Jacoby Jones, a Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl star who was known for the “Mile High Miracle” and his jovial antics, has died at the age of 40.

The cause of Jones’ death was not immediately available.

In a statement released Sunday through the NFL Players Association, Jones’ family said that he died “peacefully” at his home in New Orleans.

“The family, including his mother, Emily and his son, Little Jacoby, are together and are asking for prayers, privacy, and support as they navigate through this difficult time.”

The Ravens said in a statement Sunday that “Jacoby had the unique ability to connect with everyone he encountered. His charisma, joy and love created a one-of-a-kind presence that could light up any room or brighten any dark day.”

A nine-year NFL veteran whose fun personality and flamboyant end zone dances endeared him to fans and teammates, Jones etched himself in NFL history during the Ravens’ 2012 Super Bowl run, scoring three postseason touchdowns in the most dramatic fashion.

Jones’ most memorable catch, the “Mile High Miracle,” came on a high-arcing 70-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco with 31 seconds remaining in an AFC divisional playoff game in January 2013. With Baltimore trailing 35-28 in Denver, Jones got behind safety Rahim Moore for the game-tying touchdown.

“When I ran in the end zone, it was quiet. You heard rat piss on cotton,” Jones told ESPN on the 10-year anniversary of the catch. “I’m like, this ain’t real.”

Then, in the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers, Jones became the first player to score a receiving touchdown and a return touchdown in the same game in Super Bowl history. His 108-yard kickoff return touchdown to open the second half is the longest scoring play in the history of the Super Bowl.

When half of the Superdome’s lights went out for 34 minutes in Super Bowl XLVII, Jones said he played freeze tag with wide receiver Torrey Smith to stay loose.

“They were saying, ‘Let’s stretch,'” Jones later said. “Stretch? I ain’t never stretched in my life.”

– – –

“I loved Jacoby Jones. We all did,” Harbaugh said in a statement Sunday. “His spirit, enthusiasm and love for people were powerful. He was a light. My favorite Jacoby personal moment was every time I saw his smiling face full of joy.”

Before joining the Ravens, Jones spent five seasons with the Houston Texans.

Several former teammates, including Ray Lewis, Smith and J.J. Watt, remembered Jones with posts to social media.

@JJWatt

Jacoby was one of the most fun-loving teammates and people I’ve ever been around. Always dancing and laughing, with a permanent smile on his face.

Gone far, far too soon.

R.I.P Jacoby Jones.

🙏🏼

In April, Jones was hired as the head coach and offensive coordinator of the Beaumont Renegades, an indoor football expansion franchise set to begin play in 2025.

“He was the best, he loved everyone,” Sam Gordon, the owner of the Renegades, told KPRC-TV in Houston. “I think one of the most important things is he was a man of God. He was proud of how much he loved and feared his god. What was most important to him after football was helping the next person in line. He was the most humble and kind person to anybody who gave him the time and needed the time from him.”

MINNESOTA

WR JORDAN ADDISON, who once had a vehicular incident in the Twin Cities now has one in LA.  He was asleep in the middle of the road in his Rolls Royce at 11:36 at night.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

Vikings receiver Jordan Addison has been arrested for suspicion of DUI.

Via the Los Angeles Daily News, Addison was found asleep at the wheel near LAX and was arrested.

Police were dispatched at approximately 11:10 p.m. on Friday, to respond to a report of a disabled vehicle blocking lanes. He was operating a white Rolls-Royce.

The arrest happened at roughly 11:36 p.m. ET, after a DUI investigation. He was released two hours later.

Last year, Addison was cited for speeding and reckless driving prior to training camp.

The incident happened less than a week after Vikings cornerback Khyree Jackson was killed in a crash that, per police, might have involved alcohol.

ATLANTA

Most “experts” think that the second act as head coach for personable Raheem Morris will go better than his opening act with the Buccaneers.  Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com visits the upbeat Falcons:

The Atlanta Falcons have one of the largest coaching staffs in the NFL under new head coach Raheem Morris. The 26 coaches, by CBS Sports Research’s count, is good for third largest in the entire league.

Look just at the offensive side of the ball. There’s first-year offensive coordinator Zac Robinson with quarterbacks coach T.J. Yates behind him. D.J. Williams is the assistant QBs coach, then there’s veteran coach Ken Zampese as a senior offensive assistant. Tim Berbenich is the pass game specialist, and offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford is the run game coordinator.

This is without mentioning two offensive assistants.

When I sat down with Morris during the Falcons’ one-day minicamp in June, I asked him why he figured he needed such a large staff. The conceit, he admits, can be a bit … conceited.

“It’s the attrition of knowing that you’re going to be good. It’s a little bit of arrogance with it as well, right?” Morris said from his office. “We’re going to lose good coaches. And I would like to be able to replace them within. I would like to be able to have guys in place that are training and constantly develop for those roles.

“When you do it, you don’t come into this thing hoping you can win. You go into this thing knowing you can win. And when you know you can win, you’re going to lose people that are curious about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. And I want to be prepared for that.”

Morris’ beliefs come from experience. He was on Sean McVay’s staff for three seasons, including a Super Bowl-winning one, and saw talented coaches get poached. In his first tour of duty in Atlanta, he recalls a 2016 Falcons staff that lost Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, Mike LaFleur, Mike McDaniel and Bobby Turner after their Super Bowl run.

Whether you believe the 2024 Falcons are legitimate contenders for a Lombardi run, clearly they do. They believe they’re close. They see an NFC South that can be wrested away from the Buccaneers, themselves winners of the weak division for three straight years.

In those same three years, the Falcons have put up identical 7-10 marks under old head coach Arthur Smith. Last year’s group managed to beat most of their opponents with winning records, but tallied a dreadful 2-6 record against those with losing records.

It’s the years of adding skill positions through the draft; so much so that former No. 4 overall pick Kyle Pitts may be option No. 4 in this offense. It’s building up a solid offensive line that can be effective in the run and pass games. But it’s also believing so much in the group there that you can use the eighth overall pick on a quarterback six weeks after guaranteeing $100 million to another. (More on that a little later.)

So much of this expected success depends on Kirk Cousins, who, when I visited in June, was doing slightly more on the field than I expected. It’s a glorified walkthrough as the one and only day of minicamp, but just more than seven months removed from Achilles surgery, the 35-year-old is taking all his dropbacks and even doing some bootleg action.

