Rodgers won consecutive MVP awards at the beginning of the window and maintained a 101.7 passer rating across all six seasons. His 163 touchdown passes against 39 interceptions show elite ball security and scoring efficiency. Injuries and limited postseason advancement after Green Bay’s early runs keep him below Tier 2.

Tom Brady

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 50 games, 14,643 passing yards, 108 passing touchdowns, 33 interceptions and a 98.1 passer rating.

Brady played only half the possible regular-season games in the window, but the impact was enormous. He won a Super Bowl immediately in Tampa Bay and still produced 14,643 yards with 108 touchdowns in 50 games. The shorter three-season sample prevents a higher tier, not the quality of his play.

Jared Goff

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 97 games, 25,403 passing yards, 169 passing touchdowns, 60 interceptions and a 99.5 passer rating.

Goff quietly ranks second among the listed quarterbacks with 25,403 passing yards. His Detroit revival added efficient passing, division titles and a conference championship appearance to the earlier Los Angeles portion of the window. He does not create as much outside structure as the elite dual-threat passers, but his sustained production is undeniable.

Justin Herbert

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 95 games, 24,820 passing yards, 163 passing touchdowns, 58 interceptions and a 96.3 passer rating.

Herbert was too low in the original Tier 4. He ranks fourth in passing yards, produced 163 touchdown passes and received an MVP first-place vote after his 2025 season. The absence of meaningful postseason success is the reason he stops in Tier 3 rather than entering Tier 2.

Brock Purdy

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 49 games, 11,685 passing yards, 84 passing touchdowns, 37 interceptions and a 104.0 passer rating.

Purdy owns the highest passer rating in the ranking at 104.0 and won five playoff games in his first four seasons. San Francisco’s supporting cast and system matter, but his anticipation, accuracy and composure still have to be executed by the quarterback. A Super Bowl appearance and repeated deep runs make Tier 3 more accurate than the original Tier 4.

Tier 2: Elite Era-Defining Quarterbacks

Tier 2 contains the strongest non-Mahomes résumés from the window. Josh Allen carried historic total-offense responsibility, Matthew Stafford paired a championship with the 2025 MVP, Lamar Jackson remained a unique MVP-level weapon, Joe Burrow reached a Super Bowl and Jalen Hurts combined elite rushing value with championship success.

Josh Allen

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 100 games, 24,939 passing yards, 190 passing touchdowns, 73 interceptions and a 98.3 passer rating.

Allen produced the largest total-offense burden in the group and accounted for 254 passing, rushing and receiving touchdowns. His arm strength and power running made Buffalo less dependent on structure than almost any offense in football. Eight playoff wins strengthen the case, although repeated postseason losses to Kansas City keep him below Mahomes.

Matthew Stafford

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 90 games, 23,491 passing yards, 167 passing touchdowns, 62 interceptions and a 98.1 passer rating.

Stafford’s case became substantially stronger after the original draft was written. He paired the Rams’ Super Bowl run with the 2025 AP MVP and first-team All-Pro awards, throwing for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns that season. His combination of elite arm talent, late-career longevity and championship performance makes Tier 2 the correct placement.

Lamar Jackson

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 85 games, 18,280 passing yards, 145 passing touchdowns, 47 interceptions and a 101.5 passer rating.

Jackson remained the league’s most structurally disruptive rushing quarterback while becoming a more controlled passer. His 101.5 passer rating is one of the best marks on the list, and his rushing production is not reflected in the passing table. The only major weakness is a postseason résumé that still trails the other elite quarterbacks.

Joe Burrow

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 77 games, 20,810 passing yards, 157 passing touchdowns, 51 interceptions and a 101.1 passer rating.

Burrow reached a Super Bowl, won five playoff games and produced a 101.1 passer rating despite several injury-interrupted seasons. His accuracy, pocket toughness and ability to attack tight windows have translated directly to postseason football. Durability is the main reason he does not challenge Mahomes for Tier 1.

Jalen Hurts

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 93 games, 17,891 passing yards, 110 passing touchdowns, 45 interceptions and a 94.4 passer rating.

Hurts was clearly underrated in the original Tier 3 placement. He accounted for 173 total touchdowns, won six playoff games and led Philadelphia through two Super Bowl runs, including a championship. His passing has not always been as consistent as the other Tier 2 quarterbacks, but the rushing value and team results make the résumé too strong for Tier 3.

Tier 1: Patrick Mahomes Alone

Patrick Mahomes remains alone at the top. No quarterback matched his combination of regular-season production, postseason victories, championships and repeated late-game control from 2020 through 2025.

