Mahomes and Reid are in the top spot for the fourth time in five years
The quarterback-coach duo rankings have undergone a lot of change over the past five seasons, yet one aspect remains constant: Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are the standard.
Mahomes and Reid led the Kansas City Chiefs to their third Super Bowl title in five years, retaining their spot at the top of the annual quarterback-coach duo list. Behind Mahomes and Reid, the rankings underwent some shuffling.
Two new duos made the list for the first time, thanks to some impressive seasons by two of the rising teams in the league. The top of the rankings also shuffled a bit thanks to the performance of their teams last season, which plays a huge role in determining the 2024 list.
Before we scroll down to the 2024 quarterback-coach rankings, let’s revisit the qualifications for this list. Same rules as before, explaining why certain players and coaches are exempt.
New coaches and quarterbacks on new teams DO NOT QUALIFY for the list: Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh fall into this category, as both have not played a game together yet. Harbaugh made three consecutive conference championship games and Super Bowl appearance in his last NFL stint, but hasn’t coached a game with the Los Angeles Chargers yet. The same rules applied Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay in 2021 (although the quarterback was new in that scenario).
Play-calling/not calling plays neither helps nor hurts: Some coaches oversee the team, deferring the play-calling duties to the offensive coordinator. That shouldn’t affect their reputation with the quarterback or with winning games and making deep postseason runs. Coaches who don’t call plays will not get bumped down on this list.
Longevity isn’t everything: It’s a great sign that a coach and a quarterback have been together for a long time (which certainly plays a role in these rankings), but recent success on the field should also play a factor. Quarterbacks who had a strong 2023 season or have a small sample size with their coach shouldn’t be punished too harshly because they haven’t been together for many years.
Championships help: Yes, winning the ultimate prize matters, which is a power boost– and it’s even better if that title is a recent one. Getting to the Super Bowl is a tough task, which played a part in where I decided to rank these duos. MVP awards also played a factor.
Remember, one half of the duo may be very good but the other half lacks, which I’ll break down in the top-10 rankings below.
Here’s a look at last year’s rankings as a refresher:
1 Patrick Mahomes/Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)
2 Joe Burrow/Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals)
3 Jalen Hurts/Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles)
4 Josh Allen/Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills)
5 Lamar Jackson/John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)
6 Matthew Stafford/Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams)
7 Brock Purdy/Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers)
8 Dak Prescott/Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys)
9 Trevor Lawrence/Doug Pederson (Jacksonville Jaguars)
10 Daniel Jones/Brian Daboll (New York Giants)
Presenting, the top 10 quarterback/coach duos in the NFL for 2024. Feel free to criticize!
10. C.J. Stroud/DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans)
Amazing what one year can do for a franchise with the right coach and the right quarterback. Stroud is already one of the game’s top quarterbacks and is only getting better while Ryans is already one of the game’s top, young coaches (if not the best).
Stroud and Ryans became just the third rookie quarterback-coach duo to win a playoff game since 1950, joining Joe Flacco and John Harbaugh (2008) and Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan (2009). Both were responsible for leading the Texans to a 10-7 record and an AFC South division title in their first season together.
Stroud finished his rookie season completing 63.9% of his passes for 4,108 yards with 23 touchdowns to five interceptions for a 100.8 passer rating, leading the NFL in pass yards per game (273.8) and having the lowest interception rate (1.0%). The highest-drafted rookie quarterback to win a playoff game (No. 2 overall), Stroud’s 4,108 passing yards in the regular season were the third-most by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. He’s just the third quarterback in the past 50 seasons to lead the NFL in pass yards per game and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6, minimum 10 starts). Stroud also had the highest touchdown-to-interception ratio against winning teams in NFL history (including playoffs), having 21 touchdowns to two interceptions (10.5).
Stroud finished the season with 4,557 passing yards, the second-most ever by a rookie (including the postseason). He also began his career with a record 192 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the most ever by a player to begin a career. He’s just the third player to lead the league in passing yards per game and touchdown-to-interception ratio, joining Joe Montana (1989) and Tom Brady (2007).
Ryans turned the Texans franchise around in just his first season on the job, as the Texans won the AFC South one year after going just 3-13-1 and having the second-worst record in the league. The Texans are the first team since the 1981 New York Giants to win a playoff game with 200-1 or longer preseason title odds. The Texans won 11 games this season, including playoffs — as many games as they won over the past three seasons combined (2020-2022).
The future is bright for both Stroud and Ryans in Houston. This duo could be a staple on this list for years to come.
