Key Takeaways
- Complex Bets ranks every AFC West quarterback from worst to best, spotlighting a division that now features multiple passers from its list of the top 20 quarterbacks for 2026.
- Patrick Mahomes is coming off the worst statistical year of his career and a torn ACL/LCL, while Justin Herbert and Bo Nix are rising threats after big 2025 seasons that included key wins over the Chiefs and a Broncos division title.
- The Raiders try to crash the AFC West QB conversation with veteran Kirk Cousins and No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza battling for the 2026 starting job, hinting at a possible rookie takeover by Week 1.
The AFC West has long been one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, highlighted by the Chiefs’ dominance in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes remains the division’s kingpin, but the Chargers’ Justin Herbert and the Broncos’ Bo Nix have posed legit challenges to his regal QB status in recent years.
Mahomes, Herbert, and Nix all make the cut in Complex Bets’ list of the top 20 quarterbacks for the 2026 season.
Nix’s Broncos usurped the Chiefs last season as Denver won the AFC West for the first time in 10 years. Herbert won a duel over Mahomes in Week 1 of last season, and Herbert again bested the Chiefs on Dec. 14, 2025—the game in which Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee.
The Raiders are looking to get into the conversation for 2026, and they will do so with Kirk Cousins and No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza as their primary signal-callers.
This is Every AFC West Quarterback Ranked from Worst to Best.
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Kirk Cousins/Fernando Mendoza
Team: Las Vegas Raiders
Age: 38/22
2025 Stats:
Cousins: 166-269 61.7 CMP% 1721 YDS 10 TD 5 INT 84.8 RTG
Mendoza: Rookie N/A
If Mendoza pans out, the AFC West could soon be one of the top divisions for QBs. The former Indiana star has been sharp in training camp and looked quite legit in the Raiders’ first preseason game. Mendoza completed 10-of-16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals. New Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak has maintained that veteran Kirk Cousins will likely be the Week 1 starter, although his verbiage coming out of Las Vegas’ first preseason game led some to believe that there’s now a real chance that Mendoza starts on September 13 against the Dolphins. Meanwhile, Cousins’ two years in Atlanta were subpar by the standard he set while with the Vikings. —Matt Burke
Bo Nix
Team: Denver Broncos
Age: 26
2025 Stats: 388-612 63.4 CMP% 3,931 YDS 25 TD 11 INT 87.8 RTG
If we were comparing Bo Nix to an NBA player, he’d be among the top volume shooters. In his second NFL season, Nix led the league in pass attempts with 612, and racked up nearly 4,000 passing yards through sheer persistence. Nix was able to dive right into Sean Payton’s system and while the quick-play offense kept his yards per attempt at just 6.4 in 2025, the young quarterback executed the scheme extremely well. Nix will likely continue to improve, especially in areas such as deep-ball accuracy and consistency. However, his decision-making is trending in the right direction, and Denver should feel great about the prospect of Nix as their long-term answer at quarterback.—Jeff Smith
Justin Herbert
Team: Los Angeles Chargers
Age: 28
2025 Stats: 340-512 66.4 CMP% 3,727 YDS 26 TD 13 INT 94.1 RTG
Justin Herbert entered the NFL with one of the most impressive cannons for a right arm in recent memory, and it remains just as elite heading into 2026. However, the Chargers' offense didn’t leave fans nearly as impressed as many expected, finishing in the middle of the NFL in yards per game. As for Herbert, he proved he can still make every throw on the field, but posted his second-highest interception total in a season, doing so on far fewer attempts than he had in 2021, when he was picked off 15 times. Under Jim Harbaugh's physical, run-first mentality, Herbert is no longer being asked to throw the ball 40 times a game to save the defense. Although his stats aren’t as eye-opening as his first two seasons, the good news is that the Chargers finally seem focused on building a balanced team around their superstar signal-caller.—JS
Patrick Mahomes
Team: Kansas City Chiefs
Age: 30
2025 Stats: 315-502 62.7 CMP% 3,587 YDS 22 TD 11 INT 89.6 RTG
The Chiefs dynasty appeared to come to an end in Week 14 at home against the Texans. Their season then went from bad to worse the next week against the Chargers when Mahomes went down with a torn ACL. But the three-time Super Bowl champ appears ready to return for Week 1. At the time of his injury, Mahomes was in the midst of the worst statistical season of his career. He’ll have some reinforcements in the backfield when he comes back; the Chiefs signed Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III to a big free agent contract last winter.
