How do the four quarterbacks stack up against the rest of the NFL?
The NFC West has a familiar face returning for the San Francisco 49ers. Sam Darnold will lead the Seattle Seahawks in 2025, following his best season as a professional in Minnesota under Kevin O’Connell. Kyler Murray, Brock Purdy, and Matthew Stafford all return as the signal callers for their respective teams.
Nick Shook of NFL.com ranked each division by the quality of the four starting quarterbacks for 2025. Shook used his own QB index from the end of the 2024 season to add context to each player’s reputation. The AFC West, with Patrick Mahomes, Geno Smith, Bo Nix, and Justin Herbert, takes the top spot on the list.
The NFC West is the runner-up with an average QBI (QB index) rank of 13 among the four quarterbacks.
This division carries the most potential for volatility entering 2025. Murray appears to be entering a pivotal season with the Cardinals, having yet to put up the kind of wire-to-wire performance that would put a permanent end to speculation about the seventh-year pro’s future with the franchise. I know, it seems outrageous, considering Murray’s capabilities, but game-by-game consistency was lacking in 2024. Purdy, meanwhile, just signed a lucrative deal that delivered a long-overdue payday to the former Mr. Irrelevant; now, the pressure will be on him to deliver during what might be a transitional year for San Francisco. Darnold is likely feeling a similarly heavy weight after signing with Seattle following a career year in Minnesota; the move placed him in another new situation with even greater responsibility. And finally, Stafford resolved his contractual standoff with the Rams and is back for his 17th NFL season. Do you see how this could all go horribly wrong? Murray could struggle. Purdy could end up as a victim of surrounding circumstances. Darnold could revert back to a passing pumpkin. The 37-year-old Stafford could feel the effects of Father Time. Or, it will all go right, the NFC West will produce three playoff teams and this group will live up to its end-of-2024 ranking. For now, the quartet is far from guaranteed to follow a strong 2024 with more collective excellence in 2025.
Purdy had a down year based on expectations in 2024 but is primed to bounce back with healthy weapons. It’s interesting for Shook to rank Darnold one spot ahead of Purdy last season, since Darnold and the Vikings qualified for the playoffs. I disagree with the assessment; Purdy will have a chance to rewrite the rankings with a strong 2025.