The people who scout, coach and build NFL rosters just put Matthew Stafford third among all quarterbacks. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler published the results of his annual survey of more than 70 league executives, coaches and scouts Monday, and the Los Angeles Rams quarterback jumped from No. 6 a year ago to No. 3, trailing only Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. Stafford drew 17% of the first-place votes — at least one ballot had the 38-year-old as the best quarterback alive — and it marks the first time he has cracked the top half of the rankings since ESPN started the exercise in 2020.
The case wasn’t complicated. Stafford’s MVP season produced 46 touchdown passes against eight interceptions, just the fourth season in NFL history with at least 45 touchdowns and fewer than 10 picks — Aaron Rodgers did it twice and Tom Brady once. “Nobody played better than him last year, and it wasn’t even close,” one NFL head coach told Fowler. Another voter, an AFC offensive coach, went further: “Stafford and McVay is now the best quarterback-coach duo in the league.”
The interesting part of the polling is where the skepticism lives, because it’s the same place the Rams’ front office found its value. “The system helps him,” an NFL coordinator said. “He has an elite offensive coach and elite weapons.” That’s true — and it’s the point. Pairing Davante Adams with Puka Nacua gave Los Angeles two receivers defenses couldn’t double at once, and one coach who studied the Rams’ film noted how Sean McVay protected his quarterback with under-center, three-tight-end sets that turned into passing looks. The scheme kept Stafford upright and healthy for a full season at 38. Voters can debate how much credit belongs to the environment; the Rams built the environment precisely so their quarterback’s arm talent and anticipation would carry it.
There’s also a sharper edge to the ranking: Stafford placed ahead of Joe Burrow (No. 4) and Lamar Jackson (No. 5), both of whom slipped in part over durability concerns — the exact worry that has followed Stafford for years and didn’t materialize in 2025.
The Rams went 12-5 last season and lost the NFC Championship Game to Seattle. The roster around Stafford returns largely intact, and the survey says the league now views the quarterback position in Los Angeles as a strength measured against anyone’s. Camp will tell whether a 38-year-old coming off the best statistical season of his career has one more of them in the drawer.
