Top 7 quarterbacks in the NFL entering 2026-2027 season

The 2025 NFL season reshaped how these seven quarterbacks are viewed without changing who sits at the top of the sport. Injuries wiped out chunks of the year for several of them, a 37-year-old put together the best statistical season of his career, and the position kept proving that arm talent alone does not separate the tiers.  What follows measures each passer on how he played last year, what he carried on his own, and where he stands entering 2026.

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7. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Nov 23, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys Dak Prescott (4) eats a turkey leg after the Cowboys victory over the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Nobody threw for more yards in 2025 than the Cowboys’ franchise passing leader. Prescott put up 4,552 yards on a league-high 600 attempts and 404 completions, with 30 touchdowns against 10 interceptions across all 17 games. He passed Tony Romo atop the Dallas career list in a November win over Philadelphia. The volume never turned into January, though, as the Cowboys finished 7-9-1 and stayed home. 

Continuity is the offseason theme in Dallas, with George Pickens retained on the franchise tag and running back Javonte Williams back for the 32-year-old’s next run under second-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

6. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Few passers survived worse working conditions than the sixth-year Charger. Behind a line that lost Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater to season-ending injuries, Herbert took 54 sacks, the second-most in the league, and still guided Los Angeles to 11 wins on 3,727 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. 

The Eugene, Oregon, native added a career-high 498 rushing yards and played the final month with a broken left hand after surgery on Dec. 1. His postseason drought continued in a 16-3 wild-card loss at New England, his third playoff exit without a win. Mike McDaniel takes over the offense in 2026.

5. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

Age 37 turned out to be the setting for a career year. Stafford claimed his first MVP by leading the NFL in passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46), the latter 12 clear of any other quarterback and a Rams single-season record, against just eight interceptions. His 109.2 passer rating was the best of his 17 seasons. 

The former Lions No. 1 pick kept rolling into January, throwing for 936 yards and six scores over three playoff games before Los Angeles fell 31-27 to Seattle in the NFC Championship Game. A one-year, $55 million extension in May keeps him in place ahead of rookie Ty Simpson.

4. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Dec 28, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) leaves the field after a game against the Arizona Cardinals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

A Week 2 sack in Jacksonville derailed everything. The Grade 3 turf toe injury Burrow suffered that afternoon required surgery and cost him nine games, sinking Cincinnati to 3-7 without him. He came back on Thanksgiving and closed the year with 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions over eight starts, including a four-touchdown trip to Buffalo and a 309-yard, four-score game in Miami. 

When healthy, the 2020 No. 1 pick still looked like an MVP contender. The Bengals have shut down trade talk and intend to build around him in 2026.

3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Health, not talent, was the story in Baltimore. A hamstring injury cost the two-time MVP four games and a rushing burst that had defined his best years, and the Ravens sank to 8-9. Jackson still finished with 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, and he punished pressure with a 91.9 PFF grade against the blitz. 

The Pompano Beach, Florida, product saved his best for last, hitting Zay Flowers on go-ahead throws of 50 and 64 yards in Pittsburgh. The 8-9 finish ended John Harbaugh’s 18-year run, and new coach Jesse Minter has vowed to lighten the load on his quarterback.

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) calls a play during the first quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Dual-threat production kept the 2024 MVP a step ahead of the field. Allen paired 3,668 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a position-leading 14 rushing scores, the only player in the NFL to clear 3,000 through the air and 500 on the ground. 

Buffalo’s season ended in a 33-30 overtime loss to Denver in the divisional round, a result that cost Sean McDermott his job. The Wyoming product enters 2026 under new coach Joe Brady, with DJ Moore added by trade and a surgically repaired foot expected to be ready by Week 1.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

The numbers dipped, and then the season ended early. Working around a thin backfield that pushed him to career highs of 422 rushing yards and five rushing scores, Mahomes posted 3,587 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, his lowest PFF grade since 2020. His year ended in a Week 15 loss to the Chargers, where he tore his ACL and LCL and underwent surgery the next day, sending Kansas City to its first playoff-less finish of his career. 

He still made history in Week 4, becoming the youngest and fastest quarterback to 250 career touchdown passes at 30 years and 11 days old in his 116th game, ahead of Aaron Rodgers. The resume of three Super Bowl titles and six straight AFC Championship Game appearances through 2024 is why he holds this spot despite the lost season.

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