Since they play the most important position in the game, NFL quarterbacks will always be prone to getting more love, attention, and sometimes, criticism than they deserve. It’s just the nature of the position.
With the 2025 NFL season approaching, let’s dive into five NFL quarterbacks who get too much credit and five who never get enough.
Which NFL QBs get much attention and which ones are often overlooked?
Gets Too Much: Brock Purdy
Even though Kyle Shanahan has a long and successful history of getting the most out of his quarterbacks, the San Francisco 49ers view Purdy as an exceptional talent. Despite being in a miserable salary cap situation, they just handed him a lucrative five-year contract extension worth $265 million.
Yes, Purdy took the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game in his rookie year, after — no small feat with Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo both suffering season-ending injuries. And yes, he took the Kansas City Chiefs to overtime in Super Bowl 58 before dropping a heartbreaker.
But news flash: Garoppolo, the epitome of a mediocre QB, also took the 49ers to a Super Bowl and two NFC Championship Games. The main difference is that Purdy has proven to be more durable than Jimmy G.
And as good as Purdy’s stats were in 2022 and 2023, we’d like to remind you how much he came back to earth in year three, when the 49ers were devastated by injuries. With superstar running back Christian McCaffrey missing all but four games, the 49ers limped to a last-place finish in the NFC West. Purdy had just 20 touchdowns against a career-high 12 interceptions, and his QB rating fell from 113.0 to 96.1.
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Not sure about you, but we think Purdy’s good numbers have something to do with having McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Trent Williams at his side, to say nothing of ex-49er Deebo Samuel.
Purdy is a good QB who fits well in Shanahan’s system on a star-studded 49ers team. He’s not anything close to great.
Doesn’t Get Enough: Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins’ star gets a lot of flak due to his lackluster record against winning NFL teams and lack of a postseason victory. But Miami’s record and stats without No. 1 don’t lie: He moves the needle more than the majority of starting quarterbacks, and he’s simply not appreciated enough around the league.
Tagovailoa is 38-24-0 through five seasons as Miami’s starter with 100 touchdowns and 44 interceptions. He’s won more than half his stars each year. Oh, and he’s got a higher career passer rating than Jared Goff, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, and Matthew Stafford.
If Tua is overrated, what makes those guys?
Since 2020, the Dolphins are 9-13 in games without Tagovailoa. They average 25.1 points per game with him on the field, and 19.4 points when he’s not playing.
If Tagovailoa didn’t miss the end of the 2022 NFL season, Miami could have easily upset the Buffalo Bills on Wild Card Weekend…considering they barely lost with Skylar Thompson behind center that day. And if Tua didn’t miss six games in 2025, Miami surely sneaks in as a wild-card team again.
Oh yeah, and Miami made the postseason twice from 2002 to 2021. With Tua, they made it twice in his first four seasons. Finally, Tyreek Hill’s best career numbers have come with Tagovailoa throwing him the football…not Patrick Mahomes. And most of us agree Mahomes is the best QB of this era.
Gets Too Much: Kyler Murray
A lot of people love to hype Murray as a superstar-level quarterback, and we get it. When he’s on his game, few quarterbacks are more highlight reel-worthy and entertaining to watch.
But for a former No. 1 pick who’s now six seasons into his career, Murray’s career feels rather underwhelming. Is it just us?
His penchant for starting out strong and unraveling in the second half of the season has been well-documented. You’re looking at a QB with only one postseason appearance and no victories on his resume, despite being surrounded with big-named stars like DeAndre Hopkins, James Conner, Trey McBridge, Hollywood Brown, and now Marvin Harrison Jr.
Folks, we’re looking at a QB who has yet to throw for 4,000 yards or 30 touchdowns in a single season. And for those who think Kliff Kingsbury was the problem for Murray in Arizona, see what the former Cardinals head coach did with Jayden Daniels in his rookie year.
