Ranking Chargers' Justin Herbert and all 32 starting quarterbacks in 2023
By Jason Reed
Tier 5: The Kirk Cousin tier
- 14. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
- 13. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
- 12. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
- 11. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
- 10. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
- 9. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
This is by far this writer's favorite tier on this entire list. All six of these quarterbacks are in the exact same range, even though some of the fanbases on this list would deny it (looking at you, Cowboys fans).
If all goes well, all of these quarterbacks can lead a team to the playoffs. But if these quarterbacks are asked to be the best player on the team and lead a thin roster then it probably is not going to go well. None of these guys are bad, but they also lack that "it" factor of being a true, elite, franchise quarterback.
Some of these guys are going to look great as they are naturally in better situations than their peers. Others may end up flaming out because of various issues on the roster. This list can be shuffled a million times as the season goes along but at the end of the day, all of these quarterbacks are in the same tier.
Tier 4: Luxury sports car that might be out of gas
- 8. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Aaron Rodgers is easily the hardest quarterback in the entire league to gauge. At his best, he would be much better than the eighth-best quarterback in the league. After all, he is one of the greatest of all time and just won back-to-back MVPs three and two years ago.
But then again, Rodgers was sneaky bad for the Packers last year. Was it truly a lack of resources? Or is it the start of the regression curve that we all should be expecting for a 40-year-old quarterback?
There is a chance that Rodgers is undoubtedly a top-five quarterback in the sport in 2023, but there is also a world in which he doesn't even look to belong in the Kirk Cousins tier. If he is the eighth-best quarterback in 2023 then the Jets will be happy.