No player in professional sports carries more responsibility than a quarterback. The leader of the offense — and often the face of a franchise in the biggest league in American sports — quarterbacks can transcend the field to become celebrities.
Of course, the QB isn’t alone out there. They’re protected by an offensive line and surrounded by a supporting cast, but a team’s success and Super Bowl dreams often hinge on the quarterback’s performance.
Now that the regular season has ended, let’s see what QBs will go down as the league’s best in 2025.
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2025’s Top NFL Quarterbacks by QBR
Total QBR is a propriety ESPN stat that evaluates a QB’s overall impact per game on a scale of 0-100.
Drake Maye – New England Patriots
Drake Maye finished his sophomore campaign as the league leader in QBR, passer rating and completion percentage, leading the New England Patriots to an impressive 14-3 record. All of that has led to Maye as the league leader in odds for MVP.
Maye was outstanding in his first full season as the starter, throwing fewer interceptions than when he was a part-time starter a year ago. He took a sizable jump in yards gained per pass attempt, which led the league.
Now Maye gets his first taste of playoff action after helping the Patriots secure the number two seed in the AFC.
Maye is looking to continue his success after dominating his last three games. He led the Patriots to a fourth-quarter comeback win against Baltimore in Week 17 before cruising in his final two starts of the year against the Jets and Miami, where he threw a combined six touchdowns to no interceptions and took just one sack. In the wildcard round, Maye and the Pats will host the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jordan Love – Green Bay Packers
Love finished the year sidelined with a concussion that he suffered in Week 15 against Chicago, but it was another solid year from the Packers quarterback. A mark of consistency, Love has led the Packers to nine wins in each of his first three years as a starter.
He threw his fewest interceptions in a season in 2025, along with his highest completion percentage, the best quarterback rating and the best passer rating of his career. He also set a career high with four fourth-quarter comebacks and four game-winning drives.
Held out for precautionary reasons over the last games of the season with the Packers’ playoff fate sealed, Love will return in the wild card round to take on the Bears in their third meeting over the last month.
Brock Purdy – San Francisco 49ers
Purdy has been stellar since returning from an injury in mid-December, throwing 11 touchdowns to three interceptions. In that stretch, he led the 49ers to a 3-1 record, which was good enough to secure the sixth seed in the NFC playoff picture.
The injury-shortened campaign kept his statistics down, but on the season, he matched his career high in touchdown percentage, was set to break his career high in passing success rate and set a new career high for fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives in a season.
After a subdued outing against Seattle in Week 18, in which San Francisco lost their chance at the number one seed and NFC West title, Purdy will look to rebound in the wild card round when the 49ers travel to Philadelphia to take on the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles.
Matthew Stafford – Los Angeles Rams
Stafford put together one of the best seasons of his career, setting a new career high with 46 touchdown passes and leading the league in not just touchdown passes but also passing yards. He also set a new career high in passer rating and was named to his third Pro Bowl.
But Stafford struggled down the stretch for Los Angeles, notably with back-to-back losses to Seattle and Atlanta that likely took him out of MVP consideration. But even still, it was a brilliant campaign from the 17-year veteran as he once again leads the Rams into the playoffs.
Next up for Stafford is a wild card matchup against the Panthers, who he struggled against in late November in a 31-28 loss. The Rams will be looking to avenge that loss and advance toward another Super Bowl.
Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys
Prescott was one of the league’s best quarterbacks this year. He finished first in completions, third in passing yards, fourth in passing touchdowns and led the Dallas Cowboys’ number four overall offense.
However, the prolific offense was unable to make up for a league-worst defense, which will send the Cowboys home early this season. The attention for the Cowboys will be in two places: one, on bolstering this defense, and two, finding a way to maintain the dynamic passing attack that George Pickens helped unlock. Pickens is slated to be a free agent after this season.
If Dallas can improve defensively and the offense can hold steady, they will be right back in playoff contention next season.
Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills
It was a relatively subdued season from the reigning MVP, but still, Josh Allen has the Bills back in the playoffs.
Allen got lost in the shuffle of his own division as the Patriots claimed the title. It was evident all year that this Bills team would only go as far as Allen would take them. Though he set a career high with 40 sacks, he also rushed for 16 touchdowns and many of Buffalo’s victories can be attributed to his playmaking ability running the ball.
