Welcome to the final dispatch of the 2025 QB Stock Market.
Typically, these rankings focus on what a quarterback has done for his team lately. This iteration is more traditional, in that we look at one’s entire body of work for the season, measuring their impact when they were on the field (and offsetting that slightly with availability). We placed each club’s primary starter into one of six tiers while also comparing their final ranking to where we ranked them ahead of Week 1.
Previous: Offseason, Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
Tier 6: Not Starting Caliber
It was idealistic to think the Jets could take a Steelers castoff and make him their long-term starter.
There was perhaps no greater disappointment in the NFL than McCarthy. Given what coach Kevin O’Connell had done with past quarterbacks not to mention the presence of Justin Jefferson, McCarthy seemed to have every reason to succeed. It’s now easy to imagine McCarthy will be the next Anthony Richardson, supplanted by a veteran before Week 1 in 2026.
We speculate all the time about knee injuries and shoulder injuries and hip injuries and how those issues might impact a QB’s long-term prospects. Well, for Tua, there are questions in those areas. But there’s also the matter of his concussion history. His injury history is why I’m betting against him being a full-time starter next year, wherever he lands.
He’ll have to pick himself up from the bottom — and likely elsewhere — yet again.
With the Raiders presumably selecting a QB with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, will Geno Smith be traded this offseason? (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
Tier 5: Flashing Starting Qualities
Penix’s injuries have been so severe that it’s fair to wonder if he has a future in the NFL. Kirk Cousins doesn’t inspire much enthusiasm in relief. And soon, there will be an entirely new leadership group in Atlanta. With them, I foresee a new QB1.
The Browns and Sanders’ situationship will likely only get more dramatic this offseason, even with Kevin Stefanski no longer the head coach. The good news for Sanders is that he might get another year as the Browns’ QB because of how cap-strapped the team is. The bad news is that, because of their financial limitations (still stemming from Deshaun Watson’s contract), Sanders will likely continue to go without support.
*Joe Flacco was ranked No. 31 ahead of Week 1 for the Browns.
It was surprising to see the Cardinals abandon Murray, if only because of his name and his draft status and his contract. But when you watch his play closely, you can also see why they made the decision. GM Monti Ossenfort isn’t just looking for a new head coach after firing Jonathan Gannon. The exec will also search for his next QB.
There’s a lot to like about Dart’s rookie season, whether it’s his anticipation as a passer, his crafty mobility or his ferocious desire to win. But the Giants didn’t win a whole lot, while Dart’s determination sometimes proved problematic in terms of decision-making, as he suffered a number of injuries throughout the year. The Giants’ next coach could make or break Dart’s prospects.
*Russell Wilson was ranked No. 29 ahead of Week 1 for the Giants.
Watch out for the New Orleans Saints to build their team in the image of the Denver Broncos. Whether by coincidence or on purpose, Shough is beginning to remind me of Bo Nix. They’re both good throwers, good runners and on the older side for a quarterback on a rookie deal. Shough’s progress was evident over the final four weeks of the regular season. And under coach Kellen Moore, this offense can take major strides forward next year with Shough as its distributor.
*Spencer Rattler was ranked No. 32 ahead of Week 1 for the Saints.
The comparisons between Ward’s rookie season and Drake Maye’s rookie season are right there on the film. As we saw shades of Joe Burrow in Maye, Ward has these brilliant, clarifying moments where you can see exactly what style of elite QB he could become.
(Whispers) It’s Patrick Mahomes.
Now, I don’t know whether Ward can demonstrate Mahomes’ greatness. I don’t even know if Ward can demonstrate Mahomes’ talent for a whole game — let alone a whole season. But in just his rookie year, Ward flashed the ability to demonstrate Mahomes’ creativity to unlock every snap’s greatest potential: 1) the arm talent, 2) the poise in structure, 3) the vision when the play breaks down. Those are special skills. And they’re ones I genuinely didn’t expect to see from Ward.
The Titans have to do everything they can to make Ward’s second season look like Maye’s second season. Tennessee needs a legitimate coach with legitimate pedigree. Because that’s where I worry these two QBs’ stories might diverge. Maye is a New England Patriot, an organization with a strong operational track record. The Titans … hahahaha. Nope.