“Ah, no. I mean, I can move, I can move,” Cousins tells me after practice when I register my surprise. “I think what I’ve learned is, it’s a pretty steady process to go from the day of surgery to about 90 percent. That final 10 percent feels like most of the journey. Like to go from ‘I can almost do everything’, to the ‘almost’ is removed. It feels like that’s a big hurdle to cross.”

Cousins wouldn’t say then whether he was at that 90 percent threshold, but he’s balancing how much to push himself. Doctors told him it’s a nine-month recovery — he had surgery Nov. 1 — but that in many ways he wouldn’t feel normal until 12 months.

Last summer while with the Vikings, Cousins hired a bodywork coach who’s actually from the Atlanta area. They work together nearly every day with three sessions each day, trying various rest and recovery methods.

No one would be surprised if Cousins doesn’t play in any of the three preseason games, but he tells me he expects to be ready for Week 1 and that he’s “trending towards being ready” in Atlanta’s opener against the Steelers.

Morris will tell local media it’s hard for him to say Cousins is limited even though he knows he is. They haven’t done anything live around his feet, obviously, and they’re careful about the plays they’ve run so far.

Remember, this was the traditional Achilles surgery and not the new-age speedbridge process that had Aaron Rodgers cleared by his doctor to play after three months.

Isn’t it human nature, I ask Cousins, to press yourself a little more after the team picked Michael Penix Jr. in April’s draft? After inking a four-year, $180 million contract to be the franchise quarterback — and after leaving Minnesota in part because you couldn’t get that assurance there — doesn’t the selection of a quarterback in the top 10 of the draft light an even greater fire under you to physically perform on the field as soon as possible?

“I think I’m naturally a pusher,” Cousins said. “So if anything in this rehab, talking about pushing up to the line, the concern for me was not ‘Will I push hard enough?’ The concern was ‘How soon? How much am I going to try to jump over the line?’ So it’s pretty natural for me to push. I don’t know that anything externally would change that.”

General manager Terry Fontenot agrees. He says the drive Cousins has exhibited throughout his career is a big reason why the Falcons hitched their wagon to him on the first day of free agency even though he’d be coming off an Achilles in his age-36 season.

“There doesn’t need to be a carrot,” Fontenot says. “That was a big part of determining that you want to pursue him. You better make sure that he has a real drive, that he wants to continue to get to the next step. This guy wants to do everything he can do to win the Super Bowl and be a multiplier and bring everybody with him.”

What the Falcons have in Cousins is something they haven’t had since the final years of Matt Ryan in Atlanta. Fontenot points out Cousins led the NFL in passing touchdowns before his Achilles tear halfway through the season, making the point that he’s still at the top of his game today with a proven track record of success.

Beyond that, though, Cousins is a front-of-the-classroom kind of guy. A player who takes copious notes in meetings. The Falcons have had that in players like Grady Jarrett and Jake Matthews among others, but getting that from a top player at the premier position trickles down throughout the rest of the roster.

That’s something that was missing from the Marcus Mariota-Taylor Heinicke-Desmond Ridder Experience from the past two seasons. But the team also got more talented, as well. Signing Darnell Mooney and trading for Rondale Moore got the team more speed. They’ve juiced up both sides of the line.

Atlanta still probably needs another corner opposite A.J. Terrell, and the Falcons must continue pursuing a pass rusher after striking out on Montez Sweat before last year’s trade deadline and failing to trade back into the first round for Laiatu Latu in April’s draft. Of course, they could have gotten Latu at No. 8 if they weren’t so certain about Penix.

There’s no question Cousins was upset about the circumstances surrounding the pick. Few teams draft a quarterback in the top 10 to have him sit for the entirety of the veteran’s four-year contract. And maybe a little head’s up ahead of the draft would have been nice.

The Falcons gave Cousins a few minutes heads up, but they felt that’s all they could do in a draft infamous for subterfuge and clandestine behavior. Plus, they’ve been full throated in their belief Cousins is *the* guy.

Still, Cousins had to say what he had to say to all parties in Atlanta after the pick. The conversations have stayed private, but there was clearly an airing of grievances. Morris talks about not allowing negativity to fill a void, and once Cousins got off his chest what he needed to, he got back to work, disallowing negativity to fill the void.

“Our commitment to Kirk is still our commitment to Kirk,” Morris said. “We gave him a pretty healthy contract that if he goes out there and gets his job done and he’s able to stay on track, I don’t see what can go wrong. There’s a business aspect to everything that we do in football, so there’s always going to be relationship-building. There’s always got to be honesty. They’re always going to be brutal honesty.

“There’s going to be a business element to every part of what we do in football. We always like to relate it to our families, but it’s a little bit different than our families because we separate those things with business and family. Here you got to put those things together and be able to heal those things and bond those things through the everyday, working with the same goal in mind.”

Fontenot wasn’t surprised by the reaction from outside the building after the pick. Hell, he anticipated it. Ahead of the draft, Fontenot will sometimes show his scouting staff videos from takesmen around the draft.

Last year, he showed the staff the legendary video of Merril Hoge correctly predicting Johnny Manziel’s career path to an incredulous Skip Bayless ahead of the 2014 draft. It’s a reminder to the group to focus on your own process, do the right things for the right reasons and ignore the noise.

After years of wandering the quarterback wilderness — an ill-fated late run at former Falcons ballboy Deshaun Watson to praying the third-round Ridder could keep them afloat — the Falcons needed to ensure they’d never be in dire straits at the quarterback position for the foreseeable future.

But putting it off another year wasn’t in the cards for a Falcons group that had conviction in Penix and, as noted, has some confidence in itself.

“You look at the total picture and you look at next year,” Fontenot says. “And it’s easy to say, OK, you know what, dude? We’re gonna push this off. We’re just going to take Latu here or trade back and yeah, we’ll get a quarterback next year. Well OK.

“First of all, we’re going to be picking a lot later next year.”

