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The quarterback-coach duo rankings have been an excellent indicator of the teams that have consistent success in the NFL. For the past six seasons of these rankings, one aspect has remained constant: Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are the standard. 

Mahomes and Reid didn't get the three-peat for the Kansas City Chiefs last season, thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles blowing them out in Super Bowl LIX. The Chiefs still made the Super Bowl for the third consecutive year, and the fifth time in the last six years, adding just another chapter to the league's current dynasty. Kansas City's almost-constant presence in the Super Bowl has cemented Mahomes and Reid as the NFL's top quarterback-coach duo.

But it appears their lock is starting to slip. Coming off last year's Super Bowl title, Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni have entered the conversation for the No. 1 spot. With two appearances in the final game over the past three years, Hurts and Sirianni have emerged as steady competition for the K.C. tandem.

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Our 2025 edition of the NFL's top 10 quarterback-coach duos is here, as a new partnership made the list for the first time, thanks to one of the greatest rookie seasons by a quarterback in NFL history (more on that later). 

For this year's rankings, 14 duos were under consideration for 10 spots. The list also underwent significant changes thanks to the performance of their teams last season, which plays a substantial role in determining the 2025 rankings. 

Before we scroll down to the 2025 quarterback-coach duos, let's revisit the qualifications for this list. The same rules apply 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 fell into this category last season, but qualify for the list this time around. The same rules applied Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay in 2021 (although the quarterback was new in that scenario). Any new coach or new quarterback with a team is ineligible (see Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin).
  • 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 their ability to win games and make 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 2024 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 significant power boost -- and it's even better if that title is a recent one. Reaching the Super Bowl is a tough task, which played a part in my decision to rank these duos. MVP awards also played a factor.

Here's a look at last year's rankings as a refresher:

  1. Patrick Mahomes/Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)
  2. Lamar Jackson/John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)
  3. Brock Purdy/Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers)
  4. Josh Allen/Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills)
  5. Matthew Stafford/Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams)
  6. Joe Burrow/Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals)
  7. Jalen Hurts /Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles)
  8. Jared Goff/Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions)
  9. Dak Prescott/Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys)
  10. C.J. Stroud/DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans)

Presenting the top 10 quarterback/coach duos in the NFL for 2025. Feel free to criticize!

10. C.J. Stroud/DeMeco Ryans (Texans)

Last season may have been a disappointment for the Texans, given the offseason hype surrounding Stroud and expectations for his development heading into his sophomore season. Houston still won the AFC South for the second consecutive season, while winning a playoff game and advancing to the divisional round -- for the second successive season. 

Stroud and Ryans are just the third quarterback-coach duo to win a playoff game in each of their first two seasons together. This is certainly not a bad start for Ryans and Stroud, even if Stroud had a disappointing sophomore campaign. Stroud's pass yards per game went from 273.9 to 219.2, while his yards per attempt dropped from 8.2 to 7.0. He threw 20 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, down from 23 touchdowns to five interceptions the year before. 

Even with the struggles, Stroud was the first quarterback to win the division in each of his first two seasons since Dan Marino (1983-1984), and he's the first top-3 draft pick to win a playoff game in each of his first two seasons. Ryans already is tied for the most playoff wins in Texans history (2) and has consecutive division titles to his resume with a 20-14 career record (2-2 in playoffs). Ryans joined Bill O'Brien (2018-2019) and Gary Kubiak (2011-2012) as the only coaches in franchise history to lead their team to back-to-back 10-win seasons.

Stroud and Ryans have the Texans as a winning franchise again. Houston is still trending upward. 

9. Joe Burrow/Zac Taylor (Bengals)

This duo should be higher, way higher. This is the result of missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons, despite the Bengals having a winning record in both of those campaigns. 

This certainly wasn't the fault of Burrow, who made his case for league MVP in 2024. He was the third quarterback in NFL history with 4,500 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions in a season (Tom Brady in 2007 and Aaron Rodgers in 2011 -- both MVPs). Burrow led the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and 43 passing touchdowns, just the third quarterback in NFL history to miss the playoffs in a season with 40+ passing touchdowns. Burrow had eight straight games with 250+ passing yards and 3+ passing touchdowns, the most all-time. 

