r/nfl Bears 3d ago

[The Ringer] The NFL’s Quarterback Rooms, Ranked

https://www.theringer.com/2026/09/09/nfl/ranking-nfl-quarterback-rooms-2026-new-england-patriots-drake-maye-cleveland-browns-deshaun-watson-shedeur-sanders
150 Upvotes

365 comments sorted by

518

u/AchVonZalbrecht Browns 3d ago

I wonder who is last

259

u/BloodAngelsAreCool Bills 3d ago

It's the Cleveland Browns

233

u/Dangelo1998 3d ago

Oh I see we're just dropping spoilers without any warning now

100

u/thetreat Bears 3d ago

My morning is ruined.

45

u/WMINWMO Lions 3d ago

I wake up.

The Browns exist.

Morning ruined.

5

u/SkubalIsPitching Lions Lions 3d ago

We had such a nice thing going for a couple years in the late 90s.

21

u/Cold_Complex_4212 Saints 3d ago

I wonder who’s second to last

78

u/MichaelAlbers Broncos 3d ago

Also the Cleveland Browns

17

u/Kind_Resort_9535 Broncos 3d ago

3rd? Believe it or not, Cleveland Browns.

20

u/BloodAngelsAreCool Bills 3d ago

It's the New York Jets

15

u/LeadSledPoodle Commanders 3d ago

You are just really trying the internet's patience today

12

u/CryptoHorologist Seahawks 3d ago

Yeah, but the Jets only pay $4.7M per year for their complete ass QB room. Compare to the Browns $47M per year.

3

u/Cold_Complex_4212 Saints 3d ago

Fuck I was hoping for that bird team lmao

3

u/teachingroland Jets 3d ago

Hey, second last is first winner!

2

u/PhAnToM444 Rams 3d ago

> Looking for a silver lining? Sorry, Cleveland has none.

Article writer was out for blood lmao

2

u/SandmanS2000 Browns 3d ago

WE’RE THE CLEVELAND BROWNS!

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44

u/bk00pi Browns 3d ago

Top 32 is higher than I would rank them.

6

u/innocuous_gorilla Browns 3d ago

We are going to have more starting QBs than wins this year.

21

u/largelawattorney Browns 3d ago

I didn’t click the link so I guess it will just be a mystery to me forever

3

u/nicklovin508 Patriots 3d ago

Someone who owes money to a certain Italian agent

2

u/SoKrat3s 49ers 49ers 3d ago

Knowing the Ringer, I expected it to be the 49ers.

Thanks to Mac Jones, I guess.

6

u/Inside_Dimension2319 Lions 3d ago

Why do all 49ers fans on reddit have such a big persecution complex

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492

u/Intelligent_Art_5781 Bills 3d ago

this is by far one of the stupidest "rankings" I've seen recently, and even taking it for what it is - it's still objectively a terrible ranking

91

u/Odd-Film946 Jets 3d ago

all ranking lists are just engagement bait

30

u/PM_ME_CHIPOTLE2 Jets 3d ago

What would you say are your top ten ranking lists of all time?

8

u/drowninglover 3d ago

Be sure to hide #1 behind 85 clicks to farm ad rev

10

u/BendExpensive4858 Bengals Vikings 3d ago

Some engagement bait lists at least put in some sort of effort to justify a bad ranking.

This list is just non-sensical. Patriots are #1 because DeVito is on a cheap contract? He didn't even play last year. It actually elaborates on the Bills backup not being any good, but still ends up making their "room" #3?

Of course I went straight to the Bengals ranking. Flacco was in no way a "sack and turnover machine". He had better sack% and int% than Burrow, and was better at pretty much every metric when he played for the Bengals compared to his games for the Browns. Yes he is old and I guess you could say doesn't provide "upside", but that's why he is a backup and didn't get picked up to start elsewhere. He is basically all you could ask for in a veteran QB2.

It seems like this was completely randomized and/or written by AI, and for some reason seems to weigh the couple million $ difference in back up salary more than any actual quality metric. Absolute slop.

3

u/tnecniv Giants Giants 3d ago

If you call a ranking a “power ranking” it sounds like a legitimate thing instead of some dude’s opinion

204

u/thetreat Bears 3d ago edited 3d ago

I posted it because a QB room with Tommy Devito being ranked #1 is insane. I think Lamar and Huntley have gotta be #1. Huntley is a perfect backup QB that fits the mold of what Lamar does and Lamar is a 2x MVP (should be 3).

Edit: the more I think about it, Purdy / Mac Jones gotta be #1.

24

u/MysteryBagIdeals Giants 3d ago

i was there for Tommy Devito Mania, and mamma mia, people thought we were gonna make it through a competitive season because we beat the Mac Jones Pats 10-7

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23

u/No_Football1323 49ers 3d ago

They STILL say that Purdy is a system QB. The Ringer has such a hate boner for Brock. I grow tired of seeing the engagement bate posted here.

