NFL

NFL Week 6 Quarterback Tier Rankings

Ezra LombardiOctober 11, 20245 Mins read1.1k

Through five weeks of the NFL season, there have been some surprises and constants.

Looking at the quarterback position gives a good glimpse into a team’s performance and future outlook. In this tier list, players are ranked based on their play this season, while remembering their past performance and expectations.

Here are the Quarterback Tier Rankings after five weeks of the 2024 NFL season.

S Tier: The Big Three

Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson

This is the NFL’s big three right now.

They have proved it in the past and continue to do so this season. It doesn’t matter the weapons around them, these guys will produce week in and week out. Whenever they are under center, their team has a chance to win. Expect their play to improve throughout the season, especially come playoff time.

A Tier: Top QBs

Joe Burrow, CJ Stroud, Jared Goff, Jayden Daniels

These are the top quarterbacks in the league with all the tools to lead a team to a deep playoff run.

In the past, Burrow has proven that when healthy and surrounded by his excellent receivers, his Bengals are a threat to win it all. Despite their tough start, Burrow is still an exceptional quarterback that any team outside of those with one of the Big Three would take in an instant.

The same can be said for CJ Stroud, who is following up his impressive rookie season with what seems to be another strong campaign. He benefits from a great supporting cast in Houston, but Stroud has the makings of a top-five quarterback in the league for years to come.

Jared Goff’s consistency has earned him a spot in the A tier. Coming off a perfect 18/18 with 292 yards and two touchdowns, it is clear that when Goff is at his best, the Lions are a tough out for any team.

The biggest surprise in this tier is Jayden Daniels. Maybe it is a little premature, but the rookie has had an unbelievable start to his career. He leads the NFL with a 77.1% completion percentage and has led his Commanders to a 4-1 start. His accuracy and ability to run the football make him a true gameplan nightmare. As of right now, it’s hard to deny Daniels as an A-tier NFL quarterback.

B Tier: Solid QBs

Kirk Cousins, Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott, Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, Kyler Murray

This B-tier is full of franchise quarterbacks.

They are paid the big bucks — or are about to be in the case of Brock Purdy — for a reason. They have proven to be poised leaders with all the physical tools to warrant a ceiling of an A-tier quarterback. The main knock against these guys is their inability to elevate their teammates to a playoff level.

Players like Prescott and Stafford have shown that when surrounded by the right guys, they can be MVP candidates and even win a Super Bowl as Stafford was able to do in 2022. A player like Purdy falls in this tier for just the opposite reason. We have not yet seen him in an offense devoid of explosive pieces. He has been more than serviceable in his role as distributor, but it is unclear whether he could have the same production in an offense that has to budget around a top-paid quarterback.

Love, Murray, and Cousins have been impressive at times this season, though their play is somewhat dependent on the players around them.

Baker Mayfield: “They wrote me off… I ain’t write back though”

Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Geno Smith

This tier could just as easily be named the Geno Smith tier.

These are the comeback kids, with Sam Darnold as the standout. Like Geno and Baker before him, Darnold was cast aside as another highly-touted early draft pick who could not make it in the NFL. He was a draft bust, poised to end up in a “What Happened to [insert player name]” YouTube video.

But just like Mayfield and Smith, Darnold is proving this season that fit, scheme, and the ability to learn and develop is a massive part of a quarterback’s success. Darnold has his Minnesota Vikings atop the NFC standings with a perfect 5-0 record. It is a bit too early to rank Darnold in any tier, better or worse, but he deserves credit for his impressive comeback from the sad Sam we saw in New York just a few years ago.

C Tier: Mid

Derek Carr, Jalen Hurts, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields, Anthony Richardson, Justin Herbert, Caleb Williams, Trevor Lawrence

Some of these guys are tough to rank.

Players like Hurts and Herbert, who have had seasons in the B-tier and above, are just not showing it this year. Many expected these two to take a step forward this season, but with Herbert banged up and Hurts without offensive-line and wide-receiver help, it has been more of a step back.

Carr and Rodgers have flashed glimpses of their old selves, but it has been limited to only that. Richardson’s immense physical upside can be blinding to his severe technical flaws and erratic decision-making. Fields has shown improvement in a new system but is still making many of the same mistakes that hold a quarterback in the C-tier.

Williams has shown improvement in his first few starts, and it would not be a surprise to see him graduate from the C-tier soon. Lawrence on the other hand is trending the opposite way, barely holding on to his C-tier status. Lawrence can still be a franchise quarterback in the NFL, but he has to start behaving that way and winning football games.

D Tier: Tough watch

Jacoby Brissett, Deshaun Watson, Bo Nix

At the risk of being overly critical, these guys are a tough watch.

Much of the play or the air about these players inspires any confidence to believe they will score points and win games. If they win, it is likely despite their play, not because of it. Brissett was benched this week for rookie Drake Maye, and it would not be surprising if Watson is the next to be benched.

I can appreciate the Broncos allowing their rookie Nix to learn on the job, but he does not have the tools to be a good NFL quarterback.

Let Him Play:

Joe Milton, Jameis Winston, Tua Tagovailoa, Bryce Young

Drake Maye is getting the start in New England, and while he is the best quarterback on the team, it is hard not to worry about a rookie quarterback behind that offensive line. Milton is explosive and exciting and could showcase his high upside while protecting the Patriots’ sizable investment in Maye.

The Watson-led Cleveland Browns are a disaster and Jameis Winston would provide some much-needed pride and spirit into a roster that cannot seem to get anything going.

Tagovailoa is in this tier both in anticipation of his return to an underperforming Miami offense and in hopes that he can get healthy and remain healthy going forward.

Things have been ugly for Bryce Young, but it feels like Carolina has given up on him, which is not the right move. The team will be bad with or without Young at quarterback and will likely take another QB early in the draft. You might as well play Young and let him build up some trade value, or at least prove he doesn’t deserve another chance.

Still Slinging it

Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton

Hats off to these two. Still playing ball. As long as Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton are throwing touchdowns on Sundays, I don’t have to grow up.

F: Trash

Daniel Jones, Will Levis, Gardner Minshew

These are bad starting quarterbacks. Someone has to be under center, I guess, but it becomes a lot more difficult to win games with these guys there. Minshew was finally benched this week and Aidan O’Connell will get the start in Week 6. Levis is banged up and Mason Rudolph might get the start for Tennessee.

And Daniel Jones is just bad, no matter what the stats tell you.