2019 NFL Season Quarterback Tiers
One of the popular things to do on the internet is to create quarterback tiers. Argue about where each quarterback in the NFL sits in their respective tier. I figured I would join the party. I won’t spend too much time on this. You can see the tiers above.
I felt like it needed more than 4 tiers. Instead, I made 9. This is the most accurate way to do it.
In Prime that can win a Super Bowl: Patrick Mahomes, Andrew Luck, Carson Wentz, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson. I’m not sure I have any arguments there. Out of all the quarterback tiers, I’m not sure you can add anyone in this group just yet.
Aging Superstars that can still win: They fall below the first tier because of age. They have a smaller time period to win a championship. Has to be sooner rather than later: Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers. Do I have any quarrels there? Rivers is the only guy on that list that didn’t win a Super Bowl. He also probably should have. Rivers has had a better statistical career than Eli Manning. Rivers needs to be on here for Manning.
Super Talented but unproven: I’ve seen flashes of brilliance. I’ve also seen some bad. All the guys on this list have talent to get it done. I just need a bigger sample size. Jameis Winston, Jimmy Garoppolo, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield. All of them could move up to tier one within the next year. It could also not happen. Just need a bigger sample size. Don’t even try to argue about Jameis Winston. He’s super talented and finally has a fighting chance with Bruce Arians. He’s going to have a big year.
Can win with help: Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford. All of them are good enough to win a lot of games. Maybe in one particular season, they can rise to a tier one guy. Over the course of time, they need help in order to do so or aren’t consistent enough all the time. Cam Newton has one big year. Let’s be honest. He’s never been an accurate passer. Without Kyle Shanahan, Matt Ryan is irrelevant. Matthew Stafford is stuck on the cursed Lions. I think he’s a good quarterback but have never had a real chance. That one is going to get the most blowback.
Too Soon To Tell: Josh Allen, Josh Rosen. This one is easy. I think Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield have shown enough to separate from this group. Still both Allen and Rosen are moving into year two which has been a make or break often times. Let’s see how they develop.
Very Limited: Jared Goff, Dak Prescott, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith. These guys are starters. Are they elite? No. If you win with this group, it’s because you have EVERYTHING in place. Goff has McVay, Gurley, Cooks, Woods, Kupp, etc. Remove just one piece and things start to crumble. Dak’s numbers without Ezekiel Elliott are ugly. Kirk Cousins loves to put up numbers except for the weeks that it matters. Derek Carr has become a check down machine. Alex Smith (assuming he’s healthy) can win with Andy Reid and Jim Harbaugh. Not so much with anyone else.
Rookies: Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins, Daniel Jones, Drew Lock. I don’t need to say much more. Let’s see what happens this year.
Below Average: Nick Foles, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Joe Flacco. All of these quarterbacks are below average for the most part. The funny part is at any given time, they can have a nice
Total Garbage: Lamar Jackson, Andy Dalton, Mitch Trubisky, Marcus Mariota, Ryan Tannehill, Eli Manning. This is the section where your team is screwed. You can’t Trent Dilfer your way to a Super Bowl anymore. Not in the modern NFL. If you have one of these guys starting for you, your team is screwed. In any given season, these guys have a 0 percent chance to ever win a Super Bowl. SCREWED. Time to draft another guy and start over.
