- Matthew Stafford led all quarterback improvements: Stafford posted the NFL's highest 2025 passing grade (91.7), fueled by a league-best 7.7% big-time throw rate while lowering his turnover-worthy play and pressure-to-sack rates.
- Jordan Love and Dak Prescott rebounded in a big way: Both quarterbacks dramatically improved their passing grades by reducing turnover-worthy plays, increasing big-time throws and becoming more efficient under pressure.
- Lamar Jackson and Michael Penix Jr. headlined the biggest declines: Injuries and reduced efficiency contributed to sharp drops in passing grade, while Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield also experienced significant regression after strong 2024 seasons.
The NFL's best quarterbacks earn their reputations through sustained excellence, but year-to-year movement is still a defining characteristic of the position.
Every season brings a handful of passers who elevate their play and others who regress, whether because of development, supporting cast or simple variance. Below are the five largest passing-grade increases from 2024 to 2025 and the five largest declines, along with the advanced metrics that can partly explain each shift.
For a deeper dive into the position, PFF+ subscribers can explore the 2026 QB Annual, featuring comprehensive profiles of every qualifying quarterback, exclusive metrics and data visualizations that provide context beyond the box score.
Biggest Grade Increases
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Stafford's PFF passing grade jumped from 73.3 to a league-best 91.7, while his overall grade climbed from 74.7 to 92.0. His big-time throw rate nearly doubled from 4.2% to an NFL-best 7.7% (26 to 58 big-time throws), as his turnover-worthy play rate dipped from 3.7% to 3.3%.
The improvements extended elsewhere, too. Stafford cut his pressure-to-sack rate from 17.5% to 12.1% and increased his yards-per-attempt average from 7.3 to 7.9. His adjusted completion percentage remained virtually unchanged (73.2% to 72.3%).
For a deeper dive into every quarterback, explore the 2026 PFF QB Annual
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
After a hamstring injury limited him to eight games and a 67.2 PFF passing grade in 2024, Prescott bounced back with an 85.4 passing grade and an 86.9 overall grade across a full 17-game season in 2025. His adjusted completion percentage climbed from 72.4% to 76.6%, and his yards-per-attempt average increased from 6.9 to 7.6.
Just as importantly, Prescott cleaned up the negative plays. He nearly halved his turnover-worthy play rate from 4.7% to 2.7% and cut his pressure-to-sack rate from 21.4% to 13.3%.
For a deeper dive into every quarterback, explore the 2026 PFF QB Annual
Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints
After being thrust into the lineup as a rookie in 2024 following Derek Carr‘s injury and posting a 49.4 PFF passing grade, Rattler opened the 2025 season as New Orleans' starter under first-year head coach Kellen Moore before eventually giving way to Tyler Shough midway through the year.
Despite the turbulent circumstances, his passing grade climbed to 66.1. His adjusted completion percentage jumped from 69.0% to 75.6%, while he nearly doubled his big-time-throw rate from 2.4% to 4.0%.
The improvement wasn't without blemishes — his turnover-worthy play rate increased slightly from 4.9% to 5.4% — but he handled pressure much more effectively, cutting his pressure-to-sack rate from 22.4% to 16.2%.
For a deeper dive into every quarterback, explore the 2026 PFF QB Annual
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Love took one of the biggest steps forward of any quarterback in 2025, improving his PFF passing grade from 74.3 to 88.7. His big-time throw rate nearly doubled from 3.4% to 5.9%, while his turnover-worthy play rate fell from 3.2% to 2.6%. He also improved his adjusted completion percentage from 74.4% to 76.8%.
For a deeper dive into every quarterback, explore the 2026 PFF QB Annual
Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers
The Shanahan effect.
After logging 290 dropbacks in 2024 as Jacksonville‘s backup, Jones stepped in for an injured Brock Purdy in San Francisco last season and delivered one of the best years of his career. His PFF passing grade jumped from 62.1 to 75.4, while his adjusted completion percentage climbed from 72.7% to 79.6% and his yards-per-attempt average rose from 6.4 to 7.4.
