The Top Five Most Marketable Quarterbacks in the NFL

The NFL is the biggest sports brand in the United States. With the league bringing in tens of billions of dollars annually, and the league only continuing to grow, it is crucial that the NFL markets the right people. The NFL is driven by the league's top talent at quarterback, as it is the most important position in all of sports. When quarterback play is good and dynamic, it elevates viewership ratings and overall enjoyability for fans. Therefore, let’s evaluate who the most marketable quarterbacks are.

1. Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs

When it is all said and done, Patrick Mahomes may go down as the best quarterback of all time, right alongside Tom Brady. Not only are Mahomes’ skills and talent dazzling to watch on the field but more importantly, his abilities and leadership contribute to winning championships. Mahomes is reinventing the way the game is played at the quarterback position. Prior to Mahomes, the only way to play the position that led to winning championships was to be a great pocket quarterback. However, Mahomes has burst onto the NFL scene and shown that he possesses a variety of skills including unconventional arm-angled throws, pocket mobility, and the ability to turn a broken play into a big play opportunity making him the most exciting player to watch in the NFL.

2. Josh Allen - Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen is another wildly dynamic quarterback who would, in any other era, dominate the NFL.  Upon entering the NFL Allen was an insanely raw talent and it showed as he struggled early in his career. However, unlike other rookie quarterbacks who typically turn out to be busts in the NFL, Allen’s main struggle was to make the routine plays and not rely on his arm talent and running ability on every play. Since his first two years in the league, Allen has posted over 4800 total yards and 42 total touchdowns every season. Allen’s biggest weakness is being forced to be in the same conference as Mahomes, which has prevented the Bills from getting to the Super Bowl with Josh Allen at the helm. Even though Allen hasn’t been able to get to the Super Bowl yet, his wild ability still makes him an incredibly exciting player to watch.

3. Dak Prescott - Dallas Cowboys

Unlike the other two quarterbacks listed above, Dak Prescott isn’t a top-five or even a top-ten quarterback in the NFL. So why is he a top-tier marketable quarterback? For starters, he plays on the most marketable franchise in all of American sports, the Dallas Cowboys. Ever since the Cowboys branded themselves as “America’s Team”, NFL fans have created very polarized opinions about the team. This type of controversy and debate among NFL fans makes them a key team in the NFL that constantly gets put on national television no matter the state of the team. Dak Prescott has a very Dallas Cowboys feel to him because he hasn’t won a lot of playoff games, but he still gets a lot of attention by virtue of the team he plays for. With all this said Dak does put up really good statistics and is constantly in the running for MVP. However, there is a lot of debate about whether the statistics are because of Dak’s play or because of the players around him and if those great stats actually contribute to the Cowboys winning anything significant. All this controversy makes Dak an interesting player to watch even if he isn’t necessarily one of the top quarterbacks in the league.

4. Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson is lightning in a bottle. His scrambling ability makes him a threat to break off a massive scramble at any time in the game. He is a true dual-threat quarterback that defensive coordinators can only hope to contain. Very similar to Josh Allen, Lamar came into the league quite raw out of the University of Louisville. He has had to develop his throwing talents throughout his time in the league and he has shown good progress each year. Even though he may never be as talented a thrower as some in the league, his running ability has the ability to open up a defense which has resulted in him earning his second MVP award this past season with just six years in the league.

5. Caleb Williams - Chicago Bears

Putting Caleb Williams on the list may come as a shocker to some. I don’t even believe that Caleb Williams will be the best rookie quarterback of this most recent class. However, when the NFL is looking at which quarterbacks to market to its audience, it would be crazy for them to not try and push Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. The third biggest media market in the country, Chicago, has been left destitute without a viable quarterback for decades in a league that is all about that position. However, after this past draft, the Bears and the city of Chicago might finally have hope with a new signal caller at the helm. Caleb Williams has to perform well in the NFL and at the very least must produce some exciting highlight plays which he was known for during his time at USC. If Williams can have a breakout season then the Bears' historic NFL brand can finally get back on track after decades of mediocrity.