Doesn’t Get Enough: Jalen Hurts
It’s funny how much things can change in a year. Last NFL season, people thought Hurts was the problem and the main reason for the Philadelphia Eagles’ brutal late-season collapse in 2023.
A year later, he’s a Super Bowl-winning QB who just knocked off Patrick Mahomes and the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs in the big game. Now he’s just the product of a great system, the haters and critics report.
Those of you who think Hurts is the product of the Eagles’ stacked offensive line…you mean the o-line featuring Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata, and Lane Johnson in 2020? The one that gave up 65 sacks and ruined Carson Wentz’s career?
Oh, Saquon Barkley was the reason Hurts won a Super Bowl? Hello? Hurts probably beats Mahomes’ Chiefs in Super Bowl 57 — with Miles Sanders as his lead RB — if not for the cheap defensive holding penalty against James Bradberry at the end.
Hurts is not a product of the Eagles’ system. He’s an NFL superstar who helped this roster maximize its potential. Don’t forget how rock-solid he was with a weak supporting cast in 2021, before the likes of AJ Brown and Saquon arrived.
Gets Too Much: Jordan Love
Hindsight shows us that the Green Bay Packers made the right decision to draft Jordan Love in 2020…and to move on from Aaron Rodgers after the 2022 season. But that’s largely thanks to Rodgers’ age and declining production, and not so much the production of Love.
The Utah State product overcame a sluggish start in 2023, his first as the Packers’ starter, and led them to the playoffs after throwing for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 picks. The magic continued with a blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round, only to run out when Love threw a careless interception in the Divisional Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Love missed two games in 2024 due to injury, but he certainly didn’t look much better than the feel-good story of 2023. I mean, backup Malik Willis played very well in relief of Love and won both his starts. The latter averaged nearly 20 fewer passing yards per game and had 25 touchdowns against 11 picks.
Love’s 2024 season ended in ugly fashion: A zero-TD and 3-INT performance in the 22-10 loss to the Eagles in the Wild Card Round.
Yes, current Jordan Love is better than post-2021 Aaron Rodgers. No, Love is not a superstar quarterback. Not even close, really. And let’s put some more respect on the name of Matt LaFleur, who already looks like a future Hall of Fame head coach.
We’re very curious how Love would play outside of LaFleur’s QB-friendly system. Just saying.
Doesn’t Get Enough: Russell Wilson
It’s easy to write off Wilson and say he’s on the decline. But a deeper dive into the numbers suggests that he’s just constantly been in the wrong place at the wrong time, if you will.
Wilson’s disastrous 2022 season with the Denver Broncos was brought on by the NFL’s worst offensive line and an unqualified head coach in Nathaniel Hackett. Once Sean Payton came in to lead the offense in 2023, Wilson had a stellar bounce-back season with 26 touchdowns and only eight interceptions in 15 games. Doesn’t sound washed up to us.
The Broncos didn’t want Wilson anymore and released him from his contract before drafting Bo Nix. Wilson signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but unfortunately had to miss the first six games with a calf injury.
Wilson went 6-and-5 as the starter with 16 touchdowns and only five interceptions. We know the season ended on an ugly note and with a playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but does that fall on Wilson? Folks, this team hasn’t won a freaking playoff game since 2016, and it’s not like Wilson had much to work with outside of George Pickens.
Oh, and his 95.6 passer rating in 2024 was higher than the likes of Matt Stafford, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, and CJ Stroud. So, if 2024 Russell Wilson was washed up, what do you think of the other QBs?
Wilson is not All-Pro caliber anymore, no. But he’s still starting-caliber and not as washed up as people think. The Broncos and Steelers spent forever in QB purgatory, so it’s unfair to blame Wilson for not lifting the offense the way he did with the Seattle Seahawks.
If Wilson stays healthy in 2025, he just might enjoy a career renaissance with the New York Giants. Hey, he’s never thrown to a wide receiver of Malik Nabers’ caliber. Just saying!