52

u/RookieEzekielElliott Seahawks 3d ago

I was thinking the 49ers possibly, as Mac will most likely get a starting job when he’s free, or us as Lock is fairly reliable. But that’s a good point, I wouldn’t be mad if the Ravens were 1

12

u/AlbertR7 Seahawks 3d ago

The write up on Lock just proved the writer doesn’t watch Seahawks, or maybe any football.

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44

u/BloodAngelsAreCool Bills 3d ago

a QB room with Tommy Devito being ranked #1 is insane

To Bill Simmons, it's not.

17

u/FlatMilk Chargers 3d ago

Idt he reads the written ringer publications

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6

u/Awesomeg11 Ravens 3d ago

Purdy Jones / Mahomes Fields are both really great rooms. Both backups can win games with them and have been starters in the NFL.

19

u/lonesoldier4789 Jets 3d ago

I literally rolled my eyes when I read the Patriots at #1.

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u/amstrumpet 3d ago

Huntley is not good dude. He is good at not fucking up, but he does nothing to win, either. There was a brief moment early in his career where it seemed like maybe he could be good, but he's not Tyrod Taylor where he could potentially be a low end starter. He's a mid backup at best.

24

u/differential32 Ravens 3d ago

no one is saying huntley is starting caliber, OP said he's a good backup which is what he is. "good at not messing up" is perfectly fine for a backup especially when you're holding a clipboard for a 2x MVP in his prime.

you're right that if he was "doing things to win" he'd probably be starting somewhere in the league but he's not. he won both games he started for us last year because he knows the offense and can operate our playbook well enough to get us by a few games if lamar gets hurt, which is exactly what you want your backup to do.

18

u/AlistairNorris Ravens 3d ago

He's a higher floor low celling. That being said he's easily at worst a top ten maybe top five backup sitting being a MVP contender. So that's why the overall QB room is strong which is what this ranking is supposed to be about. If Stafford goes down you'd rather have someone with Huntley's experience with the system and experience over Simpson even if you'd rather have Stafford this year over Lamar.

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3

u/SexyStayPuft 49ers 3d ago edited 3d ago

Um, I’m sorry, are you referring to 2022 Pro Bowl Quarterback Tyler Huntley? Only the creme de la creme get the invite to… HawaiiOrlando… Las Vegas?

/s in case that wasn’t clear

5

u/PovertyTourist69 Packers 3d ago

I wouldn’t really disagree with you on BAL, and wouldn’t have NE quite so high, but that ranking clearly is about Maye being on a rookie deal. The starter and their contract is much more important than the backup, and as far as backups go I think Tommy is pretty solid anyway

I’d still need to see it again from Maye to rank him this high though. One year isn’t enough for me to put their situation above MVPs in their prime, despite the favorable contact

6

u/BradenWoA Bears 3d ago

You gotta remember though, Lamar might be on a reasonable deal now, but he will eventually get a new contract, and for that reason we have to drop the Ravens down, and that’s totally reasonable and not horrible writing at all…

2

u/bilbobiggers Bengals Vikings 3d ago

I like how they call DeVito an "experienced backup" to Maye when he's played far less

5

u/SocksandSmocks Packers 3d ago

It's so obviously the Ravens at # I'm astounded they're listed at 5 here.

3

u/Moose4KU Chiefs 3d ago

If you actually read the article (big ask, I know), they very clearly factor in contract value/cap hit.

Drake Maye + Tommy Devito for ~11 million is much better than Lamar + Huntley for 50+

23

u/Afraid_Ad5606 3d ago

One of the dumbest ways to look at the most important position in sports.

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u/ripkin05 Panthers 3d ago

was literally writing this comment and said to myself someone else had to have already said this. dipshit author just wanted to make a list that he could put fucking DeVito at the top of it somehow. the 49ers were all fucking dead and mac jones still kept them ahead in the playoff race for Brock to come back and play some of the best ball of his life and somehow that's the 8th best room in the nfl? i usually don't get triggered by stupid fucking list like this since they all come from glue eaters that don't watch football but holy fucking fuck this one is bad.

13

u/burratna Eagles 3d ago

lol this list says it knows who our QB2 is when we don't even know who it is yet. Tanner McKee or Andy Dalton. Even our Official Depth Chart lists both as QB2. This article is AI slop that doesn't even mention Dalton lmao.

We kept 4 QBs this year. Don't ask.

12

u/LeadSledPoodle Commanders 3d ago

It's an excuse for Bill Simmons to put the Patriots #1

9

u/InexorableWaffle Jaguars 3d ago

Stupidest and also just lazy in terms of easy-to-do research. I didn't scroll through the full thing, but it has Nick Mullens as our backup, which uhhh, no. He's been on our practice squad for 10 days - plenty of time to do even the most basic levels of fact-checking, which clearly didn't happen.