TAMPA BAY

QB BAKER MAYFIELD is happy to have stability and a long term contract.  The RedZone.org:

Faced with replacing the legendary Tom Brady as suddenly a journeyman quarterback on his fourth team in two years, Mayfield surprised by finding happiness and a home in Tampa Bay, leading the Buccaneers to their third consecutive NFC South title and a trip to the NFC Divisional Round. Mayfield felt like he was embraced in Tampa, Bobby Kownack of NFL.com reportsl

“You’re having a lot more fun when you’re not getting shipped off to different places like a piece of dirty laundry, I’ll tell you that,” Mayfield said on the Mike Calta Show. “So, when I got embraced in Tampa, it made a world of difference. I’ve always played ball to enjoy it. I mean, it is a game. Yes, it is my job, but I love it so much. I’ve always worn my emotions on my sleeve and, so, let people embrace that, and that’s why I’m so excited for having more years to come in Tampa for people to just get to know me a little bit better, truly realize that’s not just a show on the field. That’s who I am when it comes down to the football aspect. I love it. I’d do anything for our team and our locker room guys know that.”

Before his latest stop in Tampa Bay, Mayfield had initially been a No. 1 overall pick of the Browns and during the 2020 campaign led them to their first playoff victory in 26 years. But he only lasted one more season, his fourth with Cleveland, before the team traded him to Carolina, where he initially won the starting job and played in seven games before the Panthers released him in December 2022.

Mayfield then caught on with the Rams, and two days later led a 98-yard two-minute drill for a stunning win over the Raiders. Those heroics and his steady play across four more contests to close the season put him back on the map, which he traveled across to Tampa Bay in 2023.

One year later, Mayfield now has his first Pro Bowl bid and first 4,000-yard passing season under his belt.

He’s earned the confidence of the Bucs organization. General manager Jason Licht made that clear by inking the QB to a three-year, $100 million contract this past offseason.

And the stability for Mayfield didn’t stop there. Tampa Bay took care of many of its own this offseason by re-signing players like wide receiver Mike Evans and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Reunions were also forged, such as when the Bucs brought in Mayfield’s college wideout, Sterling Shepard, and brought back defensive back Jordan Whitehead following a two-year hiatus.

“I couldn’t have been happier with the way it worked out,” Mayfield said of his first season with the Bucs. “Obviously getting some of those other guys back and continuing what we were able to build on last year, it just felt like home from top-down how they run it. … I’m so excited to be heading into another season with these guys, for the most part the same group, and just truly embrace that and build the chemistry even more.”

CINCINNATI

Dipping back into Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com’s power rankings with the number 13 Bengals.

Here’s how history will look back at the 2023 season of the Joe Burrow era with the Cincinnati Bengals: Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury, and that was the only reason the Bengals missed the playoffs and a shot at a long-awaited Super Bowl.

It won’t be entirely true. Losing Burrow, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, obviously didn’t help. But the Bengals had other issues.

The Bengals were just 5-5 in Burrow’s starts. They were 4-3 without him. As unbelievable as it sounds, Jake Browning had a better passer rating (98.4) than Burrow (91.0) last season. Burrow is obviously miles better than Browning but at the very least, Browning wasn’t the lone reason the Bengals’ season ended up in disappointment. So while it’s easy to chalk up a lost season to Burrow’s injury and assume the Bengals will be a contender again now that he’s back, perhaps it isn’t quite that easy.

The Bengals were a mess early in the season, due to some extent to the calf injury Burrow suffered early in training camp. Burrow missed more than a month leading up to the season and wasn’t moving well as the Bengals started 1-3. Offensive line issues were exposed as Burrow struggled to move. The Bengals warmed up as Burrow got healthier, especially on offense, and that streak included an impressive win at the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8. But the defense was surprisingly down. Cincinnati’s defense gave up big plays in bunches and finished 23rd in DVOA after being good enough to keep the Bengals in championship contention each of the previous two seasons. It’s hard to blame that on Burrow’s wrist.

The Bengals ranked 30th among NFL teams in net yards per play differential at -0.87, which is a telling stat. That was despite Browning doing a pretty good job replacing Burrow, which kept Cincinnati in the playoff race until back-to-back losses at the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs in Weeks 16 and 17. There was just something a bit off about the inconsistent 2023 Bengals, long before Burrow tore a ligament in his wrist while throwing a touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens on a Thursday night in Week 11.

“Every year, injuries happen,” Burrow said after the season, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. “But there were a lot of things that went into this year that were not up to our standards. We gotta get those things fixed and we’ll go from there.”

Everything might be back to normal if Burrow is healthy. Burrow says he feels good, though we can’t know for sure until the games start. Burrow said he researched his injury (specifically it’s a tear in the scapholunate ligament on his right wrist) and couldn’t find another quarterback that had it. That’s a bit scary. But if Burrow plays anywhere near his normal level, Cincinnati should feel like it can get back to the levels of 2021 and 2022, when it lost very close games in the Super Bowl and AFC championship. Ja’Marr Chase is one of the best players in football. Tee Higgins is still around, even if he might not be that happy to be playing on a one-year deal. There were improvements to the offensive line and some additions to the defense, though some losses as well. And Burrow has an MVP ceiling.

We’ll just have to see if the Bengals are still among the NFL’s elite. They were for two seasons. A very questionable holding penalty on a third-and-goal late in Super Bowl LVI might be the reason Burrow doesn’t have a ring already. Last season knocked the Bengals back a bit, but perhaps that was an outlier. Burrow’s health is one part of the equation. So is fixing whatever was amiss with Cincinnati last season.

Offseason grade

It’s not often that a run-stuffing defensive tackle is a big loss, but D.J. Reader signing with Detroit might hurt. The Bengals defense allowed 4.7 yards per carry, ranking 30th in the NFL, and that was with elite run stopper Reader playing 14 games before tearing a quad muscle. Reader was replaced by Sheldon Rankins, who was with Houston last season, but he is known as more of a pass rusher than a run stuffer. An interior pass rush can help too, though. The Bengals signed safeties Geno Stone and Vonn Bell to help the defense and offensive tackle Trent Brown to bolster the line. Brown will replace Jonah Williams, the Bengals’ former first-round pick who signed with the Cardinals. Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie also left, to the Titans. Longtime slot receiver Tyler Boyd also moved to the Titans, though to help the passing game the Bengals signed tight end Mike Gesicki, who is looking to revive his career. Joe Mixon was traded to the Texans but was replaced by Zack Moss, who was very efficient with the Colts last season. The draft included some high upside picks, most notably first-round offensive tackle Amarius Mims, who started just eight games over his college career but is physically impressive, and third-round receiver Jermaine Burton, a dynamic player who slipped due to character concerns. Second-round pick Kris Jenkins and third-round pick McKinnley Jackson could both help the defensive line. The Bengals’ offseason wasn’t a huge win, but they felt pretty confident with their roster going into it.

