Ranking the Starting Quarterbacks in the AFC East

The AFC East which once belonged to the New England Patriots has seen a big change in the past few years. For the last four seasons, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills have stamped their authority on this division, although the Miami Dolphins have been close on their heels.

The AFC East has a good battle amongst not just the various teams but also he quarterbacks. This division has three quarterbacks who are set to start, with 19-year veteran Aaron Rodgers leading the Jets, last season’s passing yards leader Tua Tagovailoa for the Dolphins, and the aforementioned Allen in Buffalo.

The Patriots have drafted Drake Maye with their first-round pick in 2024, but he looks to be the future at the moment. If that is the case, Jacoby Brissett is likely to take the reins for the Patriots at least to start the season.

Here, we will see how the AFC East quarterbacks are ranked with each other as we near the start of the 2024 season.

4. Jacoby Brissett/Drake Maye, New England Patriots

The fourth spot in the quarterback rankings for the AFC East is quite an easy one. The Patriots will be starting the new season with either their former draft pick Brissett or newly acquired rookie Maye under center.

Brissett’s NFL career started in 2016 as a backup in New England. Having signed a four-year deal, he was traded the following season to the Indianapolis Colts. In his four-year tenure with the Colts, he was unable to hold down the starting role and since then has spent the past three years playing for different franchises as a backup. There is not much to expect here other than the fact that he may get the nod ahead of Maye to allow the rookie to settle down.

If, however, the Patriots decide to go with Maye, he will need time to develop and may even struggle further as New England comes to terms with a new head coach and a new system. In any case, both Patriots quarterbacks are currently positioned in last place on this list.

3. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Spots No. 2 and 3 are a bit tricky in the AFC East. At the moment, we have gone with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa because he has yet to prove his worth especially in the postseason.

From his four years in the league, Tagovailoa seems to be getting better year after year, and last season could have propelled him higher. However, he fell off toward the end of the season and had a terrible cold winter playoff game in the Wild Card Round against Kansas City.

Moreover, Tagovailoa’s apparent success in 2023 was a byproduct of his talented and speedy receivers, namely Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Take them away and we are left wanting a bit more from the Hawaii native.

2. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

As mentioned above, there is a case to be made for Tagovailoa to be No.2 and Aaron Rodgers to be No. 3, especially since we are not sure how Rodgers will look at the age of 40 and coming back from a gruesome injury. Add to that the fact that he still does not have much live game action with the Jets, and Rodgers could very well have slipped in these rankings.

However, it is hard to ignore the type of player he is and what all he has done up to this point of his glorious career. It’s been just a couple of seasons since Rodgers won back-to-back MVPs, taking his total to four.

He was welcomed in New York with a purpose of bringing a Super Bowl to the Jets franchise. If that is the ambition, then Rodgers will have to be at his best, and for that reason he takes this place in the rankings.

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

This one is hard to argue with. Allen entered the league in 2018 and has practically put the Bills team on his shoulders. He has been one of the top quarterbacks almost every season, coming close to winning the MVP on a couple of occasions.

Allen’s ability at the quarterback position has helped Buffalo clinch the AFC East for four straight years. He is an excellent runner of the ball as well and has had quite a few exhilarating matches going toe to toe with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

It will be interesting to see how Allen performs this year having lost Stefon Diggs in the offseason to Houston. The Bills didn’t necessarily get a true replacement for him, and the receiving core in Buffalo looks a bit bleak.

But, until there is any evidence to support that the Bills quarterback cannot function without a top wideout, he will remain at the top of the AFC East quarterback rankings.

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