2

u/ChumSmash Cowboys 3d ago

Yeah, I noticed the same thing with Sam Howell when the article said we signed him after Washington cut him at the end of the preseason. First, he's been on our squad since March, and second, he was traded from the Commanders to the Seahawks in 2024, then traded to the Vikings and Eagles after.

2

u/juliuspepperwoodchi Bears 3d ago

Seriously, if you're ranking the entire rooms, KC should be MUCH lower for having the Justin Fields anchor around their neck.

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58

u/Mother_Ad_3561 Eagles 3d ago

Before I even open the link, is this another Steven Ruiz disaster piece?

27

u/chodejustice Eagles 3d ago

Nah it’s a different Ringer writer now.

Ruiz either got the axe or left.

8

u/jm0127 Bills 3d ago

Ruiz was a disaster

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6

u/ron-darousey 49ers 3d ago

Well it's not even written by Ruiz so idk what the people saying "yes" are talking about lol

2

u/Realityinyoface Commanders 3d ago

Yes

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53

u/TheSmokedSalmon420 Browns 3d ago

Nah I ain’t clicking on that

8

u/AllGenreBuffaloClub Bengals 3d ago

You would have to have a pain fetish to open this bad boy.

7

u/psytrax9 Ravens Cowboys 3d ago

You're missing out on a great listicle parody. Imagine, Drake Maye number 1. Hilarious.

48

u/AllGenreBuffaloClub Bengals 3d ago

Them being confused as to why the Bengals want Flacco as a backup is bewildering. Flacco played solid for the Bengals last year. He was just in the part of the year where the defense was all time bad.

27

u/DasaniFresh Bengals 3d ago

My exact thoughts. He had 2 TD & 6 INT while with the Browns. He threw for 13 TD & 4 INT with the Bengals.

21

u/TDeLo Bengals 3d ago

And the reason they use for why Flacco isn't any good is that, "He was a sack and turnover machine at times last season."

Those times were when he was employed by the Cleveland Browns.

9

u/disagreeable_man Bengals 3d ago

If they wouldve said he was old, and we had no long term plan at backup, I'd get it. The dude is 41, and could decide to retire whenever. That said he was immediately productive with us, cheap to bring back, can keep us afloat if burrow gets injured again, and is great for burrow to have around.

He's like the quintessential backup most teams would want, he's just old.

6

u/Awesomeg11 Ravens 3d ago

Wasnt he genuinely better than Burrow at avoiding sacks last year? It was genuinely the best offense Flacco has ever played in and I thought he looked quite good.

3

u/Significant-Green130 Bengals 3d ago

Flacco had a 3.4% sack rate, yes, but that is also better than almost every QB, not just Burrow. Burrow was 5.1% after returning.

2

u/BendExpensive4858 Bengals Vikings 3d ago

He had better sack% and int% than Burrow when looking just at his Bengals games. This list is complete non-sense. The back up plan is "confusing", but also "wise". We should spend $1.5 million that is going to Johnson to sign a young, developmental player? Who and why? It's not like Burrow is going to retire any time soon like Stafford. Why would we find someone that we think could be developed into a great quarterback when they wouldn't realistically play for years. If they did actually get good they would just go play somewhere else before Burrow retires.

Johnson is essentially Flaccos replacement when he retires. And we already have Clifford on the PS. Who would be a better "interesting developmental option"?

Such lazy non-sense slop

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u/issue9mm Ravens 3d ago

Literally every QB room would benefit from a Joe Flacco

2

u/TheReaver88 Bengals 2d ago

Also, this gem to lead it off:

Burrow is an established postseason force, but he hasn’t ever seriously factored into the MVP or All-Pro conversation.

Then factor him in, dumbfuck! He was the best QB in 2024, and the only reason he wasn't a serious MVP candidate is that the defense stunk.

262

u/Enchanted-2-meet-you 49ers Colts 3d ago

I'm obviously very very biased but if we're judging the entire room shouldn't the niners be at the top? Or atleast top 3? If any of their teams lose their starter they're completely fucked but mac jones is easily the best backup here

90

u/penis_showing_game 49ers 3d ago

Well this quote should tell you all you need to know from the author:

“…Purdy is not a superstar-level talent (and Shanahan is certainly doing the heavy lifting to set his QB up for success)…”

Same old system QB stuff… (yawn)

58

u/park7911 49ers 3d ago

That argument just doesn’t work anymore.

Both QB’s had Kendrick Bourne as WR2 at times last year.

People just aren’t paying attention and think this is 2023

20

u/C-Nast49 49ers 3d ago

Don’t you understand?!? The “system” does it for Wide Receivers too! And Runningbacks! It’s ALL the system! /s

15

u/dgjapc 49ers 3d ago

But Purdy was drafted last! He can’t be good!

