2026 NFL QB rankings: Matthew Stafford atop NFC West QBs
· Yahoo Sports
As we wait for NFL training camps to open, we are beginning to see some final rankings and lists to give us NFL content while we wait. We all love rankings, and we all love to argue about them. PFF ranked all 32 projected starting quarterbacks in the NFL.
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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett is one of the lowest-ranked in the league.
But what about the NFC West? They get good quarterback play. Matthew Stafford is the reigning league MVP. Sam Darnold is a Super Bowl champion. Brock Purdy is good. Brissett had a career season in 2025.
Where do they all stack up comparatively with the rest of the starting QBs in the league?
These rankings are based on their play over the last three seasons.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford: No. 5
Were the rankings based solely on last season, Stafford would be higher. He is clearly the gold standard of the NFC West.
His 2025 season was spectacular; there is no question. His grading profile is the product of elite quarterback play that he made look almost effortless at times, and he routinely produces throws that few other quarterbacks can. That said, the reasons above are enough just to push him outside of the top four.
49ers QB Brock Purdy: No. 10
Purdy ranking over Sam Darnold is interesting, although Purdy does have three years of great play compared to Darnold's two.
The 49ers were hit by the injury bug harder than almost any other team in 2025, and their franchise quarterback didn't escape that misfortune. Purdy missed eight games with a turf toe injury but was highly effective when he was on the field. His 85.4 PFF grade ranked sixth among NFL quarterbacks, while his 65.8 passing grade under pressure ranked third. He has now ranked among the NFL's 10 highest-graded quarterbacks in each of the past three seasons.
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold: No. 14
Darnold has two consecutive seasons with 14 regular-season wins and led two different teams to the playoffs. He has shed his first-round bust status and become one of the most reliable passers in the league. If just based on last season, you can quibble about whether he deserves to be higher than Purdy. But because these rankings consider three seasons, and Darnold has been great for only two and a backup for the other year, it makes sense.
Darnold has excelled in two specific areas during his time in Minnesota and Seattle: play-action passing and deep passing. He has ranked among the top five quarterbacks in PFF play-action passing grade in each of the past two seasons. In 2025, he ranked fourth in PFF passing grade on throws of 20 or more air yards and was one of just three qualifying quarterbacks to complete at least 50% of those passes.
Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett: No. 31
Brissett is only ahead of Browns QB Deshaun Watson. Now, while Brissett was productive in 12 games last season, setting career highs of 3,366 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes, he was still 1-11 and lost the last nine games of the season. He was benched early in the 2024 season with New England and couldn't beat out Sam Howell for a starting job in Washington.
At 33 years old, Brissett is the definition of a bridge quarterback. He can provide solid play at the position, but he won’t win enough games to prevent his team from landing a top draft pick.
Brissett is at his best when he plays on time. He finished seventh among qualifying quarterbacks in PFF passing grade on throws released in under 2.5 seconds (82.7) last season. On throws released after 2.5 seconds, he ranked 29th in PFF passing grade (57.3).
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: 2026 NFL QB rankings: Matthew Stafford atop NFC West QBs