Grade: B-

Quarterback report

Joe Burrow did not have a great season. It can be blamed on a slow start due to a calf injury, but he was well off his normal marks. Not counting his rookie season, Burrow posted career lows in completion percentage, yards per game, touchdown percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating. Burrow had a Pro Football Focus grade that ranked him 17th among quarterbacks, just ahead of Russell Wilson and Derek Carr and one spot behind … Jake Browning, his backup. His yards per attempt is a bit concerning, as it has gone from a league-best 8.9 in 2021 to 7.4 in 2022 to 6.3 in 2023.

Burrow was much better in his final six games, posting a 106.5 passer rating. He looked like the star everyone knows him to be. A wrist injury does add some level of concern to Burrow bouncing back to his best form, but there have been no indications that he won’t be healthy long before training camp.

Mostly, it seems prudent to forget about 2023 and figure on Burrow being his typical self.

“It was a weird year,” Burrow said after the season, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Never really felt like we really reached our potential to what we were. Obviously, an injury happened right where we usually start to take that jump in the year where we have in years past. It was a tough year.”

BetMGM odds breakdown

The betting market is giving the Bengals a pass for last season. Their win total at BetMGM is a lofty 10.5 and the odds on the over are an inflated -145 (bet $145 to win $100). Only the 49ers, Ravens and Chiefs have a higher win total. The Bengals are fifth in the Super Bowl odds at +1400. Joe Burrow is third in MVP odds at +900. Based on those odds, it’s like a disappointing 2023 season never happened for Cincinnati.

Yahoo’s fantasy take

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “When I think of Tee Higgins, the phrase “capped upside” comes to mind. Joe Burrow has 97 touchdown passes in his career, and a modest 19 have gone to Higgins — Ja’Marr Chase is eight touchdowns ahead of Higgins despite playing one fewer season. It’s curious that Higgins was actually more productive with Jake Browning than Burrow last year.

“It might be prudent to throw out Higgins’ stats last year, given that he and Burrow both dealt with injuries. Still, it’s hard to unsee that Higgins was tied for 39th in half-point PPR scoring per game, finishing behind players like Adam Thielen and Kendrick Bourne. Higgins has never scored more than seven times in any season, never commanded more than 110 targets, and never gotten to 1,100 yards. I won’t be looking to roster Higgins this summer unless he’s slotted as my WR3.”

Stat to remember

Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo became a hot coaching name as the Bengals became championship contenders, and got some head coaching interviews. He got plenty of praise for his creative, versatile scheme. That’s what makes the results of the 2023 season so odd.

The Bengals finished 32nd in yards per pass play allowed and 30th in yards per run play allowed. The Bengals gave up 65 pass plays of 20 or more yards — only the Lions gave up more — and 17 run plays of 20 or more yards, which was tied for 30th. Even a bad defense is usually decent at slowing down the run or the pass. The 2023 Bengals did neither.

The big change was overhauling the secondary. The Bengals will have two new starting safeties, with free agent additions Geno Stone and Vonn Bell (who played with the Bengals from 2020-22 and knows the scheme) as the frontrunners. Cornerback D.J. Turner, who started 12 games last season, isn’t guaranteed to start again. The secondary will be much different, especially at safety.

“We are drastically improved with that portion and that part of the game from where we were,” Anarumo told The Athletic, referring to the change at safety.

There are other questions, such as a defensive line without D.J. Reader at tackle and perhaps whether pass rusher Trey Hendrickson is completely happy after an offseason trade request. Regardless, the Bengals need a big improvement on defense if they’re going to make it back to the playoffs.

Burning question

What can we expect from Tee Higgins?

Tee Higgins was an ascending star after the 2022 season. Ja’Marr Chase is the standout of the Bengals receivers, but Higgins seemed more like a 1B to Chase’s 1A than a clear No. 2. Then the 2023 season happened.

Higgins rarely made an impact. He started the season with zero catches on eight targets in Week 1 and it never got much better. He had 42 catches and 656 yards in 12 games, setting a career low in yards per game and receptions per game. Both figures were even lower than his rookie year output. It was far below expectations in what was a contract year. Maybe Higgins’ uncertainty about his contract affected him. That’s bad news for this season, if that’s the case.

Higgins was given the franchise tag by the Bengals. Unlike every other player who got the franchise tag this offseason, Higgins didn’t get a long-term deal. He did sign his franchise tender but this seems like his final season with the team, likely because the Bengals feel they can’t pay Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Higgins.

Unlike other contentious franchise tag situations, there hasn’t been much publicly stated acrimony from Higgins. Higgins said he has “grown a love for Cincy that I didn’t think I would” and wants to stay, via WLWT. He also expressed his desire to remain a Bengal.

“As far as me coming back, I would love to come back,” Higgins said on the “I Am Athlete” podcast in late May. “I grew as a man in the past four years here. Grew as a player … got good new friendships. Great relationships with people not in the facility, in the City of Cincinnati, the fans are great. So I would definitely love to be here.”

Perhaps that’s a good sign that Higgins won’t be upset playing on his franchise tag and can get back to his pre-2023 form.

Best case scenario

Rewind to just before Bengals practice on July 27, when Joe Burrow injured his calf. That injury affected him deep into September. Before Burrow’s injury, Cincinnati was considered one of the best teams in football and a Super Bowl contender. They gave the Chiefs everything they could handle in an AFC championship game at Arrowhead Stadium months before. Once Burrow got rolling, they beat the 49ers 31-17. If we blame the Bengals’ slow start mostly on Burrow’s injury, why can’t Cincinnati go right back to being contenders? The offensive line could be better, Tee Higgins might not be thrilled with his situation but he’s still in Cincinnati, Ja’Marr Chase has NFL Offensive Player of the Year potential and the defense is very unlikely to be worse. The Bengals have a Super Bowl championship upside, which isn’t the case for some of the teams above them in these rankings.

