Brandon Jackson

Hello everyone, welcome to bjacks70.com, and welcome to my ranking of all 32 projected starters at quarterback in 2025. The rules are simple:

Rank the quarterbacks based on if they had to make the playoffs with a team that was comprised of them, and league average players at every other position.

So basically, I am ranking them based on their individual ability. I have also chosen to include in the ranking a superpower assigned to all but one of these QBs. Some of these powers are positive and complimentary, but some of them are negative. But what I have listed is essentially either their best attribute, or most famous attribute. It will make more sense as we go along.

Now without further ado, let’s get to the rankings.

32. Tyler Shough – New Orleans Saints

Superpower: N/A

There are too many variables to give a fair reading of what he will be as an NFL quarterback. I personally don’t believe in him, but a lot of NFL teams saw potential in him, so that has to count for something. He may or may not even be the starter for the Saints, but given where they drafted him, he will end up taking snaps sooner or later in 2025.

31. Sam Darnold – Seattle Seahawks

Superpower: Ability to see ghosts

Sam Darnold is very low on this list. I stand by that decision, because we have proof that no matter how long Darnold can string games together and look like a real quarterback, it will fall apart at the end. He will crumble under pressure. I don’t believe in him, and the only reason he isn’t number 32 on this list is because I believe in Tyler Shough even less.

He can do well enough to make you think that he’s finally turned the corner, but it’ll blow up in your face. It’s happened in New York, Carolina, and Minnesota. The only reason it didn’t happen in San Francisco is because he didn’t get to play. He has all tools really, it’s just that he’s not built for the pressure. Both the actual pressure from the defense and the mental pressure of being the guy.

30. J.J. McCarthy – Minnesota Vikings

Superpower: Kevin O’Connell

J.J. McCarthy is a gamer. That’s probably the highest compliment I can give him, with what we have seen of his career so far. At Michigan, he played well in the biggest spots (CFP, OSU vs. UM) and ended up winning more than he lost. He did make some spectacular plays while winning those games as well. He maybe wasn’t the driving force on that Michigan national championship team, but he was the leader. And he stepped up every time they needed him to.

I speak so much about college here because we have no film of him in the NFL yet. He’s a second-year player that has taken zero snaps in the league. He could do well early, because he has Kevin O’Connell behind him calling plays, a top 2 receiver in football, another very good receiver, a great tight end, and a good running back. With what should still be a good defense on the other side. He will be set up for success, it’s just a big unknown.

29. Cam Ward – Tennessee Titans

Superpower: Self-confidence

I imagine that when I do this list again in 2026, Cam Ward will be much higher than this. Unfortunately, I couldn’t reasonably justify having him any higher when he hasn’t started an NFL game yet. But I have a lot of confidence in him. Just not as much as he has in himself. That can be both a good thing and a bad thing. The bad would be what happened when he thought he could make some impossible throws vs. Cal. The good would be him leading Miami back to win, after he threw those interceptions vs. Cal.

With Cam you to take the good with the bad. It does seem that he can learn from his mistakes quickly and make adjustments. His laid-back demeanor is a thing of legend at this point, being the subject of many a TikTok. But that demeanor has gotten him this far and will probably be what contributes to his success.

28. Joe Flacco – Cleveland Browns

Superpower: Deep Ball

What you see is what you get with Joe Flacco. He will sling it around the yard, like he’s playing at the playground with his kids before the Browns signed him off the street. He will gain yards. He will throw touchdowns. But he will throw some interceptions. And boy, will they look bad. And buddy, they will be at the worst time. It is what it is.

He’s the best starting quarterback the Browns have had since 2020 Baker Mayfield. The fans will take what they can get at this point after the Deshaun Watson debacle. The question here is, will Kenny Pickett factor in here? Or will Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders take the reins at some point? I have no idea, and I don’t want to speculate here. My Cleveland Browns quarterback speculation will have its own playlist on my YouTube channel by the time the summer is over.

27. Russell Wilson – New York Giants

Superpower: Deep Ball

His real superpower is being able to make the box score look better than he played, you can ask Broncos fans about how that worked. Russ is still a starting quarterback in this league, but this may be his last stop. The Giants are praying that this goes well, and they don’t have to turn to Jaxson Dart during this season. If Russ plays to the best of his ability, Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen may be able to keep their jobs. If he doesn’t, they will have to put Dart in, and at least for a few weeks, that will go poorly. By the time he gets it figured out, Daboll is probably on staff at UNC for Bill Belichick.

Russ has had a great career, but he’s closer to the end than the beginning. I will admit I didn’t think he would do well at all in Pittsburgh, but he was able to get them to the playoffs. Getting the Giants to the playoffs will be a much more difficult proposition.

26. Anthony Richardson – Indianapolis Colts

Superpower: Arm Strength

Richardson’s superpower is notably arm strength, and not the deep ball like the two QBs before him, and that distinction is on purpose. He doesn’t necessarily have a great success rate throwing deep passes, but when he does make them, they are spectacular. His arm allows him to complete passes that other quarterbacks could not even think of attempting.

He’s built like a linebacker, and throws his body around like he actually is one. And that has been to his detriment during his short career. He’s played in 15 out of a possible 34 games, and has ended both seasons on the sideline out with an injury. If he wants to be a starter, he must first make sure he can win the job against Daniel Jones, and then he must stay available. Once he gets those two things down, he must be consistent. The talent is there, we can all see that. When he flashes, he creates plays that no other player in the league can imitate. But more often than not, his passes end up on the turf or in the hands of the opposing team.

25. Justin Fields – New York Jets

Superpower: Running ability

God, Fields is so talented. We just need to see him put it all together. I think if he was in a position to succeed, he could, but he’s currently with the Jets. Until proven otherwise, I have to believe nothing nothing positive will come from this organization, especially the quarterback play. And that’s not Fields’ fault.

The player himself can make every throw, and can run the football as good as the best running quarterbacks we’ve ever seen in this league. His size and speed makes him an absolute weapon in the backfield, but his passing has not caught up to that ability in the NFL. We saw it at Ohio State where he was the complete package, but not as a professional. Was it the blame of the Bears for not continuing his development? Or is this just his ceiling as a player? Somehow after 5 years watching him play, I still don’t know the answer to that question.

24. Aaron Rodgers – Pittsburgh Steelers

Superpower: He used to be Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers is one of my favorite football players of all time. He is legitimately one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. Maybe the most talented one we’ve ever seen. Those days seem to be over. There was one game in 2024 when Rodgers and Davante Adams channelled their old chemistry and turned the clock back to 2019. That may be the last time we see a great Rodgers performance.

He of course can still play football. But at this stage, he’s just a middling starter, a far cry from questions being asked about if Rodgers is better than Tom Brady.