Roster construction isn't easy. Personnel executives across all 32 NFL franchises are annually tasked with finding ways to maximize cap space in order to build the best possible 53-man lineup.
One available cheat code of sorts? Saving money at the game's most important position: quarterback. And there's no better way to do so than by receiving quality production from a signal-caller playing on a rookie deal, the league's contractual version of catching lightning in a bottle. Seemingly overnight, a club can transform into a contender.
Like a thunderstorm, though, the window of opportunity doesn't last long. If the quarterback is great, he's going to get paid sooner rather than later. Those organizations that choose to delay such a reward typically end up paying more in the end, which they'll begrudgingly do because they know the alternative is much worse.
And what about the young quarterbacks who aren't quite stellar, but have shown enough to make teams wonder what might lie ahead? This is truly where the picture gets complicated.
It's May, the draft is behind us and a new collection of rookie quarterbacks are taking their first steps into the NFL. There's no better time than now to take stock of the league's quarterbacks playing on these economically friendly deals.
Some are speeding toward a massive pay day. Others still have plenty to prove. Let's dive into the top 15 quarterbacks entering 2025 on rookie contracts.
Daniels’ rookie season was transformative for Washington. After decades of frustration, Commanders fans have reason to be optimistic about the future. That alone is an immense value for the franchise. Jayden's a calm, composed passer with a live arm and excellent accuracy, a true weapon as a runner, and he attacks every opportunity with a remarkable sense of confidence typically seen only in more experienced passers. He's built for adversity, having engineered four fourth-quarter comebacks in his debut campaign, and has already proven he's capable of elevating a team to new heights. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year is also entering Year 2 of his rookie deal. Expect Daniels to be around for a long, long time, and to eventually be paid handsomely.
I had a difficult time separating Stroud and Daniels. Stroud's own Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2023 was scintillating, but the issues with protection and his resulting struggles in 2024 demonstrated just how important the full situation is to a young passer's chances of success. Houston has since attempted to remedy those problems, but with one less year remaining on Stroud's rookie deal and an evolving situation around him, his success isn't guaranteed. Look, Stroud is an excellent quarterback with an incredibly high ceiling. He'll be an elite passer if he's protected properly, and if I'm choosing a young quarterback to build around, he's on the short list. But unlike Daniels, he tends not to unleash his full dynamism unless it's absolutely necessary. That's the difference between first and second place -- though a bounceback season under a new coordinator (with Nick Caley replacing Bobby Slowik) could make me look foolish nine months from now.
This placement might be obsolete soon, given Purdy is entering the final year of his rookie pact in 2025 and is expected to agree to a new contract. And yes, I've ranked a quarterback who has reached the Super Bowl behind two who haven't. But I'm aiming for upside, and while Purdy has accomplished plenty (especially considering he entered the NFL as Mr. Irrelevant), if I'm building a team around any of these quarterbacks on rookie deals, I'm choosing Purdy after Daniels and Stroud. Purdy ranked 14th among all signal-callers in my final QB Index rankings from the 2024 season. He had some excellent performances last year, but also was a bit too volatile -- especially when injuries piled up around him -- to earn a top-end ranking. He's going to get paid, and he's established himself as the 49ers' franchise starter, but I still wonder whether he's the type of quarterback capable of elevating his team, or if he simply capitalizes on the strength of his squad and does his job well.
EDITOR'S UPDATE: Purdy has agreed to terms with the 49ers on a five-year, $265 million deal, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported on May 16.
I know -- a year ago, I would have been shocked to think Young would rank this highly. That's how remarkable his rebound was in 2024. Young overcame an early-season benching and constant questions regarding his long-term viability, then steadily improved at a degree that was impressive enough to seemingly eliminate the uncertainty entirely. Dave Canales' impact on Young was visible in the back half of 2024, and the results -- the QB compiled a TD-to-INT ratio of 12:3 over his final eight starts, adding 208 yards and five scores on the ground -- suggest this is only the beginning for the former No. 1 overall pick. It's not guaranteed, but Young's outlook is much more promising than it was a year ago. The three QBs ranked just below Young here had generally stronger rookie performances than Young did. It's true. But Carolina's QB has been tested by NFL adversity in a way those guys haven't yet been, and Young proved he could come through the other side, thus giving him a leg up on this list.
While Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels commanded headlines in 2024, Maye quietly proved himself as a high-ceiling prospect making the best out of a bad situation in New England. Despite a lack of protection and weapons, Maye consistently made the right decisions for the Patriots, steadily providing the franchise with reason to believe it has found its man under center. The new regime has invested in protecting the 22-year-old and supplying him with better surrounding talent, setting up for an early test for Maye, as most expect him to succeed in only his second season.
Williams' natural talents should allow him to live up to the expectations that surround a No. 1 overall pick. His arm strength, elusiveness against pass rushers and ability to rip rockets out of structure all bode well for his future. But because of the situation into which he was dropped in 2024, we received an incomplete evaluation in Year 1. He showed a tendency to hold on to the ball too long, as if he was fearful of turning it over, which affected the timing of the offense and left us questioning whether he’ll eventually become confident enough to let it rip when necessary. But if you chalk that up to a lack of trust in his protection and the general dysfunction that surrounded the Bears in the final stretches of the Matt Eberflus era, the rest of the picture remains promising. Ben Johnson is his coach now, and Chicago spent its top two draft picks on a couple of exciting pass-catching talents in Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III. Now, the test officially begins.