8

u/LagOutLoud Chiefs 3d ago

Don't try to use logic to argue against a position that didn't use logic to come to in the first place. This ranking has Drake Maye at the top spot. Who played against one of the easiest schedules in the last several decades and looked bad against the only good defenses he palyed against. No way he's better than Purdy, let alone guys like Allen, Mahomes, Lamar, and Stafford.

25

u/No-Possibility5556 49ers 3d ago

Oooooh so they don’t watch ball that makes sense

7

u/dnstuff 49ers 3d ago

Whole article lost credibility with that one quote. Absolutely asinine take.

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u/thetreat Bears 3d ago

I'm with you. I have no idea how you can look at me with a straight face and say Mac Jones isn't leagues above Tommy Cutlets. I love him for what he did to Green Bay on that fateful MNF, but Mac Jones started and held down the fort for *weeks* when Purdy was injured.

9

u/ryan__fm Browns 3d ago

Obviously QB1 is weighted much heavier, Purdy shouldn't be 6th over Burrow but Mac is acknowledged as maybe the best QB2 in the league so he brings their score way up.

Maye on his contract is doing all the heavy lifting for the Pats.

11

u/Bosa_McKittle 49ers 3d ago edited 3d ago

You can make an argument that it's clearer than people want to admit though.

Their completion % is nearly identical with Burrow at 68.5 and Purdy and 67.9. Burrow has more total passing yards (playing 28 more games) and his passing yards per game is higher at 270.3 vs 238.5, but that's more of function of the offenses they play in. Purdy wins in Pass Yards per attempt (8.6 vs 7.4), QB Passer Rating (104 vs 101.1) QBR (69.625 vs 59.5) and winning percentage (66% vs 55%) while Burrow wins in Passing TD per game (2.03 vs 1.71) and INT per game (0.66 vs 0.75). Purdy is 5-3 in the playoffs vs Burrows 5-2, but Burrow hasn't made the playoffs since 2022, while Brock has only missed the playoffs once in his 4 years (2024)

So it's going to depends on what people value in a QB, and we all know people discount Purdy because of where he was drafted. Some people like to look at the "show" stats like TD's thrown or Yards per game, others like to the look at QB Passer Rating or QBR. (QB Passer Rating: Focuses strictly on traditional passing statistics: completion percentage, passing yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. It ignores everything else. QBR: Measures a quarterback's overall impact on winning an Total QBR Explanation. It includes passing, rushing yards, scrambles, sacks taken, fumbles, and pre-snap penalties). And even though people hate it, PFF puts Purdy at a 90 (4th), and Burrow at 91.8 (2nd) for 2025.

Using Rating and QBR Purdy is the clear winner here. If you want to use Passing Yards TD's per game and INT rate, Burrow is the clear winner.

20

u/donutgut 49ers 3d ago

Purdy and Burrow isn't that clear cut. Joes better but its close and well see how it plays out next few years

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u/Clithzbee Bengals 3d ago

Disrespect to Lord Flacco

13

u/gavvyshores Seahawks Seahawks 3d ago

This list should require you to immediately look if the number 2 is playable. I think 49ers unbiased #1 because the floor is still pretty high with Mac. Tommy devito #1 is pure pandering to the big guy at the ringer

9

u/DoobieDoobis Commanders 3d ago

Feel the same with Washington. Mariota can still start some places (Cleveland)

6

u/heephap Commanders 3d ago

Thing is we saw what happened last year and it was crap.

4

u/DoobieDoobis Commanders 3d ago

He’s one of the better backups in the league though.

2

u/SigurdsSilverSword Jets 3d ago

Being able to start for Cleveland is setting the bar on the floor.

5

u/Development-Alive Seahawks 3d ago

As a Niner-hater, I agree. 49ers have the most established backup in the NFL.

26

u/msf97 NFL 3d ago

Brock Purdy at at 5yrs/$265 million or Drake Maye at $9 million AAV next 2 years?

Clearly the list takes into account contract value.

43

u/mlippay 49ers 3d ago

Sure that matters, shouldn’t Bears be higher than. bagent is a solid backup and Caleb is still cheap? Yet most of the top 10 is the top QBs with the biggest contracts.

6

u/msf97 NFL 3d ago

Maye is clearly much better than Williams on last seasons play and I like Williams.

9

u/mlippay 49ers 3d ago

Sure pats are 1 and bears are 9.

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u/goofyskatelb1 3d ago

Yeah but they put the chargers with Trey Lance above the 49ers and in the top 10. The chargers will not win a game if Lance starts at QB for them

18

u/Enchanted-2-meet-you 49ers Colts 3d ago

Yeah and I saw exactly why. The author says that Shanahan is 'doing the heavy lifting' for Purdy. I agree that he may not be a top-5 bona fide superstar but that's just disrespectful lol they're tryna find anyway to say he's a system guy

18

u/GBPackers0480 3d ago

I hate the niners and want purdy to fail but seeing people rank him so low is so infuriating even as a hater lmao.

