Seperating a Quarterback from their surroundings can often be difficult, but it's the only way you can judge them fairly.
In this scenario, we at Vavel like to imagine them all on a level playing field. Surprises may be afoot, but this is truly a ,'watch the tape' type rankings where we value process over results.
The Vavel consensus number one QB for 2025 goes to none other than Lamar Jackson. The former Louisville man has somehow continued to improve even after winning his first of two MVPs in his sophomore season.
He made a worthy case for winning the award again last year after posting ridiculous numbers in the air and on the ground with 4172 passing yards with 41 TDs and just 4 INTs to go along with 915 rushing yards and 4 TDs.
The five-time AFC Champion is both mentally and physically tough, and he is known to take risks in search of reward. Such mental toughness has helped Mahomes engineer a 17-4 record in playoff football.
Whilst not being as athletic as other NFL quarterbacks, Mahomes’ footballing IQ reads off the scale. The ability to make quick decisions and read defenses makes him a coach's dream in the NFL.
Allen is arguably the most physically gifted quarterback in recent memory. Boasting the strongest arm in the league while also putting up 27 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons.
The Bills quarterback has added ball security to his game, accounting for only seven turnovers in his MVP-winning campaign.
Burrow is a pure pocket-passing gunslinger who ranked first in the league for yards and touchdowns thrown in 2024 – 4,918 and 43, respectively. He’s a sneaky good runner who can accelerate away from pressure and possesses the rare ability to squeeze every ounce out of a play to find the perfect pass.
He gets the best out of every weapon in his arsenal, notably helping earn teammate Ja’Marr Chase the triple crown last year. If Burrow can keep away from reinjuring his hand and build on his success from 2024, he’ll undoubtedly be within the conversation for MVP.
Widely regarded as one of the most underrated QBs of all time, Stafford has put together a resume that most players would dream of. Finally getting a ring cemented his place as one of the greats, but his 59,809 passing yards and 377 touchdowns across 15 years do most of the talking.
He hardly set the world alight in 2024 with 20 TDs and 8 picks, but he still looked as sharp as ever on a young Rams team.
The second pick of the 2024 NFL draft has a calming presence in the pocket, and he is a decisive quarterback. But it is Daniels' ability to run with the ball and extend plays that has had NFL fans in awe of his potential.
Daniels is a sensation with the highest of ceilings. It would be no surprise to see him and the Commanders have yet another stellar year in 2025.
If wins were a QB stat, then Jalen Hurts would be a lot higher, as only Patrick Mahomes has had more success since he entered the league. Hurts had led the Eagles to the Superbowl on two occasions, winning it once in dominant fashion.
Hurts’ deep ball accuracy and threat in the run game can keep defences honest while his composure adds a calming presence to a potentially volatile team. However, it’s worth noting that out of the 32 starters in the league, no one has better surrounding talent.
Herbert is a strange one, a player with massive potential; his raw ability is off the charts, but the situation hasn’t always been great for him to succeed in LA. Herbert has an eye for a big play and can get the ball out quicker than most in the league. He does well to lead his receivers downfield thanks to his cannon of an arm and effortless release.
Now with the right captain at the helm in Jim Harbaugh, a revamped offensive line, and a stud receiver in Ladd McConkey, a big 2025 is expected.
Goff’s time in the NFL hasn’t been as spectacular as some other first overall picks, but he has found a home in Detroit that has allowed him to mature into one of the game's most consistent signal-callers.
His four seasons with the Lions have yielded 115 TDs to just 39 INTs, and he has been a constant cog in the machine to help the Lions emerge from obscurity into championship chasers.
Mayfield has a wonderful arm, which is both accurate and powerful. The 30-year-old can do it all, throwing both deep and short with great precision. Even on the run, Mayfield can make decisive throws that help to move the chains.
The next step for Mayfield is to reach the NFC Divisional match as he has weapons such as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at his disposal. Mayfield has just one playoff win, and he must better his record to excel further.
The much-maligned Cowboys quarterback is one of the league's most harshly judged players. However, he has arguably been the most consistent performer in a talented, but dysfunctional orginisation.
Prescott is one of the league’s best pre-snap QBs, often able to decipher a defence well in advance. Once the play breaks down, he has enough physical talent and intuition to avoid disaster, often turning negatives into positive plays.