9. Dak Prescott/Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys)
Prescott and McCarthy get a lot of flak for not getting the Cowboys past the second round of the playoffs, but the duo has done a lot of winning over their time together. The Cowboys do have 36 wins over the last three seasons, which is the most regular-season victories for any team in a three-year span without a conference championship appearance.
Prescott had one of his best seasons in 2023, finishing second in completion rate (69.5%) and passer rating (105.4), third in passing yards (4,516), and first in passing touchdowns (36). He was the first Cowboys quarterback to lead the NFL outright in passing touchdowns and finished runner-up in the league MVP voting. This was all under McCarthy’s first season as a play-caller. Prescott’s 73 wins are the third-most by any quarterback since 2016, trailing only Tom Brady (79) and Patrick Mahomes (74).
McCarthy is one of eight active coaches with a Super Bowl title and has just four losing seasons in a 16-year career. Sporting a 167-102-2 record (.620 win percentage), McCarthy has won eight division titles in his career and has an 11-11 playoff record (1-3 with Cowboys), reaching the conference championship game four times (1-3 record). His 11 playoff wins are tied for 10th-most in NFL history. McCarthy also has 11 10-win seasons, including a 12-5 record last year — the first time the Cowboys finished with three straight 12+ win seasons since 1993-1995.
The lack of postseason success together is why Prescott and McCarthy aren’t higher up on this list. They know how to get it done in the regular season.
8. Jared Goff/Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions)
The other new duo to make the list for the first time, Goff and Campbell are taking the Lions to heights the franchise hasn’t seen since 1991 — which was the last time the franchise made the conference championship game before last season. The Lions won their first division title since the 1993 season and their first playoff game since the 1991 season last season, having arguably their most successful year since 1957. Detroit won two playoff games in 2023 after winning one in the previous 65 seasons combined.
Goff is 20-7 over his last 27 starts with the Lions, throwing for 47 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. He’s the third quarterback in franchise history to win multiple playoff games, joining Tobin Rote (1957) and Bobby Layne (1952, 1953). Goff ranked first in the NFL in passing first downs (227), second in passing yards (4,575), second in 20-yard passes (69) and fourth in passing touchdowns (30). This was the second time in franchise history a Lions quarterback has thrown for at least 4,500 passing yards and 30 touchdowns in a season. Through the first eight seasons of a quarterback’s career in NFL history, Goff ranks third in 300-yard games (36), fourth in completions (2,657), fifth in passing yards (30,429), seventh in attempts (4,107), and ninth in passer rating (93.6).
Campbell is just the third coach in Lions history to win multiple playoff games, joining Buddy Parker (1953) and George Wilson (1957). Detroit did not lose consecutive games within a single season for the first time since 1972. The Lions won four prime-time games in 2023, their most ever in a single season, and won multiple playoff games in the same year for the first time in the Super Bowl era.
The culture has changed in Detroit under Goff and Campbell. The Lions may be primed to earn a Super Bowl appearance for the first time in franchise history under this duo.
7. Jalen Hurts/Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles)
A stunning collapse after a 10-1 start caused Hurts and Sirianni to fall on this list after a NFC Championship season in 2022, yet there has been a lot of winning in Philadelphia since Hurts and Sirianni got together in 2021. The Eagles are 34-17 over the last three seasons, having the fifth-best winning percentage in the league during that span — having a Super Bowl appearance during that stretch.
Hurts was plagued by turnovers last season, committing 20 in the 17 regular-season games (15 interceptions, five fumbles lost). The uncharacteristic giveaways affected his play, as Hurts completed 61.1% of his passes for 1,161 yards with five touchdowns to five interceptions for a 77.6 passer rating in the final six games. He still finished with 3,858 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns last season (89.1 rating) with 15 rushing touchdowns — tied for the most in NFL history by a quarterback in a season. Hurts is the only player in NFL history with consecutive seasons of 20+ passing touchdowns and 10+ rushing touchdowns and is tied by Cam Newton for the most such seasons all time. His 73 total touchdowns trail only Josh Allen (86) for the most over the last two seasons.
The Eagles have a .667 win percentage under Hurts and Sirianni, as the coach has done his fair share of winning. The only coach to take the Eagles to the playoffs in his first three seasons, Sirianni is just the third coach to win 11-plus games with the franchise in consecutive seasons (Dick Vermeil in 1979-1980 and Andy Reid in 2000-2004). Sirianni’s 34-17 record with the Eagles is the highest win percentage in team history (.667). Sirianni has the second-highest win percentage among active NFL coaches (Matt LaFleur is first at .675) and the 14th highest in NFL history among coaches who have coached 50-plus games.
