10 Most Overrated Quarterbacks In The NFL Today – 2026 Edition
To say that the quarterback is the most important player on the football field would be a huge understatement. The quarterback has always been an important position, but changes to the rules that favor the passing game have elevated it to new heights. Today’s NFL game runs through the quarterback position. But not every quarterback is built the same. Some teams have great quarterbacks, some have horrible ones, and some teams are blessed with quarterbacks who are more bust than boom. Let’s take a look at 10 quarterbacks who fit the definition of overrated. Who are the most overrated NFL quarterbacks in 2026? Tua Tagovailoa – Atlanta FalconsDec 21, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) warms up before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images If we’re making a list of overrated NFL quarterbacks, it has to start with Tua Tagovailoa. Throughout the 2019 season, the Dolphins on field play appeared to fit the “Tank for Tua” narrative, resulting in his being drafted 5th overall by the Miami Dolphins in 2020. Since being named the starter in South Beach, Tua has been inconsistent at best. While he led the league in Passing Yards in 2023, with 4,624 yards, and led the Dolphins to the playoffs, he has not lived up to the hype. A quick glance at Tua’s career stats does not paint an accurate picture of his standing in the league. Tagovailoa has a career record of 44-32, 120 touchdowns to 59 interceptions, and a completion percentage of 68%. However, over the last 6 seasons, Tua’s weaknesses have been repeatedly exposed, showing that the quarterback is nowhere near worth the 4-year, $212.4 million extension he signed in 2024. In fact, Tua was cut by the Dolphins after the 2025 season and signed a 1-year deal worth the league minimum in Atlanta, where he will look to resurrect his career. Shedeur Sanders – Cleveland BrownsShedeur Sanders (Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images) There’s no question that Shedeur Sanders is a talented quarterback. The problem is that there is no way he could live up to the hype that he entered the NFL with. Sanders had a very successful, but brief, college career. He played 2 seasons with Colorado, throwing for over 7,300 yards with 64 touchdowns. Entering the 2025 Draft, there was a lot of hype on the young quarterback, but it seemed that it was more a result of his father. Sanders is the son of Hall-of-Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, who is one of the best self-promoters the sports world has ever seen. Entering the NFL is tough enough. It’s made even tougher when you are the son of a legendary player. When the hype machine is factored in, the pressure to perform goes through the roof. What didn’t help Sanders was that he was drafted by one of the most inept teams in the league – the Cleveland Browns. In 8 starts during the 2025 season, Sanders flashed his potential, but the Browns’ ineptness held him back. As long as the young QB stays in the mess that exists in Cleveland, his hype will not match his performance, labeling Shedeur Sanders as overrated. Josh Allen – Buffalo BillsJosh Allen (Image Credits: Imagn) I know I’m going to get some blowback for this selection. Let’s start with the obvious: Josh Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today. The 4x Pro Bowler and 2024 MVP has led the Bills to 7 straight winning seasons, compiling a won-loss record of 88-39, with over 30,000 passing yards and 220 touchdowns. Based upon his on-field success and wide-ranging endorsements, the 29-year-old quarterback has clearly established himself as one of the faces of the game. So how does one of today’s star players end up on a list of overrated players? One word: playoffs. In the case of Josh Allen, it’s a lack of playoff success. Allen led the Bills to 5 straight AFC East titles, establishing them as one of the best teams in the league. But over that time period, Allen has failed to lead Buffalo to a Super Bowl appearance, including in the 2025 season when the archenemy Chiefs were absent from the playoffs. With their biggest obstacle nowhere to be seen, Allen was still unable to lead the Bills to the Super Bowl. Until Allen tastes postseason glory, he will remain on the overrated list. Kyler Murray – Minnesota VikingsKyler Murray (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images) “With the 1st overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select quarterback Kyler Murray.” With that announcement came a wave of excitement and optimism in the Phoenix area. In hindsight, do you think the Cardinals regret that decision? How about the 5-year,$230.5 million contract they signed Murray to in 2022? Think they regret that decision? Despite being paired with other star players such as Marvin Harrison Jr., Zach Ertz, James Conner, and DeAndre Hopkins, he has led the Cardinals absolutely nowhere. In the 7 injury prone seasons, Murray led the Cardinals to a 38-48-1 record. Much like another quarterback on our list (Tua), Kyler Murray was so bad in Arizona that the team released him in March 2026, and will still be paying him over $36 million in 2026 to suit up for the Minnesota Vikings. Maybe the Vikings will unlock his full potential, but based on the last six years, we’ve probably seen what Kyler Murray is. J.J. McCarthy – Minnesota VikingsSep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts after a play during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images In 2022, the Vikings finished the season with a 13-4 record and a loss in the Wild Card round of the playoffs with Kirk Cousins at the quarterback position. In 2024, the Vikings, with Sam Darnaud under center, finished 14-3 with a loss in the Wild Card round. Minnesota seemed like a team on the brink of realistically winning a Super Bowl. In 2025, they turned the offensive reins over to rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The 10th overall pick in 2024 came with a lot of promise and upside. Unfortunately for