1. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
Along with Tom Brady’s 2007 season and Aaron Rodgers’s 2011 season, Manning’s 2013 campaign was one of the most impressive, if not the most impressive, season from a quarterback in the past decade. Many are skeptical as to whether Manning can repeat the same level of play once more, especially with Eric Decker now being a New York Jet. On the other hand, few remember that his All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady missed most of the 2013 and will now be back. With the offensive line set to improve, Manning should be able to somewhat replicate last season, Decker or no Decker.
2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
The Packers were riddled with injuries in 2013 and Rodgers was one of those injured. Rodgers only played eight full games. Thankfully, through those eight games, Rodgers was still the dynamic quarterback that he has always been. As if the Packers receiving corps were not already solid, the front office went out and drafted a handful of pass catchers in hopes to give Rodgers even more weapons. Now that Rodgers will be back to health, he will take over the NFL.
3. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
Due to the mediocrity of the team as a whole (primarily the defense), Rivers’s efforts in 2013 went underrated by the majority of the NFL community. As if Rivers did not already seem reborn, the drafting of Chris Watt, who will improve the interior offensive line, and the assumed emergence of tight end Ladarius Green will make Rivers’s job even easier and allow him to thrive.
4. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
Few quarterbacks in the are as or more physically talented than Luck. For such a young quarterback, his pocket presence and movement is wonderful. That being said, he continued to make rookie mistakes as a second year player. Though that was more due to Reggie Wayne’s injury and the mediocrity of the rest of the cast than it was due to Luck himself. The supporting cast around Luck in 2014 will be healthier and more talented than the previous two years, in theory. With a better peace of mind, Luck should assert himself as one of the best passers in the league.
5. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Newton is the most athletically gifted quarterback in the league. He has the movement skills to play safety, the size to play defensive end, and arguably the strongest arm in the league. The only problem with that is that many continue to label him as a “running quarterback” because of his athleticism. While he can certainly beat teams with his feet, Newton has developed the ability to pick teams apart with his arm. Newton should be even higher on the list, but the loss of both Steve Smith and Jordan Gross will have a major impact.
6. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
As all aging quarterbacks will and do, Brees showed minor decline last season, but he is still one of the most dominant quarterbacks in the league. The addition of Brandin Cooks is a perfect fit for the offense. He can stretch the field as well as be another option for the many screens New Orleans runs. Brees will have plenty of options and a solid offensive line that will enable him to be efficient and lead the Saints to a division title.
7. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
There are plenty of reasons to excuse Wilson’s success as a product of the team as a whole, but Wilson truly is a phenomenal young passer. At times, he can get erratic and run around like a chicken with his head cut off, but in the end, he completes a stunning pass. Now, it would be prefered that he stay in the pocket more and win from there, but he is lethal regardless.
Wilson is small, but he “packs a punch.” He has a rocket for an arm that allows him to hit receivers 50 yards down the field as he makes said throw on the move. Likewise, Wilson is tough as nails despite his size. Wilson took plenty of hits and was even used often as a short yardage runner, yet was healthy enough to start all 16 games.
8. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
The perception on Ryan’s 2013 season due to the lack of success from the team as a whole is unfair. Atlanta had a poor offensive line, an injury ravaged receiver corps, and a defense that was 27th in points allowed, yet Ryan himself played well. He was accurate as ever, and even seemed to be more comfortable in the pocket than he had before. Ryan had his fair share of mistakes as well, many due to the previously stated reasons, but he was not any worse of a quarterback than before.
9. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Without a doubt, there is not a more underappreciated quarterback in the league than Romo. Romo has been a top notch quarterback for the Cowboys for the better part of the last decade, yet Cowboys fans continue to disregard that for the “he is a choker” story. In reality, Romo is one of the league’s most productive fourth quarter players, but why be rational, right? The Cowboys offensive line will now be the best it has been in a while, which will allow Romo to continue to crush the league while being despised by Cowboys fans everywhere.
10. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
With everything that was and is wrong with the Dolphins organization, Tannehill’s talent flies under the radar. Not only is he athletic, but he is an accurate and intelligent passer. Though he was sacked far more than any other NFL quarterback last season, Tannehill has a solid pocket presence and movement, tangented by the ability to throw on the move. Considering the subpar team around him, a near-playoff season lead by Tannehill is impressive, especially considering he was only a second year player in 2013. With an improved offensive line and the addition of Jarvis Landry, who has glue-like hands, Tannehill will begin to show himself as the quarterback that he really is.
11. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
The Bears sustained success for a short period of time without Cutler and that lead many to believe that he was not needed for Chicago to win. Josh McCown played well for his time being, but Cutler is, to some extent, a “born again quarterback” because of Marc Trestman. In just one season with Trestman, Cutler looked like a smoother and more mentally sound quarterback. It may be nothing more than Trestman magic, but Cutler is a high level quarterback with a dominant duo of wide receivers to throw to.
12. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
As much as it pains the football community to hear, the end of the Brady era is near and the decline has already begun. His footwork has become sloppier and his overall accuracy has worsened some. To be fair, he remains to be a quarterback that will win games and sustain success. With Rob Gronkowski healthy again, Brady may be able to revive himself, but it seems as if time has taken its toll.
13. Eli Manning, New York Giants
What happens when a poor offensive line, underperforming receiving corps, and a struggling rushing attack have a “if it can go wrong, it will go wrong” type of season? Manning’s 2013 stat line. Numbers aside, Manning’s ball placement is still impressive enough to orchestrate beautiful scoring drives, but Lady Luck seldom allowed that in 2013. Dropped passes, unlucky bounces, miscommunication- you name it. The situation around Manning has improved on paper, most notably due to rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
14. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
Few NFL quarterbacks are as polarizing as Kaepernick. Some believe he is a stunning athlete that can make any throw on the route tree, while others see him as a running-oriented quarterback that continues to struggle with the mental aspect of quarterbacking. Both extremes are false. More realistically, Kaepernick is a mixed bag of both extremes. At times, he flashes wonderful ball placement, then follows it up with a horrendous missed read on a linebacker that leads to an interception.
15. Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles
Foles’s 27 touchdowns to two interceptions run was seen as arguably the best quarterback play during that time aside from Peyton Manning. While it was an impressive feat, Foles is not yet the passer he is hyped up to be. In 2013, his feet were sloppy and he often missed throws he should not have. That being said, Foles showed improvement from year one to year two, and with Chip Kelly as the head coach, Foles will continue to get better and look like a star in Kelly’s system.
16. Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings
No other rookie is even near the top half of this list, but for good reason. Bridgewater is a brilliant, polished young leader that will have no trouble adapting to the professional level. His footwork is clean and crisp, and he is a prepared and cautious passer. Seldom does Bridgewater force throws into areas that he knows will be contested. The pressure of the NFL will get to Bridgewater to some extent, but expect Bridgewater to have a solid rookie year, especially with the versatile receiving corps at his disposal.
17. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Year after year, box score analysts make Stafford appear better than he is. Stafford has failed to develop since his college days and is still a one-speed thrower that struggles with ball placement. Lucky for him, Calvin Johnson is a human baseball gloves that snags every pass that comes his way and often bails Stafford out of trouble. In fairness, Stafford is still a competent quarterback that you can win games with, but he does not elevate the team around him. In 2014, Stafford will have Johnson, Golden Tate, and Eric Ebron, so not elevating those around him will not be as much of an issue.
18. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams
Low key, Bradford was a solid quarterback in 2013 prior to his injury. He is a tentative passer in a system that did not ask much of him to begin with, but at the very least, Bradford is accurate. The Rams continue to attempt to build around Bradford, but up to this point, they have found little success. With the Rams defense as talented as it is, it is likely that their performance will be more crucial to the team’s success than Bradford’s performance, but it will be his game manager-type stability that keeps the team afloat.
19. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
Even during the season in which Baltimore won the Super Bowl, Flacco has never been an efficient quarterback. His deep ball is monstrously overrated, yet Baltimore threw deep often. Flacco needs run support and an offensive line, yet Baltimore had neither in 2013. Over this most recent off-season, general manager Ozzie Newsome did his best to give the offense a new face, headlined by the decision to sign Gary Kubiak as the offensive coordinator. Among other reasons, many that are related, Kubiak’s system will maximize Flacco’s ability.
20. Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals
Inconsistency is almost as terrifying as being mediocre all the time. More so than any other professional quarterback, Palmer had an “up and down” year that featured Palmer answering each of his own touchdowns passes with an interception. Of course, the Cardinals offensive line may have been the worst in the league in 2013 so not everything can be pinned on Palmer, but he needed to be better. With the offense looking improved as a whole, namely the offensive line, Palmer should be able to keep games more under control.
21. Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans
Will Locker ever stay healthy enough to play a full season? At this point, it seems doubtful. Locker, although a fairly talented quarterback and athlete, is beaten and broken. As if the current injuries have not already taken their toll, Locker is one wrong twist or powerful hit from no longer being considered starting quarterback material.
22. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
Since the shoulder injury in 2012, Roethlisberger has not been quite the same. His accuracy has dropped off and noticeably restricted an absurd amount of yards after the catch. Unrelated to the shoulder injury, Roethlisberger has also seemed to be less cautious when throwing over the middle of the field, which lead to plenty of poaching defenders swooping in to defend the pass. Though he was great at one point, there is little reason to believe Roethlisberger will be return to his old self.
23. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
If the term "mediocre" could be embodied by a single quarterback, it would be Dalton. In his first three years, Dalton has failed to improvement from year to year and remains to be the piece that holds the offense back. He struggles seeing defenders often and his accuracy in general is shaky. Though he understands how to use A.J. Green well, Dalton lacks the ability to take full advantage of the talented offense of the Bengals.
24. Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland has stated that the best player will be the starting quarterback and Manziel is that guy. Brian Hoyer executed well when the team needed him, but it was on a small sample size. Hoyer is a fine quarterback, but Manziel is too naturally gifted to be benched. That being said, Manziel will struggle to adjust to the NFL and commit his fair share of rookie mistakes, if not more. The experience will be worth it in the long run.
25. Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Somehow, some way, Smith continues to win games despite being a middling quarterback that refuses to take shots down field. On all levels of the field, Smith's ball placement is average at best. Although, Andy Reid's system allows Smith to be more of a middle-man for Jamaal Charles than an actual quarterback. Regardless of his numbers, Smith is a below average quarterback.
26. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
Griffin is a tough case. As a rookie, Griffin showed promise and the ability to be an effective starting quarterback. Last season, Griffin struggled with his health and was never able to truly focus on football, and it was noticeable on field. With a full offseason of health, Griffin should be able to make up lost ground. It is likely that the 2014 version of Griffin will be a player that is somewhere in between the previous two versions.
27. Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Glennon is Matthew Stafford if Stafford was less mobile and had a weaker arm. He is a one speed thrower that struggles with ball placement. Glennon is also statue in the pocket. That does not necessarily mean that he does not run for extra yardage, but Glennon is even hesitant to move around the pocket in order to find better angles or throwing lanes. The only reason to believe Glennon will produce well is that he has a handful of tall targets at his disposal.
28. Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars
Head coach Gus Bradley made a statement that Chad Henne would be the starting quarterback, but Bradley would not start the inferior quarterback. Bortles is a player that has shown he can noticeably improve from one year to the next and it is fair to say he has done some improvement since his last days in college. At some point in the year, Bortles will be handed the starting job. He will struggle during his first year because he is not quite mentally ready for the NFL, but he is physically talented and will come into his own after his rookie year.
29. Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
Much like Blake Bortles, Carr is not set to start as a rookie, but the staff has been impressed with him this far and Dennis Allen, who is on the "hot seat," would be foolish to sit Carr for more than the first few weeks, if at all. Carr will be mentally ready, but his mechanics will hinder him from maximizing himself as a rookie. In due time, Carr will work out the kinks in his mechanics and be a solid quarterback.
30. E.J. Manuel, Buffalo Bills
Unless some stroke of luck fixes Manuel's accuracy, he will continue to be a poor quarterback. To be fair to Manuel, he seldom tests tight coverage and keeps games under control, but with that comes his inability to carry an offense. Though Manuel will have one of the most talented receiver corps and a solid offensive line, Manuel will continue to underperform.
31. Geno Smith, New York Jets
Smith's 2013 season was exactly what you would imagine a movie titled "Rookie Mistakes" to turn out as. From poor mechanics to atrocious mental mistakes, Smith's 2013 season was a mess. The Jets made an effort to supply him with more weapons, but Smith has yet to show improvement from one year to another.
32. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Houston Texans
Instead of drafting a franchise quarterback, new head coach Bill O'Brien opted to take a pass rusher, leaving him with Fitzpatrick as his best option at quarterback. While Fitzpatrick is a capable backup quarterback, he is not starting quarterback material. With Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins to throw to, Fitzpatrick, at the least, can win a few games because of that wonderful duo, but do not expect much out of him.