Whether it’s Brian Flores (with Josh McCown) or Robert Saleh (with a Shanahan whiz kid) or even Klint Kubiak, the Titans need a sound plan for Ward.
Young is still streaky, much more than you’d like him to be after three seasons. But he’s had games where he looks a bit like Brock Purdy in the best possible ways. And he’s had games where he looks like Kyler Murray in the worst possible ways. This year, the Panthers are playing with house money, but next year, they expect to make a deep playoff run. Young must be a major part of that — or else he’s probably gone.
It sort of feels over for Daniel Jones. He had a nice set of games which were quickly marred by the ugly performances — which, frankly, are hard to fairly evaluate because he was playing on a broken leg. But because he’s a tough dude who wanted to show up for his teammates (obviously positive qualities), he did himself a disservice. That (bad) film is out there. Quarterback-needy teams will see that tape (the good and the bad and the broken leg) and they’ll have to consider whether they want to see what he can do after rehabbing his torn Achilles.
Daniel Jones is a free agent and recovering from a torn Achilles. Will the Colts prioritize keeping him given his strong start to the 2025 season? (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Tier 4: A Clear Starter With A Serious Flaw
How did this happen?
Mayfield was among the elite pocket passers prior to this year. And now he looks like a mess. Above all, the late turnovers killed him. He had four fourth-quarter interceptions in December — all in the final nine minutes, and two in plus territory. This after throwing just one fourth-quarter pick over the first 13 games. Can Baker pull himself and the Bucs out of this tailspin next season?
RG3 again? I sure hope not.
Daniels was a superlative talent in 2024. He could someday rise into the ranks of the elite — a top-five QB. In the meantime, the Commanders have to get their guy healthy and back on track developmentally after a lost season.
He sure knows how to win. But that doesn’t mean he’s playing quarterback all that well. In fact, he’s not managing the game anymore for Philly. The defense is.
His legs are showing his age, but his arm and his mind are as impressive as ever. He’s an offensive coordinator and a 42-year-old QB wrapped into one package. And he’s shown enough this season to leave us wondering if it will be his last.
On a down-to-down basis, it’s hard to know what to expect from Stroud. One dropback, he’s a world-beater; the next, he gets beaten down. The hope here is that he simply needs more hours, more snaps, more games before he takes the next step.
C.J. Stroud has yet to recapture his rookie form. Can he do it in the playoffs? (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Tier 3: An Elite Starter Whose Team Dragged Him Down
It’s not a good sign that Jackson is at odds with the only NFL coach he’s played for after a disappointing 2025 season. He was chronically injured. His offense let him down. And — let’s not totally let him off the hook — he also didn’t look like himself for a good chunk of the season. He made mistakes and didn’t demonstrate the normal explosiveness in the rushing or passing game. But the fourth quarter of the AFC North title game served as a reminder of who Jackson really is. And if the Ravens are silly enough to open up trade talks, then about half the league should make a call.
It wasn’t a particularly good season for the Bengals, like normal. It was also another wasted season, like normal.
I’d like nothing more than for them to trade Burrow — and free him from the football prison that is Cincinnati. But seeing as that’s not going to happen, it wouldn’t hurt to invest enormously in the offensive line and the defense this offseason.
Did you see what happened to the offense without him? (It was bad.) The Chiefs have struggled to resolve their personnel issues in supporting Mahomes. But when they finally do, he’ll remind everyone why he’s the best QB in the NFL. It’s just that, this year, he simply wasn’t that guy.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this season took years off Herbert’s career. His stats failed to capture the immense load he carried for the Chargers’ offense. He threw for 3,627 yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Given the context, I’d consider those numbers remarkable.
Justin Herbert has overcome a flawed roster all season. Now the challenge is doing it in the postseason. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Tier 2: A High-End Starter Whose Team Brought Out His Best
To Darnold’s credit, the Vikings were not the same team without him this year. And the Seahawks leveled up after inserting him into the lineup to succeed Geno Smith. Seattle is still carrying Darnold — and occasionally circumventing him — in the game plan. But they do not not trust him. (I think?)