He’ll make his fourth Pro Bowl and lead the Bills into a wild card matchup in Jacksonville to take on the AFC South champion Jaguars, one of the league’s biggest and quietest surprises that boasts top-10 units on both sides of the ball. In a postseason that feels completely up in the air, Allen brings the kind of game-breaking talent that can win a game single-handedly.
Joe Burrow – Cincinnati Bengals
It was a forgettable season for Burrow, who missed much of the season with a turf toe injury and came back as Cincinnati was eliminated from playoff contention. However, over the last three games, he showed what he and this offense are capable of when everybody’s healthy. He threw for nine touchdowns to just one interception and led the Bengals to a 2-1 record over the final three games.
Cincinnati’s issues run beyond the offense to their defense, where they are one of the league’s worst. Unless drastic improvements are made to the defense, more pressure will be on Burrow and this offense to outscore opponents in 2026.
Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens
After finishing first-team All-Pro a year ago, the two-time MVP Jackson had a rough year. He missed a month due to injury and never really seemed himself when he returned.
Over the last three weeks of the season, he never attempted more than 20 passes in a game, two of which were losses. In the Week 18 loss to the Steelers, multiple brilliant plays he was able to make were overshadowed by a horribly unlucky interception and a missed field goal that knocked Baltimore out of playoff contention.
This will be the first season since 2022 that Baltimore has missed the playoffs. On the whole, it was a disappointing year, not just for Jackson, but for the entire Ravens team who entered this year with some of the best odds to win the Super Bowl. The result sparked inevitable questions about the direction of the franchise, particularly on the coaching front. Those questions were answered swiftly, as Baltimore elected to move on from longtime head coach John Harbaugh. Despite one of the most successful coaching tenures of the past quarter-century, recent playoff struggles and this season’s collapse ultimately led the Ravens to make a seismic change in leadership.
C.J. Stroud – Houston Texans
Stroud finished the year leading the Texans to six straight wins and the five seed in the AFC playoffs. In those games, Stroud showed streaks of brilliance, especially in the first halves against Kansas City, the Chargers and the Colts.
But he also showed some rockier moments. With a run game unable to generate much firepower, Stroud could not always be leaned on to get their offense into scoring position. Even still, this is Stroud’s third trip to the playoffs in three seasons, where he has fared well, and he has the benefit of the league’s best defense.
He gets his chance to take another leap this year when the Texans travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in the wild card round.
Baker Mayfield – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It’s a disappointing end to Baker Mayfield’s and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season. After starting the year 5-1, they finished 3-8 and ended up losing the NFC South division and their chance at the playoffs on a tie-breaker.
Mayfield, dealing with a shoulder injury suffered at the midpoint of the season, also needed to overcome injuries to his entire receiving corps and his starting running back. Tampa Bay just could not rekindle the firepower they had early in the season.
This year will snap Mayfield’s two straight years of Pro Bowl nods but continue his career resurgence with the Bucs after signing with them in 2023. With young playmaking receivers back healthy in 2026, Tampa Bay has a chance to climb back atop the division and into the playoffs.
Justin Herbert – Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert played the last month with a broken bone in his left hand but showed the mettle that many would hope to see from a franchise quarterback. Over his final six starts, he went 5-1, repeatedly making plays through the air and with his feet, and helped Los Angeles secure the final spot in the AFC playoffs.
Herbert tied his career high of 11 wins in his second season with head coach Jim Harbaugh and took on more responsibilities with injuries to the offensive line and running game. For example, he set a new career high with 498 rushing yards and 34 first downs running the ball. As a result, Herbert earned his second career Pro Bowl nod.
Now he looks for his first career playoff win when he and the Chargers travel to Foxboro to take on the Patriots.
Bo Nix – Denver Broncos
In his second year as the Broncos quarterback, Nix led the Broncos to a 14-3 record and the number one seed in the AFC. Nix led the league in passing attempts and finished top 10 in passing yards, passing touchdowns and interceptions.
A high-risk, high-reward player, Nix made plays for the Broncos at critical moments throughout the season, leading the league with seven game-winning drives. Paired with one of the league’s best defenses, Nix has the ability to escape from tight spots, which the Broncos will surely find themselves in during the postseason.
They will face whoever the lowest seed is remaining after the wild card round.