Nightmare scenario

Super Bowl windows can close fast and it’s dangerous to ignore the totality of the 2023 Bengals season. Joe Burrow’s numbers were down. Tee Higgins was mostly invisible. The offensive line did struggle. The defense was a massive disappointment. Also, it should be noted that the Bengals lost offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to the Titans’ head coaching job. While it seems like promoting quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher to the coordinator role will work out fine, the loss of coordinators to head coaching jobs can be an underrated blow. And we have to at least allow for the possibility that Burrow might lose at least a little bit from a rare wrist injury. The Bengals play in arguably the toughest division in the NFL and even a healthy rebound doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll win the AFC North. The Bengals clearly wanted to take another swing at a deep playoff run while they have Higgins. Falling well short of that goal would be a sign that they’re further way from contender status than they believe. And it won’t get easier with Burrow’s cap number growing from $29.7 million this season to $46.25 million in 2025 and Ja’Marr Chase looking for a deal that should be about $35 million per year.

The crystal ball says …

The Bengals could be much higher in the rankings due to their upside. However, it’s hard to totally shake what happened last season. The defense was surprisingly down. The offense looked good for a stretch but overall it wasn’t near its normal level, and it’s hard to know if Tee Higgins will be locked in after not getting a multi-year deal. There will be a bit of trepidation about Joe Burrow’s wrist before seeing him in game action. It’s also hard to say if swapping Joe Mixon for Zack Moss will help the run game. In addition, there are a couple of AFC North teams I’m higher on heading into the season. We’ll put the Bengals here for now, assuming they’ll be in contention for a wild-card spot, and if they answer some key questions early in the season they can quickly move up.

NEW ENGLAND

There was a report that LB MATTHEW JUDON won’t play on his current contract.  He takes issue with that.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Patriots linebacker Matt Judon is pushing back against a report that he will refuse to play if the Patriots don’t give him a new contract.

“Before yall get on my ass I didn’t say that. At all don’t let them make me the villain,” Judon wrote on social media.

According to Boston.com, Judon was refuting a report from longtime Patriots reporter Greg Bedard, who said on his podcast that Judon “is not going to play under his current contract.”

Judon skipped most of the Patriots’ voluntary offseason work but attended mandatory minicamp and indicated he’s willing to do what’s asked of him even if he doesn’t like his current contract.

“I’m just gonna get ready to play,” Judon said last month.

Patriots veterans are due at training camp on July 23, and Judon’s public comments have indicated that he’ll be there. Whether he’s willing to practice without a new contract, however, is a separate question. Judon has a $6.5 million base salary for 2024, and if he plays that out he’ll hit free agency in March of 2025.

THIS AND THAT

TOP 10 QUARTERBACKS

A panel assembled by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com has picked the top 10 quarterbacks going into 2024:

Pesky Chiefs aside, the NFL is ripe for a new crop of champion quarterbacks.

Today’s league features four Super Bowl winners set to start games under center in 2024: Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Russell Wilson.

That’s half the total from 2020, when the likes of Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger were still here setting records.

The talent pool suggests new faces will emerge on the ultimate stage. Five of the top-seven quarterbacks in this year’s Top 10 series are 27 years old or younger.

They have mobility, ample arm strength and strong early track records. This made for a highly competitive voting process, especially among the top passers directly behind Mahomes, who, if he has his way, will keep that number of Super Bowl-winning passers at four.

But some veterans on this list have also improved their standing, and depth at the position is looking up. Any of the top 16-to-18 quarterbacks are capable of leading playoff drives and making noise in the postseason.

Let’s look at some of the game’s top QBs as ranked by execs, coaches and scouts around the NFL.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 2

Age: 28 | Last year’s ranking: 1

The gatekeepers of NFL greatness have begun chiseling Mahomes’ likeness onto their Mount Rushmore of quarterbacks.

Mahomes’ work is so undeniable that all but one voter considered him the league’s best quarterback. He’s one of three players in NFL history with three Super Bowls and two MVPs, joining Tom Brady and Joe Montana, quarterbacks who needed 11 and 12 years, respectively, to reach the feat.

Mahomes did it in seven, one of which (2017) was spent behind Alex Smith. During that span, Mahomes has 219 touchdown passes and 28,424 passing yards, the second most in NFL history for a passer’s first seven years.

“When it’s late in a meaningful game and Mahomes is playing, you just know he’s going to find a way to win,” an NFC executive said. “That’s the stage he’s at that a lot of the greats get to — they figure out how to win the game and get it done. The game’s slowed down for him in that way.”

No quarterback adjusts better than Mahomes, who has shown resolve through various challenges. In 2022, he offset the departure of Tyreek Hill by throwing 31 touchdown passes to running backs and tight ends, the most in a single season in the Super Bowl era.

Last year, he rallied an offense that had become lifeless — and low on dependable receivers — after a brutal loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day, bettering his regular season QBR of 63.1 to an impressive 86.6 in four playoff games. His career-worst 14 interceptions weren’t a factor in the postseason, when Mahomes threw one interception to six touchdown passes.

Mahomes continues to find creative — and mobile — ways to win. His 14% sack rate when pressured was the second-lowest clip in the league behind Josh Allen.

When the 49ers clamped down on passing lanes in the Super Bowl, Mahomes found yardage with his legs, with 66 yards on nine carries.

“What’s funny is he can still improve,” a high-ranking NFL official said. “He’s never truly improved his footwork since he’s been in the league. It hasn’t mattered because he’s so good.”

2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Highest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: 7

Age: 27 | Last year’s ranking: 3

Burrow hasn’t exactly hurt his standing in the pantheon since last year’s voting — he’s still considered one of the game’s very best and won a close race for No. 2 — but his growing injury file has planted a seed of doubt.

He played conservatively early in the season while managing a calf strain, and the wrist injury suffered in a Nov. 16 loss at Baltimore all but derailed Cincinnati’s season. Burrow had surgery to repair a torn ligament but is participating in offseason workouts and the early returns are good. His 51.8 QBR of 2023 was far below the previous two seasons.

