Who are the most overrated NFL quarterbacks heading into the 2024 season? After playoff failures throughout his career, Dallas Cowboys signal caller Dak Prescott certainly qualifies.
There are also some signal callers who are overrated simply because their teams handed them absurd contracts. Trevor Lawrence, anyone? Here, we rank the 10 most overrated NFL quarterbacks with the 2024 season upon us.
10. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
It’s fair to say that Justin Herbert has been the victim of circumstance since the Los Angeles Chargers made him the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Two head coaches and three offensive coordinators in four years. The hope is that this changes with Jim Harbaugh now calling the shots from the sidelines. What we do know is that he boasts a 30-32 career record as a starting quarterback. Herbert also threw a mere 20 touchdowns in 13 starts a season ago. Playing under a five-year, $262.5 million contract; it’s safe to say that Herbert is among the most overrated NFL quarterbacks right now.
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9. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy has had an historic start to his career. He’s 17-4 as QB1 in San Francisco and has thrown 44 touchdowns compared to 15 interceptions. The Iowa State product is also coming off a Super Bowl appearance in his first full season as San Francisco’s starter. In no way does that mean he’s not overrated. Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. That is the skill-position talent Purdy had had to work with. Add in the genius of head coach Kyle Shanahan on offense, and he’s simply been put in a perfect situation to succeed. It’s now time for Purdy to take that next step. He’s not yet elite.
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8. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Desahun Watson has played in all of 12 games with the Cleveland Browns since they sent a boat load of picks to the Houston Texans and signed him to a fully-guaranteed $230 million contract. Just let that sink in for a second. He’s also going to have the highest single-season cap hit in NFL history in 2024 at $63.77 million. This doesn’t even take into account his well-known off-field issues. Having thrown 14 touchdowns in 12 games during his Browns career, Watson is certainly one of the most overrated NFL quarterbacks today. This isn’t even up for debate.
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7. Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s looking more and more like Russell Wilson was a product of the Seattle Seahawks’ culture earlier in his career. During a 10-year stint in the Pacific Northwest, Wilson earned nine trips to the Pro Bowl. He threw 292 touchdowns compared to 87 interceptions. In two years with the Broncos, he tallied 42 touchdowns while boasting an 11-19 record as a starter. It led to Denver taking an historical dead cap hit by releasing Wilson this past offseason. Now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he doesn’t seem to be much more than a journeyman.
6. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
We will really see what Kirk Cousins has to offer after the Atlanta Falcons signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract during the spring. Statistically, he was great during a six-year run with the Minnesota Vikings. The veteran threw 171 touchdowns compared to 55 interceptions. He also posted a 50-31-1 record as a starter. The question here is obvious. Cousins boasts a 1-3 playoff record in his career. One postseason win and four playoff games since entering the league back in 2012. This makes him one of the most overrated NFL quarterbacks today.
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5. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
One season after leading Philadelphia to the Super Bowl, Jalen Hurts saw his star power take a major hit in 2023. Questions about leadership came up big time as the Eagles lost six of their final seven and were blown out in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. All said, Hurts threw 23 touchdowns compared to 15 interceptions during the regular year. Sure, he added 15 scores on the ground. But the dude needs to be a better passer if he’s going to be considered elite at this level. That has not yet happened.
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4. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
As far as NFL quarterbacks go, Derek Carr has been among the most overrated for pretty much the past decade. We’re talking about a signal caller who has started all of one playoff game in a decade. Carr was benched in his final season with the Las Vegas Raiders back in 2022. He led the Saints to a mere 9-8 record in his first campaign with the team. Carr has yet to throw as many as 30 touchdowns in his career and has tossed 36 picks over the past three seasons. That’s just not going to cut it.
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3. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa‘s stats the past two seasons (54 touchdowns, 22 interceptions) are good. He’s angling for a massive long-term contract extension with Miami that would pay him north of $50 million annually. But is he worth it? Some around the NFL view him as an overrated signal caller who can’t be that franchise guy. It’s hard to gauge given the skill-position talent that exists in South Beach. But until Tua can prove that he’s the reason the Fins can contend for a Super Bowl title, he’ll continued to be viewed as overrated.
Related: 10 most overrated NFL players in 2024, including Tua Tagovailoa
2. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
The football world was thrown into a frenzy when Trevor Lawrence inked a five-year, $275 million contract extension with Jacksonville. It places him with Justin Herbert as the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. But is the former No. 1 pick worth it? We’re not sure. Last season saw Lawrence throw just 21 touchdowns compared to 14 interceptions. Those numbers are not indicative of a franchise signal caller.
1. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott tops the list of the most overrated NFL quarterbacks. It’s not really that close. His numbers through eight seasons (202 TD, 74 INT) are brilliant. But that’s box score scouting at its best. As the face of America’s Team, it’s time for Prescott to show up when it matters the most. He has not done that. The former fourth-round pick from Mississippi State has lost five of seven career postseason starts. He’s thrown four picks in his past three playoff outings, including two in last season’s NFC Wild Card Playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers. Yuck!