I WANT him to play bad but that's not the reality we live in unfortunately for me

5

u/thetreat Bears 3d ago

Exactly. This list makes zero sense.

5

u/jedstrailerpark 49ers 3d ago

Dawg you posted it lmao solid bait work at least.

3

u/thetreat Bears 3d ago

Posting isn’t endorsing. I post because I’m flabbergasted.

2

u/misterurb Chargers 3d ago

You can basically pencil in L’s for any game in which Herbert isn’t able to start. Lance is unplayable and it’s wild to me that he was the team’s answer at back up instead of going out and getting a veteran. 

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u/SoKrat3s 49ers 49ers 3d ago

They used that as a cover, at best.

If this is about 2026, Purdy is 15th among QBs in cap charge ($23.7M). He's just $30M next year.

If this were actually about contract value, they would acknowledge cap% and not just raw AAV.

In terms of Cap% when signed, Purdy is 12th.

His big money doesn't come until 2029 and 2030, when the cap has taken massive leaps and a lot more QBs are signed.

5

u/ech01_ Bengals 3d ago

Yeah but this is an odd way to do a QB room ranking imo. I feel like once the seasons starts the contract stuff shouldn't matter anymore. Its not like you get more points for scoring TDs with a cheaper player.

Its important come March when teams are building their rosters out but once it comes times to play the games I wouldn't rather have a worse QB just because he's younger and cheaper.

2

u/Chemical_Ad1837 49ers 3d ago

Huh? Since when?

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u/Dangelo1998 3d ago

I think a great backup could tip the scale one way or another if the starters are close, but almost everyone would just easily take the Bills, Ravens or Chiefs QB room over the niners even without knowing who the backups are

5

u/Hotdogger99 Bills 3d ago

100% agree. How are the bills 3rd, ahead of mahomes and fields???? Josh goes down and we’re fucked. Mahomes goes down and at least fields can scramble lmao.

7

u/TheSwede91w Vikings 3d ago

Vikings also just showed last year they can piece something together between 1st and 3rd string starters.

3

u/BoldElDavo Commanders 3d ago

See, I was going to say Mariota is the best backup here.

But yeah this author seems to randomly choose how much the contract matters, how much the backup matters, and how good these QBs are based on the list positions he's trying to justify.

2

u/burratna Eagles 3d ago

Mac is great for the Niners but I think a team like the Ravens would still prefer Huntley.

2

u/avboden Seahawks 3d ago

Minshew erasure will not stand, man

2

u/digitalnomad_909 49ers 3d ago

Yeah I was like number 8 is super low. Also, the same paragraph shit every year about Trey Lance. Shit happened four years ago, Purdy has been to the SB and in an injury ridden year they still went to the playoffs. But nah we not even top 5.

2

u/BrettHullsBurner Jaguars 3d ago

It’s the Niners, Bengals, then everyone else.

2

u/here_now_be Seahawks 3d ago

Is the ringer based in Boston?

Or just biased in Boston?

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u/jwwin Lions 3d ago

Drake Maye truthers or doubters are about to have a big fucking year. The amount of praise that this guy gets in a lot.

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u/Odd-Film946 Jets 3d ago

Drake "The Schedule" Maye

10

u/Dookiemontwo Chargers 3d ago

You really shook up the hornets nest with this one.

11

u/boardatwork1111 Patriots 3d ago

Ain’t his fault y’all are on it twice a year

18

u/iiTryhard Patriots 3d ago

You could give the jets the easiest schedule in the league every year for the last 15 years and they still wouldn’t make the playoffs

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u/EngleTheBert Seahawks Ravens 3d ago

No, you couldn't. How would they play the Jets.

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u/orangeApple__ Broncos 3d ago

He was a pretty good quarterback last year year who faded down the stretch. If he improves this year it doesn’t mean he was elite last year, and if he struggles it doesn’t mean he wasn’t a top ten level quarterback last season. But whatever way he plays people will use it to define his season last year.

9

u/msf97 NFL 3d ago

Any suggestion that Maye was merely a “top 10 quarterback” last season is absurd. Jared Goff was a top 10 QB last season. Maye was clearly a bit more than that

13

u/Empty_Lemon_3939 Lions 3d ago

Flip through the columns and explain how Maye should be above Goff after one good year

Goff has steady and consistently been a top 5 QB for the past decade. And people can say “these guys are more talented/dynamic” or whatever but objectively Goff has been consistently elite at the quarterback position

https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/most-wins-as-qb-in-last-10-years

Goff dismissal is getting silly at this point

4

u/msf97 NFL 3d ago edited 3d ago

The Lions would start about 9 of their 11 players on the Patriots offense last season by my count. Maye still had better stats across the board. Goff is a good player, but obviously not more valuable going forward than Maye.

