Today, I debut a series of articles that groups every NFL team according to their strength at various position groups. This should provide a gauge on how these teams will proceed through free agency and the draft.

First up — starting quarterbacks.

TIER 1: SUPER BOWL-WORTHY

Philadelphia Eagles

Kansas City committed itself to stopping Saquon Barkley in Super Bowl 59, and dared the Eagles to beat them with Jalen Hurts. Hurts complied, earning game MVP honors and silencing his critics. He is just 26 years old and has four years left on his contract. The playmakers around him are in their prime. The line is relatively young. Philly is going to be here for awhile.

Kansas City Chiefs

It feels like Patrick Mahomes has been around forever, but he’s just 29. He’s won three Super Bowls, appeared in five, and remains one of the scariest players on the planet with the ball in his hands in a tight football game. The Chiefs were beaten soundly by Philly in the Super Bowl, and may be on the decline. But as long as Mahomes is taking snaps, they remain a Super Bowl contender.

Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen is certainly good enough to win a Super Bowl. But are the Bills? Allen will be 29 in May, and remains in his prime. The clock is ticking, though. It’s tempting to ask whether Allen will get the Bills over the hump. The better question is whether the Bills will be good enough to get Allen there.

Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson is a special quarterback. At 28 years old, he’s already the NFL’s all-time leading rusher at the position and continues to improve as a passer. But, like Allen, he hasn’t been able to make it out of the conference playoffs. Baltimore is a Super Bowl team with Jackson at quarterback. They just haven’t played like one when it counts.

Cincinnati Bengals

Unlike Buffalo and Baltimore, Cincinnati has been to a Super Bowl with their starting quarterback. Joe Burrow is arguably the best pure passer in the NFL, and though the Bengals had a down year in 2024, when Burrow is healthy, and Cincinnati is right, they are scary-good on offense. Burrow has beaten Mahomes, Allen, and Jackson in the playoffs. That speaks for itself.

Washington Commanders

Maybe it’s too soon to put Jayden Daniels in this tier. Actually, it’s not. Anyone who watched him play as a rookie understands that he is already one of the league’s best. Daniels is paired with an offensive coordinator in Washington in Kliff Kingsbury who understands him and can scheme to his strengths. And, with the third-most cap space in the league this off-season, Washington stands to bolster a roster that made a surprising run to the NFC championship game.

TIER 2: FRANCHISE GUYS WITH SOMETHING TO PROVE

Detroit Lions

Jared Goff has already been to a Super Bowl. He did it with the Rams in 2018 as a young pup. Now at age 30, Goff is a seasoned veteran who has emerged as one of the NFL’s best passers. But he put up a stinker in the divisional playoffs in January as the heavily-favored Lions fell to Washington, and with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson leaving to coach the Bears, the question is whether Goff can keep Detroit in the Super Bowl conversation.

Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert looks like the star of a Hollywood rom-com about a cheerleader falling for the team’s hunky QB. Unlike in the movies, however, Herbert’s Chargers continue to show they are not ready for prime-time. L.A. improved last season under head coach Jim Harbaugh, but has won just one playoff game the past decade. If Herbert wants to be considered among the league’s best, the Chargers need to win when it counts.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Since joining the Bucs two seasons ago, Baker Mayfield has over 8,500 passing yards and 69 touchdown passes, and Tampa has won the NFC South each year. Mayfield’s career has been rejuvenated and his enthusiasm is infectious. Now, like Herbert, he has to win big to earn the respect afforded the best QBs in the game.

Green Bay Packers

Jordan Love is the answer. But he struggles with injury, and he can’t seem to get Green Bay over the hump against the league’s best teams. Until he does, he’ll remain in the second tier.

Houston Texans

Great debut season for C.J. Stroud in 2023. Slight regression in 2024. 2025 will be telling. Will Stroud take his play to the next level, or is he a middle-of-the-pack QB?

Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott is still the franchise guy in Dallas, but the product he’s put on the field the past few seasons — when he’s been out there — has been inconsistent. Prescott’s contract has the highest annual value in NFL history at $60 million per season. It’s time for his play to match his compensation.

Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa can be a Top-10 quarterback in the NFL, when he’s healthy. Therein lies the rub. Tua needs to prove he can stay in the lineup, and the Fins need to prove they are built for January football.

Denver Broncos

As with Daniels, it’s fair to ask whether Bo Nix belongs in this tier. Did he show enough as a rookie to suggest he’ll be the franchise guy in Denver? I think so. 29 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and a playoff berth is a great start. Nix seems like an ideal fit for Sean Payton’s offense. But he needs to show he can do it again — and even better — in 2025.

