I’ve recalculated the Quarterback Efficiency Ratings for every NFL season from 1986 through 2025. With those revised season ratings in place, I also updated the cumulative ranking of quarterbacks for the 2001–2025 period.
Tom Brady remains first with 1,599.2 cumulative QER points. Drew Brees is the only other quarterback above 1,400, while Aaron Rodgers remains third. Ben Roethlisberger moves ahead of Peyton Manning for fourth place in the cumulative ranking.
What changed in QER
Passing remains the foundation of the rating. The Pass Score is 75% Passing Efficiency and 25% Production. Passing Efficiency combines success percentage, yards per attempt, interception avoidance, first-down percentage, and completion percentage. Production combines passing yards, touchdowns, and first downs.
The revised rushing calculation separates efficiency from season-long production. Rush Efficiency measures successful rushes, first downs, yards, touchdowns, and fumble avoidance relative to total quarterback plays. Rush Production measures total rushing yards, first downs, and touchdowns.
Only Rush Efficiency and Rush Production scores above the 50th percentile earn a bonus. The efficiency component is worth up to eight points and the production component up to seven. Their combined value is multiplied by the quarterback’s Pass Score divided by 100:
Pass Score = 75% Passing Efficiency + 25% Production
Passing Gate = Pass Score ÷ 100
Rush Bonus = Passing Gate ×
(8 × Rush Efficiency Index + 7 × Rush Production Index)
QER = min(100, Pass Score + Rush Bonus)
This gives meaningful credit to the best dual-threat seasons while keeping passing quality at the center of the rating. A quarterback with below-average or no rushing value receives no bonus, but he is never penalized for not running.
How the cumulative ranking works
I added each quarterback’s QER from every season between 2001 and 2025 in which he qualified. Quarterbacks qualify by averaging at least 14 pass attempts per scheduled team game. When a quarterback appeared in multiple rows after changing teams during a season, I used his combined multi-team rating so the season counted only once.
The cumulative QER determines the ranking. Average QER shows the quality of a quarterback’s qualifying seasons, while top-five finishes show how often he ranked among the league’s best. Because QER uses season-relative percentiles, the ranking compares performance across different offensive eras. It covers only the 2001–2025 window, not each player’s entire career.
The updated top 20
| Rank | Quarterback | Qualified seasons | Cumulative QER | Average QER | Best season | Top-five finishes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Brady | 21 | 1,599.2 | 76.2 | 2007 (100.0) | 7 |
| 2 | Drew Brees | 19 | 1,471.8 | 77.5 | 2011 (94.1) | 12 |
| 3 | Aaron Rodgers | 17 | 1,235.4 | 72.7 | 2011 (100.0) | 8 |
| 4 | Ben Roethlisberger | 17 | 1,161.3 | 68.3 | 2014 (91.6) | 3 |
| 5 | Peyton Manning | 14 | 1,156.7 | 82.6 | 2004 (97.1) | 11 |
| 6 | Philip Rivers | 15 | 1,088.7 | 72.6 | 2013 (91.1) | 6 |
| 7 | Matt Ryan | 15 | 1,006.4 | 67.1 | 2016 (94.7) | 3 |
| 8 | Matthew Stafford | 16 | 1,005.0 | 62.8 | 2025 (89.8) | 2 |
| 9 | Russell Wilson | 13 | 839.5 | 64.6 | 2015 (93.8) | 3 |
| 10 | Carson Palmer | 13 | 783.1 | 60.2 | 2015 (89.5) | 3 |
| 11 | Eli Manning | 14 | 723.0 | 51.6 | 2011 (76.2) | 0 |
| 12 | Kirk Cousins | 11 | 706.6 | 64.2 | 2016 (82.0) | 1 |
| 13 | Patrick Mahomes | 8 | 653.5 | 81.7 | 2022 (98.5) | 5 |
| 14 | Jared Goff | 9 | 650.5 | 72.3 | 2024 (89.9) | 5 |
| 15 | Brett Favre | 10 | 640.8 | 64.1 | 2001 (84.2) | 1 |
| 16 | Tony Romo | 8 | 622.2 | 77.8 | 2014 (87.7) | 4 |
| 17 | Dak Prescott | 9 | 616.6 | 68.5 | 2023 (95.7) | 5 |
| 18 | Derek Carr | 11 | 595.4 | 54.1 | 2019 (74.9) | 0 |
| 19 | Donovan McNabb | 10 | 579.2 | 57.9 | 2004 (89.7) | 1 |
| 20 | Matt Hasselbeck | 11 | 577.6 | 52.5 | 2005 (92.0) | 3 |
What stands out
Brady and Brees still lead by a wide margin
Brady combines 21 qualifying seasons with seven top-five finishes and a perfect 100.0 rating in 2007. Brees recorded 12 top-five finishes across 19 qualifying seasons. Their longevity leaves both comfortably ahead of the rest of the field.
Manning has the highest average
Peyton Manning’s 82.6 average is the best among the top 20, narrowly ahead of Patrick Mahomes at 81.7. Manning also recorded 11 top-five finishes in 14 qualifying seasons during the ranking window. Roethlisberger ranks fourth because this is a cumulative list: his three additional qualifying seasons give him a small advantage in total points.
Mahomes moves ahead of Goff
Mahomes rises to 13th with 653.5 points, just 3.0 ahead of Jared Goff. Mahomes reached that total in eight qualifying seasons and has five top-five finishes, matching Goff despite playing one fewer qualifying season.
The revised rushing bonus recognizes complete dual threats
The passing gate prevents rushing from covering up weak passing, but it gives major dual-threat seasons room to separate themselves. Lamar Jackson reached the 100-point cap in 2024, while Josh Allen has accumulated four top-five finishes during the ranking period. Neither has yet played enough qualifying seasons to enter this longevity-driven top 20.
This ranking measures accumulated regular-season passing efficiency, passing production, and complementary rushing value. It does not include championships, playoff performance, awards, or reputation. Browse the NFL ratings archive to see the revised quarterback ratings for every season from 1986 through 2025.