In the case of quarterbacks, let's pose an interesting question: If Peyton Manning or Philip Rivers were prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, how would they be viewed? When Manning came out of Tennessee for the 1998 draft, or Rivers came out of North Carolina State for the 2004 draft, they were pocket passers nearly exclusively, with little to no second-reaction ability. Mac Jones was a good example of this.
The NFL's Best Quarterbacks in Every Situation: Lamar Jackson Is Massively Underrated originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Throughout the history of professional football, the required attributes for every position have changed over and over based on how the game itself changes.
In the case of quarterbacks, let's pose an interesting question: If Peyton Manning or Philip Rivers were prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, how would they be viewed? When Manning came out of Tennessee for the 1998 draft, or Rivers came out of North Carolina State for the 2004 draft, they were pocket passers nearly exclusively, with little to no second-reaction ability.
That may have worked in the days of old, when defenses weren't throwing all kinds of evil stunts and games at your quarterbacks, and pass rushers weren't lining up everywhere along the line with God knows what coverage switches behind them. But in today's NFL, if you can't reset in the pocket, and ideally move outside the pocket to reset and throw accurately, your options are going to be limited.
Mac Jones was a good example of this. The New England Patriots selected Jones with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Alabama despite the fact that he was rooted to the pocket for the most part, with no real deviation. You could argue that the Patriots had the best pocket passer of all time in Tom Brady, but as Brady was also the best in-the-pocket mover in NFL history, that argument doesn't really hold up.
After three seasons as the Patriots' primary starter, Jones was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024, where he is now Trevor Lawrence's backup.
So, when we look at the best quarterbacks in every type of situation in the NFL coming into the 2025 season, mobility in and out of the pocket is a big deal. And what I discovered in this year's exercise is that as much as we already talk about Lamar Jackson, Jackson's 2024 season didn't get nearly the praise it deserved. I did vote for Jackson as the 2024 NFL Most Valuable Player, but he lost that to Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, and the metrics show that he really shouldn't have.
Of course, Lamar is a great mover in and out of the pocket, but there's so much more to his game.
So, here are the best NFL quarterbacks in every type of situation. And right now, the composite already exists in one Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions. All metrics when applicable include the postseason.)
Throwing Behind the Line of Scrimmage: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Allen also attempted the NFL's most deep passes last season with 87, but he was far from the most efficient in that category, completing 33 throws of 20 or more air yards for 1,055 yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 93.8. Where Allen really got it done in 2024 was on passes thrown behind the line of scrimmage, where primarily running back James Cook (and slot receiver Khalil Shakir) could eat on yards-after-catch plays. Allen completed 104 of 112 such passes for 744 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 109.2.
With all the (justified) talk about Josh Allen's deep passes, was there anybody more efficient and productive on passes behind the line of scrimmage last season?
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) July 23, 2025
No, there was not. pic.twitter.com/9xj6iOPrVK
Runners-up: Tua Tagovailoa, Bo Nix.
Throwing Passes of 0-9 Air Yards: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last season under offensive coordinator (and new Jaguars head coach) Liam Coen, Baker Mayfield was especially dangerous on passes of 0-9 air yards, completing 199 of 248 such passes for 1,744 yards, 20 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 119.5. Over and over, Coen set Mayfield's targets up to win in such situations — especially in the red zone — and over and over, Mayfield proved to be deadly accurate when making those tight-window throws in compressed areas. Of course it helps when you have a receiver like Mike Evans who can just outphysical any cornerback in the end zone, but Mayfield proved to be an equal-opportunity distributor in such instances. Tight end Cade Otton was actually Mayfield's most prolific target on short passes, with 43 catches on 58 targets for 393 yards and three touchdowns.
Liam Coen set up the @Buccaneers' offense to be deadly in the red zone, and overall on passes of 0-9 air yards. Baker Mayfield was just fine with that. 20 of his 43 passing touchdowns came on those throws. pic.twitter.com/aL8CdPldBa
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 12, 2025
Runners-up: Joe Burrow, Jared Goff.
Throwing Passes of 10-19 Air Yards: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
So, here we go on the Lamar thrill ride. On intermediate passes of 10-19 air yards, Action Jackson wasn't just great — he was nearly perfect throughout the 2024 season, completing 91 of 127 passes for 1,577 yards, 19 touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 149.8. Though Jackson can stay in the pocket and pick apart defenses with these throws, especially on crossing routes, it's when he leaves the pocket and starts improvising that defenses are in big trouble. All of the receivers on the Ravens' roster are intimately familiar with the scramble rules because they have to be, and they know how to present a favorable target to Jackson once the anarchy begins.
The result is just about impossible to stop.
Lamar Jackson throwing passes of 10-19 air yards might be the most indefensible thing in the NFL right now. I don't know how you deal with this. pic.twitter.com/0Ffie8k8xY
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 12, 2025
Runners-up: Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels.