The Eagles will have to avenge their 1-6 collapse from last season, but Hurts and Sirianni have a track record of winning a lot of games. Their Super Bowl appearance still holds merit.
6. Joe Burrow/Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals)
The Bengals had an uncharacteristic season last year, missing the postseason for the first time in the Burrow-Taylor era. Of course, Burrow suffering a calf injury early in the season and a season-ending injury to his wrist didn’t help matters. The Bengals still finished 9-8 despite Burrow winning just 10 games.
Regardless of how last season unfolded, Burrow and Taylor have done a lot of winning together. The Bengals a 29-22-1 in Burrow’s starts, including a 5-2 record in the postseason. The Bengals are 8-22 without Burrow and average just 18.6 points per game, so having Burrow is paramount. Burrow completed 66.8% of his passes for 2,309 yards with 15 touchdowns to six interceptions in his 10 starts (91.6 rating), throwing for a career low 230.9 yards per game. Last year was one Burrow would like to forget.
Taylor is just 37-44-1 in his four seasons, yet he deserves credit for the Bengals’ impressive turnaround. He led the Bengals to their first playoff win since the 1990 season and their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988 three seasons ago as Cincinnati was just the third team to have the worst record in the NFL and then reach the Super Bowl two years later, joining the 1981 San Francisco 49ers and 2003 Carolina Panthers. The Bengals were just 6-25-1 in Taylor’s first two seasons, but are 36-21 over the last three. Cincinnati also has five playoff wins and reached conference championship game appearances in 2021 and 2022, winning a postseason game in consecutive years for the first time in franchise history.
The Bengals have five playoff wins under Taylor in his five seasons — and just five in their entire franchise history prior to his arrival. Taylor has three playoff wins on the road. Prior to his arrival, the Bengals were 0-7 on the road in the postseason.
If Burrow is healthy, there’s a good chance the Bengals are making a deep playoff run. In the two seasons Burrow has played 11+ games, the Bengals have made at least the conference championship game. The Bengals win when Burrow is on the field.
5. Matthew Stafford/Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams)
Super Bowl victories carry significant weight, and Stafford and McVay are one of the two duos on this list that have one together. Both had a resurgence after the Rams missed the playoffs in 2022, as the Rams ended up returning to the postseason in a year the franchise entered with low expectations.
Both Stafford and McVay have significant resumes, which elevate their status. Stafford tied Tom Brady’s mark as the only quarterbacks to lead the league in passing touchdowns in a season (regular season and postseason) to win a Super Bowl (50) in his first season with McVay and the Rams. He’s the first quarterback in NFL history with 6,000 passing yards, 50 passing touchdowns and a Super Bowl win in the same season (regular-season and postseason stats combined). Stafford finished last season on a high note, with an NFL-high 15 touchdown passes from Weeks 12 through 17 (having just three interceptions). He completed 62.6% of his passes for 3,965 yards with 24 touchdowns to 11 interceptions (92.5 rating), as the Rams were 9-6 in his starts.
McVay is still one of the best coaches in the league. He’s 70-45 in the regular season (.609 win percentage) with a 7-4 playoff record (.636). The Rams have three NFC West titles, two NFC championships, and a Super Bowl title under McVay’s watch. McVay has led the Rams to four double-digit win seasons and is the youngest coach to appear in two Super Bowls (36 years, 1 month old).
When Stafford and McVay are together, the Rams win games and make the playoffs. The Super Bowl title was three years ago, but the duo had a resurgence in 2023. Both Stafford and McVay are also building serious Hall of Fame consideration.
4. Josh Allen/Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills)
Allen and McDermott are one of the top quarterback-coach duos in the league, winning a lot of games with the Bills over their six seasons together. If playoff losses to the Chiefs weren’t so frequent, Allen and McDermott would be among the elite as they have transformed the Bills into one of the elite franchises in the NFL.
Allen has carried the Bills offense on his shoulders time and time again. He has the most combined passing and rushing touchdowns in the NFL over the past four seasons with 173, trailing only Patrick Mahomes in passing touchdowns (137) and Jalen Hurts in rushing touchdowns (36). Allen is second in passing yards with 17,540, trailing only Mahomes. He’s third among quarterbacks in touchdown rate (5.8%, minimum 1,500 attempts) and ninth in passer rating (96.9). Allen is also coming off a season in which he led the NFL in total yards (4,830) and total touchdowns (44). His 20,010 combined passing and rushing yards trail only Mahomes (20,448) for the most in the NFL over the last four years.
