After winning his second straight MVP and fourth of his career last season, Aaron Rodgers was named the best quarterback in the NFL by league personnel, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
A survey of executives, coaches, scouts and players put the Green Bay Packers star in the top spot at the position, ahead of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.It’s a flip from last year when Mahomes finished first in the poll ahead of Rodgers in second place.
Buffalo Bills passer Josh Allen ranked third, while Tom Brady and Joe Burrow rounded out the top five. There was still plenty of disagreement among the voters.Rodgers, Mahomes, Allen and Brady all earned first-place votes while also receiving votes of fifth or lower. Some saw Burrow as high as second while others didn’t put him in the top 10.
The top signal-callers also have major question marks this year, with both Rodgers and Mahomes losing their No. 1 target from the past few seasons. The Packers traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, while Tyreek Hill went from the Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins. Evaluators still don’t expect a drop-off in quarterback play.
“He’s been the same guy and will continue to be; he’ll make those receivers better [without Davante Adams],” a veteran NFC scout said of Rodgers.”I’m not worried about Patrick,” an NFC exec said of Mahomes. “He’s proven himself. When you have an elite quarterback, you can lose pieces around you and still make it work. [Hill] is just a receiver.”
There are also others ready to move up the rankings if the top players falter. Allen jumped from fifth last year to third this offseason after backing up his breakout 2020 campaign. Though the Bills lost in the divisional round of the playoffs, Allen showed he can compete with anyone.
Burrow also turned heads in the playoffs while leading the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl. He was an honorable mention in this survey last year but is now up to fifth. Justin Herbert could be another quick riser while sitting at seventh on the current list.
