Many fans may not believe Matthew Stafford is one of the five best quarterbacks in football, but the NFL’s top talent evaluators sure do. That says everything you need to know about how well Stafford played in 2023 and how highly he’s viewed around the league.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polled NFL coaches, executives and scouts on the top quarterbacks in the NFL right now and based on the voting, Stafford was ranked as the fifth-best player at his position. Last year, he was ranked 10th, so this is a huge improvement for the Rams veteran.
Stafford’s highest ranking by one voter was third, so at least one evaluator sees him as the No. 3 quarterback in the NFL. And everyone who voted (there were nearly 80 of them) ranked Stafford in the top 10, so the consensus is at the very least, he’s among the 10 best quarterbacks in football.
One voter was sure to mention how Stafford makes everyone around him better, an unquestioned fact after seeing him orchestrate historic seasons by Calvin Johnson, Cooper Kupp and now Puka Nacua.
“He elevates the play of those around him,” a high-ranking official with an NFL team said. “Puka Nacua is a good player — but he’s not the same guy without Stafford. He helps those guys reach their potential.”
Another voter, an NFC executive, said Stafford can “still make every throw to every part of the field” and “the arm strength hasn’t left him.”
So who are the four quarterbacks ranked ahead of Stafford? It’s probably not hard to guess them.
- Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
- Joe Burrow, Bengals
- Josh Allen, Bills
- Lamar Jackson, Ravens
Stafford was the only NFC West quarterback ranked in the top 10. Brock Purdy was an honorable mention, and Kyler Murray was in the “also receiving votes” section. Interestingly, former Rams quarterback Jared Goff was ranked ninth, with one voter putting him as high as No. 5 in the NFL.
