By admin 
A few weeks ago, a poll of NFL executives and scouts shed some light on what league insiders consider to be the top-10 hierarchy for the most important position on the field: quarterback.
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Stalwarts like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson were perhaps lower than some people might’ve expected. Other accomplished players like Jalen Hurts didn’t even crack the top-10. Still, other players like Joe Burrow were inexplicably high on the list despite missing significant playing time.
No matter how many MVPs, Super Bowls, or other accolades a quarterback wins, every year is a new season, and some players simply have more to prove than others.
These are the top 5 NFL quarterbacks with the most to prove heading into 2026.
5. Jalen Hurts – Addition by Subtraction
Age: 27
2025 stats: 3,224 yards passing, 421 yards rushing, 25 TDs passing, 8 TDs rushing, 6 INTs
One would think that being just one year removed from being named Super Bowl MVP would grant a quarterback some respect, but Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Jalen Hurts still doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt from many fans. League personnel don’t seem to be particularly enamored with him either, based on the ESPN rankings poll.
His numbers last season speak for themselves: 33 total touchdowns and more than 3,600 combined yards with only 6 interceptions is a fine season by most measures, but his passing yards were pedestrian, and the 7.1 average yards per completion were the lowest of his career.
Star wideout AJ Brown’s departure to the Patriots also adds another wrinkle to Jalen Hurts story.
While Brown was undoubtedly a productive receiver, he and Hurts never really got along, and after he was traded, Brown admitted that he was the one leaking negative things about Hurts to the press. So while his cast of pass catchers may not be as sharp as it has been in the past, moving on from Brown may end up being addition by subtraction for Hurts.
4. Patrick Mahomes – Can The Diminished Superstar Still Be Elite?
Age: 30
2025 stats: 3,587 yards passing, 422 yards rushing, 22 TDs passing, 5 TDs rushing, 11 interceptions
Speaking of championship-winning quarterbacks, for the first time since his second season, Patrick Mahomes has something to prove.
Mahomes’ drop-off last year was dramatic, even before he tore his ACL on December 14, only weeks before the end of the season. The interceptions were especially troublesome as Mahomes threw 11 picks, tying him for seventh-most in the league.
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But the ACL tear casts a huge question mark over what to expect from Mahomes heading into the 2026 season, and that question mark is almost as big as the new knee brace Mahomes has been sporting in training camp.
While Mahomes has never been known as the fastest or shiftiest runner, he did have a career-high 422 rushing yards last season before his injury.
Scrambling around in the backfield is also a big part of his game, so whether he’ll be able to buy time for a wide receiver group that does not have a big-name star to strike fear into defenses is also in question. While Mahomes is a two-time league MVP and a three-time Super Bowl MVP, he garnered those accolades before his injury. He has some questions to answer in 2026.
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3. Daniel Jones – Needs to Prove Early 2025 Success Wasn’t a Fluke
Age: 29
2025 stats: 3,101 yards passing, 19 TDs, 8 INTs, 100 Passer Rating
During the first half of the season, you could have made a convincing argument for Daniel Jones playing like a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. After years of mediocrity, or worse, playing with the New York Giants, Jones seemingly found a home with the Indianapolis Colts.
However, after leading the Colts to an 8-2 record, Jones and the Colts lost three straight, including two games where he didn’t play well and his final game of the season when he tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14 against the Jaguars.
After years of being a magnet for sacks, Jones seemed to have figured something out, taking only 22 sacks in his 13 games played. It was the fewest sacks he’s taken since 2021, when he also had 22 in just 11 games. But that’s another issue Jones has had throughout his career: health.
Jones has only played a full season once in his career. Over the past 3 seasons, he has only played in 29 out of 51 possible games. So in addition, Jones has to prove that he can stay healthy, and he needs to prove that his early-season success last year wasn’t a fluke.
2. Lamar Jackson – can he do it one more time?
Age: 29
2025 stats: 2,549 yards passing, 349 yards rushing, 21 TDs passing, 2 TD rushing, 7 INTs
Two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson had a 2025 season to forget as injuries and uneven play led to the Baltimore Ravens missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021, when Jackson played only 12 games.
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He played 13 last season, but his production, especially in the running game, was concerning. Jackson is the modern definition of a dual-threat quarterback, but he only had 349 rushing yards last season, easily the lowest mark of his career. Jackson is one of the fastest players in the league, regardless of position, so his long run of 19 yards is almost unacceptable.
The Ravens as a team were going through a lot on both sides of the ball, leading to the firing of long-time head coach John Harbaugh. With a new regime and a new philosophy in place, Jackson has a lot to prove once again as the Ravens’ stacked roster appears ready to go on a deep playoff run, as long as they get great play out of Jackson.
1. CJ Stroud – work to do after disastrous playoff run
Age: 24
2025 stats: 3,041 yards, 19 TDs, 8 INTs, 92.9 QB Rating
CJ Stroud was having a good season, well on his way to 4,000 yards after the Texans beat the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7, and Stroud was 30 for 39 with 318 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one pick. It was his best game of the season, but he had been building to that point in the weeks prior.
Then it all came crashing down the next week in Denver when he was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Stroud wouldn’t see the field for three more weeks. And when he returned, all the momentum he had built up was gone.
Stroud never cracked 300 yards again. But his regular-season decline would be nothing compared to the disastrous game he had against the New England Patriots in the Divisional round of the playoffs.
Stroud threw four absolutely back-breaking interceptions against the Patriots, each one seemingly more egregious than the last. All four of those turnovers came before halftime.
The performance was so bad that fans and even the announcers wondered aloud if Stroud should be benched at halftime. But 2026 is a new season for Stroud to reestablish himself as one of the league’s young quarterback talents.
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This story was originally published July 30, 2026 at 8:07 AM.