You don’t need a Super Bowl ring to be considered the best in the game — at least according to a panel of Associated Press pro football writers.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has claimed the top spot in the AP’s preseason survey ranking the NFL’s best quarterbacks heading into the 2026 season. It marks the first time in four years that someone other than Patrick Mahomes has held that distinction.
Allen, who took home the 2024 AP NFL Most Valuable Player award, collected five first-place votes from a panel of eight AP pro football writers. The scoring system awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, followed by 5, 3, 2, and 1 point for second through fifth place, respectively. Allen appeared on every single ballot, also picking up one second-place vote, one third-place vote, and one fourth-place vote.
Mahomes finished in second place, narrowly ahead of reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford. Lamar Jackson landed in fourth, while Joe Burrow rounded out the top five.
Despite another strong individual performance in 2025, Allen’s Bills saw their five-year run of AFC East division titles come to an end at the hands of New England. Buffalo was eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs by Denver, a result that ultimately cost head coach Sean McDermott his position.
On the field, Allen threw for 3,668 yards with 25 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions, posting a 102.2 passer rating. He also contributed significantly on the ground, rushing for 579 yards and 14 touchdowns. He earned his fourth Pro Bowl selection and placed third in MVP voting. Allen and the Bills continue to search for their first Super Bowl trip since the 1993 season, despite reaching the playoffs in seven consecutive years.
Mahomes, meanwhile, endured the most difficult season of his NFL career, tearing his ACL in Week 15. Kansas City went 6-8 during the games he played and dropped all three contests without him. Even so, the three-time Super Bowl champion — who was the unanimous top choice in this survey in both 2023 and 2024 — still earned two first-place votes. Before going down with the injury, Mahomes threw for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He is working toward being healthy for Week 1 as Kansas City looks to bounce back from its first losing season under head coach Andy Reid.
Stafford, in his 17th NFL season, had a career year — earning first-team All-Pro recognition for the first time and beating out Drake Maye for the MVP award. He received one first-place vote and two second-place votes in the preseason survey, appearing on all eight ballots. Stafford led the entire league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdown throws, adding just eight interceptions and a 109.2 passer rating — second only to Maye. His team finished 14-6, won two playoff games, and fell to Seattle in the conference championship.
Jackson, a three-time All-Pro and two-time league MVP, experienced a rough 2024 campaign — his first losing season as a starting quarterback, going 6-7 — as the Baltimore Ravens missed the postseason entirely. He threw for 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions with a 103.8 passer rating, while also posting a career-low 349 rushing yards and two rushing scores. Jackson received two third-place votes and appeared on six of the eight ballots.
Burrow was limited to just eight games due to a toe injury, though he guided his team to a 5-3 record during that stretch. It was the third time in his career that injuries have held him to 10 or fewer games in a season. He threw for 1,809 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions, finishing with a 100.7 passer rating. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback appeared on five ballots with one third-place vote. Burrow had previously won the AP Comeback Player of the Year award on two separate occasions after returning from injury-shortened seasons.