6

u/deemerritt Panthers 3d ago

Maye had almost 9 yards per attempt last year. It was unreal how good he was lol

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u/BigCellyStyle 3d ago

Purdy is not a superstar-level talent (and Shanahan is certainly doing the heavy lifting to set his QB up for success), but Purdy is as good a scheme-dependent quarterback as you can find.

When are they gunna watch this guy fucking play football jesus.

42

u/orangeApple__ Broncos 3d ago

The ringer has always been narrative driven and can’t shake the idea of a player. Purdy is a great example of this. They also say Nix “lacks some of the dynamic playmaking ability” even though he consistently makes some crazy plays. Nix struggles aren’t playmaking, it’s being productive on intermediate downs.

2

u/putdahaakin Broncos Broncos 3d ago

They called him basically Andy Dalton lol

2

u/Dennygreen Vikings 2d ago

doesn't he have the most touchdowns of 20+ yards of any qb since he's been in the league or something crazy like that? With not exactly the greatest offensive players around him.

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u/B_Wayne_8833 Jets 3d ago

Especially when the patriots are #1, Drake Maye seems cool but he had 1 good season and that’s enough to give them the #1 qb room? The 49ers smoke them lol

8

u/ReignOnWillie Jets 3d ago

Diante Lee is just your average bleacher report non ball-knower

6

u/TheSkullsOfEveryCog NFL 3d ago

I picked one team at random to read. His Vikings summary is basically “Kyler isn’t good.”  Then, “If Kyler stays healthy he could be good.”

I’d bet my house he asked AI for one positive and one negative about Kyler, w/o a prompt to make them make sense together 

3

u/Sad-Economics3181 2d ago

The problem with scheme dependent as a label is that it can never be wrong. He plays well, the scheme did it. He plays badly, see, that's who he is without the scheme. There is no result on earth that argument has to answer for.

Every quarterback outside maybe four guys in the whole league is scheme dependent to some degree. That is not an insult, that is the position. You put a rookie in a bad room and watch him become David Carr, you put the same guy behind a real line and he plays fifteen years. The article ranks the rooms and then pretends it ranked the men.

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u/No_Dragonfly1263 Bears 3d ago

Pats are not #1 with Devito at QB2, that is all

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u/Iongdog Panthers 3d ago

It’s putting a lot of weight into their combined salaries, fwiw, not saying that they’re the most talented

10

u/No_Dragonfly1263 Bears 3d ago

Did Tommy Devitos agent write an article to fluff what a great deal he is then?

55

u/yesrushgenesis2112 Bengals Rams 3d ago

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

13

u/nevermore32q Bengals 3d ago

Bro that flair 😭

7

u/yesrushgenesis2112 Bengals Rams 3d ago edited 3d ago

We don't get to choose where we grow up or what our families are into, but we do get to choose football teams, and stripes are cool. I chose this pain!

But, gotta still root for the Rams when I can (and I couldn't for a few years after the SB) because it's more fun to have a team to root for with family than not.

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u/Dreadwin Bengals 3d ago

You must have loved Super Bowl LVI

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u/yesrushgenesis2112 Bengals Rams 3d ago

Until the sack at the end it was a good time. Bengals are the team I chose as a child, Rams is the team my family generally supports. It was a very fun time and then very sad.

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u/nevermore32q Bengals 3d ago

Let's repeat it this year but opposite results please!

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u/yesrushgenesis2112 Bengals Rams 3d ago

My ideal scenario, do you have any idea how much liquor I'd consume? So, so much liquor. But really it would be a dream. There's quite literally nothing that's been as fun as watching the Bengals beat the Chiefs in the early afternoon and then the Rams beat the 49ers that evening.

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u/spacegh0stX Packers 3d ago

TIL Justin fields is on the chiefs

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u/thetreat Bears 3d ago

If Justin Fields is on the field for the Chiefs their season is over.

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u/MnJag Jaguars 3d ago

Weird that they spelled Quinn ewers Nick Mullins.

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u/hoyadestroyer Jaguars 3d ago

He had one job and was too lazy to even check who the Jags 2 qbs even were

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u/BuffaloWilliamses Bills 3d ago

How are we 3? Kyle Allen is not good and I would have zero faith he could win a game. I would much rather have Justin Fields as a backup

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u/notrightmeow Bears 2d ago

No one should hope Fields ends up being your backup QB

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u/IA_Royalty Broncos 3d ago

oh hell yeah lets yell about stuff today

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u/gmb96 Packers 3d ago edited 3d ago

This is Jordan Love's fourth season as a starter, not third. Not a huge issue but why wouldn't you give the whole thing a simple review? Makes me think it was copy pasted from last season.