TIER 3: QUARTERBACKS IN PLACE, BUT WE HAVE QUESTIONS

Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence has a contract that pays like him a franchise quarterback. But is he? Rumors circulated last week that the Steelers approached Jacksonville about a trade for Lawrence. That turned out not to be true, but it does remind people that Lawrence hasn’t been very good the past two seasons. He is no longer untouchable with the Jags.

New Orleans Saints

Kellen Moore brings his shiny new Super Bowl ring to the Big Easy, where he must decide if Derek Carr is the team’s answer at quarterback. Carr should be, for one season at least, because New Orleans owes him a boatload of money. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess.

Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Murray has been the guy in Arizona for six seasons now. Their record in that time is 36-45-1, and they’ve played in one playoff game, in which they got blown out by the Rams. How long is Murray’s leash if things don’t change?

Seattle Seahawks

I love the Geno Smith reclamation story, but has it run its course? It feels like 2025 could be Geno’s last hurrah in Seattle, as Mike MacDonald looks to get younger and more dynamic at the position.

San Francisco 49ers

“Mr. Irrelevant” is another great story, but what’s the long-term outlook for Brock Purdy? Purdy had a fabulous start to his career but was exposed at times last season. He’s approaching his contract year, and the 49ers have to decide whether he’s the long-term answer.

Indianapolis Colts

Strange couple of chapters to the Anthony Richardson era so far. Injuries, “fatigue,” a benching, glowing reviews from his teammates. Do the Colts have a future star in Richardson or a potential bust? No one seems to know.

Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young was a nice comeback story in the second half of last season. He was benched for Andy Dalton, returned, and played solid football. So, will Young be the overmatched, ineffective player we saw his first year-and-a-half in the league, or the more mature version we saw down the stretch?

New England Patriots

Drake Maye was a bad quarterback on a bad team early last year, and a decent quarterback on a bad team by the end. Maye needs a better supporting cast to give him a chance to succeed. But the early returns are more encouraging than not.

Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams was the opposite of Maye. He had some good moments early, but seemed to regress as last season wore on. Ben Johnson should do wonders for Williams’s development, but as with all the quarterbacks in this tier, things could go either way.

Atlanta Falcons

Michael Penix took over for Kirk Cousins for the final three games last season and showed promise. Three games is a small sample size, however. How will Penix play when defenses have time to analyze his film and game-plan for him adequately?

TIER 4: WHO THE HELL IS PLAYING QUARTERBACK?

Los Angeles Rams

The answer is probably Matthew Stafford. But with Cooper Kupp on the trade block, L.A. could be signaling a soft rebuild, in which case Sean McVay may entertain moving Stafford if the price is right. Many of the teams in this tier are potential suitors if Stafford is available. In that scenario, who quarterbacks the Rams?

Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota would be a prime landing spot for Stafford. Sam Darnold is a free agent, and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was Stafford’s OC in LA when the Rams won it all in 2021. The question here is how much are the Vikings sold on J.J. McCarthy? The answer to that will decide whether they’re in play for Stafford.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers have been floated as a potential landing spot for Stafford as well. And for Darnold. And for Daniel Jones. And were mentioned in the since-debunked Lawrence trade rumors. They could also re-sign one of their own free agent QBs from 2024 — Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. It’s anyone’s guess who will quarterback the black-and-gold next season.

New York Giants

Brian Daboll survived the chopping block, but the pressure is on to win. One problem: the Giants stink. And they don’t have a quarterback. I can’t imagine them running it back with Drew Lock, and drafting a player like Shedeur Sanders seems risky for a coach who needs to win sooner than later. Signing Darnold or Kirk Cousins seems more likely.

New York Jets

New head coach Aaron Glenn won fans over almost immediately by announcing he was parting ways with Aaron Rodgers. Now what? Cousins is a leading candidate to quarterback this New York team as well.

Las Vegas Raiders

Vegas is a prime landing spot for washed-up acts looking to play some final gigs. So Russell Wilson reuniting with his former coach, Pete Carroll, or Rodgers bringing his circus act to town are both on the table.

Cleveland Browns

No coach in the league has been stuck with a more difficult quarterback situation than Kevin Stefanski. The Browns gave Deshaun Watson $230 million — guaranteed —  to be their quarterback in 2022, and we all know how that’s gone. Cleveland still owes Watson over $140 million, and who knows if he’ll be recovered from an Achilles tear to even play next season. Watson, Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe all started games for Cleveland last season. None may play for the Browns in 2025.

Tennessee Titans

Cam Ward. That’s my guess.