Ranking NFL Quarterbacks Who Can Make the Biggest Leap in 2024 (2024)

In recent years, quarterbacks across the NFL have made tremendous leaps and significantly changed the long-term trajectories of their respective teams. A signal-caller's development can open a club's Super Bowl window or extend it.

Between 2017 and 2018, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs went from a backup quarterback to league MVP. Meanwhile, after taking over for Joe Flacco midway through the 2018 campaign, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens won his first league MVP award the following year.

Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals), Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) and Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles) have all become franchise quarterbacks for perennial playoff contenders as well.

Within the next wave of young quarterbacks, who will take the biggest leap in 2024? We've ranked the top eight candidates here based on their recent production, supporting casts and offensive play-callers.

To keep the focus on the young and inexperienced signal-callers, each candidate listed here has been in the NFL for no more than three full seasons or made fewer than 51 starts (the equivalent of three 17-game campaigns).

Aidan O'Connell is the only quarterback featured here who still has to win his team's starting job. But according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, O'Connell "probably has the slight edge right now" over Gardner Minshew in the Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback battle.

Fowler also noted that wideout Davante Adams "loves" O'Connell, and the second-year signal-caller has shown early growth with his ability to audible at the line of scrimmage. However, The Athletic's Tashan Reed expressed early concern with the Raiders' quarterback competition.

"Both Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew struggled during OTAs," Reed wrote. "They split snaps with the first string fairly evenly, but neither found much success during the practices that were open to reporters."

After throwing for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 62.1 percent completion rate in 11 games (10 starts) as a rookie, O'Connell will likely get a shot to lead the offense at some point in the upcoming season.

With that said, O'Connell must have a better showing with a loaded pass-catching group that will feature wideouts Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker along with tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer. He may continue to have rough stretches as he learns new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy's system, though.

Because of his slow start in the Raiders' offseason program and uncertainty surrounding his spot on the depth chart, O'Connell is in the bottom spot in these rankings.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young had a rough rookie year for multiple reasons.

The 2023 No. 1 overall pick seemed uncomfortable in the pocket. He took the second-most sacks (62) leaguewide, trailing only Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders.

The Panthers traded wide receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears to move up for Young, which left him with a below-average pass-catching group. Adam Thielen led the Panthers in most receiving categories last year during his age-33 season.

This offseason, the Panthers hired general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales, and they addressed key needs on offense.

Carolina strengthened its offensive line with the addition of guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis. The club acquired wideout Diontae Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers and selected wideout Xavier Legette in the first round of the draft.

After taking Legette, the Panthers selected running back Jonathon Brooks in the second round. If Brooks recovers well from his torn ACL, Canales can make a strong commitment to the run game, which would take pressure off Young in the pocket.

Even though the Panthers acquired Johnson and Legette this offseason, they're primed to establish a physical offensive identity in 2024. They invested premium resources in a pair of guards and added arguably the top running back in this year's rookie class.

Carolina may get more out of Young by asking him to do less this year, which puts a ceiling on his production.

The Tennessee Titans will take another look at second-year quarterback Will Levis in a new offensive system led by head coach Brian Callahan, whom they hired to replace Mike Vrabel.

This offseason, Tennessee made wholesale changes to its offensive personnel. It added wideouts Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, running back Tony Pollard and offensive linemen Lloyd Cushenberry III, Saahdiq Charles and rookie first-rounder JC Latham.

Between DeAndre Hopkins, Ridley and Boyd at wide receiver and pass-catching tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, Levis has the playmakers to post impressive numbers with his arm.

During his five years as the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive coordinator, Callahan didn't call plays. But he can lean on his father, Bill, who fielded top-eight scoring offenses with the then-Oakland Raiders around the turn of the century and the Dallas Cowboys in the early 2010s.

Last year, Levis had flashes of quality play in games against the Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins. While he struggled down the stretch in part because of injuries, he's set up for a much-improved campaign with a father-son coaching duo that had success with previous clubs and quality playmakers around him.

Levis has the physical tools to be a successful pocket passer with functional mobility, whereas Young's diminutive stature still raises some concerns. He also has a better group of pass-catchers, which helped push him above the 2023 No. 1 overall pick in these rankings.

From this point forward in these rankings, all of the quarterbacks have the benefit of playing in the same system for consecutive seasons, and they're working with high-end play-callers. In other words, there's a sizable gap between Nos. 5 and 6.

While Trevor Lawrence led the Jacksonville Jaguars to the postseason in a Pro Bowl campaign in 2022, he has struggled with consistency and turnovers.