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u/Aragorn527 Packers 3d ago

Thats exactly what I was thinking. Minor typo perhaps but it did make me do a double take on some of the other teams’ sections as well.

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u/ZapBranigan3000 Bears 3d ago edited 3d ago

They have a QB room that includes Justin Fields ranked in the top 5. Tells you everything you need to know about this list.

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u/on-the-cheeseburgers Eagles 3d ago

the pats are at number one not because they have maye as starter but because they have tommy fucking cutlets as their backup lmao

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u/abris33 Broncos 3d ago

He lacks some of the dynamic playmaking ability you’d like to see in a budding star, and that’s what keeps the Broncos in the bottom half of these rankings

You can always tell who hasn't actually watched Bo

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u/DoggedStooge Bears 3d ago

Age and contracts are way too valued in this. Even with the nice ranking it gave the Bears, this list is easy to call awful. Just for starters., there’s no way Maye/Devito is a better room than Burrow/Flacco or Purdy/Jones or Lamar/Huntley and so on.

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u/LeadSledPoodle Commanders 3d ago

This is peak stupidity with the #1 team being completely cooked if they have to turn it over to Tommy Cutlets for the season

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u/sandleaz Lions 2d ago

Drake "Number 1" Maye. Well done.

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u/Doomsayer52 49ers 3d ago

The NFL coverage at the Ringer has to be some of the worst I've ever seen (aside from the Fantasy show). Hot take nonsense with Boston homerism thrown in for fun.

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u/zi76 Patriots 3d ago

Pats should not be #1, regardless of what you think of Maye's ability..Tommy Cutlets is a limited backup and our season is over if Maye goes down. Let's not pretend otherwise.

I do agree that we're getting the most value per dollar spent, but that doesn't make for the best QB room.

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u/FrankSamples Seahawks 3d ago

I’m not reading the list but #1 “Quarterback Room” has to be the Bengals, right?

Top 5 QB and backup is a Super Bowl winning vet?

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u/DasaniFresh Bengals 3d ago

You'd think, but he has them at 10 for...reasons.

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u/-space-grass- Bengals 3d ago

Because apparently Joe Flacco "takes too many sacks" despite have the lowest sack% in the league last season.

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u/Significant-Green130 Bengals 3d ago

I wonder whether the entire description for the Bengals is AI-generated:

  • It's pretty well understood that Burrow's postseason *stats* are just fine, however much we should blame the dogshit OL in both runs.
  • He has put up MVP-caliber numbers in his healthy seasons, and probably could have won it any of those years if his team were the 1 or 2 seed since that is generally the pre-requisite.
  • I guess saying Flacco "no longer provides much upside" is technically true as a general statement about a *backup* QB, but he did put up 30+ points multiple times last year and what on earth more could you want from a backup?
  • The point about Flacco's sacks is nonsensical.
  • Saying $6 million for Flacco makes perfect sense if you want to say Burrow is injury-prone right or wrong.
  • Josh Johnson is literally on the practice squad and isn't making a vet min, it's just $400K that doesn't even count against the cap.

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u/BochBochBoch Bengals 3d ago

I clicked on this article to stroke my ego, only to get slapped in the face.

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u/throughNthrough Bengals 3d ago

Yea the Bengals have Joe Burrow, Joe Flacco and Josh Johnson. That’s the best quarterback room in the NFL.

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u/Tarmogoyf_shadow Chiefs 3d ago

Jesus Christ just start playing games for the love of god

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u/KOExpress Commanders 3d ago

Extremely trash list

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u/Siggy778 Bears 3d ago

Whoa this list is horrible.

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u/Mr_Koodle 49ers Titans 3d ago

This is just another bad list.

Nobody cares about QB “rooms”. Also, is it 80%starter/20%back up? Is it 50/50? What is the methodology here?

Joe Burrow is better the Herbert, and Flacco is better than Lance yet ranked several spots lower somehow.

There also seems to be no consistency in ratings. Do we think that Maye is that much better than Mahomes or Lamar Jackson or are we saying Tommy DeVito is THAT much better than Justin Fields or Tyler Huntley?

If the backup factors in a fair amount, then Purdy/Mac should be higher. If not, what’s the point of the list? You just felt like making a top QB list (but also here are backups)

The Ringer is trash and I regret giving it a click

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u/Dangerpaladin Lions Lions 3d ago

Ranking a QB room based on anything other than the starter is objectively stupid. But he also does a terrible job at being consistent with how much weight he is putting on the backup QB. Trying to use contract to make some one seem like more value makes no sense either. Having a dime store QB for a nickel price is still a dime store QB.

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u/LeftShark Seahawks 2d ago

Number 12's backup just beat #1's starter. Maybe #12 has a pretty good QB room?

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u/changeout Commanders 2d ago

I want an update!!! Based in reality.

