The NFL quarterback is the homecoming king of every team, a Super Bowl winning quarterback is guaranteed to be a household name for decades. Leading from the front, they are the lynchpin of the offense, and every game essentially rides on them performing. As analytics become more heavily used across the league, we are seeing their performances monitored more and more closely. This means the pressure is truly on for them to lead their teams to victory, especially the younger players as we usher in a new era of quarterbacks.
There is a plethora of young talent in the league and this season we have seen a number of young quarterbacks put their name on the map as they strive to win the Super Bowl. Let’s take a look at five of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL.
Brock Purdy
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been perhaps the biggest Cinderella story this season. Drafted as ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ in 2022, Purdy started last season as third string in San Francisco. However, after injuries to both Terry Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo he was called upon— and delivered better than anyone imagined. He went 5-0 in starts, becoming the first ever Mr. Irrelevant to throw a touchdown pass in the regular season. He was named the starting QB for 2023 and the 49ers have never looked back. The 24-year-old finished the regular season with a league leading 113.0 passer rating, throwing for 4,280 yards. His arm strength and deep passes have been incredible, proving original doubters wrong who listed these as his weaknesses while in the draft portal. The GOAT himself Tom Brady has even drawn comparisons between himself and the pro-bowler. The Super Bowl odds currently have his 49ers team as favorites for the Super Bowl and Purdy himself just behind Dak Prescott in the race for league MVP.
Tua Tagavailoa
Although Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagavailoa experienced a difficult first and second season in Florida, he has gone from strength to strength since. He had his most winningest season in 2023, finishing 11-6 to take the Dolphins to into the Wild Card rounds with a league leading 4,624 passing yards. The season prior he was the annual passer-rating leader finishing with 105.5. He still finished on a 101.1 this season with a career-high 29 touchdowns. He has great timing and anticipation and good presence in the pocket. His partnership with star receiver Tyreek Hill has been a joy to behold for Miami fans and it would be a surprise if the 25-year-old were to end his career without at least one Super Bowl ring.
C.J. Stroud
The youngest player on this list, C.J. Stroud has already drawn comparisons to Patrick Mahomes. In his rookie year, he has led the Houston Texans to their first positive-win season in four years finishing with a passer rating of 100.8 for 4,108 yards. Everything he does looks so effortless and at the time of writing his Texans team are still in the playoffs, heading into a divisional round against the Baltimore Ravens as they aim to win the Super Bowl. He may even have a case for the best rookie season for a quarterback of all time and his rapid ascent has shown no signs of stopping. His talent is almost scary when you consider he is likely to only improve and Stroud is no doubt the most exciting young talent across the entire NFL.
Jordan Love
Many were not expecting a whole lot from the Green Bay Packers this season. After legendary QB Aaron Rodgers left for the New York Jets last spring, Love was named as the starting quarterback and many would have taken an even season as a roaring success. Love took the packers one better, finishing 9-8 and then went on to dismantle the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round, who were considered one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. His 96.1 passer-rating was very good for his first year as a starter and 4.159 yards put him seventh overall in the league. He has all the physical attributes of a great quarterback and operates the Packers’ system tremendously having been there for four seasons. Love has truly taken the ball and ran with it since being named the starting QB and although he has gigantic shoes to fill, he will back himself to do just that.
Trevor Lawrence
Although the Jacksonville Jaguars had a relatively mediocre season finishing 8-8, it would have been a lot worse without Trevor Lawrence. The tools at his disposal are relatively poor in offense and he is consistently let down by his offensive line but he still manages to come through. His rookie year was somewhat of a disaster and may wrote him off but he has continued to prove his doubters wrong and given the level of offense as some of the other QBs on this list there is no doubting that he would perform just as well. The mobile quarterback had his best rushing season in 2023 and at 24-years-old there is still plenty to come from him. He’ll need to be at his best next season if his team has any chance of even being close to winning the Super Bowl.
