NFL Executives Rank Joe Burrow Just Outside NFL's Top Tier 1 Passers

The Athletic's Mike Sando dropped his annual quarterback tiers for 35 NFL passers this week. The respected NFL voice canvasses votes from a group of 50 executives and coaches each offseason to dial into his annual ranking.

Joe Burrow once again slotted in Tier 1 for the fifth consecutive year. He did drop from unanimous status after getting exclusively Tier 1 votes last season.

Consistent Star

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) stands on the field during the Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp 2026 at Kettering Practice Field in Cincinnati on Thursday, July 30, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

All in all, Cincinnati's top leader slotted in at fourth overall behind Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford. Of the 50 voters, only four voted Burrow as a Tier 2 passer.

Sando broke down the methodology.

"The panel this year consisted of eight general managers, five assistant GMs, five former GMs and three other executives, plus nine head coaches, 10 defensive coordinators, five offensive coordinators, two offensive assistants, one defensive assistant and two coaches specializing in analytics/game management," Sando wrote. "That’s 21 execs and 29 coaches overall. Each voter placed 35 veteran quarterbacks into five tiers, from best (Tier 1) to worst (Tier 5). Quarterbacks were then ranked by average vote and placed into tiers. The survey excludes rookies because voters have not seen them play in the NFL."

A few voters laid out their thoughts below:

“I’m going to say 2 even though I want to say 1,” a former GM said to Sando about Burrow. “I love the accuracy and anticipation. It’s just that he has been a little up and down due to injuries.”

“He’s so talented at throwing the ball, and he sees it so well,” an offensive coach said. “Everyone would want to have him, 10 times out of 10, no matter how much money he asked for.”

“As much as I respect the head coach (Zac Taylor) as a play caller, and I like him a lot, it is insane how they do not protect (Burrow),” one voter noted to Sando. “It’s third-and-10 from the plus-45. They are playing Cleveland. That situation, you are trying to get in range of the field goal. They come out with open edges. They are spread out. This is either a screen or the ball is coming out quick, right? They did a dropback pass. Bang! What do you think happened? Sack!"

It's going to be tough for Burrow to climb to that top overall spot without an MVP or Lombardi Trophy on display. Burrow has neither, and the three stars above him either have both (Stafford and Mahomes) or at least an MVP (Allen).

Cincinnati has never set its roster up better to get one of those, preferably the Lombardi for all parties involved. Burrow played at an MVP level in 2024, but wasn't going to get it with a 9-8 record.

One thing that could lead to both happening for Burrow? Capturing the NFL's No. 1 seed. A possibilgity with arguably the easiest schedule in the NFL

Check out the full tiers list here.

Our 2026 NFL Quarterback Tiers results are here.

The panel this year consisted of 21 execs and 29 coaches overall. Each voter placed 35 veteran QBs into five tiers, from best (Tier 1) to worst (Tier 5).

There's clarity at the top, with four overwhelming Tier 1 selections and… pic.twitter.com/2iaixLeYbo
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 4, 2026

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