Why do the Bengals miss the playoffs? Slow starts and defense. The Bengals allow 23.3 points per game in Burrow's starts in his career. That's tied for the second-highest amongst quarterbacks to start a Super Bowl. Under Taylor, the Bengals are 2-5 in September over the last two seasons (1-3 last season) -- leading to consecutive playoff misses. Taylor is still under .500 for his career at 46-52-1 (.470 win percentage), but has four consecutive winning seasons and has reached back-to-back conference championship games in 2021 and 2022 (reached Super Bowl LVI).  The Bengals were just 6-25-1 in Taylor's first two seasons, but are 45-29 over the last four years.

Cincinnati needs a playoff appearance to stay on this list, no matter how good Burrow is. 

8. Jared Goff/Dan Campbell (Lions)

Even with the disappointment of last year, the Lions are reaching a level the franchise hasn't seen -- ever. The Lions set records in the regular season, posting the most wins (15), touchdowns scored (70) and points scored (564) in a single season in franchise history. Detroit captured its second consecutive NFC North division title and secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the first time in team history. The Lions haven't won consecutive division titles since 1952-1954, highlighting the significant turnaround the franchise has undergone under Goff and Campbell. 

Goff had 37 passing touchdowns last season, the second-most in team history. He's the third quarterback in NFL history to win 13 or more games in a season for multiple franchises (Tom Brady, Peyton Manning). Goff also leads the NFL in passing yards (13,641) and pass touchdowns (96) over the last three seasons. He's the quarterback of the offense that has the fourth-most points per drive (3.02) in a season since 2000, the most games with 40+ points and zero turnovers in a season (5), and the most games with more touchdowns than incompletions (4) by any team since at least 1940. 

Campbell is just the third coach in Lions history to win multiple playoff games, joining Buddy Parker (1953) and George Wilson (1957). He has a 39-28-1 record with the Lions (.587 win percentage) and is 27-7 over the last two seasons. The Lions have three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1993-1995 and consecutive double-digit win seasons for the first time in the franchise's 96-season history.

A deep playoff run again would skyrocket Goff and Campbell up the rankings. They are becoming a mainstay on this list based on their success in Detroit.

7. Jayden Daniels/Dan Quinn (Commanders)

The only new duo on this list in 2025 made a massive entry. Just one year after Stroud and Ryans set a new standard for a quarterback-coach duo, Daniels and Quinn decided to up the mark. The Commanders won 12 games and reached the conference championship game for the first time since 1991, winning two playoff games on their way there -- including an upset over the No. 1-seeded Lions en route to their historic year. 

Daniels had arguably the greatest rookie season for any quarterback in NFL history. He became the second quarterback in NFL history with 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season (including playoffs) -- joining Lamar Jackson last year. Daniels had the most total touchdowns (37) and total yards (5,416) by a rookie in NFL history (including playoffs). He tied the most wins, including playoffs, by a rookie quarterback in NFL history with 14 (Ben Roethlisberger), while becoming the sixth rookie quarterback to start a conference championship game. 

Daniels has the most rushing yards by a rookie quarterback (891) and has more games in his career where his team has no punts and no turnovers (three), including playoffs, than the combined careers of Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning and Patrick Mahomes (two). His 2024 season was historic. 

As for Quinn, this is a friendly reminder that he took a team to the Super Bowl once. The Commanders increased their win total by 10 games from 2023 to 2024 (including playoffs), and won their first playoff game since 2005 while reaching their first NFC Championship game since 1991. The Commanders ended the longest conference championship drought between appearances at 33 years. Quinn is 55-47 in his career as a head coach (.539), but 12-5 with Washington. He sports a 5-3 playoff record, with two conference game appearances and a Super Bowl appearance. 

Daniels and Quinn will have to back up their surprising season in 2025. The Commanders have the oldest roster in the NFL. 

6. Brock Purdy/Kyle Shanahan (49ers)

A missed playoff appearance in 2024 knocks Purdy and Shanahan down the rankings, but the duo has enough accolades to counter a 6-11 season. Purdy has two conference championship appearances and a Super Bowl appearance in his first three seasons, while Shanahan has two Super Bowl appearances and four conference championship appearances in his eight seasons. 