As a rookie under former head coach Urban Meyer, Lawrence led the league with 17 interceptions. The Jaguars then replaced Meyer with Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson, which helped Lawrence in the short term.

In 2022, Lawrence led Jacksonville to a division title and a thrilled comeback victory over the Los Angeles Chargers during Wild Card Weekend. However, he regressed last year in another turnover-ridden campaign.

Still, the Jaguars signed Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million extension this offseason, which shows their commitment to his growth.

While Lawrence could do a better job of protecting the ball, he may not see a spike in his passing numbers in 2024 even with the offseason additions of Gabe Davis and rookie first-rounder Brian Thomas Jr.

Lawrence still has to build a connection with Thomas, who's adjusting to life in the NFL. Meanwhile, Davis was a feast-or-famine playmaker who struggled to make a consistent down-to-down impact with the Buffalo Bills.

To avoid piling up turnovers, Pederson could rely more on Travis Etienne Jr. in the run game as Lawrence familiarizes himself with his new receivers.

Anthony Richardson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury only five weeks into his rookie campaign. As a one-year full-time collegiate starter at Florida with only four starts on his pro resume, Richardson could see significant growth solely because of his inexperience.

Also working in his favor, Richardson will continue to work with Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen, who's helped develop Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts. Herbert broke rookie passing records under Steichen, and Hurts played at an MVP level.

With the Philadelphia Eagles, Steichen utilized and featured Hurts' rushing ability. He could do the same with Richardson, who can bring another component to the Colts' offense.

Richardson can also build on his rapport with lead wideout Michael Pittman Jr. and make more explosive plays through the air thanks to the addition of rookie second-rounder Adonai Mitchell.

Based on Steichen's previous work with Herbert and Hurts, Richardson seems primed to make notable strides if he can stay healthy.

Last season, Brock Purdy made the NFC Pro Bowl roster, finished fourth in MVP voting and came close to knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.

He may have even more room for growth.

In his third season under head coach and offensive play-caller Kyle Shanahan, Purdy should have great command of the offense. That could help him top his passing numbers from the last year (4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions).

Some may argue that running back Christian McCaffrey, whom the Niners signed to a two-year extension this offseason, is the engine of the offense. But Purdy's development suggests that he can lead the unit with his arm if needed.

McCaffrey turned 28 in June, and he was tied for second leaguewide in carries (272) last season. To preserve McCaffrey and limit the wear and tear on his body, the 49ers could ask more of Purdy this year.

Last season, San Francisco ranked last leaguewide in pass attempts. If Shanahan calls more passing plays this year, Purdy could be in the running for MVP again in an All-Pro campaign.

Purdy isn't in one of the top two spots because of the uncertainty around wideout Brandon Aiyuk's future with the team. If San Francisco trades him, Purdy would lose his most explosive playmaker in the passing game.

Without Aiyuk, Purdy would need some time to establish a rapport with rookie wideouts Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing.

Jordan Love is entering his fifth season, but he's only started 18 games to date. After sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons, Love broke out in 2023, throwing for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

For now, the Green Bay Packers could say that waiting on Love worked out for both sides. The Packers have a potential franchise quarterback, and they might sign him to a big-money extension this summer.

Love's breakout year may be the beginning of his rise to stardom. In his first year as a full-time starter, he posted impressive passing numbers despite being without lead wideout Christian Watson for roughly half the season.

Watson, who has averaged 15 yards per reception across his two NFL seasons, brings a big-play component to Green Bay's aerial attack. With him healthy, Love could potentially lead the league in passing yards.

Running backs Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd and AJ Dillon will balance the Packers' offense, but Love's growth with a young pass-catching group could result in eye-popping numbers in any given week. He's a viable pick for league MVP this year.

C.J. Stroud could make the jump from 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year to league MVP this year with more passing volume.

Last year, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions with Nico Collins and Tank Dell (for 11 games) as his top receivers. This offseason, the Houston Texans acquired four-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills.

Stroud will have one of the league's best wide receiver trios. He also has a reliable pass-catching tight end in Dalton Schultz, who's recorded at least 57 receptions and 577 receiving yards in four consecutive seasons.

Last year, the Texans ranked 12th leaguewide in passing attempts. Assuming Stroud has earned more trust from the coaching staff, Houston could field more of a pass-heavy attack with Diggs in the mix.

Even with the offseason addition of running back Joe Mixon, the Texans may be more reliant on Stroud than most other teams are on young quarterbacks. That's why he's in line for the biggest leap among budding signal-callers.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.