It has been remarkable watching Williams improve from week to week. Each game, he made an incredible throw (or two or six). But slowly and steadily, he and Ben Johnson have weeded out inconsistencies in the young QB’s game. This isn’t to say that there aren’t still issues. Just look at the first half of Williams’ Week 18 performance against the Detroit Lions. He has an unfortunate habit of digging himself into holes. But no matter how deep they get, he’s often capable of climbing back out. So long as Chicago can improve on defense, this Bears team will soon enter a Super Bowl window.
He doesn’t get the love or attention that fellow second-year QBs Williams or Drake Maye are getting. But he was a much better QB this season than he was in 2024, and his Broncos sit in the all-powerful No. 1 seed in the AFC. He has shown the ability to beat defenses with different types of game plans (patience and checkdowns or vertical attacking or intermediate chain-moving). There’s a part of me that’s still skeptical about Nix’s upside. But with Sean Payton running the show, Nix’s floor is much higher than I expected. And Nix keeps raising it.
The breakthrough season finally happened! After years of waiting and debating, Lawrence took a groundbreaking step in his game — working to eradicate the misfires that sunk his team (and led to talk radio debates about whether he’d ever be elite). Liam Coen’s job will be to help Lawrence uphold that consistency into 2026.
Goff and the Lions will be fine. They’ll be dangerous again next year.
His Week 18 performance (flopping in a showdown with the Seahawks for the No. 1 seed) put a damper on the season. But the overarching theme with Purdy was that he finally balanced how much he could carry for the offense. Even with key players in and out of the lineup with injuries, Purdy has been consistent (albeit in an abbreviated campaign because of his own injury).
Naturally, with receivers George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, Prescott played his best football. The question is whether he can keep that up if Pickens leaves in the offseason. While it makes perfect sense for the Cowboys to retain Pickens, owner Jerry Jones doesn’t always make perfect sense.
Dak Prescott maximized the Cowboys’ offense. Alas, their defense did them in. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Tier 1: An Elite QB Who Played Like It
I get that the counting stats weren’t elite. But Love is the fully realized form of what Caleb Williams is supposed to (someday) be. Love can make any and every throw. It’s incredible how often he does. His season has somehow become polarizing, with the average NFL fan failing to wrap their heads around what has made Love special this year. But there’s a small contingent of film nerds, analytics nerds and Packers fans who all see the same thing: an indisputably great QB.
With the worst team he’s ever had, Allen played out of his mind — for better and for worse. But there’s no doubt in my mind that this team would’ve won five games — at best — without him.
From a throw-to-throw basis, he is one of the most pleasant QBs to watch in the NFL. He is so smart, so confident, so smooth, so powerful. His positive qualities are all the more obvious in an offense with coach Sean McVay calling and designing plays to Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and Kyren Williams executing them. It’s just unfair.
There were many points in 2025 when I simply could not believe I was watching the same player that I’d watched in 2024. Maye has improved that much. Obviously, the traits were there last year. The big-time throws were there. You could see Maye had every element he needed. But that’s true of so many QBs after their first year in the NFL.
In a league that’s constantly under fire for setting up its QBs to fail, it’s rare to see a quarterback’s development turn exponential, like Maye’s has. Like Josh Allen’s once did (in Year 3). Like Patrick Mahomes’ did (in Year 2). Like Lamar Jackson’s did (in Year 2).
Maye was the first QB to lead the NFL in completion percentage and yards per attempt since Joe Burrow in 2021, and only the fifth ever. Maye also leads the NFL in EPA per play and CPOE for QBs with at least 288 plays.
It’s not just that Maye did all that. It’s that he did it with a rookie left tackle and left guard. And a WR1 of Stefon Diggs, coming back from an ACL tear at 31 years old. And with unheralded receivers like Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins and Efton Chism. And with an offense that ranked 29th in points per game (17) in 2024.
Maye and Stafford are neck-and-neck for the MVP, which inevitably has some focused on the negative — on what Maye’s season was not. But let’s not lose sight of a simple fact: Maye’s regular season was extraordinary. And I think it was the best of any QB in 2025.
Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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