“He’s in the GOAT status and he’s arguably the most physically gifted quarterback we’ve ever seen in the history of football.”– Simms on Mahomes at No. 1
“Nobody plays traditional QB in the NFL better than Joe Burrow.” – Simms on Burrow at No. 2
“He’s the greatest one-man show in football, for better or for worse.”– Simms on Allen at No. 3
“All-time traits but still looking for his big moment.” – Simms on Herbert at No. 4
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 8, 2023 – Two-time Super Bowl MVP and two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, 2022 Pro Bowler Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, two-time Pro Bowler Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, and 2022 Pro Bowler Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers rank first through fourth in the final installment of Chris Simms’ countdown of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL, available now on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and on “PFT Live.”
Simms’ quarterbacks ranked 1-40:
| The King | 20. | Mac Jones, New England | |
| 1. | Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City | 21. | Tua Tagovailoa, Miami |
| Hall of Game | 22. | Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas | |
| 2. | Joe Burrow, Cincinnati | 23. | Justin Fields, Chicago |
| 3. | Josh Allen, Buffalo | 24. | Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay |
| The Machine | Sophomore Supremes | ||
| 4. | Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers | 25. | Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh |
| The Leapers & Lamar | 26. | Brock Purdy, San Francisco | |
| 5. | Lamar Jackson, Baltimore | Backup Supremes | |
| 6. | Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville | 27. | Sam Darnold, San Francisco |
| 7. | Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia | 28. | Andy Dalton, Carolina |
| Still a GOAT? | 29. | Tyler Huntley, Baltimore | |
| 8. | Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets | 30. | Davis Mills, Houston |
| Still a Superstar? | What is Love? (Baby Don’t Hurt Me) | ||
| 9. | Deshaun Watson, Cleveland | 31. | Jordan Love, Green Bay |
| 10. | Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams | Buzzworthy Backups | |
| What’s Your Ceiling? | 32. | Jarrett Stidham, Denver | |
| 11. | Daniel Jones, New York Giants | 33. | Taylor Heinicke, Atlanta |
| 12. | Kirk Cousins, Minnesota | 34. | Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis |
| 13. | Dak Prescott, Dallas | 35. | Mike White, Miami |
| Clock’s Ticking | Rookies | ||
| 14. | Russell Wilson, Denver | 36. | Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis |
| 15. | Geno Smith, Seattle | 37. | CJ Stroud, Houston |
| 16. | Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee | 38. | Bryce Young, Carolina |
| 17. | Jared Goff, Detroit | Show Me More, Sophomores | |
| 18. | Derek Carr, New Orleans | 39. | Sam Howell, Washington |
| 19. | Kyler Murray, Arizona | 40. | Desmond Ridder, Atlanta |
| Sh!t or Get Off the Pot |
Simms, a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2003 NFL Draft who played eight NFL seasons, offers in-depth player breakdowns and rankings explanations on Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
Simms has had recent success in projecting quarterbacks – including those coming out of college by naming Patrick Mahomes as his most exciting prospect in 2017, listing Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen as his top-two QBs in 2018, and having Justin Herbert as his No. 2 QB in 2020.
With the rankings now concluded, Simms will release an #AskMeAnything episode on Monday, June 12, on the next installment of Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:
No. 4: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
“All-time traits but still looking for his big moment. Probably the most consistent mechanics in the NFL. He has an all-time arm. One of the best in history. Unfortunately, he’s in an era with Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, who also have all-time arms…I call him ‘The Machine’ because he’s always in perfect position…I think he’s a little bit more of ‘lead by example.’ It’s a place where he can grow. He’s had some great moments in the NFL, but he hasn’t had that moment yet where you go, ‘They were outplayed but they won the game because Herbert did it.’ … That offense last year was a disservice to him. It was a little too basic…Because there’s a lack of flair, unlike Mahomes, he does not get the credit for the amount of unbelievable throws he makes.”
No. 3: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
“He’s the greatest one-man show in football, for better or for worse. We’re talking about one of the most all-around gifted quarterbacks in NFL history. I’m not sure if there is any team more dependent on the QB’s playmaking ability to get a win than the Buffalo Bills…I think he got a little too reckless and aggressive this year…He has arguably the strongest arm in the history of the NFL. (John) Elway, (Aaron) Rodgers, (Brett) Favre, Mahomes – those are the guys in that category. Top-five running quarterback in the NFL, for sure. There’s way more touch in Josh Allen’s game than he gets credit for.”
No. 2: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
“Nobody plays traditional QB in the NFL better than Joe Burrow. He plays the position the way the position was intended (by coaches like) Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, Mike Shanahan, Mike Holmgren -- a guy that diagnoses defenses and makes the appropriate throw as fast as anybody I’ve seen. It’s up there with the (Tom) Bradys and (Peyton) Mannings of the world. He’s even more mechanically awesome than (Justin) Herbert. Nobody works the offensive system more to their advantage than Burrow…It’s an incredible blend of system and one-on-one ball. He’s up there in the conversation for the best deep ball thrower in the NFL…I’m not sure any team believes in their quarterback more than Burrow other than the Chiefs and Mahomes. When your team can start to call it ‘Burrowhead Stadium,’ that’s when you know you have confidence. There’s a magic about him that’s palpable.”
No. 1: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
“(Mahomes’ last season) might be the best QB season in the history of the NFL. He’s got the blend of Burrow and Allen together where he can put five drives together and you go, ‘He’s surgical like Joe Burrow,’ then the next two drives it’s one backyard play after another like Josh Allen. It’s unreal…On the cusp of, ‘You’re going to get exposed this year without Tyreek Hill!’ What were people thinking that that was going to be the difference? … His decision-making and throwing were as good as I’ve ever seen him have in his career. He’s the king of making something out of nothing…His deep ball throwing can be improved on…He’s the human highlight reel. He’s the best scrambler ever. He’s arguably the greatest athlete in football. He’s in the GOAT status and he’s arguably the most physically gifted quarterback we’ve ever seen in the history of football.”
To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.
-NBC SPORTS-
