As the 2022 NFL season is just one week away, it’s time to look at who are going to be the big players when it comes to the quarterback position. 

Anybody and everybody who follows the sport knows that the quarterback is the most important position on the field, and always will be. 

They are the ones who decide where the ball needs to be thrown, what adjustments need to be made at the line of scrimmage ahead of a play and more often than not have the fate of the game within their own hands, which is why they also happen to get the biggest contracts when it comes to getting paid.

The best example of this can be seen in the yearly MVP award voting. Since the year 2000, only four non-quarterbacks have taken the award, those being Marshall Faulk in 2000, Shaun Alexander in 2005, LaDanian Tomlinson in 2006 and Adrian Peterson in 2012. In every other year besides them, a quarterback took him the award.

And with the NFL continuing to be more pass-oriented as the years move on, that logic is not going to change, and so the quarterbacks will remain at the top of the tree. 

But just who is at the top of the tree in the quarterback room? That’s what we’ve looked to find out as we give you our power rankings for the top ten quarterbacks in the NFL heading into the 2022 season:

10 - Dak Prescott

2021 stats - 4,449 passing yards, 37 TDs, 14 INTs

Has a very tough situation this year when it comes to his receivers, not knowing how Michael Gallup is going to be ready after his year out in 2021 due to injury, and having whatr could have been a very reliable #2 in James Washington go down injured in preseason. But the way he’s shown maturity in the past and having a great handle on the offence gives him the benefit of the doubt to be able to overcome those problems in 2022.

9 - Joe Burrow

2021 stats - 4,611 passing yards, 34 TDs, 14 INTs

This might seem a little bit low considering what an excellent season he had in 2021, and the impressive start he made in 2020, but when it comes to Burrow, we want to see that he can do it consistently, year in and year out. We do expect him do be a star this year again, and the weapons he has should allow him to do that, but it is still a case of ‘we’ll believe it when we see it’.

8 - Russell Wilson

2021 stats - 3,113 passing yards, 25 TDs, 6 INTs

Having had to be a firefighter to cover up a multitude of problems with the Seattle Seahawks, moving to the Denver Broncos should give Wilson a new lease of life with a lot of new weapons to work with including the very talented Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. Should hopefully have a lot more success behind an O-Line that is ranked markedly higher than what the Seahawks had last season.

7 - Lamar Jackson

2021 stats - 2,882 passing yards, 16 TDs, 13 INTs

Not exactly the greatest numbers for a quarterback, but when you consider what he is able to bring to the game with his feet, in the overall scheme of NFL quarterbacks he simply can’t be ignored. It will be interesting to see what impact the contract talk has on his play, and if he goes into the year without a deal if he’s forced to alter his game to protect himself long-term, but he should still remain one of, if not the, best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league.

6 - Matthew Stafford

2021 stats - 4,886 passing yards, 41 TDs, 17 INTs

A quarterback who finally showed last season that if you take him out of a mess of a franchise like the Detroit Lions and gave him something decent to work with, he can actually lead you to the promised land. Did lose Robert Woods and perhaps more importantly Odell Beckham Jr who was crucial for them down the stretch last year, but still has one of the best arms in the business and should be able to spread the ball around well enough to have another great year. 

5 - Justin Herbert

2021 stats - 5,014 passing yards, 38 TDs, 15 INTs

In a similar vein to his SoFi Stadium counterpart, Herbert is someone who has plenty of weapons to work with and the arm to make magic happen. Was unlucky not to make it to the playoffs last season when it went down to the final game, and having kept a lot of the weapons from last season there’s no reason to think he can’t have another spectacular year.

4 - Josh Allen

2021 stats - 4,407 passing yards, 36 TDs, 15 INTs

Many people’s favourite to be MVP when the season comes to an end, but when compared to the three men above him, in our eyes he has to stay off the podium for now. There’s no doubting how big of a threat he is both through the air and on the ground, and has all the weapons you could ask for to keep the Bills the force that they’ve become in recent years, and with the addition of Von Miller on the other side of the ball, he might get a few more opportunities to get on the field and put up even better numbers.

3 - Tom Brady

2021 stats - 5,316 passing yards, 43 TDs, 12 INTs

The man who led the NFL in touchdowns and passing yards last season and the G.O.A.T of the NFL, you might think that he should be at the top of the pile, but no. Problems with the offensive line and the loss of Rob Gronkowski will undoubtedly cause him some problems, but if there’s anyone who will know how to make the best of what could be a very bad situation, it will be him.

2 - Patrick Mahomes

2021 stats - 4,839 passing yards, 37 TDs, 13 INTs

The man who could very well be the face of the league over the next decade, there aren’t any words left on the planet to describe just how incredible Mahomes has been in the past four years since he became the starter in Kansas City. It will be interesting if he’ll be able to recreate some of his magic without Tyreek Hill on the team, but if he can elevate the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, then there’s no reason to think the Chiefs offense can’t be as explosive as usual. 

1 - Aaron Rodgers

2021 stats - 4,115 passing yards, 37 TDS, 4 INTs

Rodgers is someone whose skillset really can’t be described easily, but when it comes to decision-making and management when the game is going on, there’s arguably been nobody better, as his lack of interceptions will testify to. The two-time reigning MVP has had some weapons added to his arsenal like Sammy Watkins, Travis Fulgham and promising youngster Drake London, which will just make it all the easier to pick apart opposing defences and we wouldn’t be surprised if he makes it a three-peat of MVPs this year.