2024 NFL Quarterback Rankings: See Where Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Ranks
NFL football is the ultimate team sport, as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has often said. But more often than not, that team sport comes down to how good your QB is.
Mayfield had a strong season in 2023, but can he be consistent enough to make it happen again? That's the big question, and we looked to answer it — we ranked 32 quarterbacks we're assuming will start for their respective teams, and you can see where we had Baker Mayfield among the rest of the field down below:
32. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos used their first pick of the draft on Nix, who was the last quarterback taken in that round in 2024. While it's hard to say how any rookie will do in the NFL, Nix is likely the weakest prospect of the first five quarterbacks taken and may not even win the starting job over Zach Wilson in Denver.
31. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Daniel Jones ended up being a decent quarterback in 2022, but a lot of that was due to his abilities as a mobile quarterback. Jones tore his ACL in 2023, and he'll likely suffer big time from losing a part of that mobility in 2024 while simply not being a good enough passer to make up for it.
30. J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
J.J. McCarthy is another rookie quarterback who may not start, as the Vikings could go with Sam Darnold instead. While McCarthy is talented, a smaller frame and a lack of consistency could make his inital foray into the NFL a little tough.
29. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Drake Maye could end up being the quarterback the Patriots want him to be, but when dealing with hypotheticals in rookies, it's better to be safer than sorry on rankings. Maye is a very talented passer, but his processing skills have come under question during the draft process and he'll be thrown into the fire to start.
28. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
The idea of Anthony Richardson can often be more appealing than the real thing. An incredible physical talent, Richardson has often looked extremely inconsistent when he's actually played quarterback — and although he showed glimpses of what he could be last year, he's also battled with injury concerns his entire career.
27. DeShaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
DeShaun Watson occasionally shows flashes of the player he once was when he improvises outside the pocket, but taking almost two years off from the game from 2021-22 has taken its toll, and three years later, it doesn't look like Watson will ever be the same quarterback.
26. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
Will Levis was a controversial prospect coming out of college, but he showed a little of what he can do last year after taking the starting job in Tennessee. He has a lot (a lot) to work on, but there's some room for movement with a full offseason of taking reps with the first team.
25. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young's struggles with the Panthers last year could well be due to the extreme lack of talent around him, and while he's made some great throws in his first year as a Panther, a sub-60 completion percentage and just 2,877 yards passing will be unacceptable in his sophomore campaign.
24. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Doubters should rightfully be concerned about Jayden Daniels' slim frame and somewhat self-destructive tendancies as a runner, but he has a lot of athleticism and could tap into that in his rookie year — he also has a strong WR1 option in Terry McLaurin in Washington.
23. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders
Gardner Minshew is just solid as a starter, and while he's relatively inoffensive, his ability to win games when straits are dire simply isn't there. He'll work well for the Raiders while they look for his replacement, but don't expect him to will them to the playoffs.
22. Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Mr. Unlimited has looked considerably limited in recent years. While his 2023 campaign was a big improvement on his 2022 campaign, he was rather pedestrian in his last year with the Broncos and will probably look the same way in his first year with the Steelers.
21. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr had a strong back stretch in his first season witn New Orleans, but it was marred by a bit of a rough first half of his campaign. If he can be more consistent in 2024, he has room to move up the list, but he's only thrown more than 25 touchdown passes twice since 2020 and hasn't eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark since 2021.
20. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield played some good football in 2023, and he revitalized his career in Tampa Bay and earned his first big deal of his career. That being said, the inconsistencies that have haunted him his whole career were still there across the season, and it rightfully has the NFL world wondering if he can put another good campaign together in 2024. He certainly has the weapons to do so, but whether or not he picks up from last year remains to be seen.
19. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith has risen well from perennial backup to a strong starting option for the Seattle Seahawks. He wasn't able to recreate the success from his 2022 campaign, and while the Seahawks could do a lot worse, Smith is unlikely to elevate the team in a meaningful way at this stage of his career.
18. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams is one of the hottest QB prospects in a while, with many enamored by his creativity outside the pocket at USC. He isn't perfect and will likely need to improve his footwork, but he has a great cast of weapons in his first year as an NFL quarterback.
17. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Murray's improvisation skills have shined and he's gotten better passing the football, but struggles to throw the ball over the middle and red zone woes have limited him in his recent (healthier) playing years. He has a good chance to bounce back in 2024 with the aim to start all 17 games.
16. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love had a bit of a wonky first part to his season, but he course-corrected in a big way. He's made some big-time throws and threw 32 touchdowns as he helped propel his team to a Divisional Round berth against the San Francisco 49ers. He could look even better in his second full season as a starter.
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15. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Ahh, the constant Brock Purdy discourse. Purdy has played good football for the San Francisco 49ers in their Super Bowl-losing effort, but the nature of Kyle Shanahan's system has helped his average arm strength and athleticsm in a similar way that it has helped quarterbacks of the past. Purdy is good, but he isn't an elite quarterback yet.
14. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence's ceiling is his excellent 2022 campaign, but he took a big step back from that in 2023 after battling through injury. He has all the physical tools to be a great quarterback, but he needs to remain consistent to earn his huge contract.
13. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts' MVP-worthy campaign in 2022 was met with an up-and-down one in 2023 that didn't look nearly as smooth. Like Lawrence, Hurts has shown the potential to be an elite NFL quarterback with his additions to the run game and his creativity, but his inconsistencies as a dropback passer will remain a huge question going into this year.
12. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Much should be said for Tagovailoa's excellent release and impressive accuracy, and it turns the Dolphins into a great football team more often than not. But he does have a lack of athleticism and inconsistencies with his arm talent that have led to some poor performances when Miami has needed him most.
11. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford recovered from an injury-ridden 2022 season to play some damn good football for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023. Stafford's gunslinger tendancies can occasionally come back to haunt him, but it's been a rare sight as his poise and accuracy continue to wow in Los Angeles.
10. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
I'm willing to accept that this is perhaps the most brazen pick of the rankings, but hey, that's what they're for. Jared Goff followed up on a strong end to his 2022 season with a strong entirety of his 2023 season, and while he isn't quite perfect, he's showed enough acumen in Dan Campbell's system to be taken as a serious threat in 2024 as the Lions run it back.
9. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Our next two quarterbacks are both coming back from Achilles injuries, and I'm going out on quite the limb in saying it won't affect either of them. It will be a gamble placing Aaron Rodgers this high given the injury and his age, but the quarterback he was from two years ago and before is still in there and he could absolutely tap into that again if he isn't too affected by his Achilles injury,
8. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
And likewise for Kirk Cousins. He's also coming off an Achilles injury, but he's younger, so he gets the edge there — and his 2021 and 2022 campaigns with the Vikings aren't far away. If Cousins can get back to where he was in 2024, the Buccaneers will have a tough opponent in the NFC South.
7. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Prescott's woes in the playoffs have been talked about to death, and while that should be considered, he's still a very good quarterback. Prescott ability as a field general is typically underrated and he consistently puts up big numbers, having one of his career years in 2023. He needs to get over his playoff hump, but if he plays like he did last year consistently, he'll have plenty of opprotunities to do so.
6. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Yes, C.J. Stroud has just one year of production, but what a year it was. Confident in the pocket, comically accurate on the deep ball and arm talent in droves, Stroud seemed to prove in 2023 that he'll be here to stay as one of the NFL's young superstars for years to come.
5. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
It would be fair to put Justin Herbert down a few places, I think, but I'm not giving up. While injury and an errant game or two last year puts a small dark spot on his 2023 campaign, Herbert's decision making and intangibles are still some of the best in the NFL and he could see a huge resurgence in 2024 under new HC Jim Harbaugh.
4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson is a weapon as much as a quarterback. Accurate, athletic to a supreme degree and able to take on the most in both the run game and the passing game. While Jackson is another player whose playoff woes will be brought up frequently, it will only be a matter of time with him given just how good he is.
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
A man of many names, Joe Burrow at the height of his power is a fantastic pre-snap quarterback with plenty of arm talent to make it work. Injuries continue to plague him and that could lower his ranking going forward, but we got to see Burrow at his best last year before his injury so I think he can definitely do it again.
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen's tendancy to turn the ball over at inopportune times is a little unfortunate, but he somehow manages overcome it with how good he is — and how consistently he stays that way despite how often he's asked to do so. Perhaps no quarterback in the NFL is asked to do more than Josh Allen, and he still manages to deliver in spades week in and week out.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
This should be obvious to anyone who watches football, but Mahomes is simply a difference maker at quarterback. Any flaws he's had in the beginning of his career have almost all but melted away in the face of a competitor who is seasoned and honed to the extreme. Mahomes seems unstoppable, and even worse, he's just 28 years old.
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