“High level in all areas, can’t stay healthy,” said an AFC scout, referencing Burrow’s ACL tear in 2020 as part of the bigger concern. “No [Joe] Mixon and the Tee Higgins holdout are big concerns.” There’s little debate about Burrow’s greatness when he’s healthy and spinning it. His career completion percentage of 68% is the highest in NFL history through a player’s first four seasons (minimum 1,000 attempts).

Burrow’s mindset as he prepares to return to action following a wrist injury last season.

And once he overcame the calf issue, the Bengals went 4-1 over Weeks 5-10 (they had a bye in Week 7) as Burrow threw 12 touchdown passes to four interceptions.

“Baller. Release. Decision-making. Tough as nails,” said a veteran NFC offensive coach. “One play away from already having a ring. And young so the injury not as concerning.”

Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are tracking to become one of the all-time great pass-catching duos. Since Chase entered the league in 2021, Burrow has thrown 22 touchdown passes that traveled 20-plus air yards. But while Chase is in the long-term plans, the Bengals franchise-tagged Higgins, who has requested a trade and hasn’t signed his tender.

Several evaluators say Burrow is the common denominator that can offset a personnel loss or two.

“Burrow is still probably the most consistent of all the guys,” an NFL executive said. “A pure thrower who’s in complete command of the offense and comes up big in big moments. He knows when to attack and be aggressive vs. when to take the easy yards. And the dude is so tough.”

3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 6

Age: 27 | Last year’s ranking: 4

Allen’s blend of brilliance and inconsistency has left voters with mixed feelings.

He received the only first-place vote that didn’t go to Mahomes — yet was outside of the top five for several voters.

He is Mahomes’ neighbor in style of play but lives on a different street of accomplishment. He’s been in the top five for four consecutive seasons but hasn’t cracked the top two. Most agree Allen should have played in at least one AFC title game by now.

“He leaves you wanting more a little bit,” an AFC executive said. “But if you’re picking who you want to have to lead your team, he’s going to be second or third for most people. The ceiling is still really high. And I don’t really feel he was the reason the Bills haven’t been able to finish.”

Allen is a Luka Doncic-level volume scorer. His 173 total touchdowns since 2020 are easily the league best, and Allen is the only quarterback in NFL history with five seasons of at least 20 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns — which he did consecutively.

Deadly on the move, Allen ranked third in QBR (73) and passing touchdowns (nine) outside of the pocket last season while accounting for 74% of his team’s net yards.

And the Bills’ more run-oriented offense under coordinator Joe Brady seemed to suit Allen late in the season. The fourth quarter brought out the best in Allen, whose 81.2 QBR in the fourth led the NFL.

“I saw a quarterback who is consistently a high performer who elevates his team at every chance,” a high-ranking NFL official said.

But that’s not enough to convince some detractors who point to the alarming turnover numbers: 78 interceptions, 59 fumbles since 2018. In contrast, Mahomes has 62 interceptions and 36 fumbles.

Allen’s 47 interceptions since 2020 are the most in the league.

“One of the more overrated players in the NFL,” a veteran NFL executive said. “Immense talent but he makes a lot of mistakes. He’s underdeveloped at winning at the line of scrimmage, tends to lock on to targets, more of a thrower than precision passer, forces throws into traffic.”

4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Highest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: 5

Age: 27 | Last year’s ranking:7

It took far too long, but NFL circles are finally giving Jackson respect as a top-tier passer. He nearly snagged the No. 2 spot but got slightly outpaced by Burrow and Allen in the voting. And there’s a wide gulf in the voting between the top four and the rest of the field.

Jackson is undeniable after winning a second MVP. After five seasons as a dual-threat quarterback in Greg Roman’s system, the Ravens reversed course, bringing in playcaller Todd Monken to help maximize Jackson’s game from the pocket.

The results: Jackson posted career highs in attempts (457), completion percentage (67.2) and yards per attempt (8.0).

Not bad for a quarterback who mysteriously fell out of the top 10 two years ago.

The presence of Monken’s system — trips-empty spread offense, “pistol” passing concepts — along with last year’s additions of Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr. helped support Jackson and also minimized excuses that Ravens fans and media long made for his pedestrian passing numbers.

“How he came in, with everything stuck to that stigma as a runner, that sticks with you as a pro until you prove them wrong,” an NFC executive said. “That’s not fair but that’s the way it’s been with him. There wasn’t any doubt who the best player in the league was last year. So, it’s long been time to put that to rest.”

No quarterback outside of the Kansas City area wins quite like Jackson, whose career regular season winning percentage of .753 (58-19) is nearly identical to Tom Brady’s (.754). He is still considered perhaps the most dynamic dual threat in the league while protecting himself from open-field hits. In recent years, he has decreased his rushing attempts from 11-plus attempts per game to a career-low 9.25 last season. His QBR increased from 59.1 to 64.7 year over year.

“I don’t think he wants to be the runner he used to be,” a veteran NFL personnel evaluator said. “He wants to be a pure pocket passer because that’s how you prolong your career and win late in the season.”

Jackson still has more to prove. His 2-4 playoff record isn’t good enough for a player of his caliber. The AFC title game vs. Kansas City was set up for Jackson to win with his arm, and he struggled late. Veteran receivers have been known to stay away from Baltimore’s offense in free agency, due to the passing-game limitations with Jackson at the helm.

But the play has improved overall. He was asked to deliver from the pocket, and he did that. And after a subpar 19.0% off-target rate in 2022, Jackson improved that clip to 16.0% in 2023.

“He was better than the numbers say as a pocket passer,” an AFC executive said. “Really efficient. May not have had crazy production but always made a lot of plays. Watching it, you feel the impact. Definitely more accurate.”

5. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: 10

Age: 36 | Last year’s ranking: 10

Some evaluators see Stafford as a bit of a kingmaker.

“He elevates the play of those around him,” a high-ranking official with an NFL team said. “Puka Nacua is a good player — but he’s not the same guy without Stafford. He helps those guys reach their potential.”

Stafford’s elite status is accentuated by the most basic terms: Wins and losses.

2021: Stafford comes to Los Angeles, Rams go 12-5 and win the Super Bowl.

2022: Stafford misses nine games due to injury, Rams miss the playoffs.

2023: Stafford only misses two games, Rams are back in the playoffs despite what was supposed to be a mini-rebuild.

The longer Stafford plays alongside Sean McVay, the more his legacy mushrooms.

