Mina Kimes Under Fire for Her Matthew Stafford Ranking Among NFL QBs

The NFL season is still several months away, but debates about the best players in the league are already underway, including the annual ranking of quarterbacks.

With sports analysts, TV personalities, and journalists unveiling their lists of the top 10, Mina Kimes is receiving strong feedback from fans questioning her opinions of the best QBs.

The ESPN NFL analyst released her list, which features three-time Super Bowl winner and two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes at the top. While he’s coming off a brutal injury to return for next season, it’s hard to argue he’s the best of the best based on his accomplishments.

Kimes rounded out her top five selections with the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen, Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow, and New England Patriots’ Drake Maye. While those are tough to argue against, there may also be a strong case for someone to take one of their spots.

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Kimes received the most backlash regarding her placement of the reigning NFL MVP, Matthew Stafford. Kimes placed the Los Angeles Rams‘ veteran quarterback at the No. 10 spot on her list.

She listed Stafford below the other quarterbacks, including the Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams, the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert. All three of those players are among the best in the league, but none have had their team within reach of the Super Bowl in recent seasons.

“9 QBs better than the MVP? lol okay,” an X commenter said in reply to the list.

“Top 4 hard to argue about, but I think Stafford should be higher,” another individual commented.

“The reigning NFL MVP at 10. Some people just shouldn't have a platform man,” a commenter said.

Another commenter said, “MVP is 10th? 3 underachievers ahead of him? Is this list of potential but never fulfilled?”

Stafford won Super Bowl LVI as the Rams’ quarterback in 2022, leading his squad past Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. For some reason, Kimes doesn’t see him among the top five in the league, even after he nearly led the Rams back to the Super Bowl in his recent MVP season.

In his fifth season with the Rams, Stafford threw 388-of-597 completions for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns, the most of his career. The veteran QB also achieved a career-best 109.2 rating and 12-5 record as his team reached the NFC Championship Game.

They fell to Sam Darnold and the Seattle Superhawks in quite a battle, but the Rams are already the odds-on-favorites to win the next Super Bowl, with Stafford back for another season, and the addition of key offseason acquisitions.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 7:55 PM.