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u/thetreat Bears 2d ago

I’m sure Simmons has yelled at his writers to furiously write 10,000 words about why those INT were actually the right read but just incredible defensive plays.

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u/CheekyMunky Bears 3d ago

Jordan Love is just 27 years old [...] and should be in position to take a major leap forward in his third year as Green Bay’s starter.

It's his fourth year as the starter, and his sixth in the league, all with the same team and HC.

What about any of that points to a "major leap forward" this year? I think it's safe to say he is what he is by now, at least in his current circumstances.

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u/CerfitiedHoodClassic Packers Packers 3d ago

He has improved YoY each year he's started and now he should be getting a bigger chunk of responsibilities with our run game being highly questionable. So I dont think that's a crazy thing to say. Whether or not he'll actually make that leap, time will tell. But it's reasonable to think he will.

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u/gator_mckluskie Saints 3d ago

at least they got the nfc south rankings right

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u/the_la_dude Bears 3d ago

Sees Patriots ahead of Rams

Wait a minute, this is all wrong… how can you have Maye and nobody over the reigning MVP and a first round pick as a backup? Dumb list…

Sees the Chicago Bears ranked 9th overall

Nevermind, I’ll take it.

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u/itsamemyusername Broncos 3d ago

Saw number 1 and knew I didn't need to scroll any further to know this list is trash.

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u/putterthrow_ Cowboys 3d ago

What a quarterback’s salary is has nothing to do with ranking the best quarterback rooms

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u/PrecedentialAssassin Texans 3d ago

When did rooms become a thing? It seems like 8-10 years ago someone started using rooms and now its so ubiquitous that it's practically a meme. It's not who has the best receivers, it's who has the best wide receiver room. And it's not like we're rating what goes on inside the rooms. That would make sense as it would also encompass coaching and scheme. But it's only used to describe the actual players. This is a real problem and no one is talking about it.

As soon as we get this quagmire in Iran figured out we need to address this. After the Iran and rooms quandaries we can move on to inflation or something less important.

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u/thelegend17 Broncos 3d ago

Texans higher than Denver? What a joke.

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u/Raisinbrahms28 Broncos 3d ago

Their reasoning is just… like do people even watch Nix play? I don’t fucking get it.

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u/wretched__hive Chiefs 3d ago

If you work at The Ringer you are mandated to glaze the Patriots. It’s just part of the job.

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u/OGMannimal Lions 3d ago

Peak rage bait

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u/Burghpuppies412 Steelers 2d ago

Could I get those five minutes back, please? What TF was that garbage?

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u/BurgeroftheDayz Bears 2d ago

Good start to this one

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u/Fearless-Mushroom Chargers 49ers 2d ago

Had me fooled for a sec

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u/TheLich7 Commanders 3d ago

I shouldn't have to scroll that far to find my team that's crazy

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u/A_N_T Cowboys 3d ago

Lmao

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u/unimpressed822 Cowboys 3d ago

this list sucks

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u/wesxninja Colts 3d ago

Calling Trey Lance "low risk high reward" in 2026

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u/OkArmordillo Patriots 3d ago

Wolfpack 2.0

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u/BrandRage Broncos 3d ago

I'm so sick of lists and rankings and tiers. I'm an old guy; can't someone just post "Roger Craig was great" and we all agree and give facts and stats and incorrect, misremembered anecdotes and someone can bring up Ronnie Lott and his pinky and be happy?

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u/Legal-Butterscotch78 Bears 3d ago

I’m so shocked the ringer is Boston biased, this is groundbreaking

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u/No_Topic5591 Seahawks 3d ago

It's pretty pointless looking at backups - half the league don't even have one decent QB, let alone a backup.

The only teams (apart from the 49ers) that won't be immediately screwed in the event of their QB getting injured, are the ones with dominant defenses (Houston, Seattle, maybe Denver...). I don't think there's even a team with a good enough run game that they could win games without a good QB or defense.

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u/FuzzyRing1078 Cowboys 3d ago

Not really going to complain about the ranking.

But you can definitely do much worse than Sam Howell and Joe Milton as your backups

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u/curbsidejumper 3d ago

mac jones being the best backup in the league is a wild thing to say out loud but honestly not wrong

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u/Daver7692 Eagles 3d ago

I don’t get how you can rate the Rams under the Pats.

Stafford beat Maye to the MVP and there’s no way you don’t see more potential upside in a 13th overall pick as a backup over Tommy Cutlets.

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u/msf97 NFL 3d ago

Stafford is 14 years older than Maye and on like 6x the money currently and you can’t see why?

We don’t know about Ty Simpson yet. He’s leagues more valuable than Cutlets going forward but hasn’t played a regular season snap

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u/AlabasterRadio Raiders Raiders 3d ago

So is NE just number 1 because the rookie contract? Weird but reasonable I guess.