​This is that time of year when hot takes, wild speculations, and comments taken out of context balloon into national headlines. People want to talk football, and when there isn’t a flood of real news, stories are often manufactured just to have a story. Alongside those tendencies come W-L predictions and ranking lists. With that in mind, I’m presenting the PFF Quarterback Rankings: All 32 starters ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
At first glance, it shouldn’t surprise many that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen sits at the top. Allen, who might be seen as a modern parallel to legends like Dan Marino or, more fittingly, Jim Kelly, is an extraordinary quarterback, no doubt. Yet, like Marino, Kelly, and several other elite quarterbacks who led their teams to great heights, he hasn’t yet captured a championship ring.
My initial expectation for Stroud on this list was somewhere around the 8–10 range. But as I scrolled further, I encountered names such as Justin Herbert, Drake Maye, and Dak Prescott occupying that band. Prescott? Really? I’m not sure about that placement. As I continued scrolling, I finally landed on the #17 spot on the page.
Stroud’s regression in 2025 was hard to miss, with poor pass protection and injuries taking their toll. His 62.0 PFF passing grade ranked 34th among 43 qualifying quarterbacks, including the postseason. He also posted a career-high 23 turnover-worthy plays, 10 of which occurred during Houston’s two postseason games against Pittsburgh and New England. The Texans’ offensive line should show improvement after the offseason additions, but Stroud will still need to handle pressure more effectively in 2026. His 35.5 PFF passing grade under pressure ranked fourth-worst among qualifying quarterbacks, and he tied for the league lead in interceptions thrown under pressure (eight). If Stroud can regain confidence behind a revamped line, Houston could become a Super Bowl contender.
Given their proprietary system’s tendency to dock Stroud somewhat for last season, it’s understandable that he landed in the middle of the pack. And if you judge him solely by last year’s stats, 17 might even feel generous.
Yet PFF grades don’t always tell the full story, especially when they rely heavily on a player’s previous season. There have been years when Tom Brady, Steve Young, and other Hall of Famers wouldn’t have cracked a top-15 ranking based strictly on one season’s output. The real issue with Stroud’s placement is how PFF treats a player’s career as a whole versus the most recent campaign. When you look at Patrick Mahomes, for example, he clearly had a down year last season. Still, he lands at No. 4 here largely because of what he accomplished before 2025. There’s no denying Stroud has yet to prove he’s the equal of Mahomes, and perhaps he never will. But ranking a quarterback by total career achievements in one column and by their worst season in another creates a somewhat inconsistent picture.