The red carpet will soon be extravagantly rolled out for America’s most popular sport: football. With that comes the advent of America’s most popular sporting league: the NFL. While myriad storylines are emerging around the upcoming season, we’ll place a focus on the sport’s most critical position, quarterback. A competent field general is paramount to sustained success in the National Football League. In this article, we’ll examine the top 5 quarterbacks in the NFL, based on their achievements, present standing, and future potential.
5. Dak Prescott
Team: Dallas Cowboys
2023 Statistics: 4,516 yards, 36 TDs, 9 INTs, 72.7 QBR
Career Summary: Dak Prescott cut his teeth in Starksville Mississippi, at the University of Mississippi State. He earned his position as a starter in 2014, after serving as a serviceable backup to Tyler Russell for two years. During the 2014 season, Prescott broke 10 school records, including single season passing yards, passing touchdowns, and total touchdowns. Expectations were high in the ensuing season of 2015, where Prescott was regarded as a National Player of the Year candidate and was a consensus Pre-Season All-American. He finished the season passing for 3,793 yards, 29 passing touchdowns, and an additional 10 rushing touchdowns, culminating in his selection in the NFL Draft.
Regarded as undersized for an NFL Quarterback, standing only 6”2, Prescott fell to the 4th round, eventually being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. During his rookie season, Prescott was eventually elevated to the role of starter, after Tony Romo suffered a vertebral compression fracture. Since then, Prescott has been praised for his poise, agility and accuracy; leading the Cowboys on a run of sustained success.
For the 2024 season, Prescott is once again projected to be productive. Having passed for 4,516 yards during the 2023 season, there is little to reason to suggest his numbers will substantially diminish in a dynamic Cowboy’s offense. With a veteran corps of receivers in CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Jalen Tolbert, Prescott’s 2024 operation should execute smoothly.
4. Matthew Stafford
Team: Los Angeles Rams
2023 Statistics: 3,965 yards, 24 TDs, 11 INTs, 63.5 QBR
Career Summary: Stafford was a precocious prospect in high school, graduating early before enrolling at the University of Georgia, where he earned the starter’s role as a true freshman. He emerged most distinctly with successively strong performances against fellow SEC stalwart, Auburn; and then against in-state rival, Georgia Tech. He capped the season with a victory against Virginia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, 31-24. By his last season at Georgia, in 2008, Stafford was regarded as a preseason Heisman favorite. He finished the season with gaudy stats, including 3,459 passing yards, and 25 passing touchdowns. His career culminated in a 24-12 win over Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl.
Entering the 2009 NFL draft a year early, Stafford was summarily selected as the #1 overall pick by the Detroit Lions. Similar to his trajectory in college, Stafford was selected as the Lions’ starter by head coach Jim Schwarz during his rookie season. After an ultimately unfulfilling 12 year stint with the Lions, Stafford was traded by Detroit to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, where his presence immediately became impactful. Stafford made his debut with the Rams in a Sunday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears, where he threw for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 34-24 victory, earning the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. In his first season, the Rams resoundingly won the NFC West, clinching their bid to the playoffs. After a nailbiter against rival San Francisco in the NFC Championship, the Rams advanced to the Super Bowl, where they beat the upstart Bengals, winning 23-20.
Heading into 2024, Stafford is perhaps entering the final stage of his prime, sitting at 36 years of age. His last two seasons have featured inconsistent performances, even despite his Super Bowl coronation. With proven commodities like Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp in the receiving corps and an improving offensive line, Stafford once again promises to dissect secondaries.
3. Josh Allen
Team: Buffalo Bills
2023 Statistics: 4,306 yards, 29 TDs, 18 INTs, 69.6 QBR
Career Summary: From inauspicious beginnings at Reedley College, where Josh Allen sprouted to a commanding 6”5, 210 lbs, Allen began to receive moderate interest from larger D-I football programs. Allen eventually accepted an offer from the University of Wyoming, where he enrolled in 2015. By 2016, Allen had been named the starter, a season where he veritably excelled, throwing for 3,200 yards and 28 touchdowns. After such a stellar showing, Allen was tempted by the NFL, before ultimately withdrawing his name from consideration and remaining at Wyoming for an additional season. Allen’s final season at Wyoming ended in mild disappointment, with the QB throwing for just 1,812 yards and 16 touchdowns. His NFL prospects, however, remained optimistic.
