Simms’ Top 40 QB Countdown Kicks Off Today with Nos. 40-36 and Culminates with the Top Four on Monday, June 10; In-Depth Breakdowns for Each Ranking Weekly on Chris Simms Unbuttoned Podcast
Jacoby Brissett (No. 36), Joe Flacco (No. 37), Kenny Pickett (No. 38), Gardner Minshew (No. 39), and Jarrett Stidham (No. 40)
“He still has one of the better arms in football.” – Simms on Flacco at No. 37
“He’s a QB with all the tools, no weaknesses, but no real glaring strength either.” – Simms on Pickett at No. 38
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 13, 2024 – Over the course of the next month, NBC Sports’ Chris Simms will unveil his list of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and on “PFT Live.” Highlighting Simms’ initial rankings are Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco, 2023 Pro Bowler Gardner Minshew, and 2022 first round draft pick Kenny Pickett.
Beginning the countdown, Simms unveiled his quarterbacks ranked 40-36 today, with QBs 40-38 in the “Backup-plus” tier and QBs 37 and 36 in the “Throwbacks” tier:
Throwbacks | |
36. | Jacoby Brissett, New England |
37. | Joe Flacco, Indianapolis |
Backup+ | |
38. | Kenny Pickett, Philadelphia |
39. | Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas |
40. | Jarrett Stidham, Denver |
Beginning today and culminating Monday, June 10 with his top four 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 recent success in projecting quarterbacks – including naming C.J. Stroud, last year’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year following his first season with the Houston Texans, as his top QB prospect in 2023. Additionally, Simms has named 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 this Wednesday, May 15, with numbers 35-31 on the next episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:
No. 40: Jarrett Stidham, Denver Broncos
“Might be the starting quarterback – we’ll see, but I doubt it. He has got a lot of starting quarterback physical traits. He has one negative, and you know what it is? He just hasn’t played enough. He hasn’t had the chance to play – that’s it. But when you watch him on film, it’s good size, it’s a way better athlete than people realize, it’s very good feet in the pocket, and the arm is a starting-level quarterback arm.”
No. 39: Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders
“My headline for Minshew would be, ‘Knows How to Play Quarterback.’ He has great feel, great instincts, and is gritty – not only to his own team but the scrambling, the attitude, gives him a leadership factor that people want to latch on to. For a smaller guy he plays tough, he’s not scared of anything. If you give him a system, like we saw last year, he can play and do it all. That’s the big thing with him – he can run, he can make some scrappy plays behind the line of scrimmage, and he can buy some time to get the ball downfield.”
No. 38: Kenny Pickett, Philadelphia Eagles
“Here is my thing with Pickett. He’s a QB with all the tools, no weaknesses, but no real glaring strength either. No real tangible, ‘Oh, he’s so awesome at that, let’s draw up more plays for that,’ kind of player. He can make all the plays and all of the throws, he can do all that. He can play the position, sees the field well, very good on-rhythm thrower, he can run and is tough – those are the positives about Kenny Pickett.”
No. 37: Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts
“I know some people are probably going to say, ‘Wait, this is a little low.’ I know what he did last year was really good. Don’t get me wrong. So, here’s the thing with Flacco. He still has one of the better arms in football and when the pocket is clean, and people are open down the field, my man is going to be aggressive, and he is going to strike.”
No. 36: Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots
“A big man in the pocket, who looks unaffected by the chaos around him, to make big aggressive throws down the football field. He’s better than what most people realize, a better athlete than people realize. He is capable of going to get a first down and making plays behind the line of scrimmage. He’s got a good line of no fear, but not going too far to where it’s stupid.”
To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.
-NBC SPORTS-