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There are so many debates that become daily talking points that you can come off as a hater, fanboy etc. of a certain player. There aren’t many quarterback discussions amongst people these days because well Tom Brady has won so much, it’s kind of indisputable.

Then there’s the craziness of what Mahomes brings to the table year in and year out. So, it leaves a guy like Baker Mayfield to bring out a lot of talk amongst sports fans.

He’s shown flashes of upside and he’s provided plenty of opportunities for people to hate on him. In the Era of the Baker Bros, I would like to take a second to list my ranking of quarterbacks and officially show where I personally rank Mayfield.

I think what a lot of fans tend to forget there are only a handful of truly elite quarterbacks and barely as many elite play callers. Matthew Stafford is such a prime example. Many would always say Stafford sucks, if he was so good then why hasn’t Detroit at least become a consistent bottom playoff seed. There are a lot of things that go into the success a player has.

I have never said Mayfield is on the same tier as the top quarterbacks but the notion he cannot be a winning quarterback in this league is such a different conversation.

Ultimately, he’s in the third tier, which isn’t a horrible place to be. The top seven quarterbacks in the league can and regularly do carry their teams.

They are the few that teams must completely game plan against and usually still fail in doing so. Anything after these seven, may have some greatness in them but it isn’t the greatness of these seven.

 

1.) Patrick Mahomes: Kansas Chiefs – There are solid arguments for guys like Josh Allen, Tom Brady etc. There can only be one number one and for now based on current skill set and history, the main man in the league is Mahomes. Based on week one, even the loss of an elite weapon like Tyreek Hill left Mahomes unphased.

2.) Josh Allen: Buffalo Bills – As with number one and the next couple of spots, each of these guys are on their own level and deserving of being discussed as the best in the business. Josh Allen’s trajectory in the league has been amazing. His Week 1 showed nothing to dispute his placement as one of the top quarterbacks.

3.) Tom Brady: Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Tom Brady is the undisputed G.O.A.T however, he didn’t achieve that status with elite physical skills. The guys above him can change a game in so many ways, it’s not like being 3rd best is something to hang your head about. His body of work and quality of weapons in the offense leave him primed to win another ring on the way out.

4.) Aaron Rodgers: Green Bay Packers – Another guy where his overall body of work cements his status as one of the top 5 in the league. It’s so hard to say anything negative about a guy who is no doubt a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

5.) Joe Burrow: Cincinnati Bengals – Even the greats have a bad week or two. Can’t allow a bad Week 1 to deter the fact that Burrow brought the Bengals to legitimacy by driving them to the Super Bowl last season. With weapons all over on offense, Burrow will continue to cement himself as a legit top 5 worthy quarterback in the league.

6.) Justin Herbert: Los Angeles Chargers – The past few years, Herbert has led a case to be named a top five quarterback. There’s no shame in falling outside the top 5, especially this season. The future is bright and he’s a couple retirements from being argued as a top 3 option in the league. It’s a fair argument to say he’s better than Burrow, but you got to give the hand to the guy who was in the Super Bowl the year prior.

7.) Lamar Jackson: Baltimore Ravens – Already owning one MVP award to his name. Lamar Jackson is rounding out the elite tier of quarterbacks and although he may not have all the passing stats as those above him. His elite athletic ability at the position has proven he’s a true game changer and can dominate the game.

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The next level of quarterbacks are the guys who can play at a high level and good enough to put a team over the top. For sure franchise caliber guys

8.) Russell Wilson: Denver Broncos – Steady as they come, Wilson is a constant pro at the position and will not lose you many games. Mobile and great thrower, not much you can say negative about the guy.

9.) Matthew Stafford: Los Angeles Rams – Last year’s winning Super Bowl QB isn’t far off from the guys above him. He still has a strong cast of weapons around him. Lingering elbow concerns and a select few guys that are just better than him keep him at 9, but still a top 10 guy in the league.

10.) Derek Carr: Las Vegas Raiders – Rounding out the top 10 is a guy who has steadily gotten better and is primed to make an argument for being higher on this list with the addition of Devante Adams.

11.) Kirk Cousins: Minnesota Vikings – Plenty of people love to hate Kirk Cousins, at the end of the day, the man is almost guaranteed 4,000 yards and around 30 touchdowns, while never really shooting his team in the foot. With arguably the best wideout in the game and one of the elite running backs in the league. Cousins will continue to play franchise caliber football.

12.) Deshaun Watson: Cleveland Browns – This positioning is simply based on the fact we haven’t seen him play a regular season game in two years. When he comes back this year and knocks off the rust due to a couple retirements coming this off-season, Watson can stake claim to top 5 in the league again. No hate here on the talent, just can’t place a guy who hasn’t played in top ten, let alone top five.

13.) Kyle Murray: Arizona Cardinals – Murray rounds out the list of certified franchise quarterbacks and guys who can take over a game on occasions and guys who generally will not lose you a game. While one can argue he has more to work on, what can’t be disputed is he’s the rare athletic QB that can also throw. He can at times just completely dominate a game.

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Again 1-7 elites who will flat out win you games week in week out, 8-13 guys who have proven themselves to be franchise guys, who can occasionally dominate a game. The next list are guys still proving themselves due to various reasons. High upside guys but also guys with some negatives on their scorecard

14.) Jalen Hurts: Philadelphia Eagles – Personally, with his ability to run the ball and nice set of receivers to throw too. Hurts will put up numbers easily in the Eagles’ offense. While some aren’t sold on him, fact remains the kid has plenty of upside and in an offense that will allow him to put up the numbers. It will be all about what he does in the playoffs.

15.) Baker Mayfield: Carolina Panthers – After an up-and-down start to his career. People have witnessed plenty of reasons to either like or hate him. Elite quarterbacks just aren’t found that easy, Baker like many quarterbacks even those in the top 5… if given a good oline and a couple weapons, Mayfield can get hot and take over a game. Downside is he is also a guy who may directly cost you 2 to 3 games. He is a guy though once in the playoffs you can’t count out. Will he carry a team year-round, year in and year out?

No. But he can on occasion get hot.

16.) Dak Prescott: Dallas Cowboys – You can try and make an argument for him to be ranked at least higher than Mayfield. Reality is Dak has constantly had a great oline and plenty of weapons all while playing in a weaker division than Mayfield. Having a consistent system in place, whereas Mayfield never really did.

17 on down: 

The rest of the league is young and or place holders. There are things to like about Justin Fields and Mac Jones. There is youth waiting for a chance to play like Kenny Pickett, Trey Lance and Malik Willis. There are a couple solid veteran guys like Matt Ryan and Jimmy Garoppolo, steady guys who can run an offense and not cost you a game.

 

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