Patrick Mahomes (No. 1), Josh Allen (No. 2), Joe Burrow (No. 3), Lamar Jackson (No. 4), Matthew Stafford (No. 5), and Justin Herbert (No. 6)
“This is one of the greatest we’ve ever seen to play the position.” – Simms on Mahomes at No. 1
“He’s the most physically gifted quarterback in the NFL.” – Simms on Allen at No. 2
“No one can surgically dissect a defense like Joe Burrow. It’s a special blend of maximizing systems and having maybe the best instincts in the game.” – Simms on Burrow at No. 3
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 10, 2024 – NBC Sports’ Chris Simms unveiled the top six in his NFL quarterback countdown on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and on “PFT Live.” Highlighting Simms’ final installment of rankings are three-time Super Bowl MVP and two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, two-time Pro Bowler Josh Allen, 2020 first overall pick Joe Burrow, reigning two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, Super Bowl LVI champion Matthew Stafford, and Pro Bowler Justin Herbert.
Simms unveiled his quarterbacks ranked 40-1:
| Legendary | Glory Days (Passed You By?) | ||
| 1. | Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City | 21. | Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh |
| The Unicorns | 22. | Derek Carr, New Orleans | |
| 2. | Josh Allen, Buffalo | S*** or Get off the Pot | |
| 3. | Joe Burrow, Cincinnati | 23. | Daniel Jones, New York Giants |
| Damn! Okay | 24. | Deshaun Watson, Cleveland | |
| 4. | Lamar Jackson, Baltimore | 25. | Justin Fields, Pittsburgh |
| 5. | Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams | Ready Rookies | |
| 6. | Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers | 26. | Will Levis, Tennessee* |
| Prodigy | 27. | Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta | |
| 7. | C.J. Stroud, Houston | 28. | Jayden Daniels, Washington |
| Awesome NFC Contenders | 29. | Bo Nix, Denver | |
| 8. | Dak Prescott, Dallas | 30. | J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota |
| 9. | Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia | For Hire | |
| 10. | Jared Goff, Detroit | 31. | Ryan Tannehill, Free Agent |
| Wild Cards | The Young & The Reckless | ||
| 11. | Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville | 32. | Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis |
| 12. | Kirk Cousins, Atlanta | 33. | Sam Darnold, Minnesota |
| 13. | Jordan Love, Green Bay | 34. | Bryce Young, Carolina |
| 14. | Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets | 35. | Jameis Winston, Cleveland |
| Solid Starter, But… | Throwbacks | ||
| 15. | Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay | 36. | Jacoby Brissett, New England |
| 16. | Kyler Murray, Arizona | 37. | Joe Flacco, Indianapolis |
| 17. | Brock Purdy, San Francisco | Backup+ | |
| 18. | Tua Tagovailoa, Miami | 38. | Kenny Pickett, Philadelphia |
| 19. | Geno Smith, Seattle | 39. | Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas |
| The Chosen One | 40. | Jarrett Stidham, Denver | |
| 20. | Caleb Williams, Chicago | ||
* Simms on Levis in the Ready Rookies section - “Not a rookie, but we’re treating him a little bit like one. He’s still kind of in there.”
With the rankings now concluded, Simms will release an #AskMeAnything episode this Wednesday, June 12, on the next installment of Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
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, who was named AP’s 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 following are highlights from this week’s edition of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:
No. 6: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
“Yeah, okay, he fell down a few spots from last year’s list (No. 4) but he’s young, he’s still moldable. If you could pick guys to rank for the future he’d be at the top of the list. Herbert is an incredible talent. The first thing you notice is his size. Nobody plays bigger in the pocket in all of the NFL than Justin Herbert. Herbert is kind of like a Megatron-ish (referring to Calvin Johnson) quarterback. He’s a little bit like RoboCop in there. Nothing around him phases him at all. When there is a pocket, not sure if there’s more of a machine of a thrower in the NFL.”
No. 5: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
“This is one of the greatest arms in NFL history. Marino, Favre, Mahomes…it’s in that class. Not only one of the greatest arms in history but also one of the greatest throwers in history. He’s got incredible touch, incredible anticipation…that’s what’s amazing. He rivals anyone in the NFL when it comes to arm angles. He just does whatever he has to do to get the ball wherever it needs to go.”
No. 4: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
“This is a special player. I think in a year where quarterbacks got a little loose with the ball and maybe had to try to take over games and do things, he probably played the cleanest out of all the top quarterbacks. Right off the bat, Lamar Jackson is one of the most special players in the NFL. He has a mystique that really is rare, and it might be greater than everybody in the sport other than just one guy right now. As far as when he goes on the field, people are like, he is the definition of keep a defensive coordinator up late at night.”
No. 3: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
“Smooth Joe, Joe Cool, Joe plays the position to the purest form. If Bill Walsh was going to (make) a teaching tape on quarterback play…he’d have Joe Montana in there and he’d go, ‘Damn, Burrow, I’m going to throw some stuff in with him.’ Mechanics, decisions, proper ball, accuracy, feel, touch, all that stuff moving in the pocket. No one can surgically dissect a defense like Joe Burrow. It’s a special blend of maximizing system and having maybe the best instincts in the game, and the pocket awareness is maybe the best as well.”
No. 2: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
“He’s the most physically gifted quarterback in the NFL. And I don’t say that lightly, because we know there’s some ones that are really gifted right now. It’s the strongest arm in the NFL. He’s one of the best runners in the NFL. And, oh yeah, he can play QB too, and he never gets hurt. The guy’s healthy his whole career and just plays every week. He’s getting spun around, he’s lowering his shoulder against middle linebackers. He’s got defense ends holding on to his leg and he’s stiffing on the guy and still trying – it’s incredible. It’s one of his best abilities is that he is always available.”
No. 1: Patrick Mahomes,
“He is the man, the myth, the legend. And that’s the first thing I wrote in my notes when I turned on the film. We’ve officially hit legendary status. Forget right now what we’re talking about. It doesn’t matter. This is one of the greatest we’ve ever seen to play the position. One of the greatest, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Mahomes. It’s that class: John Elway, Joe Montana. Mahomes is there. Special Room of the Hall of Fame. Get it ready. 15, that is The Man. Nobody has more of an aura about them in the NFL right now than Patrick Mahomes. When you want to talk about his own team’s belief and what they can do, it’s because he’s their quarterback.”
To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.
-NBC SPORTS-
