NFC North QB Rankings for 2025
The Minnesota Vikings will face off against 14 different opponents across the 2025 regular season. Arguably, the most important games are the in-division games as the four teams that comprise the NFC North battle for supremacy. As we make our way through the preseason, I will be writing a series of articles looking at how the Vikings stack up against their division rivals at each position.
Adam New of VikingsTerritory provided NFC North QB rankings for 2025.
Comprising of the Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears, the NFC North promises to be one of the most hotly contested divisions in the NFL. We start the position rankings with arguably the most important position on the teams, and certainly the most scrutinized — Quarterback.
The 2025 campaign sees the winds of change in Minnesota as a new young QB takes charge of the reins for the first time, and the ranking reflects that. The Vikings hope they have found their guy in J.J. McCarthy, but he has to prove it and should finally get his chance this season.
Here are my rankings for the four starting quarterbacks in the NFC North.
1. Jared Goff
The veteran of the group has more seasons in the league than the other three combined. Jared Goff is a four-time Pro Bowler who knows exactly what he is and what he isn’t at this stage of his career. Supported by a strong offensive line and run game,
Goff has been a success since he went the opposite direction when the Los Angeles Rams traded for Matthew Stafford back in 2021. He has helped the Lions become the dominant force in the division over the last couple of seasons.
Goff is almost guaranteed to hit 4000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, unless there’s an injury or a sudden huge drop-off in his play. Goff is a solid veteran quarterback in a division full of guys still in the early stages of their careers. That makes him the top guy for now, but the young guys are coming for him.
2. Jordan Love
The second most experienced guy on the list comes in at number two. Jordan Love had to bide his time for Aaron Rodgers to get out of town. When it finally happened in 2023, there was a rocky start for Love as the Packers lost five of the first seven games with him under center. Nine interceptions in those games didn’t help matters, but Love figured things out, and Green Bay has gotten to the playoffs at least to the wild card in both seasons with Love as the starting QB.
So far, Love has been a good advertisement for drafting a QB, letting them sit for a couple of seasons, and then inserting them into a good situation with a good offensive-minded coach and a good team around them. I’m not convinced Love will be able to carry a struggling team, but as long as Green Bay keeps a good team around him, he will keep them competitive. That now becomes harder as he’s earning $55 million a year.
3. Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams was hyped to the moon during the 2024 draft process, so it was almost inevitable his rookie season was going to be a touch disappointing. Take away the expectations that go with a guy touted as a generational first overall pick, and Williams had a solid rookie year. Williams threw for 3541 passing yards at a completion percentage of 62.5. He also had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 20:6.
Chicago has moved to give Williams the best chance of further success by appointing Ben Johnson as the team’s head coach and upgrading the offensive line with the likes of Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman. With a year’s experience behind him, the expectation will be high on Williams to take his game up a level.
4. J.J. McCarthy
I am a believer in McCarthy. He was my guy in the pre-draft process last year when others hoped for Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. However, he starts at the bottom of the pile until he proves what he can do on the NFL stage. McCarthy has the talent and the supporting cast to be a success in Minnesota.
How far can he go? We never truly know how a player will translate to the pro game, but I am optimistic. It’s certainly within McCarthy’s wheelhouse to be a competent starting QB who can function in a potent offense, but I believe he can be more than that.
It will be a process, and it will take time, but McCarthy has the vision, arm talent, athleticism, football IQ, and leadership qualities that you want from a franchise quarterback. Minnesota made a concerted effort to give McCarthy the best protection possible by upgrading the offensive line. With a roster that has been built to be competitive in 2025, all eyes will be on McCarthy’s progress.
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