The best and worst quarterbacks in the NFL, according to Jalen Ramsey
“I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show too.”
Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey has opinions, and as an NFL player his opinions are probably a lot better than yours or mine. So when he talks about, say, how trash a quarterback is, he’s speaking from a place of expertise that we just don’t have.
Ramsey sat down with GQ for an extensive interview that covered mostly how good other quarterbacks in the NFL are — and which ones are total trash. It’s going to make some people mad, maybe some bulletin board material too, but Ramsey doesn’t care when it comes to teams he’s not playing in 2018.
While Ramsey didn’t mention every passer in the NFL, we still get a pretty good idea of where they shake out. So, without further adieu ...
The definitive Jalen Ramsey quarterback rankings, based on his quotes.
1. Drew Brees (Saints)
“I’m a fan of Drew Brees. I think Drew Brees really good, even at this age. He still runs. Everything.”
2. Aaron Rodgers (Packers)
“Does not [suck].”
“Doesn’t [suck].”
4. Deshaun Watson (Texans)
“Deshaun Watson, he’ll be the league MVP in a couple years. One hundred percent. There’s not even a debate about that.”
5. Carson Wentz (Eagles)
“Carson Wentz, for every year starting now until five to ten years, it’s gonna be them two [with Watson]. They’re that good.
6. Marcus Mariota (Titans)
“I think Marcus Mariota is a great quarterback for their team.”
7. Kirk Cousins (Vikings)
“I think he’s good. I think he’s a winner. He’s a hell of a competitor. Coming off the play action, he’s the best quarterback in the league. Play action passing, he’s a hell of a quarterback.”
8. Russell Wilson (Seahawks)
“I think Russell [Wilson] is good. I think he’s just a really good leader too.”
9. Nick Foles (Eagles)
“He won them a Super Bowl so he’s good enough to do that.”
10. Derek Carr (Raiders)
“Derek Carr, I think he’s good.”
11. Philip Rivers (Chargers)
“Philip Rivers, I think he’s pretty good.”
12. Matthew Stafford (Lions)
“Matthew Stafford, I think he’s straight. I don’t think he the best quarterback out there. But he do what he gotta do.”
13. Tyrod Taylor (Browns)
“I think Tyrod Taylor is actually a better quarterback than he gets credit for, because he does not make mistakes.”
14. Blake Bortles (Jaguars)
“Blake do what he gotta do… I think in crunch time moments, like last year’s playoff game—not as a team, because we would have trusted him—but I think as an organization, we should have trusted him more to keep throwing it.”
15. Jared Goff (Rams)
“Jared Goff, he’s average to above average.”
16. Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers)
“Just cause when they beat us, his hype picked up. They were like, “He beat the number one defense.” It was all schemes. He didn’t beat us. It wasn’t like he diced us up. It was literally all schemes.”
17. Baker Mayfield (Browns)
“So if they want that type of quarterback—confident, get out the pocket, throw on the run, big plays, charisma—then yeah, I understand Baker going number one.”
18. Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
“I would’ve picked [Lamar Jackson] earlier than 32. I think he’s gonna do a good job. Especially with the [Baltimore Ravens’] offensive coordinator—he likes running quarterbacks, likes that read option.”
19. Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)
“Big Ben [Roethlisberger], I think he’s decent at best… It’s not Big Ben, it’s [Antonio Brown]. Big Ben slings the ball a lot of the time. He just slings it, and his receivers go get it. He has a strong arm, but he ain’t all that. I played him twice last year, and he really disappointed me. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame and all that.”
20. Eli Manning (Giants)
“Eli [Manning]... It’s not really Eli. I think it’s Odell [Beckham, Jr.]. I won’t say Eli’s good, I’ll say Odell’s good. And their connection is good.”
“I don’t know much about him. I haven’t heard the greatest of stuff about him but I don’t know him personally so I can’t tell you.”
“I think Matt Ryan’s overrated. You can’t tell me you win MVP two years ago, and then last year, you a complete bust, and you still got Julio Jones? There’s no way that should ever happen. I don’t care.”
23. Andrew Luck (Colts)
“Andrew Luck—I don’t really think he’s that good. Him and T.Y. [Hilton] had a connection in the past that made him stand out a little bit more, but I don’t think he’s good.”
24. Joe Flacco (Ravens)
“And just being honest about it, [Joe] Flacco sucks. I played him two years in a row. He sucks.”
25. Josh Allen (Bills)
“I think [Buffalo Bills draft pick Josh] Allen is trash. I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show too. That’s a stupid draft pick to me. We play them this year, and I’m excited as hell. I hope he’s their starting quarterback.”
Starting quarterbacks that Jalen Ramsey did not mention:
Sam Bradford, Andy Dalton, Case Keenum, Patrick Mahomes, Josh McCown, Cam Newton, Dak Prescott, Alex Smith, Jameis Winston.