It's no secret that in the NFL, teams with franchise quarterbacks, such as the Buffalo Bills, are the ones battling for the Super Bowl every year. Teams with bad quarterbacks are generally picking at No. 1 or No. 2 in the NFL Draft every year. Of course, it's also helpful to have continuity on the offensive line or a quarterback with a quick release to help with grasping and maintaining focus.
For nearly 20 years, the AFC East was pretty much dominated by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who will for sure get into the Hall of Fame. After Brady left the division, it was dominated for five straight years by Buffalo's Josh Allen before another New England Patriots quarterback, Drake Maye, led the team to a division title and then the Super Bowl.
But other than Allen and Maye, the race for the third and fourth best quarterback in the AFC East has fallen so far behind the other two that they've really put both the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets at the bottom of this division for quite a long time. Only time will tell how long Allen and Maye remain the two kings of the AFC East, but until the Jets and the Dolphins figure out their QB situation, it seems like it will be Allen and Mayes to lose.
Here are the Top 4 quarterbacks who ranked from worst to first in the AFC East.
Bottom-to-top quarterbacks in AFC East for 2026
4.) Malik Willis- Miami Dolphins
Despite Willis' limited success as a backup for the Green Bay Packers, it's unknown if he will become a superstar as Miami's No. 1 quarterback. It helps when the head coach and the general manager acquired Willis from the same Packers team. But it was an interesting deal to sign him to a three-year, $67.5 million contract, making fans wonder about his recognized value and potential.
3.) Geno Smith- New York Jets
Since his first stint with the Jets, Smith has shown a great deal of growth and maturity as a person and also a quarterback. He enjoyed some success after taking over for Russell Wilson as the starter for the Seattle Seahawks, after short stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Giants.
Although it didn't pan out with him and the Las Vegas Raiders, maybe it will work out a second time in New York, this time with Aaron Glenn as head coach instead of Rex Ryan. Still, he's in a distant third on this list.
2.) Drake Maye- New England Patriots
This decision for first and second was really close, but because New England had a first-place schedule last season led by Drake Maye, he goes second on this list. That does not take away an excellent sophomore season, similar to what Dan Marino had in Miami, where he led his team to the Super Bowl. Still, unlike Marino, Maye is trying to get back to another Super Bowl after his second season.
Still, Maye is without a doubt among the top two quarterbacks in this division, and it's really no contest unless the Jets and the Dolphins essentially find their franchise ones in the 2027 NFL Draft.
1.) Josh Allen- Buffalo Bills
While Josh Allen fell to No. 2 behind Maye in the AFC last season, look for the Bills quarterback to finally be back in his place at the top of the throne this season. The 2024 MVP looks like he might finally have a much better receiving core led by possible number one receiver D.J. Moore in a trade from the Chicago Bears. He also may awaken a sleeping giant in rookie target Skyler Bell, who looks like an NFL pro already in terms of the screen game and in his route-running abilities.
He will look to build on his offseason momentum in his game and finally show the pro football world he's ready to win his first Super Bowl ring.
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