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The 2021 NFL season is quickly approaching, so now is the time to start ranking the top quarterbacks in the league.
There are currently MVPs, Heisman Trophy Winners, Rookie of the Year award winners and Super Bowl champions leading their team as quarterbacks.
Last year's performances, as well as career accolades, have been considered while deciding the rankings. So without further ado, let's have a look at the top 20 quarterbacks heading into the 2021 NFL season.
#1 Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes has led his team to two consecutive NFL Super Bowl appearances. If it weren't for an injured offensive line and a foot injury of his own, Mahomes could have had a chance at a second Super Bowl title. The 2018 MVP is one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the NFL, and the draft has helped rebuild the offensive line of his team.
#2 Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers took home his third Most Valuable Player honors last season. Rodgers threw 372 completions for 4,299 passing yards, 48 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns en route to another NFL All-Pro season.
#3 Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and ended up winning his seventh Super Bowl title.
In 2020, his first season in the NFL's NFC South, Brady completed 401 passes for 4,633 passing yards and 40 touchdowns. The Buccaneers were able to keep their title team intact in hopes of a repeat in 2021.
#4 Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
There is one award that Russell Wilson has never won: the NFL Most Valuable Player.
The Super Bowl champion and reigning 'Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year', Wilson will enter his tenth season chasing the same goal. Wilson and the Seahawks had their struggles in NFL 2020, but his stats were solid. For the fourth NFL season of his career, he threw for over 4,000 passing yards.
#5 Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen has become the quarterback the Bills have been looking for, quietly improving each year since being drafted in 2018.
In 2020, Allen and the Bills won the AFC North and reached the AFC title game for the first time since the 1990s. Allen passed for 4,544 yards, 37 passing touchdowns and eight rushing touchdowns.
#6 Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
The 27-year-old Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a gruesome ankle injury in Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season.
Although his season ended much earlier than anyone would have expected to, Prescott's numbers were on course to put up some of the best numbers in the league. He threw 1,856 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns and rushed for three touchdowns.
#7 Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, a former league MVP, led his team to the postseason for all three NFL seasons since he was drafted. In an extremely competitive AFC North, Jackson's versatility as a quarterback is what has kept the Ravens at the top of the division.
#8 Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Ryan Tannehill has led the Tennessee Titans to two consecutive postseason trips, doing so in 2019 and 2020.
Since leaving the Miami Dolphins, Tannehill has used the offensive weapons he has with the Titans to revamp his career. In 2020, Tannehill threw 3,819 yards for 33 touchdowns and rushed for seven touchdowns.
#9 Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Besides his struggles to play well in big games, Kirk Cousins is a solid quarterback.
He doesn't have the awards or records of other big-name quarterbacks, but his feisty style of play gets his team down the field. In 2020, the Vikings were just 7-9, but Cousins threw 349 completions for 4,265 passing yards and 35 touchdowns.
#10 Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
The two-time Super Bowl champion may be entering his last season of the NFL. Since being drafted in 2004, Ben Roethlisberger has never had a losing season.
Last campaign, he and the Steelers started 11-0 before hitting some major speed bumps that derailed their postseason hopes. Last year, the 38-year-old Roethlisberger threw 399 passes, adding up to 3,803 yards and 33 touchdowns.
#11 Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Baker Mayfield led the Cleveland Browns into the NFL postseason for the first time since 2002.
The Browns are now back on the map in the AFC North, with Mayfield being one of three Heisman winners in the division. Mayfield and the Browns defeated the Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Round in 2020 but fell to the Chiefs in the divisional round.
#12 Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert was drafted out of Oregon in 2020 and wasn't supposed to make an immediate impact. But after an unexpected injury to Tyrod Taylor, Herbert started for the Chargers.
Although LA went 7-9 in Taylor's absence, Herbert's outstanding performances led him to the NFL Rookie of the Year Award. Herbert passed for 4,336 yards and broke the record for most passing touchdowns (31) by a rookie, most 300-yard games (8) by a rookie and the most completions (396) by a rookie.
#13 Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
Derek Carr was able to keep the Las Vegas Raiders in NFL playoff contention till Week 17 in 2020. After the team made the move to Las Vegas and opened a new stadium, without fans, Carr threw for over 4,000 yards and brought his interceptions down to nine on the season.
#14 Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
The Houston Texans had a disappointing 2020 NFL season, so Deshaun Watson has been vocal about a trade. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen due to off-the-field issues. But his performances on the field cannot be ignored. Watson threw 4,823 yards and 33 touchdowns along with 444 rushing yards.
#15 Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington Football Team
The 28-year-old NFL journeyman will take the field with his ninth NFL team this upcoming season.
Ryan Fitzpatrick is a solid quarterback and constantly gets replaced by new young quarterbacks, but he gets the job done with whichever team he is with. Last season, he teamed up with Tua Tagovailoa as a two-quarterback threat with the Dolphins, mentoring the rookie quarterback. Now he has headed to Washington.
#16 Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Walking in the footsteps of Eli Manning is no easy task. But Daniel Jones is starting to find his way in the NFL.
Jones has a big arm and isn't afraid to use his legs, which helps out his young team's offense. The Giants started going in the right direction last season and with Saquon Barkley returning from injury, they could get even better this campaign.
#17 Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and made the Pro Bowl in 2020. He is quietly having a productive start to his career in Arizona. Murray only needs to keep his shoulder healthy to help the Cardinals stay competitive in the West.
#18 Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts
Carson Wentz needed a fresh start, and he will get just that with Frank Reich and the Colts. Reuniting with Reich might be the bounce-back Wentz needs to send the doubters away.
#19 Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
The Los Angeles Rams made the Super Bowl in 2018, and many expected them to repeat it. But Goff and the Rams have struggled to find that constant momentum to repeat. With a move that brought Matt Stafford to LA, Jared Goff now heads to Detroit.
#20 Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
After 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, Matt Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams this off-season. In a move that was foreseen by many, Stafford has struggled the last few campaigns with injuries.
