Heads up! The 2015-16 NFL Season is right around the corner, and along with it comes some of the best signal callers of this generation. There’s future Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Peyton Manning who’ve been at it for over a decade. There’s also some young blood in the likes of Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck. With that, read on as we take a look at the best quarterbacks of the 2015-16 NFL Season.
Who exactly will these quarterbacks pass to? Check out our lists of the top 10 wide receivers and tight ends in the NFL.
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Top 10 Quarterbacks in 2015-16
10. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
[sc:NFL240banner ]Jimmy Graham is gone. Drew Brees now has to rely on a declining Marques Colston and unproven talent as his targets. The Saints quarterback passed for a whopping league-high 4,952 yards and 33 touchdowns. Without a proven receiving corps, though, the Saints may opt for a more balanced offense after throwing for 63 percent of their offensive possessions last season. Still, expect Brees to flash his strong arm in the upcoming season.
9. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan showcased a cannon of an arm last season, passing for 4,694 yards and 28 touchdowns. He should remain a constant threat as long as his primary target, Julio Jones remains healthy. It’ll also be of much help that new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s bread-and-butter is downfield passing, which could use plenty of the Ryan-Jones connection.
8. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton had an off year last season. Part of Newton’s struggles was his early ankle and rib injuries, which caused him to rush as little as possible; he totalled only 14 rushing attempts through the first five weeks. Now healthy, expect Newton to be the double-threat quarterback the Panthers need. He has a stud target in tight end Greg Olsen, and he can still tear down defenses with his legs as he’s averaging 5.5 yards per carry in his career.
7. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
Peyton Manning is a living legend. Last year, he passed Brett Favre’s record for most career passing touchdowns (508), setting a new record with 530 under his belt. A quad injury took the steam off his season though as he passed for 750 yards and 16 touchdowns less from his incredible 2013 campaign.
Manning may end up struggling this season with a new head coach in Gary Kubiak and big-time targets Julius Thomas and Wes Welker gone. An elite signal caller in Manning should still be able to adjust his game, though. It may just take him some time to gain some momentum with all the changes in the roster and coaching staff.
6. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
It was a stellar 2014 season for Tony Romo playing behind the Cowboys’ elite offensive line. He tossed for 34 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. Romo also ranked first in the league in completion percentage (69.9) and passer rating (113.2). But the Dallas quarterback did so when the team ranked 23rd in the league in pass attempts last season.
It remains to be seen if Romo will be as efficient without a solid running back in DeMarco Murray drawing pressure away from him. He still has an elite target in wide receiver Dez Bryant, who caught the most touchdown passes (16) in the league last season.
The Deflategate situation and subsequent four-game suspension dropped Tom Brady a couple of spots down this list. Brady started off slow last year, amassing a paltry quarterback rating of 46.5 in the first four weeks. But he was splendid the rest of the way, eventually ending the season fifth in touchdowns (33) and the fifth-best passer rating (97.4) in the league.
Despite his suspension, expect Brady to be a force in the passing game with tight end Robert Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman catching his throws.
4. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger is one big bad quarterback. He tied Drew Brees to rank first in the NFL with 4,952 yards passing last season, finished with the third-best passer rating (103.3) and third-best completion percentage (67.1). Roethlisberger should remain a passing threat to opposing defenses this upcoming season. He has a pair of viable targets in stellar wide receiver Antonio Brown and excellent pass-catching running back Le’Veon Bell (when he returns after a two-game suspension).
3. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson recently agreed to a four-year, $87.6 million contract extension which should keep him in Seattle until the end of his rookie contract. Seattle could surely use more of his dual-threat play after he threw a career-best 26 touchdowns last season while leading all quarterbacks with 849 rushing yards.
The Seahawks could see more of a passing game from Wilson this upcoming season, especially after they traded for Jimmy Graham. The former Saints tight end has caught 51 touchdowns in his five years in the league, finally giving Wilson a reliable red-zone target.
2. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck broke through as a superstar last season, passing for career-highs of 4,761 yards and 40 touchdowns (the most in the league). He did so despite playing behind a questionable offensive line and almost no running game.
Luck should be even more devastating this time around, as the Colts made sure to nab plenty of key pieces on offense to aid their franchise quarterback, like in wide receiver Andre Johnson. They also signed running back Frank Gore to establish some balance with the ground game.
1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Hands down, Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL right now. He has a cannon he calls an arm, incredible accuracy and plenty of weapons at his disposal. The 2014 NFL MVP passed for 4,381 yards with 38 touchdowns and just eight interceptions last season. He’s sure to rack up the yardage and scores with stellar wide receiver Jordy Nelson (1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014) and excellent pass catching running back Eddie Lacy (427 yards receiving and four touchdowns in 2014).
