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AARON RODGERS, TREVOR LAWRENCE, JALEN HURTS, AND LAMAR JACKSON RANK 8TH THROUGH 5TH ON CHRIS SIMMS’ TOP 40 QUARTERBACK COUNTDOWN, NOW ON “CHRIS SIMMS UNBUTTONED” AND “PRO FOOTBALL TALK”

“We’re on the verge of superstardom here.”– Simms on Lawrence at No. 6

“I think you could argue that he’s the best leader in football right now [at] any position.” – Simms on Hurts at No. 7 (Up from No. 25 Last Year)

“He’s the best field general in football. There’s nobody at the line of scrimmage that is better at doing all the Peyton Manning stuff.”– Simms on Rodgers at No. 8

“Now that (the Ravens) got some receivers there, it’s going to open up everybody’s eyes to how good this guy actually is.” – Simms on Jackson at No. 5

Simms’ Top 40 QB Countdown Culminates With Top 4 this Wednesday, June 7; In-Depth Breakdowns for Each Ranking Weekly on Chris Simms Unbuttoned Podcast

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 5, 2023 – Four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XLV MVP Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets, 2022 Pro Bowler Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars, 2022 Second-Team All-Pro Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles (who moved up from No. 25 on last year’s list), and 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens highlight the latest installment of Chris Simms’ countdown of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL, available now on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and on “PFT Live.”

Simms’ quarterbacks ranked 5-40:

The Leapers & Lamar23.Justin Fields, Chicago
5.Lamar Jackson, Baltimore24.Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay
6.Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Sophomore Supremes
7.Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia25.Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
Still a GOAT?26.Brock Purdy, San Francisco
8.Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets Backup Supremes
Still a Superstar?27.Sam Darnold, San Francisco
9.Deshaun Watson, Cleveland28.Andy Dalton, Carolina
10.Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams29.Tyler Huntley, Baltimore
What’s Your Ceiling?30.Davis Mills, Houston
11.Daniel Jones, New York Giants What is Love? (Baby Don’t Hurt Me)
12.Kirk Cousins, Minnesota31.Jordan Love, Green Bay
13.Dak Prescott, Dallas Buzzworthy Backups
Clock’s Ticking32.Jarrett Stidham, Denver
14.Russell Wilson, Denver33.Taylor Heinicke, Atlanta
15.Geno Smith, Seattle34.Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis
16.Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee35.Mike White, Miami
17.Jared Goff, Detroit Rookies
18.Derek Carr, New Orleans36.Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis
19.Kyler Murray, Arizona37.CJ Stroud, Houston
Sh!t or Get Off the Pot38.Bryce Young, Carolina
20.Mac Jones, New England Show Me More, Sophomores
21.Tua Tagovailoa, Miami39.Sam Howell, Washington
22.Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas40.Desmond Ridder, Atlanta

Over the course of a month, Simms unveils a group of quarterbacks on each Chris Simms Unbuttoned episode and discuss his rankings on “PFT Live” with Mike Florio, culminating this Wednesday, June 7.

Simms, a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2003 NFL Draft who played eight NFL seasons, will also offer in-depth player breakdowns and rankings explanations throughout each week on Chris Simms Unbuttoned.

Simms has had recent success in projecting quarterbacks – including those coming out of college by naming Patrick Mahomes as his most exciting prospect in 2017, listing Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen as his top-two QBs in 2018, and having Justin Herbert as his No. 2 QB in 2020.

The rankings will reach the top four this Wednesday, June 7, on the next episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:

No. 8: Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

“This is one of the greatest of all time. Is he still ‘greatest of all time’-caliber right now? We’re going to see this year…He’s way too conservative for the talent he still has. I don’t think anybody in the top 10 left more plays and yards on the field than Aaron Rodgers. Last year was the worst year of his career. I get that you’re an older quarterback and you want to preserve your body – I watched my dad at 38 years old do that. But Rodgers’ arm is still elite…He’s got the quickest release in football. He’s the best RPO thrower in the game. He’s the best field general in football. There’s nobody at the line of scrimmage that is better at getting his team’s plays, screwing over a defense if they show a hand too early, and doing all the Peyton Manning stuff. He still has that magic of when he walks into a locker room, the team goes, ‘We can win today. We got Aaron Rodgers.’”

No. 7: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

“The ultimate gamer. I think you could argue that he’s the best leader in football right now out of any position. When you watch him back, he makes the right decision almost every time he drops back to pass. He makes a lot of big-time throws and plays that are aggressive. He’s a game-changing runner…There’s another level he can go in the throwing department. His flaw was shown in the Super Bowl. It was a 10-point lead and they were the better team. A lot of quarterbacks, if they had been in that situation, would have been vilified…All in all, we got a guy going in the right direction.”

No. 6: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

“A specimen who has it all. (Aaron) Rodgers’ arm is strong but it’s not as strong as Trevor Lawrence’s. His arm went to another level. He has great size and is a really good athlete. We’re on the verge of superstardom here. He’s Justin Herbert but Herbert isn’t as quick or as fast as Trevor Lawrence. His release rivals Rodgers, in terms of quickness. He went from ‘potential star’ to ‘elite.’ The calmness and what he did during the second half of that four-interception playoff game was special. Trevor Lawrence, Doug Pederson, Jaguars: Super Bowl contenders. I think their roster is of that caliber.”

No. 5: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

“I know Trevor Lawrence and Jalen Hurts had a better year, but I can’t erase the five years before that when the guy was in the MVP conversation. His passing is legit. His arm is elite in all areas. He’s phenomenal in the pocket. That’s where I think people need to give him a little more respect. He’s the second-best runner in the game other than Justin Fields…Now that (the Ravens) got some receivers there, it’s going to open up everybody’s eyes to how good this guy actually is. He’s still one of the biggest game-changers in the game. He maximizes his potential…The offense will finally set him up to make him look different to everybody else.”

To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.

-NBC SPORTS-