“The arm strength hasn’t left him — he can still make every throw to every part of the field,” an NFC executive said. “He attacks the intermediate windows and the middle of the field with accuracy. Cooper Kupp missed time (five games) and he kept them afloat.”

Durability has been the knock on Stafford, but when he’s healthy and kept upright, he can deliver the football among the best. From Weeks 11-18, as Stafford returned from a right thumb injury, he ranked tied for third in passing touchdowns (16) and eighth in QBR (73) as the Rams won seven of their last eight.

Stafford is now the second-oldest starting quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers, but he wants to keep playing — hopefully on a reworked contract with Los Angeles to strengthen his guarantees.

“At this stage, he needs a quality offensive line,” a head scout of an NFL team said. “They weren’t great up front last year and he still produced. They should be better. Stafford can use his legs on occasion but should be playing comfortably in the pocket at this stage.”

6. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Out of top 10

Age: 26 | Last year’s ranking: 5

Herbert critics are quick to point out his pedestrian 30-32 career record as a starter. But most agree that the weight of the Chargers’ struggles doesn’t fall squarely on Herbert, an otherworldly talent who helped that record more than he hurt it.

“Big, strong, fast, powerful arm,” an AFC personnel evaluator said. “Will stare down some targets and try to make some hero-type plays at times — holding the ball too long and throwing into tight windows — but he has everything you want. Touch, velocity, size, athletic ability.”

Since he was drafted No. 6 overall in 2020, Herbert has more passing yards (17,223) and completions (1,613) through four seasons than any four-year opening stretch in league history. And when he had time in the pocket, Herbert was still deadly last season, despite a team clearly deflated and depleted. He ranked fifth in QBR when not pressured (75.0) compared to a career-low 27 (ranking 14th) when pressured.

This year will mark a new challenge for Herbert, who plays without Keenan Allen and Mike Williams for the first time. Only 8% of his career passing attempts (202 of 2,422) have come with both receivers off the field.

“I think [head coach Jim] Harbaugh might finally unlock him, with more emphasis on the run to support him,” said an NFL personnel director of Herbert. “Sure, he’s got to play bigger in some big games. But he’s going on, what, his fourth different coordinator? It’s not always his fault they’ve struggled.”

And then there’s this: He’s on the short list of best pure arm talents, possibly the best when you consider strength and the ability to reach all parts of the field.

7. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Highest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: Out of top 10

Age: 22 | Last year’s ranking: N/A

Stroud appeared on nearly 90% of the ballots, and a few of the voters believe he’s top-three already.

“He’s as good as anybody, honestly,” a veteran NFC scout said. “He’s got to do it again, but the arm talent combined with taking care of the ball and the ability to process was impressive.”

Stroud, who led the NFL in QBR against zone coverages at 73.9, showed the ability to balance aggressiveness vs. playing within the system, multiple voters pointed out.

He led the NFL in passing yards per game with a minimum of nine starts (273.9) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6) in 2023, becoming the first rookie to lead the NFL in the latter, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

“He set the standard for a rookie QB,” an NFC executive said. “Has so much poise. He stands in the pocket and delivers the football. Stands tall. Doesn’t see colors coming at him.” Several voters pointed out Houston did a masterful job supporting him. Pass catchers Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz complemented Stroud well, and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik consistently put Stroud in advantageous spots.

Stroud’s 4,108 passing yards were third most in NFL rookie history behind Andrew Luck (4,374) and Herbert (4,336).

“He’s cut down on the throws he would miss in college,” a high-ranking NFL official said. “The Texans have helped him with play-action and defined throws and he’s capitalized as a big, strong thrower with elite ball placement. They’ve made it fun for him.”

8. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Out of Top 10

Age: 40 | Last year’s ranking: 4

Old and injured is not the typical description of a top-10 quarterback.

Rodgers’ presence feels like a mild upset after a pedestrian (for his standards) 2022 in Green Bay and the Achilles tear heard ’round the world on his fourth snap as a New York Jet.

Rodgers, the oldest active quarterback in the NFL, is set to become the sixth in history to start 10-plus games at age 40 or older, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Warren Moon and Vinny Testaverde.

No matter. Still elite.

“He’s probably fringe top 10 at this point, but he still has the rare ability to throw the football,” an AFC exec said. “That hasn’t gone away. I think he’s got a major opportunity to lift the Jets and show what he can still do.”

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The Jets need the Rodgers experiment to work in the worst way, and that proposition doesn’t come without risks: Scouts started to see decline in 2022, when Rodgers’ historic two-year MVP run stalled. His production dipped in yards (3,695), touchdowns (26) and interceptions (12), his worst total since 2008. And a healthy 17-game season is hardly a slam dunk, considering Rodgers’ age.

The Jets’ offseason improvements along the offensive line looms large. Over the past three seasons, Rodgers ranks second in QBR when he’s not pressured (79.1).

The Jets can take solace in Rodgers’ ability to protect the football. He has the lowest incompletion rate (1.4%) in NFL history, a welcome stat for a franchise riddled with interception-happy quarterbacks.

While Rodgers appeared on fewer than 60% of the ballots, nearly half of those ballots placed Rodgers in the top five. Quarterback purists still love him.

“He has the ultimate ‘hang it in the Louvre’ throwing motion,” an NFL quarterback coach said.

9. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Highest ranking: 5 | Lowest ranking: Out of top 10

Age: 29 | Last year’s ranking: Honorable mention

Goff’s four-year, $212-million contract extension with the Lions on May 13 didn’t buy him any extra votes here. Our voting on quarterbacks was largely complete by then.

In other words, Goff’s status was cemented. No news cycle needed.

Goff’s two-year run in Detroit is one of the league’s best success stories in recent years. In 2021, he was discarded by the Rams for Matthew Stafford, then suffered career lows in passing for a three-win Lions team. Voters didn’t see him as even a top-15 option at that point.

But since 2022, he ranks second in passing yards (9,013) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (3.1).

He also leads the NFL in fourth-quarter and overtime QBR during that span (72), and his 18 touchdowns to zero interceptions in the red zone last season was the league’s best clip.

“He’s the best in the NFL at throwing into zone coverage windows,” an NFL coordinator said. “I’ve shown young quarterbacks tape of him and how he throws with anticipation.”

