Simms’ QB – Top 10 Countdown Begins Next Week, with QBs #10-6 Monday, June 9, and Culminates with the Top Five QBs on Tuesday, June 10; In-Depth Breakdowns for Each Ranking Weekly on Chris Simms Unbuttoned Podcast
“At the end of the year when [the Jets] were dangerous and fun to watch, [he] wasn’t all that conservative. [He] was throwing lasers.”– Simms on Free Agent Aaron Rodgers
“Along with being the toughest pocket passer, also one of the most aggressive, fearless decision-makers there is in the NFL.” – Simms on Lions’ Jared Goff
“He still puts fear into defensive coordinators because he’s so aggressive, and he has such an easy way of throwing the ball down the field and making explosive plays that it’s scary playing against him.” – Simms on Packers’ Jordan Love
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 4, 2025 – NBC Sports’ Chris Simms continues his list of the top quarterbacks in the NFL on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and on “PFT Live” today, headlined by four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, four-time Pro Bowler Jared Goff of the Lions, and 2020 first round pick Jordan Love of the Packers.
This year’s countdown features a new format, with Simms focusing on tiers and groups of quarterbacks as opposed to specific numeric rankings until the Top 10 next week. Continuing the countdown, Simms unveiled his quarterbacks ranked in the next tiers today.
| TODAY’S EPISODE | Ready Rookie | |
| Cam Ward, Tennessee | ||
| Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers | ||
| Aaron Rodgers, FA | Clock’s Ticking | |
| Jared Goff, Detroit Lions | Russell Wilson, New York Giants | |
| Young Mysteries | ||
| Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals | Bryce Young, Carolina | |
| Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers | J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota | |
| PREVIOUS TIERS | Backup Supremes | |
| Ready to Launch | Joe Flacco, Cleveland | |
| Bo Nix, Denver Broncos | Malik Willis, Green Bay | |
| Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears | Jameis Winston, New York Giants | |
| Marcus Mariota, Washington | ||
| Is This It? | ||
| Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys | Wow or Woah? | |
| Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins | Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis | |
| Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars | ||
| Caretakers | ||
| Needs More Info | Gardner Minshew, Kansas City | |
| Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons | Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas | |
| Drake Maye, New England Patriots | Andy Dalton, Carolina | |
| Mac Jones, San Francisco | ||
| Escaped from New York | Kenny Pickett, Cleveland | |
| Sam Darnold, Seattle | Cooper Rush, Baltimore | |
| Geno Smith, Las Vegas | Tyrod Taylor, New York Jets | |
| Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh | ||
| Don’t You Forget About Me | Jimmy Garoppolo, Los Angeles Rams | |
| Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons | Jarrett Stidham, Denver | |
| Still on the Pot | ||
| Daniel Jones, Indianapolis | ||
| Justin Fields, New York Jets |
Simms’ Top 10 QBs will be revealed next week, with QBs #10–6 Monday, June 9, and culminating with his top five on Tuesday, June 10, Simms will unveil a group of quarterbacks on each Chris Simms Unbuttoned episode and discuss his rankings on “PFT Live” with Mike Florio.
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 success in projecting college quarterbacks – including naming Jayden Daniels, who was named AP’s 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year following a season that saw him lead the Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship Game, as his No. 2 QB prospect in 2024. Additionally, Simms named C.J. Stroud, who was named AP’s 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year, as his top QB prospect in 2023, Patrick Mahomes as his most exciting prospect in 2017, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen as his top-two QBs in 2018, and Justin Herbert as his No. 2 QB in 2020.
The rankings will continue Monday, June 9, on the next episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
“Brock Purdy still does a lot of those things really well, but just not as good as he did the two years before. I think there was a lot of things at play here. One, the positives are he tinkered with his motion. His arms and everything weren’t nearly as floppy. The delivery was a little quicker. I like that aspect of him. I saw maybe more power throws than two years before when we know they went to the Super Bowl and NFC Championship Game. Throws down the middle, in-cuts where you say, ‘Man, that’s a nice throw right there.’ But the area where it did take a step back is running the [49ers head coach Kyle] Shanahan scheme perfectly.”
Aaron Rodgers, Free Agent
“Aaron Rodgers’ decision-making is still pretty good. It’s a hair conservative. That’s the only problem. But at the end of the year when [the Jets] were dangerous and fun to watch, it wasn’t all that conservative. Rodgers was throwing lasers around the field. He’s not just checking it down and throwing two-yard routes. He’s throwing howitzers and bombs and that was what’s cool. That is where I was really encouraged with watching Rodgers. I don’t think he is going to ruin the locker room.”
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
“Arguably the toughest pocket passer in the NFL. That would be my number one thing. Along with being the toughest pocket passer, also one of the most aggressive, fearless decision-makers there is in the NFL too. That’s why I love watching Jared Goff. I don’t sit there and wax poetically and go, ‘Oh, look at his release. Oh, look at that rifle spiral.’ He doesn’t throw spirals all the time, that’s not what it is, it is not always sexy that way. But you can’t deny the results. But, the aggressive nature came back to bite him in the butt a little bit in the playoff [loss to Washington in the NFC Divisional Round].”
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
“Still one of the most dynamic, physically gifted quarterbacks in the game. He is still one of the quarterbacks that is able to pull off any play. It’s not just about the run game either, it’s about throwing the football too. Things are on the up. There are certainly parts of his game he can still get better at and there are parts of his game that I saw him get better at. Murray can do it all and he can play the position true to form. He has become a better decision-maker. He has become better going through reads in the pocket, but the biggest issue there is his in-the-pocket play. He leaves the pocket too early and looks at the rush too soon.”
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
“It wasn’t as good last year, but there’s still big-time, game-changing talent here with Jordan Love. He still puts fear into defensive coordinators because he’s so aggressive, and he has such an easy way of throwing the ball down the field and making explosive plays that it’s scary playing against him. He’s also a guy - I’ve even heard defensive coaches say this—he’s scary because he looks for the big play a lot. He might have a chance to take a five-yard gain, but he’ll sit there and go, ‘No, I’m about to see the 25- or 30-yarder coming open, so I’m going to wait for it. This is the coverage that’s there.’ He’s great at that, and that scares people.”
To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.
-NBC SPORTS-
