Simms’ QB Countdown Continues Today with Rankings #25-28 - and Culminates with the Top Five QBs on Wednesday, June 3; In-Depth Breakdowns for Each Ranking Weekly on Chris Simms Unbuttoned Podcast
“He certainly has work to do and he has to impress us all a little bit but I am expecting him to win the job in Minnesota…There’s still some elite ability.” – Simms on Vikings’ Kyler Murray
“I’m projecting that through now and training camp there’s going to be growth…His arm is special…A difference-making arm that’s going to be able to make explosive, big plays with people around it.” – Simms on Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 21, 2026 – 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, featuring Super Bowl XLV champion and MVP and four-time Associated Press MVP Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers (ranked 26th) and Super Bowl LI champion Jacoby Brissett of the Arizona Cardinals (25th), who both enter their second seasons with their respective teams in 2026.
| Ranking | Name | Team |
| #25 | Jacoby Brissett | Arizona Cardinals |
| #26 | Aaron Rodgers | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| #27 | Joe Flacco | Cincinnati Bengals |
| #28 | Tyler Shough | New Orleans Saints |
| #29 | Mac Jones | San Francisco 49ers |
| #30 | Kyler Murray | Minnesota Vikings |
| #31 | Bryce Young | Carolina Panthers |
| #32 | Michael Penix | Atlanta Falcons |
| #33 | Fernando Mendoza | Las Vegas Raiders |
| #34 | Kirk Cousins | Las Vegas Raiders |
| #35 | Marcus Mariota | Washington Commanders |
| #36 | Tua Tagovailoa | Atlanta Falcons |
| #37 | J.J. McCarthy | Minnesota Vikings |
| #38 | Davis Mills | Houston Texans |
| #39 | Deshaun Watson | Cleveland Browns |
| #40 | Jarrett Stidham | Denver Broncos |
| #41 | Shedeur Sanders | Cleveland Browns |
| #42 | Ty Simpson | Los Angeles Rams |
| #43 | Carson Beck | Arizona Cardinals |
Continuing today and culminating Wednesday, June 3 with his top five quarterbacks, 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 Giants’ Jaxson Dart, who was fourth in the AP’s 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year vote, as his No. 3 QB prospect in 2025, Jayden Daniels, who was named AP’s 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year after leading the Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship Game, as his No. 2 QB prospect in 2024 (Bears’ Caleb Williams as No. 1 and Broncos’ Bo Nix as No. 3). 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 next Tuesday, May 26, on the next episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
Following are highlights from this week’s edition of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (#25)
“I think people would be blown away if they sat down and watched Jacoby Brissett’s film. It’s unfortunate that when he gets chances to play, he’s always on a bad team or a team that’s just not quite good enough to kind of go, ‘Hey, look, he’s in a national game. I didn’t know he can make that many throws.’ But I know they (Arizona Cardinals) didn’t win a lot of games with him playing quarterback. When you watch Jacoby Brissett, and go through it and look at his throws, which I did, I really had no problem with any game.”
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers (#26)
“[He] was number one when I started doing this [countdown]. Of course, I fought back against a lot of people because everybody was in the Tom Brady ‘G.O.A.T’ world at that time. Aaron Rodgers in his prime was special. It hurts to put Aaron Rodgers at #26 here. When you look at it at times, you go, ‘The stats don’t really show that it should be #26. They’re a little bit better than that.’ But I think everybody should know my concerns and what they are…It’s lack of aggression, lack of big plays, turning down big throws to just take the sure thing underneath…I dock it a little bit maybe even more because when you still have the arm to make throws and that’s what I don’t get. That’s what bothers me. It’s the wrong approach.”
“He still can throw it. He still can make game-changing throws. He still can pop his feet and move in the pocket. He’s smart and can manage a game and do all that, too. There is something to that that you have to value as well.”
Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints (#28)
“First off, he’s got a good arm. It’s a good arm, but not a great arm. He’s a good athlete, not a great athlete. You know, the one thing that I didn’t like about him in college was that I felt like when the walls caved in, and he was under pressure, I just didn’t trust it. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t view him highly, and he definitely was better at that last year. Now, I still think it’s a thing to watch for a little bit. When the walls collapse a little bit, he can be a little better at hanging in there, but he’s smart as hell, he knows how to play the game, and he can make all the throws. But I think the reason that I don’t project him much higher is, there is a part of me that isn’t totally sold he’s definitely the long-term answer. There’s a part of me that’s not sure of the physical eliteness and the skills.”
Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings (#30)
“Kyler Murray certainly has work to do and he has to impress us all a little bit, but I am expecting him to win the job in Minnesota…There’s still some elite ability from Kyler Murray. Kyler Murray has to become more of a complete quarterback. I think he has to embrace everything about being a quarterback more. The gym rat, being the guy that’s in the meeting room, watching film, doing all that. He’s been a guy that really for a lot of his life has just been able to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to just go out there and get it done. I’m a freak of nature.’ I think that is finally catching up to him. I think he’s going to learn here in Minnesota they have a lot of expectations of the quarterback here on a daily basis.”
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (#31)
“It was better, no doubt about that. He’s a good athlete. He does have a good feel for the position and anticipating throws and doing stuff like that. But yet, this is still a guy, that because of his size, there are plays turned down because of not hanging in the pocket or not seeing it. At times, it’s too conservative because he can’t really see that guy down the middle, and there’s somebody there, so he goes underneath. So that’s an issue. The aggressive decision-making is not quite where I would want it to be, and at a base level, the throwing is just not good enough for me to rank him above this.”
Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders (#33)
“I’m projecting Fernando Mendoza but I’m projecting a guy that I know is smart as hell, works hard as hell. They’re already talking about that they’ve never seen a rookie work this hard ever…He’s got an unbelievable arm, he sees the field unbelievably well. Even though he has the look of a guy who might not look like he’s the best athlete, he’s a damn good athlete…I’m projecting that through now and training camp there’s going to be growth. When we get to Week 5 or 6 of the year, I think Fernando Mendoza will be better than Kirk Cousins…Fernando Mendoza’s arm is special…A difference-making arm that’s going to be able to make explosive, big plays with people around it.”
Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders (#34)
“Teammates of Kirk Cousins, coaches that coach Kirk Cousins, they love him. Even though he might not be the coolest guy in the world, if you just own who you are and you’re honest with it, the locker room and everybody respects that. That’s all you need to be in the NFL.”
“I’m sure he wasn’t 100% himself last year but I’d be lying to you watching those last few games of Kirk Cousins’ and going, ‘It’s physically a little worse than I gave it credit for watching during the season on TV. I think it’s sooner rather than later Fernando Mendoza will be the starting quarterback of the Raiders.”
Tua Tagovailoa, Atlanta Falcons (#36)
“We know the arm is not going to make a defense defend every aspect of the field. The athletic ability, really overall, he’s got good, quick feet in the pocket, but the running is below average for a modern-day NFL quarterback... He can’t get out of the pocket and turn the corner and go somewhere. Now he’s good at hopping and doing that, and the one thing that I love about Tua is he does have a lot of different arm angles to wheel and deal. And that’s where he’s really good, getting the ball out of his hand really quick. But there are a lot of game-changing field position type throws that are not made when you watch Tua, and sometimes they’re not made because he physically doesn’t do it. Other times, you feel like he turns them down because he’s just not sure he can do it, and that’s what’s tough. So yeah, he’s in a weird spot in his career right now where he’s fighting to not be relegated to backup forever, and he’s right on the cusp right now.”
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings (#37)
“McCarthy’s got potential. He does. There are things you see when you watch him and go, This guy can be a starting quarterback in the NFL.’ But like we talk about with a lot of guys in this general area, it’s just not consistent enough always to go, ‘You’re one of the top 32 in the game or you’re a top 20 quarterback in football.’ We know. He’s a young guy. He’s a young guy who has been in a tough spot, certainly…He’s got power in his arm to make some elite throws and do that…He’s a great thrower. He can throw with power and make those types of throws. He’s not a great passer yet. He needs to learn to throw with anticipation a little bit. He needs to see holes…These are things J.J. McCarthy definitely has got to fix.”
Chris Simms brings an unfiltered look, fresh perspective, insider knowledge, and a touch of humor to every episode as he breaks down the NFL like no one else can. From deep-dive game analysis to player rankings, expert picks and much more, Simms and co-hosts Connor Rogers and Ahmed Fareed always keep the show unfiltered and entertaining.
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