Viking fans, that is not what they saw. McCarthy started 10 games for Minnesota in 2025 before succumbing to a hand injury. His 2024 rookie year was also lost due to injury. The injuries and inconsistent play led the Vikings to sign free agent quarterback Kyler Murray to a one-year deal. That’s the same Kyler Murray who the Cardinals are paying over $36 million to play someplace else. Perhaps J.J. McCarthy isn’t the saving grace in Minnesota and instead will be placed into the pile of overrated quarterbacks. Dak Prescott – Dallas CowboysSep 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) looks at his helmet during warmups before the game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images What do you call a quarterback who has been selected to 4 Pro Bowls, won an Offensive Rookie of the Year award, thrown for almost 36,000 yards with 243 touchdowns, has a 66.9 career completion percentage, won 83 games, and is the signal caller for one of the most popular NFL teams in existence? If we’re talking about Dak Prescott, you call him overrated. There is no denying that Prescott is talented… in the regular season. Postseason success has simply eluded the Cowboys quarterback. In 7 career playoff games, Prescott is 2-5. The lack of playoff success calls into question Prescott’s place as one of the highest-paid players in the game, signing a 4-year, $240 million contract extension in 2024. That deal will pay him an $80 million signing bonus and $231 million in guaranteed money. That seems like a lot of money to be paying a very overrated quarterback. Lamar Jackson – Baltimore RavensBaltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images) Here is another choice for an overrated NFL quarterback that I’m sure will get a lot of pushback. Lamar Jackson is one of the biggest dual threats on a football field. His ability to throw and run the ball effectively has led to Jackson racking up multiple awards, including being named to 4 Pro Bowls, being named a 3x All-Pro, winning 2 AP MVP awards, and 2 Player of the Year awards, culminating in what is sure to be an eventual selection to the Hall of Fame when he’s done playing. But there is a black mark on Jackson’s resume. Like many of the other quarterbacks on our list, Jackson lacks playoff success. The Ravens’ signal caller has led Baltimore to the playoffs in 5 seasons, resulting in a career playoff record of 3-5. In fact, Jackson’s statistics across the board take a downward turn during the playoffs. Regular-season success with postseason failure lands Lamar Jackson on our list of overrated quarterbacks. And he may be on the move as well. Jared Goff – Detroit LionsDetroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) cheers up teammates on the sideline before a first down against Green Bay Packers during the first half at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sunday, September 7, 2025. It’s kinda difficult to call a person who has spent 10 years playing quarterback in the NFL, starting 151 games, winning 90 of those starts, and amassing over 39,000 yards with 256 touchdowns, overrated, but here we are with Jared Goff. Selected by the Rams with the 1st overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Goff went on to lead Los Angeles to a 42-27 record over his first 5 years in the league. He did steer the Rams to Super Bowl LIII, but did not have a great day on the grandest stage. Against the Patriots that day, Goff threw for 229 yards with one interception in the 13-3 loss, which is also the lowest scoring Super Bowl on record. In fact, the Rams would not win a Super Bowl until they traded Jared Goff to the Lions for Matthew Stafford. A former first overall pick, with regular season success and postseason failure, earns Jared Goff his place among the game’s overrated quarterbacks. Justin Herbert – Los Angeles ChargersJustin Herbert (Image Credits: Imagn) As a long-suffering Dolphins fan, a team that hasn’t had a franchise quarterback in over 25 years, I would gladly take Justin Herbert as my guy under center. In fact, the Dolphins had a chance to draft Herbert in 2020 but went with Tua Tagovailoa instead. We know how that’s turned out for Miami, but how have things been for Herbert in LA? Since entering the league, Herbert has established himself as one of the top young quarterbacks in the NFL. Over his first 6 seasons in the league, Herbert has been named to 2 Pro Bowls and won the 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year. He has thrown for over 24,000 yards to go along with 163 touchdowns and a win-loss record of 52-43. That is not a bad start to a career, but for the 6th overall draft pick, more has been expected from him. With Herbert under center, the Chargers have made the playoffs 3 times, being eliminated after one game all 3 times. There’s no denying that Herbert is a good quarterback, but in order to remove the overrated tag, he needs some playoff success. Joe Burrow – Cincinnati BengalsJoe Burrow (Photo By Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) This is another difficult selection for this list, as I like Joe Burrow as a quarterback and would gladly take him on my favorite team. Since entering the league during the 2020 season, Burrow has established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the league. However, there’s one problem with that ranking – Burrow’s hasn’t done enough to warrant that level of regard. Sure, he has a winning record of 43-33-1 with a 68.5 completion percentage, over 20,000 yards thrown, and 157 touchdowns. Now for the negatives. Over the last 5 seasons, Burrow has missed multiple games due to injury, although that has allowed him to win 2 Comeback Player of the Year awards, and has not led the Bengals to playoff success. While he does hold a 5-2 career playoff record, Burrow has not led Cincy to Super Bowl success. In fact, during his only Super Bowl appearance to date, Burrow threw for 263 yards but was sacked 7 times in the loss to the Rams. It will take some playoff success to remove Joe Burrow from this list.
