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NFL quarterbacks and where they rank are bandied about like nobody’s business. Outside of Patrick Mahomes, how stars like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow rate among their quarterback peers is always a hot debate.
Another topic of discussion is which quarterbacks have something to prove and have a lot on the line in the coming season. Those players could be ones still on rookie contracts who have underwhelmed or veterans whose teams haven’t been able to advance in the playoffs.
With that in mind, FOX Sports Research compiled a list of the top 10 quarterbacks with the most to prove in the 2025 season.
Top 10 quarterbacks with the most to prove in 2025
Stroud had a tremendous rookie season, throwing for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns, putting up a 100.8 passer rating and winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Furthermore, he helped the Texans win the AFC South and advance to the AFC divisional round. Stroud’s production dipped in 2024, though, as he totaled 3,727 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and an 87.0 passer rating. Houston was eliminated in the divisional round once again. Can Stroud get the 2023 magic back, become one of the elite signal-callers in the sport and make the Texans a true contender in a loaded AFC?
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When healthy, Tagovailoa has been one of the most efficient passers in the NFL, epitomized by him completing a league-high 72.9% of his passes last season. But after leading the NFL with 4,624 passing yards in the 2023 regular season, the Dolphins were held to seven points by the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC wild-card round and eliminated. In 2024, Tagovailoa suffered his fourth head injury dating back to college and missed six starts due to injury altogether. Still looking to break a 25-year playoff win drought, the Dolphins need a healthy Tagovailoa and the best version of the left-handed quarterback.
Herbert has always had a great arm, thrown for a lot of yards and given the Chargers a fighting chance whenever he’s on the field. Last season, Herbert threw just three interceptions and posted a career-best 101.7 passer rating in his first season under head coach Jim Harbaugh. Then, the Chargers lost to the Texans in the AFC wild-card round, and Herbert tossed four interceptions in the game.
Herbert has gotten the Chargers to the playoffs twice, but they’ve gone 0-2. They need him to lead them there again, and for the same flamethrower put on display in the regular season to show up in the postseason in Year 2 with Harbaugh.
Prescott has been highly productive in the regular season, more often than not guiding the Cowboys to the playoffs when healthy. But then the postseason happens: Dallas is still just 2-5 in such play with the three-time Pro Bowler under center. Prescott also missed the final nine games of the 2024 season — a 7-10 year for Dallas — due to a hamstring injury after signing a four-year, $240 million extension. To boot, two of the Cowboys’ divisional foes simultaneously had outstanding seasons (the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl, and the Washington Commanders reached the NFC Championship Game). Getting back on track in the 2025 season is of the essence for Prescott and the Cowboys.
Darnold had a breakout season with the Minnesota Vikings to the tune of 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, while helping them win 14 games. Then, the Vikings scored just nine points apiece in their Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions and their NFC wild-card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, and they let Darnold hit free agency, putting their focus squarely on 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy. Darnold proceeded to sign a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seahawks, who traded away veteran quarterback Geno Smith beforehand.
Now, Darnold gets to be the centerpiece of Seattle’s future and prove Minnesota wrong for allowing him to walk. If Darnold plays like he did last season, the Seahawks could make the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
New Jets general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn cut ties with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers and signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million deal. A former first-round pick of the Chicago Bears, Fields has made 44 career starts and flaunted an elite rushing ability and occasional touch on deep balls. Even so, Fields is coming off an up-and-down 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which saw him get benched after six games for Russell Wilson and be used as a gimmick rusher the rest of the way. The Jets offer Fields a chance to show that he’s a quality starter with high-end upside, especially with nobody breathing down his neck for the starting job.
If Fields thrives, the Jets will have their franchise quarterback at a team-friendly rate for another year. In the scenario where Fields struggles, the Jets will likely be taking a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The 2024 season was a roller coaster for Young, who was benched after two games but later got the starting job back after Andy Dalton suffered a thumb injury. Down the stretch of the season, Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had the best run of his young pro career. Across Carolina’s last seven games, Young recorded 1,583 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, three interceptions and a 92.3 passer rating, while completing 61.5% of his passes. He also rushed for 178 yards and five touchdowns. The Panthers are a combined 6-22 in games that Young has started, though. They need him to build on the latter half of the 2024 season, or else they too will likely be looking for a new quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Williams’ biggest issue might be how well the quarterback drafted one pick after him, Jayden Daniels, played as a rookie. Daniels won the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year Award as the Commanders tripled their win total from the year before and made NFC Championship Game. Meanwhile, Williams and the Bears went 5-12 in 2024.
Now, Williams has a new head coach, former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who can help him improve. In his rookie season, Williams totaled 3,541 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and an 87.8 passer rating, while completing 62.5% of his passes. He also rushed for 489 yards. Williams was the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for a reason: He’s a dynamic quarterback with superstar upside. Williams actually becoming that player is pivotal if the Bears are going to get out of the NFC North’s basement.
The Colts have made it clear to Richardson that he has to earn the starting job, as they signed Daniel Jones, who has made 69 career starts, to a one-year, $14 million deal this offseason. Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has showcased a cannon for an arm and an ability to bulldoze defenders on the run, but he was limited to four games in 2023 due to shoulder and head injuries, and missed four more games due to oblique and back injuries in 2024. He was also benched for two weeks for performance reasons.
Across his 15 career NFL starts, Richardson has posted a combined 67.8 passer rating and completed just 50.6% of his passes. Richardson needs to win the starting job, be more efficient, stay healthy and have an encouraging season. If his 2025 season ends up being more of the same, Jones will take over, and Richardson will likely become a backup for the foreseeable future. In other words, this season is make or break for the former Florida Gators quarterback.
Lawrence had a pair of productive seasons in 2022 and 2023, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 20-plus touchdowns in both seasons and guiding the Jaguars to the AFC divisional round in 2022. However, he’s coming off an underwhelming 2024 campaign — 2,045 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, seven interceptions and an 85.2 passer rating — in which he missed seven games due to shoulder and head injuries; Jacksonville went 2-8 in the games that Lawrence started. The Jaguars fired head coach Doug Pederson after three seasons in favor of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
Another former No. 1 pick on this list, Lawrence has had his moments since being drafted in 2021, and the Jaguars gave him a $275 million extension. He has yet to punch his way into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks, though. This is a franchise stuck in the mud, but first-rate quarterback play can change everything. It’s time for “Sunshine” to make the sun rise again in Duval — and maybe stop Coen from saying “Duval.”
Honorable mention
Check out all of our Daily Rankers.
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