Trevor Lawrence – Jacksonville Jaguars
The prince that was promised seems to have finally arrived. Lawrence was once heralded as a can’t-miss prospect but had failed to showcase on a consistent basis why he earned that moniker.
Coming off of an injury-shortened season, Lawrence bounced back with perhaps his best year as a pro. He set a new career high with 29 passing touchdowns and a 58.3 QBR. Over his final four games, Lawrence was nothing short of exceptional.
He threw for 11 touchdowns to just one interception and added four more touchdowns on the ground. Over that stretch, the Jaguars averaged more than 30 points per game as they rode an eight-game winning streak into the playoffs to capture the AFC South title.
Lawrence will look to carry the momentum into his first playoff action since 2022 when the Jaguars host the Bills in the wild card round.
| Rk | Player | Team | QBR | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
| 1 | Drake Maye | New England Patriots | 77.2 | 72 | 4394 | 31 | 8 | 113.5 |
| 2 | Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers | 73.1 | 66.3 | 3381 | 23 | 6 | 101.2 |
| 3 | Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers | 73.1 | 69.4 | 2167 | 20 | 10 | 100.5 |
| 4 | Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams | 71 | 65 | 4707 | 46 | 8 | 109.2 |
| 5 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | 70.6 | 67.3 | 4552 | 30 | 10 | 99.5 |
| 6 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | 68.8 | 62.7 | 3587 | 22 | 11 | 89.6 |
| 7 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | 64.7 | 69.3 | 3668 | 25 | 10 | 102.2 |
| 8 | Daniel Jones | Indianapolis Colts | 63.7 | 68 | 3101 | 19 | 8 | 100.2 |
| 9 | Mac Jones | San Francisco 49ers | 63.5 | 69.6 | 2151 | 13 | 6 | 97.4 |
| 10 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | 63.2 | 66.8 | 1809 | 17 | 5 | 100.7 |
| 11 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens | 62.8 | 63.6 | 2549 | 21 | 7 | 103.8 |
| 12 | C.J. Stroud | Houston Texans | 62.4 | 64.5 | 3041 | 19 | 8 | 92.9 |
| 13 | Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 60.9 | 63.2 | 3693 | 26 | 11 | 90.6 |
| 14 | Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers | 60.8 | 66.4 | 3727 | 26 | 13 | 94.1 |
| 15 | Bo Nix | Denver Broncos | 58.5 | 63.4 | 3931 | 25 | 11 | 87.8 |
| 16 | Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | 58.3 | 60.9 | 4007 | 29 | 12 | 91 |
| 17 | Caleb Williams | Chicago Bears | 58.3 | 58.1 | 3942 | 27 | 7 | 90.1 |
| 18 | Jared Goff | Detroit Lions | 58 | 68 | 4564 | 34 | 8 | 105.5 |
| 19 | Jaxson Dart | New York Giants | 57.8 | 63.7 | 2272 | 15 | 5 | 91.7 |
| 20 | Michael Penix | Atlanta Falcons | 57.1 | 60.1 | 1982 | 9 | 3 | 88.5 |
| 21 | Sam Darnold | Seattle Seahawks | 56.6 | 67.7 | 4048 | 25 | 14 | 99.1 |
| 22 | Jalen Hurts | Philadelphia Eagles | 55.9 | 64.8 | 3224 | 25 | 6 | 98.5 |
| 23 | Marcus Mariota | Washington Commanders | 50.6 | 61.2 | 1695 | 10 | 7 | 86.1 |
| 24 | Spencer Rattler | New Orleans Saints | 49.5 | 67.7 | 1586 | 8 | 5 | 86.5 |
| 25 | Tyler Shough | New Orleans Saints | 49.2 | 67.6 | 2384 | 10 | 6 | 91.3 |
| 26 | Kirk Cousins | Atlanta Falcons | 48.1 | 61.7 | 1721 | 10 | 5 | 84.8 |
| 27 | Bryce Young | Carolina Panthers | 47.7 | 63.6 | 3011 | 23 | 11 | 87.8 |
| 28 | Jayden Daniels | Washington Commanders | 45 | 60.6 | 1262 | 8 | 3 | 88.1 |
| 29 | Aaron Rodgers | Pittsburgh Steelers | 44.1 | 65.7 | 3322 | 24 | 7 | 94.8 |
| 30 | Jacoby Brissett | Arizona Cardinals | 41.8 | 64.9 | 3366 | 23 | 8 | 94.1 |
| 31 | Justin Fields | New York Jets | 38.3 | 62.7 | 1259 | 7 | 1 | 89.5 |
| 32 | Tua Tagovailoa | Miami Dolphins | 37 | 67.7 | 2660 | 20 | 15 | 88.5 |
| 33 | J.J. McCarthy | Minnesota Vikings | 35.9 | 57.6 | 1632 | 11 | 12 | 72.6 |
| 34 | Geno Smith | Las Vegas Raiders | 34.2 | 67.4 | 3025 | 19 | 17 | 84.7 |
| 35 | Cam Ward | Tennessee Titans | 33.1 | 59.8 | 3169 | 15 | 7 | 80.2 |
| 36 | Dillon Gabriel | Cleveland Browns | 31 | 59.5 | 937 | 7 | 2 | 80.8 |
| 37 | Shedeur Sanders | Cleveland Browns | 19 | 56.6 | 1400 | 7 | 10 | 68.1 |
2025’s Top Quarterbacks by Passer Rating
QBR takes into account a lot more than passing, but throwing the ball is a big part of any quarterback’s job. That’s where passer rating comes into play.
