ESPN recently released its annual quarterback rankings, compiled with input from executives, coaches, and scouts around the league. To no one’s surprise, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow claimed the top four spots. After that, it’s a free-for-all between analysts and fans, each making the case for different names in what has become a crowded and often polarizing debate over who deserves to round out the top 10.
Jayden Daniels, Matthew Stafford, and Justin Herbert followed at spots No. 5, 6, and 7, respectively, which feels fair. Stafford is one of the most underrated players in NFL history, and I’ll die on that hill. As for Daniels, it was nearly impossible to leave him out of any top-10 list after his historic 2024 rookie campaign.
Before diving into the final three selections, it’s important to point out that Jordan Love was left out of the top 10 – a surprising decision, especially given two names that rounded out the list.
Jared Goff came in at No. 8. To be fair, he had a good 2024 season. However, when faced with real adversity or forced to deliver under pressure, his true colors showed — and not in a flattering way. He’s the type of quarterback who succeeds in the regular season, but when it’s go-time in January, he tends to fall short when you need him to elevate his game. If you need proof of both, just rewatch the 2024 Divisional Round matchup between the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders.
In 2024
BTT%
Jordan Love: 3.4%
Jared Goff: 3.2%Drop rate
Jordan Love: 8.3%
Jared Goff: 1.9%— Felipe Reis Aceti (@Aceti_Felipe) July 16, 2025
Meanwhile, Jordan Love’s 3.5% turnover-worthy play rate while under pressure was the second-lowest by a Packers quarterback in the last 10 seasons, and that stretch includes Aaron Rodgers’ back-to-back MVP years in 2020 and 2021. Moreover, Love posted a higher big-time throw rate than Goff, despite dealing with a drop rate north of 8%. Meanwhile, Goff benefited from a drop rate of less than 2%. That context matters — Love was creating more with far less.
Jalen Hurts landed at No. 9. Just like I’ve planted my flag on the Matthew Stafford hill, it’s time to introduce my Hurts hill — and I’ll gladly die on it.
There’s no way he’s a top-10 quarterback in the league.
Sure, he’s proven competent enough to operate within Nick Sirianni’s system, but are we really going to ignore what happened when even a slight bit of adversity hit in late 2023? His play completely unraveled, culminating in an ugly Wild Card loss to the 9-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Funny enough, in Madden, Hurts has this paranoid trait where he senses pressure. As soon as a blitz comes or the pocket collapses, he starts running around like crazy, usually ending up running right into trouble. And that’s pretty much how he performs in real life whenever there’s even a small miscommunication or breakdown.
Hurts is probably not even the top-four most valuable players on his own offense. He started 15 games last year but threw for fewer than 3,000 yards. That’s despite having A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and the best offensive line in football at his disposal.
It’s tough to criticize the Philadelphia Eagles outright, especially since they won the Super Bowl. Still, if you put a healthy Jordan Love in that offense, he’d probably be in the MVP conversation. The way Love played at the end of 2023 — if he kept that up and stayed healthy — would definitely qualify him as one of the top guys on that Eagles team. On the other hand, if you swapped them and put Jalen Hurts on Green Bay’s 2023 roster, there’s a very real chance the Packers don’t even make the playoffs.
The discourse surrounding Hurts is similar to that of Brock Purdy. Both are underrated at times, but they also benefit from stacked supporting casts that make it easier to be effective passers. Love doesn’t have anything close to that level of help. Still, he finished 2024 ranked ninth in EPA per play, seventh in adjusted EPA per play, and 10th in EPA combined with completion percentage over expected despite playing through knee and groin injuries. On top of that, he ranked fifth in adjusted net yards per pass attempt, all while dealing with one of the three highest drop rates in the league.
Baker Mayfield completed the top 10. I was surprised to see him on the list, but it’s hard to argue with the numbers. He threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns last season while leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a second-straight NFC South title.
It’s been awesome to watch him revive his career after escaping the quarterback graveyard that is the Cleveland Browns. The conversation around whether he or Love should’ve rounded out the top 10 is definitely an intriguing one. Still, both belong higher on the list than Goff and Hurts.
It might be tough to place Love any higher than seventh right now, but there’s no question he has a legitimate case to be considered a top-10 quarterback. He’s led back-to-back playoff appearances with one of the youngest supporting casts in recent memory, and he still ranked as a top-10 quarterback in most advanced metrics last season — all while dealing with a receiving corps that looked like they had stones for hands.
A lot of people don’t realize Jordan Love had only three more career starts than Bryce Young entering last season — Week 1 of 2024 was only his 19th. Still, he has delivered top-10 production immediately. Like any young quarterback, he still has some flaws to work through. But when you look at his tools, growth, and command of the offense, it’s clear he brings more talent to the table than so-called top-10 passers like Goff and Hurts.
