Seen by many NFL fans as the weakest division, the NFC South has gone through some turbulent years.

A division which only started in 2002, two of the past four division winners have managed to win it with single digit win totals.

Long gone are the dominance of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, the reliability of Matt Ryan, Tom Brady’s spell in Tampa or the incredible 2015 MVP season for Cam Newton.

There is a new era of quarterbacks in the NFC South. Here is a ranking of all four, from first to fourth.

The story of Baker Mayfield’s NFL career has been far from dull.

After an already eventful college career, he was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2018.

During Week Three, Mayfield made his NFL debut as he replaced an injured Tyrod Taylor with the Browns 14-0 down.

Mayfield guided the Browns to a 21-17 victory over the New York Jets at Metlife Stadium, thus ending their 19-game streak without a win, after their 0-17 campaign a season prior.

Two seasons later and he would help guide the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 2002, and 48-37 win against their AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers saw the franchise earn their first postseason win since the 1994 campaign.

Mayfield requested a trade two seasons later after the franchise’s decision to offer three first rounders and over $200 million of guaranteed money to Deshaun Watson, who soon began a lengthy suspension due to off the field conduct.

A move to the Carolina Panthers failed to materialise but did not make it past his first season, requesting a release from the team in early December.

Mayfield had a brief stint for the Los Angeles Rams, earning a comeback victory over the Las Vegas Raiders less than 72 hours after signing with the team.

A move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023 followed and many felt that this was going to be stop gap and perhaps Mayfield’s days as a starter were numbered. A one-year deal worth $4 million with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers suggested the front office felt the same.

However, Mayfield has since turned his career around, having his best two years in a Bucs jersey.

After making the playoffs once in his first five seasons, he has reached the postseason in each of his last two seasons. The Bucs almost made the NFC Championship game in the 2023 season, narrowly losing to the Detroit Lions.

Mayfield has been a lot more poised in the pocket, shown a far greater level of consistency in comparison to his Cleveland days. He is easily number one in this list.

It once looked bleak for Bryce Young in Carolina.

A disaster of a 2023 rookie campaign from Young saw the Chicago Bears take Caleb Williams first overall as a result of the trade the Panthers made with them to get Young 12 months prior.

His 2024 season did not start much better, with 47-10, 26-3, 36-10 and 40-7 losses in the first seven weeks. During this period, Young was benched for Andy Dalton after Week Two. Until their Germany matchup with the New York Giants, Young was seen as a bust.

An injury to Dalton saw Young return in Week Eight. Whilst they suffered a 28-14 defeat, they would go on to win their next two games, against the Saints and in the aforementioned game with the Giants in Munich.

After the Broncos defeat, Young only threw for four interceptions across the remaining nine games, with a touchdown every game and 13 in total during his period.

Young threw for zero touchdowns and three interceptions in the opening two games of the 2024 season, but by the end of the season, he ended with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions in the final games as the Panthers went 2-1.

Young is fast improving and should bring Panthers fans a lot of excitement.

When the Atlanta Falcons drafted Michael Penix Jr in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, just a month after signing Kirk Cousins in Free Agency to a four-year $180 million contract, it seemed like a crazy move by the organisation.

This even seemed the case in early November, when Cousins threw for three touchdowns and zero interceptions with 222 passing yards in a win over the Dallas Cowboys. With 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions from Week One to Week Nine, Cousins was in good form. However, he got hurt in their next game against the New Orleans Saints and everything changed.

He threw for just one touchdown pass for the remainder of the season, with 10 interceptions. This allowed Penix to step in during a Week 14 clash against the Las Vegas Raiders and the former Washington Husky has never looked back.

With just 105 attempted passes during his young NFL career, it is too early to judge Penix one way or the other.

One of only two starting quarterbacks to throw with their left hand, Penix has shown his potential at college and as the starter from Week One in 2025, this will give him the chance to show the NFL world exactly what type of quarterback he is.

Right now, it is a small sample size, but bigger than the bottom placed quarterback in this article.

Spencer Rattler was drafted in the fifth round by the Saints in 2024, despite being at one point touted to be a first or second round just a few years back.

Unfortunately, for Rattler, he has shown why he was a third day pick for the New Orleans organisation.

In his first 2024 rookie season, he threw for four touchdowns and five interceptions and looked lost at times under centre.

In a Thursday Night Football clash with the Denver Broncos, Rattler looked far from convincing, with zero touchdown passes as he was sacked six times. He also fumbled twice, with one of these resulting in a Broncos touchdown.

There is a good chance Rattler is benched during the 2025 season, but with rookie Tyler Shough’s stock and pre-draft hype at a low, Rattler may return to the field before long. An easy fourth place.

Andy Davies

NFC South Quarterback Ranking

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