Written by: Tyler Deakin
Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, Eli Manning, & Peyton Manning have all retired over the past several years. These guys have been fixtures of the league for decades, and all of them are likely to be Hall of Famers (with Peyton Manning already in). Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, & Ryan Fitzpatrick are amongst the oldest active quarterbacks now. Rodgers is great, but the other two pale in comparison to anybody in the aforementioned list. Who are the names to watch for in terms of the next generation of quarterbacks? Will these dudes be as exciting to watch as the previous generation was? Let’s analyze this young group.
Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes already has a Super Bowl win, Super Bowl MVP Trophy, & NFL MVP trophy on his resume, and he’s just 26 years old! Safe to say, this guy is the face of the league right now & likely will be for the foreseeable future. He’s been to the AFC Championship Game every year since becoming the Chiefs starting quarterback in 2018. His 2-2 record in those games is kind of misleading, as both losses were heartbreakers in overtime against the Patriots & Bengals. This list is loaded with AFC quarterbacks, but until further notice Mahomes is the man to beat.
Josh Allen
Allen went toe to toe with Mahomes in the AFC Divisional Round this year, which was an instant classic that ended in overtime despite the fact that the Bills offense never got the ball. I think the game would’ve continued throughout the night if Allen had a chance to tie things up. He doesn’t have the accolades that Mahomes does yet, but he was a late bloomer who was also Mahomes’ main source of competition in the AFC for many of these team & individual awards. His time is coming, and one of these days he will finally best Patrick Mahomes & the Chiefs. What would really help him out is if the Bills could get him a solid running game to lean on.
Justin Herbert
Herbert set the record for most passing touchdowns by a rookie (31) in the 2020 season. He’s been simply incredible since taking over for an injured Tyrod Taylor in Week 2 of last year. I’ll never forget watching him drive the Chargers down the field time & time again in a Week 18 thriller against the Raiders this year. Let’s set the scene here, this was the last regular season game of the year & it was a de-facto playoff game as both teams faced win or go home scenarios. His team trailed 29-14 with 8:23 remaining, and that’s when Herbert began his comeback bid. The 23-year-old QB tied the game with 0:00 left, and lost in heartbreaking fashion in overtime. AFC West divisional games late in the season certainly look like must-see TV going forward.
Joe Burrow
Why not talk about the guy who’s got his team on the verge of winning the Super Bowl? What’s crazy is that this guy is just 25 years old & he’s only been in the league for 2 years. Crazier is the fact that he led his team from a 21-3 deficit in the AFC Championship Game to an OT win over the Chiefs that gave the Bengals their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988! An underrated aspect of Burrow’s game is his accuracy, with a career 68.2% completion percentage. He really lives up to his “Joe Cool” nickname as nothing about football really seems to faze him.
Lamar Jackson
Jackson had a down year in 2021 as he battled an ankle injury that cost him 5 games. Despite that, he still had nearly 800 yards rushing & 16 total touchdowns in a career worst year. His accomplishments so far include a 2019 NFL MVP Award and the most wins (41) by a quarterback before turning age 25 (he turned 25 in January). He also set the NFL’s single season rushing record for a quarterback (1,206 yards) in 2019, which broke Michael Vick’s old record. Let’s hope for a better season from Lamar Jackson in 2022 as he enters a crucial contract year.
Kyler Murray
You might have noticed while looking over this list that most of the hot-shot quarterbacks are from the AFC. That’s certainly true, but guys like Murray from the NFC deserve recognition. He’s like the NFC’s version of Lamar Jackson, with a dynamic ability to tuck & run as needed. The 24-year-old has averaged 5.7 yards per carry with 20 rushing touchdown in 3 NFL seasons. His infamous “Hail Murray” play where he threw a walk off touchdown pass to All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins while being driven to the ground against the Bills was a thing of beauty. Unfortunately, his Achilles heel has been an inability to sustain this style of play for a full year.
Dak Prescott
I hesitated to put Dak Prescott on this list, mainly because he’s a little bit older (28) & a little less dynamic than most of the other young guns on this list. Dak’s been a solid starter for the Cowboys since taking over for Tony Romo in 2016 though, and he still has room for growth. His 2021 season was his best yet in completing 68.8% of his passes for 4,448 yards & 37 TDs. The Cowboys QB is poised to continue putting up solid numbers with a stellar supporting cast.
The bottom line
Let’s face it, the AFC is absolutely loaded with young quarterbacks entering their primes. This is not the case for the NFC, which is mostly being carried by Kyler Murray & Dak Prescott. The fate of NFC quarterbacks rests on the progress of Justin Fields, Trey Lance, & Jordan Love. We haven’t seen much from these guys yet, but if they’re any good the NFC will be competitive.