No player on a professional football team has more responsibility — for better or worse — resting on their shoulders than the one who takes the snap on each and every play: the quarterback.
The best NFL quarterbacks often become the face of their franchise (Think: Tom Brady with the Patriots, Peyton Manning with the Colts, Aaron Rodgers with the Packers, Joe Montana with the 49ers, Dan Marino with the Dolphins). They’re the conductors of their offense, relaying plays to their teammates, reading defenses and adjusting on the fly, identifying downfield targets and knowing when to pass, run, or check the ball down. And all of that has to happen in just a few post-snap seconds, while massive defensemen are careening towards them like human wrecking balls.
So, who are the best of the best under center right now in the 2024-25 NFL season as we head into the playoffs? Let’s take a look.
Don’t forget: You can watch all of the top NFL quarterbacks in 2024 on the field every week with DIRECTV.
2024’s Top NFL Quarterbacks
Most of the names at the top of this list shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has been following NFL football over the last few years. We’ve used ESPN‘s proprietary Total Quarterback Rating (QBR) as our primary metric here.
Josh Allen has been great in Buffalo since his debut in 2018, but right now he’s arguably the best football player on the planet. He’s both a highly accurate passer and one of the league’s biggest threats on the ground, and he’s helped the Bills post an 11-3 record as of Week 15 despite losing some of his most potent offensive weapons in the off-season. He’s a clear number one on this list, followed closely by…
Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, who round out the top three.
Jackson has been an absolute force of nature season after season in Baltimore. He, too, is a solid passer, but it’s his elite mobility and uncanny ability to avoid pressure, extend plays and punch into the endzone that set him apart. He’s a nearly perfect dual-threat quarterback and has the most rushing yards by a QB this season by far (753), though he’s had trouble getting into the endzone. Paired with former Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry this season, the two have made for a truly terrifying Ravens backfield.
Burrow, the LSU prodigy and Bengal’s 2020 first overall draft pick, is a different sort of signal caller than Allen and Jackson. He’s currently the leader in passing with 36 touchdowns, and his famous football IQ, field vision and his calm, poise and agility in the pocket helped him get there.
Those three are the usual suspects for the top NFL quarterbacks this year, but there are a few surprises near the top tier of this list, too. The biggest? Washington Commanders rookie sensation Jayden Daniels and Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes.
Daniels was the second overall draft pick behind Chicago’s Caleb Williams in the 2024 draft, and he’s injected new life to a Commanders team that has struggled for years. Like Allen and Jackson, he’s a mobile, dual-threat quarterback, but he’s also a very accurate passer.
Mahomes on the other hand, who has led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl wins in four years and bona-fide dynasty status, is way down at number 11 this season after hanging out at the top of the chart for most of the last five years. What gives?
If Mahomes has faded, it’s a mix of injuries thinning out his corps of available targets, heavier pressure forcing him to panic and scramble in the pocket more often and his own high turnover rate: he’s thrown an interception for every two to three touchdowns in each of the last four seasons. Compare that to the top three, who have thrown 11 (Jackson), five (Allen) and four (Burrow) touch downs for every interception.
Here’s the full list of best NFL quarterbacks by QBR in 2024:
| Rank | Player | Team | QB Rating | Completion % | Touchdowns | Interceptions |
| 1 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | 79.3 | 64.4 | 25 | 5 |
| 2 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens | 76 | 68.1 | 34 | 3 |
| 3 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | 74 | 68.5 | 36 | 8 |
| 4 | Kyler Murray | Arizona Cardinals | 68.3 | 69 | 15 | 8 |
| 5 | Jayden Daniels | Washington Commanders | 67.9 | 70.5 | 17 | 6 |
| 6 | Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams | 66.4 | 66.3 | 19 | 7 |
| 7 | Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers | 66.3 | 63.7 | 23 | 11 |
| 8 | Jared Goff | Detroit Lions | 65.6 | 71.4 | 30 | 10 |
| 9 | Jalen Hurts | Philadelphia Eagles | 65.4 | 69.2 | 18 | 5 |
| 10 | Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers | 65.2 | 65 | 15 | 9 |
| 11 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | 64.6 | 66.7 | 22 | 11 |
| 12 | Derek Carr | New Orleans Saints | 64.2 | 67.7 | 15 | 5 |
| 13 | Tua Tagovailoa | Miami Dolphins | 61.2 | 73.7 | 18 | 7 |
| 14 | Sam Darnold | Minnesota Vikings | 60.2 | 67.6 | 29 | 11 |
| 15 | Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | 59.4 | 60.6 | 11 | 7 |
| 16 | Drake Maye | New England Patriots | 58.7 | 68.5 | 12 | 9 |
| 17 | Jameis Winston | Cleveland Browns | 57.8 | 61.1 | 13 | 12 |
| 18 | Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers | 56.5 | 63.9 | 16 | 2 |
| 19 | Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 56.1 | 70.8 | 32 | 14 |
| 20 | Russell Wilson | Pittsburgh Steelers | 55.3 | 64.7 | 13 | 3 |
| 21 | Aaron Rodgers | New York Jets | 53.9 | 62.5 | 23 | 8 |
| 22 | Kirk Cousins | Atlanta Falcons | 52.7 | 66.9 | 18 | 16 |
| 23 | Bo Nix | Denver Broncos | 52.2 | 63.6 | 20 | 11 |
| 24 | Geno Smith | Seattle Seahawks | 52.1 | 69.9 | 14 | 13 |
| 25 | C.J. Stroud | Houston Texans | 49.8 | 63.6 | 17 | 9 |
| 26 | Caleb Williams | Chicago Bears | 48.1 | 61.9 | 17 | 5 |
| 27 | Daniel Jones | New York Giants | 47.9 | 63.3 | 8 | 7 |
| 28 | Anthony Richardson | Indianapolis Colts | 46.5 | 47 | 7 | 11 |
| 29 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | 46.1 | 64.7 | 11 | 8 |
| 30 | Bryce Young | Carolina Panthers | 44 | 59.8 | 8 | 9 |
| 31 | Gardner Minshew II | Las Vegas Raiders | 38.3 | 66.3 | 9 | 10 |
| 32 | Cooper Rush | Dallas Cowboys | 36.3 | 59.6 | 10 | 3 |
| 33 | Will Levis | Tennessee Titans | 30.2 | 63.7 | 12 | 12 |
| 34 | Deshaun Watson | Cleveland Browns | 23 | 63.4 | 5 | 3 |
Source: ESPN, 12/19/2024
Which QB has the highest passer rating in 2024?
QBR takes into account a lot more than passing, but throwing the ball is a big part of any quarterback’s job. That’s where passer rating comes into play.
So, who’s doing the best at getting the ball into his receivers’ hands? It’s Lamar Jackson, with a 120.7 passer rating. Jared Goff (110.4), Joe Burrow (107.1), Sam Darnold (104.9) and Jalen Hurts (104.5) round out the top five.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the top NFL quarterbacks right now?
Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) and Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals) are the three best quarterbacks in the NFL right now.
Who are the best NFL quarterbacks ever?
Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, John Elway and Dan Marino are all among the best-ever QBs.
Which NFL quarterbacks have won a Super Bowl?
Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs), Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams), Russell Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers), Joe Flacco (Indianapolis Colts) and Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets) have all won the Super Bowl at least once.
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