AFC East Quarterbacks ranking

The 2024 NFL season is less than two months away, and it is time to once again rank each division’s best quarterbacks, starting off with the AFC East.

This was heralded as the best division in football a year ago, with the offseason hype around Aaron Rodgers after he joined the New York Jets.

This division was dominated by the New England Patriots for 20 years, and we have now been treated to four straight AFC East titles for the Buffalo Bills. Whilst the Patriots are going through a rebuild, the Jets and Miami Dolphins feel it is their time to take over the division after the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis in Buffalo.

Here is a ranking of the AFC East quarterbacks, from four to one.

4. Drake Maye/Jacoby Brissett (New England Patriots)

It is unclear whether third overall pick from this year’s draft, Drake Maye, will start straight away in Foxboro. According to ESPN.com, Jacoby Brissett is the QB1 in the depth.

Whoever starts for the Patriots in 2024, whether is an untested rookie in Maye, or a veteran who has bounced around the league as nothing more than an above average backup, they have to be ranked bottom of this list.

3. Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets)

If this was twelve months ago Rodgers would not be third in this list. It is hard to know what type of Rodgers we will get. After that season ending injury just four snaps into his Week 1 debut against the Bills, we just don’t know if he will come back the same player.

This is especially given recent footage that came out practice of Rodgers hobbling. Even if we get the Rodgers that struggled during his final year of Green Bay, this is statistically better than any Jets quarterback in all but four years of their entire 65-season history.

2. Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)

Even with Rodgers, accolades, it is hard to put him above Tua given his injury problems and Tua’s stats in 2023.

Tua has his critics, mainly throughout his ability to beat good teams or beat teams in cold weather. However, let’s not pretend that Rodgers hasn’t gone throughout his entire career criticised for “choking” playoff games.

After all, this is a criticism aimed at a lot of NFL quarterbacks, whether this is Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott, Kyler Murray or Justin Herbert.

Tua is not the perfect quarterback, but with a team with so many players that love the yards after catch, he is the best option for them available in this Mike McDaniel led system.

He has answered his critics regarding his deep arm and is incredibly accurate. For what he lacks in mobility, he makes up for ability to throw an inch perfect ball to his weapons.

He has overcome every challenge so far, whether it was his ability to throw deep or his durability after going 2023 without missing a game in what was an injury hit year for quarterbacks.

His next challenge is to finally win some big games, with some tests late on in the 2024 season where he can overcome the ghosts of 2023 and 2022, when this team have collapsed down the stretch.

Their last six games are the Green Bay Packers on the road on Thanksgiving, Jets home and away, a home game against the San Francisco 49ers and road games against the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns. These teams are all expected to make the postseason and this is a great test for this Dolphins team as they aim to end what is now the longest playoff win drought.

1. Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)

“What about Josh Allen’s interceptions?”

This will be the question brandished around Allen’s placement at number one. This tendency to be careless with the ball has surrounded him throughout his NFL career. Let’s not forget, Matthew Stafford threw for the most interceptions in 2021 and won a Super Bowl in the process. Patrick Mahomes threw for the fourth most picks in 2023 and also won a Super Bowl.

Out of the four quarterbacks in this list, how many could you feel confident in winning their team a game in the big spots? Rodgers of two years ago or more, absolutely. However, no one knows if he will come back from injury the same player. Allen may have moments that tears the hair out of Bills fans, but he also has the ability to bring the team back into the game immediately.

Without Diggs and Davis, this will be a big test for Allen with tight end Dalton Kincaid and 2024 rookie Keon Coleman looking to be his new go-to guys.

Without Diggs, whose addition helped transform his career, we will see the true Josh Allen in 2024, one that could have a major say on his place in this list in 2025.

Andy Davies