Sam Darnold will need another Super Bowl to become a top-10 NFL quarterback
· Yahoo Sports
People love lists. Even if they don’t, the safest bet in the world is that the proliferation of list-based content will continue unabated. They drive conversation because, at their core, they are profoundly and proudly imperfect. There is no “correct” way to rank the top 150 high school football players in America or the concession offerings at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. If there were, the perfect list would drive zero conversation as consumers would nod silently through every paragraph and congratulate the list-maker on a job well done while clicking off the page. Getting it as right as possible is a goal but it’s not the ultimate goal.
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That’s to drive conversation.
Admit it. When you see a list you instinctively take up armor to see what they got wrong and where you disagree with the ordering. This morning I experienced that buzz when I hopped over to see what ESPN had cooked up for its ordering of the top NFL quarterbacks for 2026. It’s the latest installment of a series where they asked league executives, coaches and scouts to help in the work of slotting top players at 11 different positions. And since this is the most important one in all of sports, there are obviously going to be different points of view and strong emotions.
Top NFL quarterbacks
To no one’s surprise, Josh Allen is No. 1, a spot over Patrick Mahomes. Matthew Stafford sits at No. 3, followed by Joe Burrow. That’s where things get a bit strange. Lamar Jackson checks in as the last top-five QB with Dak Prescott at No. 6. Justin Herbert is at No. 7 and Drake Maye, on the heels of a Super Bowl appearance, has climbed to No. 8. Jared Goff edges out Caleb Williams as the NFC North signal-callers make up the rest of the list. Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold is among the honorable mentions that also includes Jayden Daniels, Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence and Jalen Hurts.
Let this be a reminder just how hard it is to be someone one who is universally perceived to be in the top half of NFL starting quarterbacks. Hurts barely makes it and Mayfield isn’t entirely comfortable in his spot either.
There’s room for nuance when it comes to sports debate. Ask 100 people outside of Seattle to name the top-10 quarterbacks in the league and you might not hear Sam Darnold’s name more than a few teams. And yet he was awesome as his team captured the ultimate prize. What makes the omission—even if it’s understandable—more interesting is that almost half of the top 10 QBs featured here did not make the playoffs last season.
What makes a good QB?
What does that mean? I honestly don’t know. Good things?
I’m old enough to remember when Trent Dilfer and Brad won Super Bowls and people would stubbornly claim they should be seen as the NFL’s best QBs because winning is all that matters. It was just as stupid then as it sounds today. Wins and losses are not quarterback stats anymore and that’s progress. One wonders if we’ll get to a point where the stats and eye test actually become too weighted and victories will not be as valued as much as they should. It feels like we’re close, though it’s actually hard to quibble too much with what should be a ground rife for debate.
All in all, pretty good list considering the depth of top-end talent at the position—something that cannot always be said.