With roughly two months to go before the start of the 2021 NFL season, we’re deep in “list season.” NFL.com has rolled out its latest edition of the “Superstar Club,” featuring the true top players in the league, including 10 quarterbacks.
In total, 27 players make the cut for Dan Hanzus. The quarterback position is obviously represented quite heavily, but that probably isn’t unfair given the importance of that position.
As some players rise, others naturally fall. Or retire. In total, three QBs fell from the ranks of “Superstar” from 2020 to 21, Hanzus says: the now retired Drew Brees, as well as Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Wentz.
In their place, three quarterbacks join. One shocker, in that he wasn’t already on the list somehow, is Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady. Hanzus explains what happened there:
“Two years ago in this very space, I puffed out my big stupid chest and proclaimed that Tom Brady was no longer a superstar. This was following what turned out to be his penultimate season with the Patriots, and after Brady followed that year with a truly lackluster 2019, I was feeling pretty good about the limb I’d shimmied off on. That branch snapped last season, as Brady threw 50 touchdowns over the course of 11 regular-season wins and four playoff triumphs with the Bucs, the final earning the G.O.A.T. his unprecedented seventh Super Bowl ring. The lessons to take out of all this? a) I’m an idiot, and b) Never bet against Tom Effin’ Brady. A pro football superstar at 43 years old … the mind boggles.”
2020 MVP candidate Josh Allen jumps onto the list, as does Kyler Murray. Matt Ryan is the last guy to remain on the list, while Ryan Tannehill and Matthew Stafford are on the outside looking in, according to Hanzus.
.@DanHanzus‘ 2021 NFL Superstar Club: Josh Allen breaks in; Big Ben bumpedhttps://t.co/OehdIoO1Tu pic.twitter.com/rIcfK6VJRP
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) July 15, 2021
With those moves, here is the current list of “Superstar Club” quarterbacks:
- Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
- Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
- Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
- Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
- Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
- Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
- Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
- Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Matty Ice probably has to bounce back to an All-Pro level to justify remaining here in 2022, while there are serious questions about both Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson’s statuses with their current team, though on the field, they’re among the best players in the world. And, of course, Tom Brady has to show his age at some point. We’ll see how much shuffling there is next summer.
[NFL.com]
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