The player with the most total touchdowns after his first six seasons in NFL history (221), Allen also has the most total yards per game in the playoffs (330.2). Allen is also seventh among qualified quarterbacks in playoff passer rating (100.0), throwing 21 touchdowns to four interceptions in his postseason career. His five rushing touchdowns in the playoffs are also tied for sixth in NFL history.
The Bills are 63-30 with Allen as their starting quarterback, and Allen has finished in the top five of MVP voting in three of the last four seasons. As long as Allen is on the field, the Bills have a chance.
Then there’s McDermott, who has his own share of success since he arrived in Buffalo. McDermott has six winning seasons in seven years with the Bills, compiling a 73-41 record (.640 win percentage) and a 5-6 playoff record. The Bills won four consecutive AFC East titles for the first time since 1988-1991 and are one of only two teams to win 10-plus games and make the playoffs in each of the last five years (Chiefs are the other). Buffalo had just two winning seasons this century prior to McDermott’s arrival, with no 10-win seasons (McDermott has five consecutive 10-win campaigns).
The Bills are tied for the second-most wins (48) in any four-season span without a Super Bowl trip (2017-2020 New Orleans Saints had 49) and have the best point differential (+629) in any four-season span without a Super Bowl trip since 1990-1993 San Francisco 49ers. They are the first team since the 1990-1993 49ers to lead NFL in scoring offense and scoring defense across a four-year span.
Buffalo is 0-4 against against Kansas City and Cincinnati in the playoffs and 5-0 against everyone else. If Allen and McDermott can get over that hump and get to a Super Bowl, the conversation certainly changes.
3. Brock Purdy/Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers)
Purdy and Shanahan haven’t even been together for two full seasons, and the duo already has a Super Bowl appearance together. The 49ers were an overtime touchdown away from winning the Super Bowl, as Purdy and Shanahan emerging as one of the top duos in the entire league (and they are certainly on their way).
Purdy had a massive first full season as the starting quarterback in San Francisco, completing 69.4% of his passes for 4,280 yards with 31 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. He led the league in touchdown percentage (7.0), yards per attempt (9.6), and passer rating (113.0), leading the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII. Purdy has the most yards per attempt (9.6) in a season in NFL history (minimum 350 attempts), while also ranking fourth in completion rate, fifth in passing yards, and third in passing touchdowns. He also led the league in touchdown rate (7.0%), yards per completion (13.9), and passer rating.
In Purdy’s two seasons with the 49ers, he’s thrown 44 touchdowns to 15 interceptions for an 111.4 passer rating. The 49ers have reached at least the NFC Championship game twice under Purdy while having a 17-4 record in his starts (.810 win percentage), as Purdy has also sported a 4-2 postseason record (won multiple playoff games in both his seasons).
Shanahan is one of the best coaches in the NFL, leading the 49ers to four conference championship games and two Super Bowls in the last five years. He has the most yards per play (5.9) and yards per attempt (8.1) among any coach in the Super Bowl era, yet is 0-3 in the Super Bowl as a play-caller and has blown 10+ point leads in all of those games. The 49ers are 64-51 under Shanahan, but have won 12+ games in three of the last five seasons. Shanahan is also 8-4 in the playoffs in his career, an impressive .667 win percentage.
A Super Bowl victory for Purdy and Shanahan catapults them among the elite quarterback-coach duos. The pair have accomplished nearly everything else in their 27 games together (including postseason).
2. Lamar Jackson/John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)
Jackson and Harbaugh continue to build their resume as a duo, reaching the conference championship game for the first time in their six seasons together. Individually, their resumes only trail Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid for the most impressive in the league.
Jackson won his second MVP award last year, and is the youngest quarterback to win the NFL MVP award twice (one of 11 players to win multiple MVP awards). He completed 67.2% of his passes for 3,678 yards for 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions and a 102.7 passer rating in the 2023 season. He also had 821 rushing yards and five touchdowns, leading the league with 5.5 yards per carry. Jackson finished with 3,000+ passing yards and 800+ rushing yards for the second time in his career, the only player in NFL history to reach those numbers in a season twice.
Jackson is 58-19 as a starting quarterback, as his .753 win percentage is third-best for a quarterback in NFL history (only Mahomes and Tom Brady have a higher win percentage). His 5,258 rushing yards are fourth-most by a quarterback in NFL history, while his 13 100-yard rushing games and 61.8 rushing yards per game are the best for a quarterback in league history.
Jackson recorded his third career 800-yard rushing season in 2023, breaking a tie with Michael Vick (two) for the most such seasons by a quarterback in NFL history. He is the only quarterback since the 1970 merger to reach 700 rushing yards in five consecutive seasons (2019-23) and is the only quarterback since the 1970 merger to reach 600 rushing yards in each of the first six years of a career (2018-23). No other quarterback in NFL history has more than four such seasons in a career.