The Buckeyes graduate is a true leader and a man who can redefine the expectations of any franchise in the NFL. He did suffer a regression in numbers this past year, throwing seven more interceptions and 400 fewer yards, which has seen him slip out of the top 10 in my eyes, but nothing is stopping him from taking a big leap in 2025.
His situation is solid, there’s a slight concern with how clean his pocket can be kept, but it’s all in his own hands; he’s got an elite mentality and is more than capable of retaining the Texans’ divisional title for a third successive year.
13. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
The start of the Brock Purdy era in San Francisco has been up and down, to say the least. He started his career by winning 10 of his first 12 games, losing only to the two Super Bowl finalists in the Eagles and Chiefs. He ranked 7th in total QB rating last season despite the team around him struggling to a 6-11 record, and he is locked in as the starter with a new contract just around the corner.
The main concern with Purdy is that the West Coast system that Kyle Shanahan employs is built so meticulously that people argue that anyone can fit into the system, but Purdy has shown he is a valuable asset that the 49ers can build around.
Love is a big play specialist, always looking for explosive plays and he is a willing risk taker. He is aggressive in his style of play, and deep route runners such as Christian Watson have been the beneficiary.
However, with high risk comes both the highs and the lows, and for Love, he is known to give up interceptions or concede silly mistakes that put the Packers up against the wall at times.
One of last season’s biggest surprises was the level of play from the Denver Broncos' rookie. The rookie from Oregon showcased the ability to be a dynamic playmaker, making effective use of his legs to extend plays.
His ability to avoid the pass rush was not just the best amongst rookies, but it was amongst the best in the NFL. Only Josh Allen had a better pressure-to-sack rate than Bo Nix, who so far looks to be a bargain at the 12th overall pick.
When it comes to Geno Smith, we’re talking about a real workhorse, a man who’s resurrected his career and has a fresh start at a franchise that needs a real burst of life. With Pete Carroll running the show in Las Vegas, Geno could play the best football of his career.
Ranked 16th may seem harsh for Smith; he’s very talented, but it’s pivotal for the Raiders’ success that his TD:INT ratio improves. Last year, he threw for 21:15. He needs to take more care of the football and level up his decision-making if he wants to be considered a top 10 QB.
Sam Darnold’s rise to prominence with the Vikings last year is something that no one expected. The former third overall pick in 2018 had looked destined to end up as a career backup, but career highs by some distance across all categories in 2024 earned him a monster three-year, $100 million contract with the Seahawks.
On a roster full of young, emerging talent, and with the addition of Cooper Kupp, the Seahawks will feel optimistic about the coming seasons. If Darnold can maintain this form, expect to see him higher on this list in the future, but one season isn’t enough to have him higher than this.
Tagovailoa is a real talent with precision and accuracy. The Hawaiian-born star led the NFL in pass completion percentage in 2024, relying on rhythm and timing to find his fast receivers in Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill.
The 27-year-old is comfortable in the pocket and has a feast release of the football. He is incredibly accurate and can find his receivers for explosive plays. However, head Injuries have plagued Tagovailoa’s career as of late, and he has missed many games with concussions that come from heavy hits.
The shine has worn off the former number one pick in recent years due to a downturn in form and an ACL injury wiping out the majority of his 2023 season. His plateau in development has seemingly coincided with his second contract, which adds to character concerns that he doesn’t have the drive needed to become the best version of himself.
Touted as one of the greatest quarterback prospects in recent history, Lawrence ranked 20th shows how tough of a ride he’s had in the league. A high ankle sprain in December versus the Texans cut his season short, but his game never took off from week one, registering just 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His arm talent is there, but his confidence and feel for the game are lacking.
2025 is make or break for his future in the league as he is surrounded by some elite talent in Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter.
As the frontrunner of a star-studded 2023 draft class, expectations were sky-high for Young. A damper has been put on his development however, due to his landing spot: the Carolina Panthers. We have seen others turn around troubled franchises immediately, but turning this Panthers team around was going to be a gargantuan task for anyone.
Young has shown flashes, especially last season, of what he could become, and his QBR of 54.1 put him ahead of heavy hitters such as Russell Wilson, C.J Stroud, and Dak Prescott. He’s not there yet, but at just 23 years old, a couple of elite weapons could see him make a real jump.
The former Seattle Seahawk is accurate, even on the run, but he has a habit of evading the middle of the field and sticking to sideline passes.
