Key Takeaways
- This ranking sizes up all four NFC North starting quarterbacks as the historically bruising division enters an era rich with passing talent.
- Kyler Murray starts fresh with Minnesota, Jordan Love keeps Green Bay stable after Aaron Rodgers, and Jared Goff powers Detroit's Super Bowl ambitions.
- Caleb Williams rounds out the four-team field after a major second-year leap gave Chicago its strongest quarterback hope in decades.
The four teams in the NFC North—nicknamed the Black and Blue Division for its history of smash-mouth football and bruising defenses —have divergent histories at the quarterback position.
The Green Bay Packers have had three starting quarterbacks (Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, and Jordan Love) for the last 35 years, while the Chicago Bears are the only NFL team without a single 4,000 yard passer and have trotted out a series of failed first round draft picks this century, from Cade McNown to Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields, before landing on Caleb Williams, who looks like the real deal.
Kyler Murray is the latest reclamation project in Minnesota and looks to follow in the footsteps of Sam Darnold and Randall Cunningham of quarterbacks who revived their careers with the Vikings. And Jared Goff hopes to be the first quarterback to lead the Lions to the Super Bowl. In terms of quarterback talent, the division is stacked.
This is Every NFC North Quarterback Ranked From Worst to Best.
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Kyler Murray
Team: Minnesota Vikings
Age: 29
2025 Stats: 110-161 68.3 CMP% 962 YDS 6 TD 3 INT 88.6 RTG
After seven turbulent seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, Murray gets a fresh start with the Vikings, playing for noted QB whisperer Kevin O’Connell. Though Minnesota runs a version of the West Coast Offense and Murray has played most of his career out of the shotgun, the Vikings have the potential for a high-powered offense. The roster is stacked with weapons, including All-World wide receiver Justin Jefferson, and Murray looks healthy after missing 21 of 51 games since 2022. —Thomas Golianopoulos
Jordan Love
Team: Green Bay Packers
Age: 27
2025 Stats: 291-439 66.3 CMP% 3,381 YDS 23 TD 6 INT 101.2 RTG
The transition from Aaron Rodgers is officially in the rearview mirror and honestly doesn’t even feel like a talking point anymore. This is largely thanks to Jordan Love being completely comfortable in the driver's seat. Despite missing time briefly in 2025, the Packers' signal-caller delivered the type of efficient play that we’re now accustomed to seeing from him. He posted a solid 101.2 passer rating and threw just six interceptions over 15 games. Love has fully mastered Matt LaFleur's system, blending his natural arm talent with an impressive ability to make the right reads pre-snap. He might not have posted eye-popping yardage totals last year, but his ability to take care of the football and deliver clutch throws down the stretch proves Green Bay is set at the quarterback position once again. —Jeff Smith
Jared Goff
Team: Detroit Lions
Age: 31
2025 Stats: 393-578 68.0 CMP% 4,564 YDS 34 TD 8 INT 105.5 RTG
Jared Goff’s laid-back demeanor isn’t fooling anyone anymore. The Lions' QB is playing some of the best football we’ve seen in the Motor City. Even with a midseason play-calling change in 2025, Goff once again posted stellar numbers. He finished up the year with over 4,500 yards and 34 touchdowns, cementing himself as the engine of Detroit’s high-octane offense. He remains one of the NFL’s best and smartest passers when he gets time in the pocket, and displays a level of accuracy on intermediate attempts that even the harshest critic would be impressed with. Although Goff’s lone area of struggle seems to emerge under heavy pressure, he and the Lions have both continued to take strides forward and remain legitimate Super Bowl contenders.—JS
Caleb Williams
Team: Chicago Bears
Age: 24
2025 Stats: 330-568 58.1 CMP% 3,942 YDS 27 TD 10 INT 90.1 RTG
It’s been a long time coming, but there’s a real reason to believe that Caleb Williams is the savior at quarterback that Chicago has been praying for. After a turbulent start to his career, Williams flashed the upside and stellar playmaking ability that made him the clear-cut No. 1 pick in 2024. Throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns, Williams proved he has the exceptional arm talent and bold playmaking ability to survive in the Windy City. He’s still going through some early NFL struggles, specifically holding onto the ball too long and forcing the issue at times, but a low interception total is one stat that highlights his rapidly maturing decision-making. Williams’ big leap in his second season is a great sign, and now the league will wait to see if he can continue the upward trajectory.—JS
