FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 3rd, 2021

TAYSOM HILL, JAMEIS WINSTON & BEN ROETHLISBERGER HIGHLIGHT NUMBERS 21-25 ON CHRIS SIMMS’ TOP 40 QUARTERBACK COUNTDOWN, NOW ON “CHRIS SIMMS UNBUTTONED” AND “PRO FOOTBALL TALK LIVE”

Jimmy Garoppolo (No. 21), Ben Roethlisberger (No. 22), Ryan Fitzpatrick (No. 23), Taysom Hill (No. 24) & Jameis Winston (No. 25) Ranked #21-25 in the Simms Top 40 QB Countdown

“From the traditional quarterback standpoint, I would rank Jameis Winston in front of Taysom Hill. But the thing is, tradition is gone. The NFL has changed.” – Simms on ranking Taysom Hill ahead of Jameis Winston

“I still think he’s got talent. I still think you can win a Super Bowl with Big Ben…(The Steelers) have to take the (Tom) Brady and Buccaneers route.” – Simms on Ben Roethlisberger

Simms’ Top 40 QB Countdown Culminates with the Top Four on Monday, June 21

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 3, 2021 – NBC Sports’ Chris Simms continues to unveil his list of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and “PFT Live” with the QBs ranked 21-25.

Beginning last week and culminating Monday, June 21 with his top five quarterbacks in the league, Simms will unveil five selections on each Chris Simms Unbuttoned episode and discuss his rankings on “PFT Live” with Mike Florio.

Simms, a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2003 NFL Draft who played eight NFL seasons, will also offer in-depth player breakdowns and rankings explanations throughout each week on Chris Simms Unbuttoned.

Simms; quarterbacks ranked 21-25:

 

21. Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 31. Jared Goff, Detroit
22. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh 32. Teddy Bridgewater, Denver
23. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington 33. Drew Lock, Denver
24. Taysom Hill, New Orleans 34. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami
25. Jameis Winston, New Orleans 35. Tyrod Taylor, Houston
26. Daniel Jones, NY Giants 36. Marcus Mariota, Las Vegas
27. Zach Wilson, NY Jets 37. Kellen Mond, Minnesota
28. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville 38. Trey Lance, San Francisco
29. Andy Dalton, Chicago 39. Justin Fields, Chicago
30. Mac Jones, New England 40. Case Keenum, Cleveland

 

The rankings will continue Monday, June 7 with numbers 17-20 on the next episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned.

The following are highlights from this week’s editions of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:

No. 25: Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints

Simms: “He’s a hard guy to place. We know his top-end play is special, but it’s the old adage with Jameis Winston, the bottom-end play is really bad at times. I don’t expect that (to continue) if he does get a chance to play here with Sean Payton. I think he’s going to clean that up and hopefully he’s learned from Drew Brees…He’s a top 10 talent in football when he plays clean and smart…Not every play has to be the last play of the game or you have to make magic happen…This is one of the most intriguing quarterback battles of this season.”

No. 24: Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

Simms: “I gave him the slight advantage (over Winston) … Taysom Hill is not your traditional quarterback. From the traditional quarterback standpoint, I would rank Jameis Winston in front of Taysom Hill. But the thing is, tradition is gone. The NFL has changed, quarterbacks don’t just stand in the pocket and pick you apart anymore. There’s more to it than that. Taysom Hill has to be evaluated less as a quarterback, but a little bit more like the guys that are in his type – a force. A force of nature…It’s going to be more about his skill set, what it brings to the offense, and the pressure he puts on the defense where it can’t be quantified with stats or quarterback ratings.”

No. 23: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington Football Team

Simms: “‘Fitz-tragic’ is over. Get over it, it’s done…That was a real thing for a time when it was either ‘Fitz-tragic’ or then the next game it was ‘Fitz-magic.’ We’ve seen enough years here where it’s not really ‘Fitz-tragic’ anymore. That’s old stuff…He’s aggressive, he makes plays in the pass game with his arm and his aggressive decision-making…Where I gave Ryan Fitzpatrick maybe a little bump too, as compared to other guys that we don’t look at as big-time stars or franchise-type quarterbacks, is he moves pretty well…and I think he brings a little edge to the football team. I think there is a leadership factor with Fitzpatrick, even though everybody knows he’s not the franchise or the future, he has a way or an edginess about him.”

No. 22: Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Simms: “I love me some Big Ben. Yes, he’s fallen down the rankings a little bit. I think it’s pretty obvious why…It wasn’t his best year, there’s no doubt about that…I still think he’s got talent. I still think you can win a Super Bowl with Big Ben, but it was underwhelming towards the ends of last year…Lack of mobility, sometimes lack of aggressive throws down the field. I think that’s right now why I question where Big Ben is at…I do think they can still win with him, they just have to do the right thing on the offensive side of the ball to help him…They have to take the (Tom) Brady and Buccaneers route.”

No. 21: Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Simms: “Availability is an issue. Of course, it’s the first thing you have to think about. It’s why the 49ers drafted a quarterback in the first round…Jimmy G. does a lot of good things…but there’s a lot of quarterbacks we could have put on that 49ers team and they could’ve won games. Even high-level backups…(The 49ers moves) are telling you that yeah, health is an issue, but even when he plays we’re not exactly in love with it…He’s physically limited with his ability to move in the pocket or extend plays, and his arm is really NFL-average, but he’s got a quick release and great anticipation, so that saves him a little bit. And that’s where he’s really good…But is he going to make plays out of the realm of the offense a whole lot? Absolutely not, and to me that’s where he falls to No. 21.”

To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.

-NBC SPORTS-