Quarterbacks is the most decisive position in the NFL, and rankings are taken seriously. If you want the best QB in Madden NFL 26, make sure to choose one of these below.
Their success is often dependent on a stellar offensive line, but an elite group of Wide Receivers and Tight Ends certainly helps give them a chance to shine. Some players didn’t get much attention before making the top 10, so we lack detailed information on a few of them. Still, we have enough to give you an overview and fortunately, their stats are available.
Madden NFL 26 – Best Quarterbacks
10 – Jayden Daniels
- OVR: 85
- SPD: 90
- STR: 59
- AGI: 91
- COD: 88
- INJ: 90
- AWR: 82
Jayden Daniels is an NFL player currently with the Washington Commanders. He had a successful college career, primarily at LSU. During his time in college, Daniels was named the consensus selection for quarterback on the 2023 College Football All-America Team.
His outstanding performance earned him two of college football’s top awards: the Heisman Trophy in 2023 and the Manning Award in the same year. These honors reflect his reputation as an elite college player. At the professional level, Daniels was named the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2024.
9 – Baker Mayfield
- OVR: 85
- SPD: 86
- STR: 69
- AGI: 82
- COD: 78
- INJ: 95
- AWR: 85
Baker Mayfield is the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played college football at Texas Tech (2013) and Oklahoma (2015–2017). Mayfield was a highly decorated college player, winning the Heisman Trophy and the Manning Award in 2017.
In the NFL, he has played for multiple teams, starting for the Cleveland Browns (2018-2021), Carolina Panthers (2022), and Los Angeles Rams (2022) before joining the Buccaneers in 2023. Mayfield has achieved a perfect passer rating in an NFL game.
8 – Justin Herbert
- OVR: 86
- SPD: 86
- STR: 71
- AGI: 80
- COD: 72
- INJ: 92
- AWR: 88
Justin Herbert is the quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers. He was a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, selected sixth overall. Herbert played college football at Oregon, where he was named the Division I Football Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in both 2018 and 2019.
In his rookie NFL season, he was named the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2020. He was also a Pro Bowl selection in 2021.
7 – Jalen Hurts
- OVR: 86
- SPD: 89
- STR: 76
- AGI: 90
- COD: 90
- INJ: 91
- AWR: 86
Jalen Hurts is the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football for Alabama, leading them to back-to-back College Football Playoff National Championship appearances in 2016 and 2017.
He later transferred to Oklahoma for his final season, taking them to the 2019–20 College Football Playoff. Hurts was drafted by the Eagles in the 2020 NFL Draft. He is the Super Bowl LIX champion and Super Bowl LIX MVP. Hurts tied an NFL record with 15 rushing touchdowns in 2023.
6 – Jared Goff
- OVR: 87
- SPD: 74
- STR: 64
- AGI: 73
- COD: 70
- INJ: 96
- AWR: 90
Jared Goff, the starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions, was the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams, where he played until 2020. With the Rams, he led them to Super Bowl LIII. Goff was named to the Pro Bowl in 2018 and 2019. In 2021, he was traded to the Lions in exchange for Matthew Stafford.
As a Lion, Goff led the team to their first win of the 2021 season with a late touchdown. He also set a Lions franchise record with an NFL-best touchdown streak in September 2022. Goff has achieved a perfect passer rating twice in his career.
5 – Matthew Stafford
- OVR: 88
- SPD: 78
- STR: 66
- AGI: 71
- COD: 66
- INJ: 87
- AWR: 91
Matthew Stafford, the quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, was the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He previously played for the Detroit Lions, where he holds franchise records for career passing yards, completions, and attempts.
In 2021, he was traded from the Lions to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff. Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl LVI championship in 2022 as the starting quarterback. He reached 50,000 passing yards in September 2022, tying for the fastest to do so. He also became the fastest in NFL history to reach 3,000 completions in 2017.
4 – Patrick Mahomes
- OVR: 95
- SPD: 85
- STR: 70
- AGI: 86
- COD: 86
- INJ: 96
- AWR: 92
Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, was the tenth overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft after leading college football in passing yards at Texas Tech in 2016. He is a two-time AP NFL Most Valuable Player (2018, 2022).
Mahomes has led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl championships (LIV, LVII, LVIII) and won the Super Bowl MVP award for all three victories. He became the fastest quarterback to reach 10,000 passing yards in 2020. Mahomes signed a massive 10-year, $503 million extension with the Chiefs in 2020. He has been ranked as the number one player on the NFL Top 100 list in both 2021 and 2023 and was named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year in 2020.
3 – Joe Burrow
- OVR: 97
- SPD: 84
- STR: 68
- AGI: 83
- COD: 79
- INJ: 92
- AWR: 99
Joe Burrow, the quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, was the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft after a standout college career at LSU. At LSU, he led the team to a national championship in 2019 and was a consensus All-American.
His college awards include the Heisman Trophy and the Manning Award in 2019. In the NFL, he led the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2024. He also had the highest pass completion percentage in 2021. Burrow was named to the Pro Bowl in both 2022 and 2023.
2 – Lamar Jackson
- OVR: 99
- SPD: 96
- STR: 63
- AGI: 94
- COD: 95
- INJ: 92
- AWR: 97
Lamar Jackson, the quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, was the 32nd pick in the 2018 NFL draft after playing at Louisville. He is a two-time AP NFL Most Valuable Player (2019, 2023) and won the award unanimously in 2019. Jackson has been selected to multiple Pro Bowls. He made NFL history as the first quarterback to have multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons and broke Michael Vick’s record for career rushing yards by a quarterback in 2024.
Jackson also set a record as the fastest quarterback to reach 5,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in 2020. In college, he had a decorated career, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2016 and being named ACC Player of the Year twice. The Ravens picked up his fifth-year option in 2021 and signed him to a five-year, $260 million contract in 2023. Jackson was featured as the Madden NFL 21 cover athlete.
1 – Josh Allen
- OVR: 99
- SPD: 88
- STR: 81
- AGI: 85
- COD: 82
- INJ: 99
- AWR: 96
Josh Allen, the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, was the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft after playing college football at Wyoming. He was named the NFL Most Valuable Player in 2024 and has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times (2020, 2022, 2024). Allen also earned Second-team All-Pro honors twice (2020, 2024) and won the Art Rooney Award in 2024.
He holds the NFL record for the highest passer rating in a single postseason (149.0 in 2021) and tied the record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season with 15 in 2023. Allen broke Jim Kelly’s Bills single-season touchdown passes record in 2020 and set the franchise record for single-season passing yards. He’s the top QB to look out for in Madden NFL 26.
