With all due respect to reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, the 2025 NFL quarterback landscape is dominated by three electrifying talents: Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo's Josh Allen, and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson. Each brings a unique blend of creativity, mobility, and leadership, sparking debates about who reigns supreme. With unprecedented stats, iconic performances, and transformative impacts on their teams, the question isn't just who's the best now, but who's carving out the greatest legacy.
The Case for Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes's numbers are otherworldly. He burst onto the scene in 2018 with a 50-touchdown, 5,097 yard performance in his first season as a starter, capturing the first of his two MVP awards. He's gone on to win three Super Bowls (2019, 2022, 2023), and was named the MVP of all three. To date he's thrown for 32,352 yards with 245 touchdowns and a 102.1 passer rating, and he's coming off his third straight Super Bowl appearance. The Chiefs have reached the AFC championship game in each of his seven years as a starter, winning five. He's 89-23 in the regular season with a postseason resume (17-4 with a 105.4 passer rating) that rivals Tom Brady's early career, and his 288.9 passing yards per game are the most in NFL history.
Mahomes's genius lies in his improvisational brilliance, with his no-look passes, sidearm throws, and ability to extend plays making him a nightmare to defend. He's redefined the position with his physical and mental excellence, thriving within head coach Andy Reid's system while establishing a historically prolific connection with tight end Travis Kelce. At 29, he's already widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
The Case for Josh Allen
Josh Allen's statistics showcase the dual-threat dominance of the defending league MVP. In his seven seasons he's amassed 26,434 passing yards and 195 passing touchdowns to go along with his incredible 65 rushing touchdowns (second all time among quarterbacks). He's almost singlehandedly revitalized a moribund Bills franchise, compiling a 76-34 record and leading the team to six straight playoff appearances.
At 6'5" and a burly 237 pounds, Allen is a battering ram with a cannon arm, capable of launching 70-yard bombs or bulldozing linebackers. He was an unpolished gem early in his career — showing flashes of brilliance while struggling with inaccuracy and poor decision making — but refined his mechanics and has steadily improved, posting a career best 69.2% completion percentage in his third season on the way to his first of three 13-win seasons. The mental side of his game has now caught up to the physical, and while he's yet to win a ring, he's only 28 and his ceiling remains sky high.
The Case for Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson's career has revolutionized the game. He's already the all time leading rusher among quarterbacks, and his career average of 6.1 yards per carry is the best of any player. His MVP seasons in 2019 (3,127 passing yards with 36 touchdowns, 1,206 rushing yards) and 2023 (3,678 passing yards with 24 touchdowns, 821 rushing yards) were historic, but his 2024 performance was statistically superior to both (4,172 passing yards with 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions, plus another 915 yards on the ground). While his 3-5 playoff record is a knock, his mastery of the Ravens' option heavy system has allowed him to compile a 70-24 record in the regular season.
Jackson's unparalleled athleticism makes him a one man wrecking crew. His speed and elusiveness force defenses to rethink their schemes, and his improved passing has silenced early critics. Firmly in his prime at age 28, he's racked up 20,059 yards and 166 touchdowns through the air while adding another 6,173 yards and 33 scores on the ground, and he's comparable to Stephen Curry in that even his unprecedented statistics bely his true impact, as his gravity creates openings for his teammates to excel.
Comparing and Contrasting
Mahomes leads in postseason success, with a knack for delivering big plays when it matters most. His wild improvisation often overshadows how brilliantly he also operates within Coach Reid's offense, calling audibles when necessary and getting the ball out on time as he plays the position in a more conventional way. Allen's dual-threat prowess gives him an edge in versatility, and his raw power makes him a matchup nightmare; his only precursor in the history of the league was 2015 MVP Cam Newton, but Allen has sustained that level of play for much longer. Jackson's rushing ability is superior to even that of the legendary Michael Vick, and his passing efficiency now rivals any peer, with his 2024 passer rating of 119.6 ranking as the fourth highest ever recorded.
The Cream of the Crop
Patrick Mahomes's awe-inspiring highlight reel and sparkling playoff resume set him apart, blending innovation with results. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are nipping at his heels, with their upward trajectory and unique physical gifts making each a perennial threat. It's fair to say that they haven't been as clutch as Mahomes, but also true that neither has been blessed with the same level of talent around them.
Football fans are lucky to be witnessing these three incredible talents — plus others including Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Joe Burrow of the Bengals — in their prime at the same time. The torch has been passed from Brady, Manning, Brees, and Rodgers, with the new generation doing things on a weekly basis which we've never seen from the quarterback position.
What's your take? Is Mahomes still the man, or has he been surpassed by Allen and/or Jackson? Share your thoughts on our social media and vote at goat-vote.com/football/mvp.