Purdy still has the highest yards per attempt (8.9) and passer rating (104.9) in NFL history (minimum 1,000 attempts). He was third in yards per attempt (8.5) last season despite the sixth-lowest percentage of passing yards from the yards after the catch (43%). Purdy also had the third-highest explosive pass rate (19%) last season (20+ yard completions), in spite of only having 20 passing touchdowns to 12 interceptions.

The knock on Purdy? When Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle play, he's 17-4 with 38 touchdowns to eight interceptions. When one misses a game, Purdy is 10-11 with 30 touchdowns to 18 interceptions (and the 49ers traded Samuel). He's also 9-15 in games when tied or trailing entering the second half. 

Shanahan needs to figure out how to follow up on the Super Bowl loss. The 49ers finished last in the NFC West in the season following the Super Bowl loss, as their 11 losses last year are tied for the second-most losses by a team after a Super Bowl loss. He's 70-62 as a head coach (.530 win percentage) with three division titles and an 8-4 playoff record. The 49ers either reach the conference title game under Shanahan or miss the playoffs. 

Purdy and Shanahan still have a ton of success in the league, but Shanahan needs that Super Bowl title to put him amongst the top five coaches in the game. It wouldn't be surprising if the two have a bounce-back season. 

5. Lamar Jackson/John Harbaugh (Ravens)

Jackson and Harbaugh at No. 5 demonstrates how elite the upper echelon of this list is, especially considering how this duo has won a lot of regular-season games since Jackson became the starter in 2018. The Ravens are 70-24 in games started by Jackson, boasting a .745 winning percentage, which is the third best for a quarterback in NFL history (only Mahomes and Tom Brady have a higher win percentage). This is also the highest win percentage by a quarterback who has never won a Super Bowl. 

The two MVP awards Jackson has are a clear indication of his success, and there was a case that Jackson should have won a third MVP in 2024. Jackson was the first player with 40+ passing touchdowns and fewer than five interceptions in a season, and he was the first quarterback in NFL history with 4,000+ yards passing and 800+ yards rushing in a season. He was the first player to lead qualified quarterbacks in the NFL in passer rating (119.4) and rushing yards (915) in a season.

The NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards for quarterbacks (6,173), Jackson is the only player with multiple MVP awards who has not won a championship. His struggles in the postseason are well known, as Jackson is 3-5 with 13 total touchdowns and 11 turnovers in his playoff career. Regardless, since Jackson became a starting quarterback, the Ravens have won a significant number of games. 

Harbaugh's resume speaks for itself, going 172-104 (.623 win percentage) in his 17 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 nine of their 12 postseasons under Harbaugh's leadership as head coach and have secured six AFC North division titles during his tenure. Baltimore is also one of four teams to make the playoffs in at least six of the past seven seasons (2018-2024). 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. Feels like this will be the norm until the duo wins a championship. 

4. Matthew Stafford/Sean McVay (Rams)

Starting to enter the territory of quarterback-coach duos that have won a championship, Stafford and McVay are still going strong heading into year five. The Rams were a Jalen Carter takeover away from upsetting the Eagles in the snow last offseason, and perhaps going to their second Super Bowl in four seasons together. 

The Rams were the second 10+ win team in NFL history to have no wins by more than 10 points (1978 Houston Oilers were the other) and were the only playoff team with a negative score differential during the regular season (-19). Los Angeles turned its season around thanks to Stafford, who had 15 passing touchdowns to just one interception in the final nine games last season (including playoffs). Stafford also has an NFL-best 19-4 record from December onward since joining the Rams in 2021 (including playoffs).

Stafford is 5-2 in playoff career with the Rams and has the second-most passing yards per game in the postseason in NFL history  (299.6). He has the 10th-most passing yards (59,809) and passing touchdowns (377) in league history, numbers that will likely increase in 2025. The championship with McVay carries significant merit. 

McVay is still one of the best coaches in the league, having led the Rams to six playoff appearances in eight years. He's 80-52 in the regular season (.606 win percentage) with an 8-5 playoff record (.615). The Rams have four NFC West titles, two NFC championships, and a Super Bowl title under McVay's watch. McVay has led the Rams to five double-digit win seasons and is the youngest coach to appear in two Super Bowls (36 years, 1 month old). 