Gets Too Much: Trevor Lawrence
Too many people seem to think of T-Law as a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback for whatever season. Is it because you still have the “generational” label he once carried stuck in your head?
Other than a strong second half in 2022, what exactly has Lawrence done since the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him first overall in 2021? We can all blame his forgettable rookie year on the Urban Meyer disaster, okay. What about the rest?
Credit to him for a strong second half in 2022 that led the Jags to the AFC South division crown and a playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers, sure. But remember how lucky they were to play in the garbage AFC South, a division the Tennessee Titans had on ice before Ryan Tannehill’s season-ending injury.
We can’t forget Lawrence’s final five starts of 2023, when the Jags had their division locked up. Lawrence lost his final five starts and threw seven interceptions over the last three contests. The Jaguars handed the division to the Houston Texans. Yippee.
And before his season-ending injury in 2024? Lawrence had 11 touchdowns and seven picks and barely averaged over 200 passing yards a game. So much for generational.
Since 2022, the Jags supplied Lawrence with an elite offensive supporting cast and a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Doug Pederson. At some point, maybe the so-called “QB1” should be viewed as part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Doesn’t Get Enough: C.J. Stroud
Stroud had what many argued at the time was the best quarterback rookie season ever in 2023.
Taking over for a rebuilding Houston Texans squad that had won 11 combined games over the previous three years, Stroud immediately breathed new life into the Texans, throwing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only five interceptions.
The Texans won the AFC South division crown and crushed the Cleveland Browns on Wild Card Weekend, winning just their second playoff game in seven years. So expectations went through the roof for Stroud in 2024, who many believed would enter the top tier of NFL quarterbacks.
Stroud didn’t have the most exciting sophomore season, though. Stroud missed two games in 2023, yet his passing yards and TD totals were better than 2024: 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
But how about we DON’T blame Stroud for the “meh” sophomore season? This guy played behind an atrocious offensive line that allowed 52 sacks. Star receivers Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs each suffered season-ending injuries, too.
AND YET, Stroud still led Houston to a second straight division crown and Wild Card Round victory. And they only lost to the Kansas City Chiefs by nine points in the Divisional Round despite being short-handed.
Give Stroud a healthy lineup and a half-decent offensive line, and his numbers would be off-the-charts.
Gets Too Much: Dak Prescott
Prescott’s excellent numbers can’t be ignored. He’s got the eighth-highest career passer rating – one that’s higher than the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. And only 13 QBs have averaged more passing yards per game.
But stats don’t tell the story. Despite playing on star-studded rosters for the majority of his career, he has just two career playoff wins. And as much as people love the fancy stats, he’s only exceeded 30 passing TDs in a season twice.
Prescott’s regular-season passer rating is 99.6. That number drops to 91.8 in the postseason. Three of his playoff losses have come at home as a favorite, too.
Love Dak’s stats all you want, but his inability to perform in the postseason puts him in the “overrated” category. Keep in mind his numbers were never eye-popping until CeeDee Lamb came, too.
And in relief of Prescott, Cooper Rush went 9-and-5 as their starter with 20 touchdowns and only 10 picks. So yeah, it’s not like Prescott moves the needle that much in Dallas.
Doesn’t Get Enough: Jared Goff
For those who think Goff was once a product of Sean McVay’s offense, what do you say now? Don’t tell us he’s a product of Dan Campbell’s offense, because the Lions wouldn’t be where they are now without the No. 1 pick of 2016.
Goff’s numbers as a Lion — including the 2021 season when they were in full-on tank mode — are better than what he put up with the Los Angeles Rams. And for those who think he’s a choker, it’s not his fault the Lions’ defense has been awful in the last two postseasons.
Goff has elevated not one, but two NFL franchises that were among the worst in American professional sports before his arrival. He’s won with two first-time head coaches. He’s helped turn guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, and Jameson Williams into stars. That’s what a QB1 does.
Goff isn’t a system QB. He’s a borderline elite NFL QB.
