All NFL quarterbacks are not created equal, but we must always determine who is the greatest. All season I kept hearing about this guy and that guy is an elite quarterback. I got so frustrated hearing fans having this discussion without having a clue of what the truth is that I had to provide a definite list for you guys. Since you come to me for truth and honesty, I am obligated to provide an objective and real ranking, free from bias or hate. I broke them down into multiple categories: Elites, Specials, Everybody Else’s, and Young Cats.
The definition of elite: the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons, persons of the highest class.
Before you continue, don’t bother getting upset if your quarterback isn’t on the elite list. If he is not on the Elites list, he is NOT elite. Just accept it! There are only 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Even having 5 elites is already 15% of the league. So, if your quarterback is in the 25th percentile, he’s not elite. Elite quarterbacks literally have no holes in their game, and every team without an elite would trade their quarterback for an elite.
*Transparency- I originally put my Elites out on twitter and read as if Rivers and Stafford are elite, they are not.
* I intentionally left Andrew Luck off the NFL QB rankings. He hasn’t played in over a year and only God knows when/if we will see him again.
Elites
The Elites are special and usually Hall of Fame caliber quarterbacks. These quarterbacks who give you an opportunity to win no matter how much adversity is thrown their way. They give you a chance to win with a makeshift offensive line, no running back, and no defense. These guys make improbable comebacks look routine. No lead is ever safe when you face one of the Elites. It is no coincidence that the Elites are in the playoffs nearly every year, and are usually preseason Super Bowl contenders.
If you are wondering if your quarterback should be on this list, ask yourself one simple question. Would I trade my quarterback for those guys? The answer is yes you would.
1. Aaron Rodgers– The best quarterback in the NFL. He checks every box. Every team in the NFL would trade their quarterback for him. Even the Patriots. He still has 6+ years of great football left.
2. Tom Brady– At 40, Tom Terrific is still just that, terrific. However, there had been a little decrease in his arm strength and deep play ability lately.
3. Drew Brees– Brees is part of the 70,000 passing yard club, and still lighting it up.
4. Russell Wilson– Russell was in the Specials category until this year. He single-handedly kept Seattle in playoff contention this year without a running back, offensive line, or top-flight defense.
5. Ben Roethlisberger– Just when people start questioning the two-time Super Bowl champion, he reminds doubters he is elite. He threw for 469 yards and 5 TDs in the Steelers playoff loss.
Specials
The Specials are the quarterbacks who are significantly above average but don’t quite make the Elite cut. These guys put up big numbers and win a lot of games, but occasionally leave their fan bases wishing for an Elite. They are irreplaceable because the only quarterbacks better than them are elite, and sane people realize Elites just don’t fall out of the sky.
6. Cam Newton– There are only two things keeping Cam out of the Elites category: competition percentage, and 3rd down completion percentage.
7. Phillip Rivers– Rivers is the Karl Malone and Charles Barkley of the NBA. They have no championships because of Michael Jordan. Rivers has none because of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
8. Matt Ryan– Matty Ice is a special quarterback. To this point, he has not shown the ability to put the team on his shoulders and carry them to victory. Too often after losses we hear, “he played good enough to win”. Good is not good enough when better is expected.
9. Matthew Stafford– He has been much better since he stopped changing his arm motion on every throw. He simply does not have enough big games to warrant the Elites tag.
10. Kirk Cousins– The future looks very bright for Kirk Cousins. He has all the tools to be an Elite quarterback. He has to get his team into more big games to make the leap into the Elites.
11. Carson Wentz– Wentz is still a young guy and should be in the Young Cats group, but he’s been so phenomenal that he deserves it.
Everybody Else’s
The Everybody Else’s are a very unique category because overall these are solid quarterbacks. Their fan bases have a love/hate relationship with them. They love them but are often frustrated by the peaks and valleys that happen in the NFL. If these guys are surrounded by good defense and a running game they can win it all. Some of the Everybody Else’s are even Super Bowl champions or former Specials. They have fallen down the list because of age, being overrated, or poor play. The rest of them are young guys that no longer fall into the Young Cats category. It is definitely possible and likely that some of these guys may move up to Specials.
12. Alex Smith– Smith will never lose you the game, but he will occasionally win it for you. I always believe he was coached into the “game manager” role.
13. Marcus Mariota– Mariota is too old to be in the Young Cats category. He has definitely shown he has potential to be a Specials or Elites quarterback. If he gets some stability at offensive coordinator he will have an opportunity to show his true potential.
14. Derek Carr- If you owned “Derek Carr is the next best thing” stock, 2017 had to make you consider selling.
15. Joe Flacco– After 10 years in the NFL it is clear, he’s the definition of an average quarterback. I have been screaming since the 2011 season Super Bowl that Flacco wasn’t elite. He has one really good year. He has only thrown over 25 TDs once in his career, and only once under 12 interceptions.
16. Blake Bortles– Blake Bortles and Joe Flacco are the EXACT SAME GUY. The only difference is that Flacco got hot one year and won a Super Bowl. Bortles is younger and definitely has an opportunity to make a run with the Jaguars defense.
17. Jameis Winston– Again… too old to be in the Young Cats category. He has to stop turning the ball over to be a Specials quarterback.
18. Eli Manning– The window is closing on a great career. If he can land with a great defense, he might still have another Super Bowl run left in him.
19. Andy Dalton- The Red Rocket is Alex Smith “lite”.
20. Tyrod Taylor– He is the Black Alex Smith. The best way to describe Taylor is “efficient, not exceptional”.
21. Case Keenum– Are we supposed to believe 2017 Case Keenum or 2012-16? I know his team is playing in the NFC Championship, but I have 5 seasons that say this season is an outlier.
22. Josh McCown– You have to applaud the job he did with the Jets this year. Everyone expects the Jets to go winless. McCown defied the odds. Can you believe he has been in the NFL for 15 years?
23. Jay Cutler– He was retired…If teams are going to continue to give him $10 million and not care about the results then he should take it.
Young Cats
The Young Cats are just that, Young Cats. There is not a large enough sample size to appropriately rank them with the other guys. The arrow is still up on the majority of these guys, but this is the NFL, inexperience is not a valid excuse for a lack of success for long.
1. Jared Goff– He looked like a bust as a rookie, but he rebounded with a very impressive sophomore campaign.
2. Dak Prescott– He has to be able to win games when Sean Lee and Ezekiel Elliott are out.
3. Deshaun Watson– His last 5 starts were absolutely electric. The arrow is so far up on this guy. I’m scared to put a limit on what category he can ascend to next season. However, he cannot be ranked any higher because the sample size is so small.
4. Jimmy Garoppolo– He’s 5-0 and showed flashes of promise on a bad team. He has a lot of hype surrounding him, can he live up to it.
5. Mitchell Trubisky– He didn’t look terrible. He looked like a rookie on a bad team. Maybe we will see a Jared Goff-like year two.
6. Jacoby Brissett– Talk about a guy in a difficult situation. He showed up in Indianapolis at the start of the season and was thrown to the wolves. I believe he can be a quality player if Luck doesn’t make it back.
7. DeShone Kizer– Just an awful situation. I feel bad for him because the Browns may draft a quarterback in the first round and he may never get a real opportunity to be an NFL starter.