The Rams have a winning pedigree with Stafford and McVay, even if the duo appears to be heading towards the end of their tenure together. Their Hall of Fame resume continues to strengthen. 

3. Josh Allen/Sean McDermott (Bills)

The best duo on this list that hasn't won a championship belongs to Allen and McDermott. This duo wins a lot of games and makes deep playoff runs, but can't seem to beat the Chiefs. The Bills are 0-4 against the Chiefs in the playoffs in the Allen-McDermott era, and Buffalo has had its chances to beat Kansas City in conference championship games. 

What makes the Bills' futility against the Chiefs even more surprising is how well Allen has fared in the postseason. Allen actually has a winning record in the playoffs (7-6) with 33 total touchdowns to just six turnovers. Over his last five playoff games, Allen has 13 total touchdowns to zero turnovers. The postseason success doesn't stop there. Allen is the all-time playoff leader in interception rate (0.9%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (25-4), total yards per game (311.0), and total touchdowns per game (2.5). He's the only player to average 250 passing yards and 50 rushing yards per game in playoff history. 

Allen has the most total touchdowns in a player's first seven seasons (262) in NFL history and has three postseasons with 6+ total touchdowns and zero interceptions without making the Super Bowl (not to mention he's the reigning NFL MVP). The Bills have scored the most points per game (29.1) and allowed the fewest points per game (19.6) over the last five years -- and haven't made the Super Bowl. He has the most playoff victories without making the Super Bowl (seven). 

McDermott coached one of the best Bills teams in NFL history last year. The Bills tied for the most wins in a season in team history (15, including playoffs) and were the only team since 1960 to go the entire regular season and postseason without losing the turnover battle. The Bills have the most regular-season wins (61) in a five-season span without a Super Bowl trip in NFL history.

McDermott has seven winning seasons in eight years with the Bills, compiling an 86-45 record (.656 win percentage) and a 7-7 playoff record. The Bills won five consecutive AFC East titles for the first time in franchise history and are one of only two teams to win 10+ games and make the playoffs in each of the last six 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 six consecutive 10-win campaigns).

The Bills are tied for the second-most wins (77) in any seven-season span without a Super Bowl trip (2018-2024 Ravens have 78) and are the only team to go five straight seasons with 100+ point differential and zero Super Bowl appearances. They are the first team since the 1990-1994 49ers to lead the NFL in scoring offense and scoring defense across five years.

Just reaching the Super Bowl would be a huge accomplishment for both Allen and McDermott. If the Bills get there, there's a really good chance they'll hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy. 

2. Jalen Hurts/Nick Sirianni (Eagles)

The Eagles have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, but Hurts and Sirianni have led the team to a lot of wins since arriving in Philadelphia. It seems fitting that the winning started once Sirianni arrived in 2021 and Hurts was installed as the starting quarterback that same year, as the Eagles have won two conference championships over the last three seasons -- including a defeat of the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

The Eagles have made the playoffs every year with Hurts as the starting quarterback, and he has upped his game in the postseason, completing 66.8% of his passes with 10 touchdowns to three interceptions with a 95.4 passer rating. Hurts also has 10 rushing touchdowns in the postseason -- an NFL record for a quarterback. Hurts is the only player in NFL history with 10 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns in the postseason. 

Hurts' numbers weren't fantasy football impressive in 2024, but they were statistics that determined winning. In the 2024 postseason, Hurts completed 71.4% of his passes for 726 yards with five touchdowns to just one interception for a 108.6 passer rating. Hurts won Super Bowl LIX MVP after completing 77.3% of his passes for 221 yards with two touchdowns and an interception (119.7 rating) while rushing for 72 yards and a score. 

Hurts has the seventh best regular-season record by a quarterback at 46-20 (.697 win percentage) in addition to his 6-3 playoff record. Only Mahomes and Jackson have a higher regular-season win percentage than Hurts.