In 2018, Allen was drafted with the 7th overall selection by the Buffalo Bills. Though Allen was not initially named the starters of the 2018 Bills, he made his first regular season start on September 9, 2018, against the Baltimore Ravens. Since then, Allen’s career has accrued remarkable momentum, with the Bills advancing in the playoffs on numerous occasions. In the 2023 season, the Bills earned the no. 2 seed in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, beating the Steelers, before eventually falling to the Chiefs in the Divisional Round. For 2024, the Bills enter the season with a largely new rotation of wideouts, lending an air of ambiguity to their prospects. Regardless of the proliferation of new faces, the Bills offense is still anticipated to be productive under the aegis of Allen.
2. Lamar Jackson
Team: Baltimore Ravens
2023 Statistics: 3,678 yards, 24 TDs, 7 INTs, 64.7 QBR
Career Summary: Rated only a three star by most recruiting sites in high school, Jackson nevertheless received offers from a litany of legitimate programs, including Louisville, Auburn, Florida and Clemson. Jackson ultimately committed to Louisville, where his performance exploded in 2016. During Jackson’s first game of his sophomore season against the Charlotte 49ers, Jackson set a new Louisville record for total touchdowns in a single game: 8, all of them achieved in the first half. He collected several other remarkable performances, scoring 63 points against the Seminoles, throwing for 417 yards against Marshall, and leading his offense to accumulate 586 yards against the highly vaunted Clemson defense. His season ended in ceremony, winning the Heisman trophy, awarded to the nation’s most dominant college football player.
In 2018, Jackson entered the NFL draft, where his college feats were met with some dubiousness. Jackson, despite admonishments that he switch to wide receiver in order to better exploit his natural speed, was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 32nd overall pick. During his rookie season, he soon started over an injured Joe Flacco, where he led the Ravens to the playoffs. Since then, Jackson has won two MVP awards, though he has notably failed to lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl championship. Jackson, as expected, performed spectacularly in 2023, only losing in the AFC championship game to the two-time champion Kansas City Chiefs after a dominant regular season. Jackson, pending injuries, is poised for another dominant year in 2024. The Ravens again return a formidable defense which, along with Jackson’s operation of an equally potent offense, should augur wins.
1. Patrick Mahomes
Team: Kansas City Chiefs
2023 Statistics: 4,813 yards, 27 TDs, 14 INTs, 92.6 QBR
Career Summary: Mahomes attended college at the University of Texas Tech, where he was charged with quarterbacking Kliff Kingsbury’s “Air Raid” offense. Mahomes excelled in his role, succeeding to such a degree that he quit his primary sport of baseball to exclusively focus on football. In his junior year for the Red Raiders, Mahomes led the country in both passing yards and total touchdowns.
Mahomes elected to forgo his senior year at Texas Tech to enter the NFL Draft. Mahomes was selected with the 10th overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he came under the tutelage of Andy Reid. During the 2018 season, the Chiefs announced a trade of QB Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins and elevated Mahomes to the starting QB role. By 2019, Mahomes had led the Chiefs to the AFC Championship game, where they ultimately fell to the New England Patriots, 37-31. Mahomes received a flurry of post-season honorifics, however, being named to the Pro Bowl, winning an ESPY for “Best NFL Player,” and also won league MVP. Mahomes career would continue to ascend, winning the Super Bowl in 2020, 2023, and 2024. The outlook for the 2024-2025 campaign remains bullish, as the Chiefs acquired two additional deep threats in wide receivers Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy. With sustained rushing production, a slew of reliable tight ends, and a dependable offensive line, Mahomes offensive output will likely remain elite.
For additional sports-related articles, reference the following links:
A Bird’s Eye View: The 2024 Olympics
Top 5 College Football Coaches Of The 21st Century