Nix exceeded every expectation set for him in 2024 and can thank Sean Payton -- the coach who recognized Nix’s strengths and put him in the best positions to succeed (e.g., throwing outside of the pocket) -- for much of his success. At one point midway through the season, Nix was gaining steam as an outside contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The mistakes that typically come with being a rookie quarterback eventually doomed that campaign, but make no mistake: Denver has plenty of reason to be excited after Nix led the team to its first postseason appearance in nearly a decade in his first pro season. Now, the key will be to build on what Nix and the Broncos accomplished in 2024 and avoid regressing.
Ward hasn’t taken an NFL snap yet, but he played plenty of college football and showed off all of the abilities that convinced the Titans to select him No. 1 overall in April. He has clearly proven passing skills, both in and out of structure, and while he might trust his playmaking ability a bit too much at times, he has the makeup that can be molded into something special at the NFL level. It’s a bit of projection by placing him here, but I’m confident Ward is built to take on the responsibilities of a starter early -- though he has yet to be named Tennessee's QB1 -- and find success.
The strengths that made Penix a first-round pick showed when he finally took the field late last season. The win-loss results didn’t prove it, but that didn’t diminish my evaluation of him. Given a full offseason to prepare as the unquestioned starter, Penix should be able to help the Falcons in ways Kirk Cousins just couldn't. Now is the time to prove Atlanta right.
McCarthy essentially redshirted in 2024 after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Vikings’ preseason opener. With no other NFL game tape to evaluate, I’m effectively operating with a blindfold when judging the former Michigan star. That didn’t deter Minnesota from handing him the keys to the operation heading into 2025, of course, but it also places the franchise in a precarious position. If McCarthy proves Vikings power brokers were right to believe in him, they'll emerge appearing like geniuses. That one preseason game he played sure was encouraging, but for now, this is as high as I can rank him.
This ranking, like most of the projections regarding Richardson’s career to date, is about upside. He didn’t prove trustworthy during his yo-yo of a second season, showing plenty of accuracy inconsistencies and giving the Colts reason to question his ability to lead the team. Based on their acquisition of Daniel Jones and decision to draft Notre Dame product Riley Leonard in Round 6, it appears as if their patience is already running out on Richardson. If he can put any questions about his dedication and on-field consistency to rest, he’ll rocket up these rankings. As of now, though, there’s plenty of reason to believe he might never reach his potential -- at least not in Indianapolis.
O’Connell was tossed into a fluid situation in Las Vegas over the last two seasons, making 17 starts over that span. He eventually proved he was the Raiders’ best quarterback option in the second half of the 2024 season, but it wasn’t enough to convince the new regime to keep him as QB1. He’s now the backup to Geno Smith, but what O’Connell achieved in 2024 could benefit him (financially, at least) over the next decade. O’Connell proved he’s consistent enough to be a serviceable backup in the league. That’s certainly worth something, especially when choosing among quarterbacks playing on their first contract.
Pickett is now on his third team in as many years and already had his fifth-year option declined by his new employer, Cleveland. That’s not entirely encouraging. He can find positive vibes in how he performed in his brief outings in 2024, though, which convinced the Browns to acquire him via trade. He’ll be viewed as a young quarterback with NFL experience, but he’ll also find himself in the middle of what will be a fascinating (and wide-open) competition for the starting job in Cleveland. The presence of rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel (and veteran Joe Flacco) might force Pickett out, and he could be packing his bags for a new home again by August, but at least he has a chance to compete. And even if he's not long for Cleveland, he’ll land somewhere as a backup -- though this is starting to resemble the career path of Gardner Minshew.
Willis was all but a lost cause by the end of training camp in 2024. Fortunately for the Liberty product, Matt LaFleur made Willis his personal reclamation project (out of necessity) and proved the 2022 third-round draft pick can make a difference if the offense is schemed around his strengths. In just a few appearances for Green Bay, Willis showed the rest of the league that he does indeed hold value as a backup in the right system. The fact that LaFleur adjusted Green Bay's offense to Willis' skill set to help the Packers win a pair of early-season games when Jordan Love was injured speaks volumes. That two-week stint alone rescued his reputation and put him back on track toward consistent employment in the NFL for at least the next couple of years, if not longer.
I had Jaxson Dart, Joe Milton III and Will Levis all above Milroe, but then I considered immediate value. Selected by the Seahawks in the third round of this year's draft, Milroe received the last spot on this list over some more capable (and proven) passers because of the instant value he provides as a runner. Expect to see him in some special packages early in Seattle, where he can prove himself as a weapon while he continues to improve his abilities as a thrower. He won’t be asked to showcase his progress in that department early on, with Sam Darnold in place to start. The long play could be lucrative for the Seahawks; just don’t expect Milroe to come out slinging and succeeding right away.
