​The NFL regular season is 59 days away, and sportsbooks are already predicting a Super Bowl showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills. But there’s a long road ahead, so VikingsTerritory is kicking off its annual tradition of ranking the league’s starting quarterbacks. This year’s edition proved tougher than usual, largely because the gap between Caleb Williams and Bo Nix is filled by a slate of similarly efficient signal-callers.
Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns is marching toward the sideline in a key AFC North clash with the Cincinnati Bengals, with the Browns regrouping for their next series at home. Until Watson demonstrates that he can recapture the form he showed in 2019 or 2020—assuming he starts for Cleveland at all—he sits near the bottom of quarterback power rankings. Those are the rules.
It’s hard to take seriously the Jets’ plan to install Smith as their QB1 under a head coach who might already be on the hot seat. At best, Smith is a bridge quarterback to someone with more promise. Ward’s numbers and efficiency metrics were as underwhelming as J.J. McCarthy’s last year, if not more so, yet the criticism didn’t hit the same. He’ll need a significant developmental leap in 2026.
Willis flashed good games and memorable moments in Green Bay, and that’s commendable. Now he must prove he can handle a full passing attack when every week opponents’ coordinators game-plan for him. Cousins can unleash a 400-yard game at any moment, but he’s also aging and slower than his peers.
Brissett remains the best backup quarterback in the league, but that’s where he stays. It’s surprising that the Arizona Cardinals view him as a viable QB1 option over Kyler Murray; that stance probably signals they’re waiting for the 2027 NFL Draft. Dart could rise rapidly, but by NFL standards his team needs a better record than 4-8—the mark the Giants accomplished during his tenure. He looked lost in the December loss to the Vikings, a performance that felt almost Buffonish in its misdirection.
Young finished 25th in EPA+CPOE last year, but the playoff appearance gave many fans hope for his trajectory. Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. are likely to shuffle in Atlanta’s quarterback hierarchy, yet with Kevin Stefanski at the helm, there is a plausible path for Tagovailoa to throw for 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns with all the weapons around him.
Jones appeared to be on an upward arc for two months before he started to tail off and eventually tore his Achilles. That injury complicates the recovery process, and questions about his long-term consistency were already surfacing. He will have to prove himself anew in 2026.
Despite his storied career, it feels almost disrespectful to place Rodgers this low, even as a nod to SEO considerations. Still, the reality is that the ranking must reflect current form and circumstances, not past prestige.