Here’s the data in table format with full team names:
| Rk | Player | Team | Rate |
| 1 | Drake Maye | New England Patriots | 113.5 |
| 2 | Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams | 109.2 |
| 3 | Jared Goff | Detroit Lions | 105.5 |
| 4 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens | 103.8 |
| 5 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | 102.2 |
| 6 | Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers | 101.2 |
| 7 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | 100.7 |
| 8 | Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers | 100.5 |
| 9 | Daniel Jones | Indianapolis Colts | 100.2 |
| 10 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | 99.5 |
| 11 | Sam Darnold | Seattle Seahawks | 99.1 |
| 12 | Jalen Hurts | Philadelphia Eagles | 98.5 |
| 13 | Mac Jones | San Francisco 49ers | 97.4 |
| 14 | Aaron Rodgers | Pittsburgh Steelers | 94.8 |
| 15 | Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers | 94.1 |
| 16 | Jacoby Brissett | Arizona Cardinals | 94.1 |
| 17 | C.J. Stroud | Houston Texans | 92.9 |
| 18 | Jaxson Dart | New York Giants | 91.7 |
| 19 | Tyler Shough | New Orleans Saints | 91.3 |
| 20 | Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | 91 |
| 21 | Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 90.6 |
| 22 | Caleb Williams | Chicago Bears | 90.1 |
| 23 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | 89.6 |
| 24 | Justin Fields | New York Jets | 89.5 |
| 25 | Michael Penix | Atlanta Falcons | 88.5 |
| 26 | Tua Tagovailoa | Miami Dolphins | 88.5 |
| 27 | Jayden Daniels | Washington Commanders | 88.1 |
| 28 | Bo Nix | Denver Broncos | 87.8 |
| 29 | Bryce Young | Carolina Panthers | 87.8 |
| 30 | Spencer Rattler | New Orleans Saints | 86.5 |
| 31 | Marcus Mariota | Washington Commanders | 86.1 |
| 32 | Kirk Cousins | Atlanta Falcons | 84.8 |
| 33 | Geno Smith | Las Vegas Raiders | 84.7 |
| 34 | Dillon Gabriel | Cleveland Browns | 80.8 |
| 35 | Cam Ward | Tennessee Titans | 80.2 |
| 36 | J.J. McCarthy | Minnesota Vikings | 72.6 |
| 37 | Shedeur Sanders | Cleveland Browns | 68.1 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best QB in the NFL in the 2025 season?
The top 10 quarterbacks by passer rating through the end of the 2025-26 NFL regular season are: Drake Maye (New England Patriots) - 113.5, Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) - 109.2, Jared Goff (Detroit Lions) - 105.5, Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) - 103.8, Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) - 102.2, Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers) - 101.2, Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals) - 100.7, Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers) - 100.5, Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts) - 100.2, Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) - 99.5
Who are the best quarterbacks of all time?
Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, Johnny Unitas, John Elway, Drew Brees, Steve Young and Aaron Rodgers are often cited as some of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. With the exception of Marino, all have won at least one Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP.
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