Patrick Mahomes

2020-2025 regular-season passing stats: 95 games, 26,527 passing yards, 191 passing touchdowns, 67 interceptions and a 98.2 passer rating.

Mahomes owns the best complete résumé of the window. He led every ranked quarterback with 26,527 passing yards and won 13 playoff games from the 2020 postseason forward. His 2025 season was a setback, but one down year does not erase a six-year run built around multiple championships, MVP-level play and unmatched postseason problem-solving.

Biggest Takeaways

Mahomes Still Owns the Era Despite a Difficult 2025

The 2025 season lowered Mahomes’ cumulative efficiency, but his six-year case remains comfortably ahead of the field. No other quarterback combined his passing volume with 13 playoff wins and multiple championships during the window.

Stafford’s 2025 MVP Changes the Top Tier Discussion

Stafford was already a Super Bowl-winning quarterback inside the window. Adding an MVP and first-team All-Pro season at age 37 gives him one of the most complete combinations of peak, longevity and postseason success behind Mahomes.

Hurts Was the Most Obvious Underranking

The original Tier 3 placement overemphasized traditional passing efficiency. Hurts has accounted for 173 total touchdowns, won six playoff games and led Philadelphia through two Super Bowl runs. That belongs in Tier 2.

Herbert and Purdy Both Belong Above Tier 4

Herbert supplied elite volume and individual performance without enough playoff success. Purdy supplied elite efficiency and postseason success in a favorable structure. Their cases are different, but both are clearly stronger than a generic high-level starter tier.

The Completed 2025 Season Elevated Maye and Darnold

Maye finished as the closest MVP runner-up in more than two decades and led New England to the Super Bowl. Darnold completed one of the league’s biggest career turnarounds by winning that game with Seattle. Neither should still be discussed primarily as a projection or temporary resurgence.

A Complete Top 35 Needed Three More Quarterbacks

Matt Ryan threw for 11,606 yards inside the window, Jimmy Garoppolo led a conference championship run and Mac Jones started 63 regular-season games. Leaving all three out while calling the article a 35-player ranking was not defensible.

Quarterback Stats Since 2020

The compact table summarizes regular-season passing yards and passing touchdowns from 2020 through 2025. Rushing production and playoff results are evaluated in the ranking but are not mixed into these passing columns.

FAQ: Best NFL Quarterbacks Since 2020

Who is the best NFL quarterback since 2020?

Patrick Mahomes ranks first because he has the strongest combination of passing production, playoff victories, championships and big-game performance from 2020 through 2025.

Who belongs in Tier 2 behind Patrick Mahomes?

Tier 2 includes Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts.

Why did Jalen Hurts move into Tier 2?

Hurts accounted for 173 total touchdowns, won six playoff games and led Philadelphia to two Super Bowl appearances, including a championship. His complete impact was stronger than the original Tier 3 placement suggested.

Why is Drake Maye already in Tier 4?

Maye finished second in the 2025 MVP vote, posted a 113.5 passer rating and led New England to Super Bowl LX. The sample is short, but the completed results are already significant.

Does the ranking include 2026 projections?

No. The ranking ends with the completed 2025 regular season and postseason. Future potential is not used to justify placement.

Do the table statistics include playoff games?

No. The table and player stat lines contain regular-season passing statistics only. Postseason performance is considered separately in the editorial ranking.

Statistical scope: NFL regular-season passing production from 2020 through 2025. The table excludes playoff statistics.

Ranking scope: Regular-season production, efficiency, rushing value, availability, awards, playoff performance and championship impact. Future projections are excluded.

Table limitation: The compact table shows passing yards and passing touchdowns only. It should not be read as a complete measurement of dual-threat quarterbacks.

Last Reviewed: August 4, 2026.

Conclusion

Mahomes remains the defining quarterback of the 2020-2025 window and belongs alone in Tier 1. Allen, Stafford, Jackson, Burrow and Hurts form the strongest second tier because each combined elite individual impact with meaningful postseason results.

The corrected ranking also gives proper weight to the completed 2025 season. Stafford added an MVP, Maye reached the Super Bowl as the MVP runner-up and Darnold won the championship. Herbert and Purdy move into Tier 3, while Ryan, Garoppolo and Jones complete the intended 35-player field.

Related NFL Rankings

• Best quarterbacks in the NFL today
• Best quarterbacks of all time
• Best quarterback in the NFL every season
• Most passing yards in NFL history
• Most passing yards in a single season

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