Aaron Rodgers (No. 3) & Deshaun Watson (No. 4) Round Out Top Four in the Simms Top 40 QB Countdown
“He’s the best player in the NFL…Nobody brings more belief and magic to the football field.” – Simms on No. 1 Patrick Mahomes
“This spot, two and three, was the hardest for me on the whole list.” – Simms on ranking Josh Allen No. 2 and Aaron Rodgers No. 3
“Rodgers is more accurate, definitely a little bit more surgical, but not so much more that he makes up for the difference of what Josh Allen brings to the playmaking table.” – Simms on Allen and Rodgers
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 22, 2021 – NBC Sports’ Chris Simms ranks Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes as his number one quarterback in the NFL, while Buffalo’s Josh Allen ranks number two as Simms’ top 40 quarterback countdown concludes on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and “PFT Live” with the QBs ranked 1-4. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers (No. 3) and Houston’s Deshaun Watson (No. 4) round out Simms’ top four.
Beginning last month and culminating today with his top four quarterbacks in the league, Simms has unveiled his selections on Chris Simms Unbuttoned and discussed his rankings on “PFT Live” with Mike Florio.
The following are highlights from this week’s editions of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:
No. 1: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Simms: “Patrick Mahomes is still the number one quarterback in football. He’s the best player in the NFL. We’re talking about a guy that’s got no weakness to his football game. I mean everything – whether it’s quick decisions, right decisions, unbelievable throws off platforms, throwing in the pocket, subtle moves in the pocket, the ability to extend plays outside the pocket, throwing balls off of unbalanced footwork – there’s nobody better in the game. I don’t know if there’s a team or an offense that’s more based around one guy and his talents in the NFL, and I don’t know if there’s been one more that I can think of in recent history…It’s insane what they ask of him, and he delivers…Was it a down year a little bit for him last year? Yeah, ok, he was banged up a little bit here and there, but still. They had a bullseye on their back. Nobody brings more belief and magic to the football field, to their team, on a weekly basis than Patrick Mahomes.”
No. 2: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills, and No. 3: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Simms: “This was maybe my toughest ranking of all right here. This spot, two and three, was the hardest for me on the whole list…I don’t play favorites, even though (Aaron Rodgers) is my favorite quarterback of all time, and I still think he’s the greatest I’ve ever seen…Rodgers is still so surgical with decision making, accuracy, and all of those types of things. His arm, it’s only behind the two guys that are in front of him in football. It’s still a phenomenal, world-class, game-changing type arm…But, it’s not enough to overcome all the plays Josh Allen makes. It’s unbelievable. When you go back and watch it, you certainly could argue that Josh Allen was the MVP of football last year. He made more game-changing, game-saving, unbelievable plays than maybe anybody in football last year, and that’s why he got the (number two) ranking…Yes, Rodgers is more accurate, definitely a little bit more surgical, but not so much more that he makes up for the difference of what Josh Allen brings to the playmaking table…When there was nobody open or the pocket broke down, you could argue that nobody was more dangerous in football than Josh Allen last year in what he did outside the pocket, manipulating coverage, and throwing lasers everywhere.”
No. 4: Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
Simms: “We’re talking about what’s going on on the football field here… As far as between the lines go, he is definitely one of the best our sport has to offer…What more can he do? He’s phenomenal in every aspect. There’s really no weakness to his game…He maximizes everything. He is an elite passer, thrower of the football. He wants to stay in the pocket until the very last second possible, and then his movement, come on. It’s as good as anybody in the sport other than maybe Lamar (Jackson) and Kyler Murray…He delivers everything that’s there to be had within the offense and then some, and a lot more than some. ”
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’ top 40 NFL quarterbacks
1. | Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City | 21. | Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco |
2. | Josh Allen, Buffalo | 22. | Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh |
3. | Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay | 23. | Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington |
4. | Deshaun Watson, Houston | 24. | Taysom Hill, New Orleans |
5. | Russell Wilson, Seattle | 25. | Jameis Winston, New Orleans |
6. | Lamar Jackson, Baltimore | 26. | Daniel Jones, NY Giants |
7. | Kyler Murray, Arizona | 27. | Zach Wilson, NY Jets |
8. | Matthew Stafford, LA Rams | 28. | Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville |
9. | Dak Prescott, Dallas | 29. | Andy Dalton, Chicago |
10. | Tom Brady, Tampa Bay | 30. | Mac Jones, New England |
11. | Justin Herbert, LA Chargers | 31. | Jared Goff, Detroit |
12. | Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee | 32. | Teddy Bridgewater, Denver |
13. | Baker Mayfield, Cleveland | 33. | Drew Lock, Denver |
14. | Derek Carr, Las Vegas | 34. | Tua Tagovailoa, Miami |
15. | Matt Ryan, Atlanta | 35. | Tyrod Taylor, Houston |
16. | Kirk Cousins, Minnesota | 36. | Marcus Mariota, Las Vegas |
17. | Joe Burrow, Cincinnati | 37. | Kellen Mond, Minnesota |
18. | Carson Wentz, Indianapolis | 38. | Trey Lance, San Francisco |
19. | Sam Darnold, Carolina | 39. | Justin Fields, Chicago |
20. | Cam Newton, New England | 40. | Case Keenum, Cleveland |
To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.
-NBC SPORTS-