Sirianni has the best win percentage of any head coach in Eagles history (.706) amongst any coach who has coached a minimum of 50 games. He's the only head coach in franchise history to even have a .600 win percentage, holding a commanding lead over second-place Greasy Neale (.596). The Eagles have two 14-win regular seasons, both of which are under Sirianni. The most wins they have had in a season are 18 and 17 (regular season and postseason), both of which were also under Sirianni. His six playoff wins are second in franchise history (only to Reid), and his 48 wins are the most by any Eagles coach after four seasons. 

There are only five head coaches in NFL history who have a .700 win percentage in their career (minimum 50 games). Sirianni is one of those five, and the other four are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Guy Chamberlain has the highest win percentage of any head coach in NFL history (.784), but he last coached in 1927 -- before the first NFL Championship Game was even played. John Madden has the highest win percentage for any coach in the Super Bowl era (.759), ranking second in NFL history. Vince Lombardi is third (.738) and George Allen is fourth (.712). Sirianni sits right behind Allen in win percentage, but he has only coached for four seasons. 

Sirianni is just the fourth head coach to make the playoffs in each of his first four seasons (2021-2024) and the first since John Harbaugh (2008-2011). He's just the fourth head coach to win 18 games in a season (including playoffs) and the first to win 18 games and a championship in the same season since Mike Ditka accomplished the feat with the 1985 Bears. Sirianni and George Seifert are the only two coaches to win 14 or more regular-season games twice in their first four seasons. 

Sirianni could retire right now and have a case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hurts is on a Hall of Fame trajectory for himself as well. The duo already has one Super Bowl and may be on the cusp of more. 

1. Patrick Mahomes/Andy Reid (Chiefs)

While the Chiefs were dethroned as Super Bowl champions by the Eagles last season, Mahomes and Reid are still the standard for quarterback-coach duos in the league. The Chiefs have been to five Super Bowls over the last six seasons, winning three championships under Mahomes and Reid. Kansas City hasn't had a season in which it didn't make the conference championship game since Mahomes became the starting quarterback in 2018.

Mahomes could retire now and be inducted on the first ballot when he's eligible for the Hall of Fame. He is just one of five quarterbacks to win three Super Bowls (Brady, Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman) and one of three quarterbacks to win three Super Bowl MVPs (Brady, Montana). Mahomes also has the second-most playoff wins by a quarterback in NFL history (17), behind only Brady (35). Mahomes also has the most wins (89) and passing touchdowns (245) by any quarterback in his first eight seasons in NFL history -- and he played in just one game his rookie season. He has the most passing yards per game (288.9) in NFL history as well. And all this is before Mahomes has turned 30. 

Turning 30 this September, Mahomes has the most Super Bowl starts by a quarterback before turning 30 (five). He's the only quarterback in NFL history to win multiple MVPs and Super Bowl wins before age 30 and is tied with Dan Marino for the most passing touchdowns (245) before turning 30. 

Reid is one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history. He's the third head coach to reach six Super Bowls (Bill Belichick and Don Shula are the others) and he's the fifth head coach with at least three Super Bowl wins (Bill Belichick, Chuck Noll, Joe Gibbs, Bill Walsh). The Chiefs have 90 wins since 2018, the most in any seven-season span by any team in NFL history. His 28 playoff wins trail only Belichick (31) for the most all time. 

Reid and Belichick are the only coaches with 200+ wins and three Super Bowl titles, showcasing the rarified air they occupy among the greatest coaches in NFL history. His 273 regular-season wins trail only Don Shula (328), George Halas (318), and Belichick (302) in NFL history. Reid's 301 combined wins in the regular season and postseason trail only Shula (347), Belichick (343), and Halas (324) for the most all time. These are the only four coaches with 300+ victories. 

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 has also led the Chiefs and Eagles to four consecutive conference championship games, the only coach to accomplish this feat for two organizations. He's the all-time wins leader for the Chiefs and Eagles. 

In 65 seasons as a coach, Reid has won three Super Bowl titles, six conference championships and 15 division titles. He's had 19 double-digit win seasons and has also won a playoff game with four different quarterbacks (Donovan McNabb, Jeff Garcia, Alex Smith and Mahomes). The Chiefs are 66-18 this decade under Reid, an incredible .786 win percentage. 

Mahomes and Reid are still No. 1, but the duo has been challenged by Hurts and Sirianni.