FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 9th, 2022

AARON RODGERS, MATTHEW STAFFORD, RUSSELL WILSON & TOM BRADY RANKED 5-8 ON CHRIS SIMMS’ TOP 40 QUARTERBACK COUNTDOWN, NOW ON “CHRIS SIMMS UNBUTTONED” AND “PRO FOOTBALL TALK”

Simms’ Top 40 QB Countdown Culminates with the Top Four Next Monday, June 13

“Aaron Rodgers is still an incredibly awesome talent and still one of the best quarterbacks in football…Is his ability to make game-changing plays consistently up to the capabilities of the quarterbacks in front of him? No.” – Simms on Aaron Rodgers at No. 5

“The guy who’s always been a Super Bowl quarterback that finally got a team that matched up with his Super Bowl capabilities.”– Simms on Matthew Stafford at No. 6

“He is the G.O.A.T. I can’t deny that anymore. He makes more throws and changes the games in more positive ways for the Bucs than he ever did the last few years with the Patriots.”– Simms on Tom Brady at No. 8

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 9, 2022 – Reigning back-to-back NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl LVI champion Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams, nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos, and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers highlight quarterbacks ranked 5-8 in the latest installment of Chris Simms’ countdown of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL.

NBC Sports’ Simms continues his countdown of the best quarterbacks in the NFL on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and on “PFT Live,” unveiling quarterbacks 5-8.

Simms’ quarterbacks ranked 5-40:

5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay 23. Justin Fields, Chicago
6. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams 24. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville
7. Russell Wilson, Denver 25. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia
8. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay 26. Jameis Winston, New Orleans
9. Dak Prescott, Dallas 27. Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh
10. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore 28. Marcus Mariota, Atlanta
11. Derek Carr, Las Vegas 29. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami
12. Kyler Murray, Arizona 30. Jared Goff, Detroit
13. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland 31. Trey Lance, San Francisco
14. Matt Ryan, Indianapolis 32. Sam Darnold, Carolina
15. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee 33. Geno Smith, Seattle
16. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota 34. Tyler Huntley, Baltimore
17. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland 35. Davis Mills, Houston
18. Mac Jones, New England 36. Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants
19. Carson Wentz, Washington 37. Gardner Minshew, Philadelphia
20. Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 38. Teddy Bridgewater, Miami
21. Daniel Jones, New York Giants 39. Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
22. Zach Wilson, New York Jets 40. Drew Lock, Seattle

 

Beginning in May and culminating next Monday, June 13 with his top four quarterbacks in the league, Simms will unveil four 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 has had recent success in projecting quarterbacks – including those coming out of college by naming Patrick Mahomes as his most exciting prospect in 2017, listing Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen as his top-two QBs in 2018, and having Justin Herbert as his No. 2 QB in 2020.

The rankings will conclude on Monday, June 13 with numbers 1-4 on the next episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned.

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

No. 8: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

“He is the G.O.A.T. I can’t deny that anymore. He makes more throws and changes the games in more positive ways for the Bucs than he ever did the last few years with the Patriots. I do think [former Buccaneers head coach] Bruce Arians and [Buccaneers offensive coordinator] Byron Leftwich got him to break out of his shell. His arm is still towards the top of football. His effect on the team is maybe as big as anyone’s in football. His only flaw is pressure around him. When he’s comfortable and in a rhythm early…Brady can make some unbelievable throws. But the issue is when the game starts to get hairy…he might never settle in…and then it starts to make his decisions bad, too.”

No. 7: Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos

“Still one of the best big-play quarterbacks in the NFL. He still has playmaking ability to scramble. Every team thinks they can win when they have Russell Wilson at quarterback. But he can be too conservative. I think [Broncos head coach] Nathaniel Hackett will find more ways to get him easy completions over the middle of the field. [Last season] he lost control of the football more than he had in years past. He’s still awesome, but he looks for the one-on-one play and avoids the schematical play a little too much.”

No. 6: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

“The guy who’s always been a Super Bowl quarterback that finally got a team that matched up with his Super Bowl capabilities. One of the greatest arms in the game. If you wonder why Cooper Kupp had a career year, just look at Matthew Stafford. He allowed that offense to do things they had never done before. His side-arm deliveries are up there with [Patrick] Mahomes and Josh Allen. Incredible accuracy on high-level throws. His ability to handle mental and physical pressure is top-notch. He probably throws more no-look passes than anybody in the sport.”

No. 5: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

“He still has one of the best arms in the game. He manages the game probably as good as anybody in football. Aaron Rodgers is still an incredibly awesome talent and still one of the best quarterbacks in football. To me, there were too many plays and yards left on the field where I would go, ‘You’re too good to not take advantage of that.’ Is his ability to make game-changing plays consistently up to the capabilities of the quarterbacks in front of him? No. I think maybe he needs a little bit more support and isn’t quite the playmaker those guys are.”

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

-NBC SPORTS-