Despite his age and his recent inconsistency, Wilson has a great footballing IQ and is able to adapt to the defensive schemes and style of play.
For rookie quarterbacks, landing location can make or break a prospect. Being drafted by a competent team can give you a great foundation and allow you to develop, while being taken by a tire fire can crush them.
What’s impressive about Drake Maye is that he got drafted into the tire fire, but came out of it looking better than the number one pick in the draft, who landed in a good situation. Maye looked good throwing to Ja’lynn Polk and Kayshon Boutte while having his blindside protected by Vaderian Lowe. Imagine how he’ll look with competent talent around him.
A wild offseason for the Bears has seen them put every egg into the basket of developing their franchise QB. Williams didn’t set the world alight in his rookie campaign; he showed flashes of his quality, but consistency is key to success in year two, and a revamped offensive line will massively support this.
The acquisition of Ben Johnson is career defining for Caleb; a ballsy offensive orientated coach, who will let the dual threat of Caleb guide the success of their franchise, a trait Matt Eberflus shied away from last year. I can see Williams taking a big leap up the QB rankings and earning the Bears some playoff football for the first time in five years.
Fields started the 2024 season on fire, leading the Steelers to a 3-1 start. Understandably, people were surprised when he lost the starting job to Russell Wilson a few weeks later, but it proved to be the right decision as he led them to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth.
Fields gets another fresh start. The Jets' new regime hand-picked Fields to be their starter, and he should make a decent stopgap for a struggling team as a dual-threat weapon.
The veteran is a ‘throwback’ quarterback who is not a dual-threat. Instead, Flacco works on his progressions and reads defences whilst throwing accurately.
Flacco will bring expertise and leadership to a young quarterback room as the Browns seek to better a dismal season in 2024. It is likely that Flacco will hand the baton to either of the rookie quarterbacks once they get a better understanding of the league.
The sample size here is too small to get an accurate estimation of how good he’ll become. He only featured in five games, throwing for less than 800 yards and finishing with a 3/3 TD/Int ratio.
But in his penultimate game of the season against the Washington Commanders, he showed his potential, leading a game-tying drive that included a number of high-level throws. Having talent around him, such as Drake London, will be crucial to his development.
A man who’s been doubted every step of his career will have to prove his haters wrong once again in 2025. Ward isn’t walking into a franchise ready to win, he’ll very much be the catalyst of that. He’s a prospect with all the tools; a strong arm, scrambling ability, and an underdog mentality
Ward just needs to steer clear of weekly hero ball, limit turnovers, and move the chains with his young and hungry weapons. He’ll display flashes of his potential, but it’ll be a bumpy ride for Tennessee in 2025.
JJ McCarthy is an intriguing prospect that a lot of the league has forgotten about. His rookie season was over before it started as he tore his meniscus in preseason, and he hasn’t seen the field since. Sam Darnold’s heroics negated the need for McCarthy for last season, which could provide him with valuable time to study the game that others don’t get as a rookie.
There will obviously be questions about his health coming into this season, but the Vikings feel confident that he is their man, and why shouldn’t they be after using the 10th overall pick on him just over a year ago?
Rudolph has great pocket presence, and he navigates pass rushes well. This comes from his tidy footwork despite being large in stature.
The third-round pick in 2018 has a strong arm and is accurate when finding receivers on deep balls. Rudolph will also make short runs in order to pick up the first down.
It only took 11 games, but the Colts’ quarterback's stock has dropped from promising second-year talent to disappointing bust. Sounds a bit dramatic, but that’s just how bad it was.
A lot is made of Richardson’s now-infamous, ‘breather’ that he took against the Texans, which resulted in him getting benched. But more concerning was his on-field play, where he just doesn’t look cut out to be an NFL quarterback. He finished the season throwing for more interceptions than touchdowns (8/12), while his rushing upside is negated by his tendency to pick up injuries.
Sitting dead last, Shough doesn’t appear to have a lot going for him this campaign, and to pair with that, his game just doesn’t translate well to the NFL level. He’s extremely injury-prone and frightfully old for a rookie.
I do like Shough’s schematics; he’s easy on the eye technique-wise, but is petrified of pressure, so he’ll have to expect a lot of blitz packages against him in 2025. He doesn’t seem anything more than a stopgap until a true quarterback talent, i.e., Arch Manning, declares for the draft, and he’ll be out of a job quicker than the Saints can make the pick.