The improvement wasn't driven by a dramatic change in Jones' playstyle. His big-time throw rate (2.9% to 2.6%) and turnover-worthy play rate (3.2% to 3.0%) stayed virtually identical, making this feel like another case study in the Kyle Shanahan effect. Step into Shanahan's offense, execute the scheme and the production tends to follow.
For a deeper dive into every quarterback, explore the 2026 PFF QB Annual
Biggest Grade Decreases
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Penix posted the largest passing-grade decline in this group, though his 2024 performance always came with the caveat of a small sample. After earning an 87.6 PFF passing grade across just 105 attempts in 2024, he fell to 58.0 during an injury-shortened 2025 campaign that ended after Week 11. He made just nine appearances before another injury sidelined him, continuing a career-long battle with durability.
The underlying metrics reflected the decline. Penix's big-time throw rate fell from 9.0% to 2.7%, while his turnover-worthy play rate doubled from 1.7% to 3.4%. His adjusted completion percentage held relatively steady (70.4% to 71.3%), but that mark still ranked fourth-worst among qualifying quarterbacks. Now healthy, Penix enters 2026 facing questions about both his durability and his place atop Atlanta's depth chart after the Falcons added Tua Tagovailoa.
For a deeper dive into every quarterback, explore the 2026 PFF QB Annual
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
An injury-shortened 13-game season contributed to Jackson's passing grade falling from a league-best 93.3 in 2024 to 69.0 in 2025. His big-time throw rate dropped from 6.3% to 2.8%, while his turnover-worthy play rate nearly doubled from 1.6% to 3.1%. His adjusted completion percentage also dipped from 77.0% to 74.3%.
Jackson also found it much more difficult to escape pressure. His pressure-to-sack rate more than doubled from 11.2% to 23.1%, which suggests he wasn't 100% during the 2025 campaign.
For a deeper dive into every quarterback, explore the 2026 PFF QB Annual
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
A change of scenery didn't produce the same results for Smith. After being traded from Seattle to Las Vegas, his PFF passing grade fell from 82.4 to 58.2. His big-time throw rate dropped from 4.5% to 3.0%, while his turnover-worthy play rate climbed from 2.6% to 4.1%.
Smith also faced much more pressure in Las Vegas, and his pressure-to-sack rate climbed from 19.9% to 25.9%.
For a deeper dive into every quarterback, explore the 2026 PFF QB Annual
Tyrod Taylor, New York Jets
Taylor's “decline” comes with a significant asterisk. He attempted just 22 passes across two appearances in 2024 before seeing his workload increase to 134 attempts over six games in 2025. Even so, his PFF passing grade fell from 78.4 to 58.2, while his adjusted completion percentage dropped from 81.0% to 75.0%.
The larger sample also brought more negative plays. Taylor's turnover-worthy play rate rose from 0.0% to 3.9% (zero to seven turnover-worthy plays), while his pressure-to-sack rate climbed from effectively zero to 19.7%. His yards per attempt improved only marginally, from 5.4 to 5.8.
For a deeper dive into every quarterback, explore the 2026 PFF QB Annual
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mayfield's passing grade fell from 83.6 to 64.8 as his efficiency dipped across several key metrics. His adjusted completion percentage dropped from 79.2% to 71.9%, his completion percentage fell from 71.8% to 63.2% and his yards-per-attempt average declined from 8.0 to 6.8. His turnover-worthy play rate also increased from 3.3% to 4.1%.
Interestingly, not every underlying metric moved in the wrong direction. Mayfield's big-time throw rate climbed from 3.5% to 4.8%, while his pressure-to-sack rate improved dramatically from 24.4% to 16.2%, suggesting the overall decline stemmed more from reduced efficiency and schematic struggles with the absence of his top target, wide receiver Mike Evans.
For a deeper dive into every quarterback, explore the 2026 PFF QB Annual
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