Jackson is one of four quarterbacks since the 1970 merger with multiple seasons posting at least 25 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns in a career, joining Josh Allen (four), Deshaun Watson (two) and Steve Young (two). He has four career games with at least five touchdown passes, the third most such games by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history. Only Patrick Mahomes (six games) and Dan Marino (five) have more.
Harbaugh’s resume speaks for itself, going 160-99 (.618 win percentage) in his 16 seasons — the third-longest tenure in the league with one team. His eight playoff wins on the road are the most in NFL history. The Ravens have won at least one playoff game in eight of their 11 postseasons under Harbaugh as head coach and have five AFC North division titles under his watch. Baltimore is also one of four teams to make the playoffs in at least five of the past six seasons (2018-2023). Of course, Harbaugh also won Super Bowl XLVII — solidifying his place as one of the game’s top coaches.
All Jackson and Harbaugh need is a Super Bowl victory together. Both have accomplished everything else as a duo.
1. Patrick Mahomes/Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)
For the third straight year and the fourth time in five years, Mahomes and Reid are No. 1 on this list. They are the gold standard for quarterback/coach duos, winning two consecutive championships (Chiefs are the first team to accomplish this since the 20023-2004 New England Patriots) and have three Super Bowl titles in five years.
Going down the list of postseason accomplishments, Mahomes is already among the all-time greats at quarterback. His 15 postseason victories trail only Brady (31) and Joe Montana (16), largely considered the two greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Brady and Montana are also the other two quarterbacks with three Super Bowl MVPs (Brady has five and Montana has three). Mahomes is the first player to win two NFL MVP awards and three Super Bowl MVPs before the age of 30. He’s just the second player amongst the “big four” American sports leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) to have three championship MVP awards before turning 29 (Magic Johnson is the other) and the first player in NFL history to have three Super Bowl MVPs in a five-season span.
Mahomes is off to the greatest start for a quarterback ever. He already has three Super Bowls at the age of 28 and three Super Bowl MVPs. He’s on that exclusive list of winning two NFL MVPs and three Super Bowl MVPs (Brady, Montana are the others). Only Bart Starr (.900) has a better playoff win percentage than Mahomes (.833), as Starr was 9-1 in 10 playoff starts while Mahomes is 15-3 in 18 playoff starts. Mahomes also has the best best road and Super Bowl win percentage of any quarterback in NFL playoff history with an .833 win rate (5-1, minimum five starts).
The comebacks are also a part of the story. Mahomes is 3-1 when trailing by 10+ points in a Super Bowl. Every other quarterback is 4-48. He’s the only quarterback in NFL history to be over .500 when trailing by double digits at any point (17-14, minimum 10 starts). All other quarterbacks are 224-1,202-5 (.158 win percentage) in games their team trails by double digits. In six seasons, Mahomes has two MVPs, three Super Bowl MVPs, one Offensive Player of the Year, led the league in touchdown passes twice, and passing yards per game twice.
Of course, Reid has just an impressive resume. Reid has entered the pantheon of the greatest coaches in NFL history. He’s the fifth coach with three or more Super Bowl titles, joining Bill Belichick (six), Chuck Noll (four), Joe Gibbs (three) and Bill Walsh (three). Reid also joins Belichick and Noll as the only coaches to win three Super Bowls in a five-season span. His 26 playoff wins trail only Belichick (31) for the most in NFL history.
Reid joined Belichick as the only coaches with 200+ wins and three Super Bowl titles, showcasing the rare air he’s in among the greatest coaches in NFL history. His 258 regular-season wins trail only Don Shula (328), George Halas (318), and Belichick (302) in NFL history. Reid’s 284 combined wins in the regular season and postseason trail only Shula (347), Belichick (343), and Halas (324) for the most in NFL history.
Reid is the only coach in NFL history to win 100 games with two different franchises and the only coach to win 10 playoff games with two different franchises. He also has taken the Chiefs and Eagles to four consecutive conference championship games, the only coach ever to accomplish the feat for two organizations. He’s the all-time wins leader for the Chiefs and Eagles.
In 25 seasons as a coach, Reid has won three Super Bowl titles, five conference championships and 14 division titles. He’s had 18 double-digit win seasons and is fourth in NFL history with 258 wins and second in postseason wins with 26. Reid has also won a playoff game with four different quarterbacks (Donovan McNabb, Jeff Garcia, Alex Smith and Mahomes).
Mahomes and Reid likely aren’t falling from the top of this list any time soon. What they are accomplishing is entering the territory of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