Goff was always considered a talented thrower when he had time in the pocket. But he has improved his toughness from the pocket while in Detroit, accentuated by his elite footwork.

“He used to seem nervous in the pocket, but now he’s cool in there,” an NFC executive said. “I don’t think he has that pressure on him like he did in L.A. Detroit has embraced him and he’s responded.”

Added an AFC scout: “He’s outplayed some of his critics. Played well in big games.”

10. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Highest ranking: 7 | Lowest ranking: Out of top 10

Age: 30 | Last year’s ranking: 10

The Dak Dilemma persists: He’s consistently very good but outside of the top tier, despite huge numbers.

For the second consecutive year, Prescott appeared on the majority of ballots — 63%, a slight improvement from the year before. But he’s the only quarterback in the top 10 without a single top-six vote.

His 2023 production suggested a bigger jump was coming. Prescott became the first Cowboys quarterback since Roger Staubach in 1973 to lead the NFL in touchdown passes (36). He promised he would limit interceptions after throwing 15 of them in 2022, and he did just that with a 1.5% interception rate, the fourth-lowest in the NFL. His QBRs outside the pocket (81.8), on third down (88.2) and when pressured (65.4) all led the league.

He did all of this while transitioning from Kellen Moore to Mike McCarthy as the primary playcaller.

“He always does well enough to be in the top 10 but never gets over the hump,” an NFC executive said. “He makes all the throws. He’s playing the position at a high level. But something’s missing. There are a lot of factors in that, from the running game, playcalling, defense, and Dallas hasn’t won in a long while. But certain guys are going to elevate their team late in the game, and Dak doesn’t seem to do that.”

The Cowboys are asking Prescott to lift an offense that lost Tony Pollard, Tyron Smith, Tyler Biadasz and Michael Gallup to free agency or roster cuts. Dallas spent judiciously to replace them this offseason, in part to brace for Prescott’s $55.45 million cap hit on the final year of his contract.

“He’s lacking that high-end ceiling, plays the position really well, but not an elite athlete and passer [that] Mahomes and Allen are,” an NFL personnel director said. “They need to support him in those big matchups. He’s really good but not quite good enough to elevate the entire team in those matchups.”

Honorable mentions

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: One of the NFL’s best stories, Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 draft, is 17-4 as a starter, a near-Super Bowl winner and an MVP finalist. His play is incredibly efficient, with a league-leading 72.8 QBR in his first full year as a starter. He’s already on the board with four playoff wins. All of this has put him into the fringe top 10 category.

“It’s hard to call him top 10 based on the guys ahead of him, but it’s hard to keep him out of the top 10, too,” an NFC executive said. “He willed that team to the Super Bowl. Only right to give him serious consideration.”

As far as game-planning, Purdy has more limitations than some of the quarterbacks ahead of him, according to multiple evaluators.

“He’s very good at navigating the pocket, buying time, using his legs — you’re not going to win because of him in most cases,” a separate NFC exec said. “He’s a really good system quarterback.”

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: Love caught fire over the last eight games of the season, which nearly thrust him into the top 10 as an emerging star in the league. His flashes of brilliance included 2,150 yards, 18 touchdowns and one interception from Weeks 11-18. Love was dangerous inside the pocket with a 70.5 QBR.

“I think that’s real,” said an AFC exec when asked if Love will sustain the play. “Arm talent and confidence and a good system around him. He’ll turn the ball over some because he’s so confident. He’ll miss here and there. But you can live with that. Short sample size, so he’s got to do it again. But he will.”

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: After a Year 3 star turn that garnered a Super Bowl appearance and a $255 million contract, Hurts’ play dipped in 2023. His QBR ranking fell from fourth (68.3) to 12th (60.1). His 15 interceptions were so uncharacteristic that the total nearly matched that of his first three years combined (18). A knee injury that he tried his best to manage clearly affected him, according to several evaluators.

“He was playing hurt,” an NFC executive said. “The Eagles tried to downplay that, but he didn’t look right. He wasn’t the same runner he was in the past, and passing the ball was tough for him.” Added an AFC scout: “He’ll always be in that 7-12 range, depending on how productive he is each year.”

Also of note: The Eagles’ offense “became stale” as a whole, according to a high-ranking NFL team official, and the predictable offensive attack affected Hurts’ stock.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: Tagovailoa did what he needed to do in 2023: Play a full 17 games, which will inevitably lead to big numbers. A fully healthy Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards (4,624) and took 29 sacks, a solid number for a quarterback with injury history.

“I feel like everybody knows what he is: A good player with some limitations,” a veteran NFL personnel evaluator said. “He’s a matchup nightmare some weeks. He’s really good when he’s in rhythm and gets the ball out in time. He can be hard to beat when he’s throwing with touch and anticipation.”

The Dolphins appear to value him as an elite quarterback, trimming bloated salary this offseason in part to prepare for a Tagovailoa mega-extension.

“Though he doesn’t have the big arm and mobility, his short-to-intermediate stuff is really impressive, and I just think he sees the game really well,” an NFC exec said. “And what they do around him (in Mike McDaniel’s offense) is brilliant.”

Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons: Cousins might have flirted with the MVP had he stayed healthy for 17 games. He was pacing for 5,000 yards and 38 touchdowns before going down midseason with an Achilles tear. His completion percentage of 69.5% was 4.6 percentage points higher than expected. Cousins ranked fourth in QBR inside the pocket (68.1), which is on brand for the pure pocket passer who turns 36 in August.

“He’s proven he can be elite,” said an NFL offensive coach who voted Cousins in the top 10. “From ’21 to now he’s basically been that. The [Vikings] had no chance without him last year.”

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: Surprisingly, last year’s No. 8 quarterback fell eight spots in the voting. Turnovers are the primary issue: He has 60 through three seasons, including a league-high 21 last year (14 interceptions, seven fumbles) — though team sources caution he barely practiced over the last two months of the season due to various injuries that he attempted to tough out.

“I think people are tired of waiting on him,” an AFC scout said. “I do think he’ll put it all together eventually. He should be in the top 10.” Added a veteran NFL personnel evaluator: “He’s going to be a little streaky and have moments where he disappears, but when he gets hot, Jacksonville is dangerous.”

Also receiving votes: Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals), Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)