Throwing Passes of 20-Plus Air Yards: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Yes, he's back. On passes of 20 or more air yards last season, Jackson completed 30 of 73 attempts for 960 yards, 11 touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 122.3. A handful of NFL quarterbacks took more chances with deep balls than Jackson did, but nobody was more deadly efficient when doing so.
As is the case with the intermediate stuff, Jackson can kill you in the vertical game both from the pocket, and when rolling out, and his receivers all know the drills. This was true even in the postseason.
Did the Ravens fall short once again in their Super Bowl dreams? Yes.
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 12, 2025
Was Lamar Jackson beating the hell out of the Bills with deep passes in the divisional round? Also yes. pic.twitter.com/0O8pczSypJ
FYI: Joe Burrow was the king of throws of 30 or more air yards, completing nine of 20 for 382 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 91.7. When you have no defense, and you lose four of eight games in which you score 30 or more points, you've got to keep chucking it, I guess.
Runners-up: Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Justin Herbert.
Throwing Under Pressure: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Speaking of Burrow, who has taken the mantle of "Best Pocket Mover" from Tom Brady (watch the "Quarterback" series on Netflix for some truly spectacular examples), he was the guy last season who you could pressure, but you never knew if it would actually work in your favor. When disrupted in 2024, Burrow completed 183 of 248 passes for 1,438 yards, 15 touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 104.0.
No, Burrow doesn't have wheels in the traditional sense, but nobody in the league is better at moving around the small boxing ring that is an NFL pocket, resetting, and making the right throws with accuracy and anticipation. It's his alpha skill, and given the general state of the Bengals' offensive lines over the years, it's an important one!
Pressuring Joe Burrow: You can do it, but it ain't always gonna go in your favor, because he'll still make throws like THESE. pic.twitter.com/f9iChgNaSw
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 12, 2025
Runners-up: Lamar Jackson, C.J. Stroud.
With Play-Action: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Although it's not necessary to have a great running game for play-action to work in your offense — that myth has been disproved over and over — it certainly helps in Jackson's case, and why not? With the Ravens, it's not just the threat of Derrick Henry bashing your light box if you focus too much on the passing game; it's also Jackson's ability as a runner that freezes defenders and allows Jackson to make hay here.
Last season, Jackson completed 142 of 176 play-action passes for 1,423 yards, 15 touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 134.0. Once again, the combination of structure and chaos makes it all very, very difficult to defend.
Jackson was also ridiculous without play-action, completing 245 of 374 passes for 3,178 yards, 30 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 114.4.
Here comes your worst nightmare as a defense: Lamar Jackson throwing with any kind of play-action. pic.twitter.com/hyqtDGGRRx
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 12, 2025
Runners-up: Sam Darnold, Matthew Stafford
With Pre-Snap Motion: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
The intelligent use of pre-snap motion has increased exponentially in recent years, and in the 2024 season, Allen was the guy who took the most advantage. In his first full season under offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Allen completed 257 of 393 passes with some kind of shift or motion for 3,128 yards, 25 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 105.6.
Allen's ability to read the openings created with motion set him apart, and when you factor in his athleticism and arm talent ... well, it's all tough to counter.
No other NFL quarterback shredded defenses last season with pre-snap motion like Josh Allen did. pic.twitter.com/YLyGS5jRRq
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 12, 2025
Runners-up: Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson
Inside the Pocket: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Given Burrow's aforementioned pocket movement ability, this should come as no surprise. Burrow completed 417 of 575 passes from the pocket last season for 4,405 yards, 37 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a passer rating of 109.4. Burrow is so great in these situations because there's no in-pocket disruption that can throw him off his game, mechanically or from a field-reading perspective.
Joe Burrow navigating the pocket with pressure. Tom Brady used to be the NFL's best at this; now it's Burrow.
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 12, 2025
This is why. pic.twitter.com/gk8N15Fkeb
Runners-up: Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts
Outside the Pocket: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Who else to finish our study? When throwing outside the pocket last season, Jackson completed 45 of 85 passes for 893 yards, 11 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 129.6. Jackson's 10.5 yards per attempt average speaks to what we've discussed before — his gift for looking for, and finding targets, downfield once the original play breaks down. Obviously, Jackson has been a great improviser throughout his NFL career. We shouldn't make the mistake of assuming that's all he does well, but it's a very good place to start.
It's tough to roll to your left out of the pocket as a right-handed quarterback and still make consistently accurate throws.
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 12, 2025
Unless you're Lamar Jackson. pic.twitter.com/3dAGZokXQi
Runners-up: Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford
Related: Baltimore Ravens' One Big Question: Can Lamar Jackson Finally Transcend Postseason Demons?
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Football
