We know who the best and worst starting quarterbacks in the NFC West are. That's not up for debate.
The order of the other two is the only thing that is.
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SIGN UP HERE Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is the preeminent player at the position in the division. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rams QB Jared Goff is the cellar-dweller, leaving 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo and Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray for the middle hierarchy.
Anybody who denies Wilson's place atop that list simply hasn't been watching enough football. It might pain 49ers fans to admit it, but they know full well how special of a player he is.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller would have you believe Garoppolo is the worst starting quarterback in the division, but that's a laughable take. Jimmy G is miles ahead of Goff at this point, and so is Murray for that matter.
In terms of a direct comparison, the only stat in which Goff was superior to Garoppolo last season was passing yardage. Given the dominance of the 49ers' defense -- and the lack thereof of the Rams' -- that isn't exactly a surprise. Jimmy G threw for five more touchdowns than Goff, despite attempting 150 fewer passes. He also threw three fewer interceptions, averaged one full yard more per passing attempt and completed passes at a much higher rate (69.1 percent to 62.9 percent) than the L.A. signal-caller.
In fact, Garoppolo was more accurate than the average NFL quarterback last season, while Goff's accuracy was well below average.
While Murray also was below average in terms of accuracy, that's a lot more understandable considering it was his rookie season. Goff just completed his fourth NFL season, so what's his excuse? In fact, Goff has started considerably more games (54) than Garoppolo (26) and Murray (16) combined. So, while one might be inclined to believe Goff, 25, has more room for improvement than the 28-year-old Garoppolo, the experience factor would seem to go against that. Furthermore, as a rookie, Murray was far more accurate (64.4 percent) than Goff (54.6 percent) was in his first NFL season.
Rather than waste our time debating who the worst QB in the NFC West is, a better question to ponder might be: Is Goff's contract currently the worst in the NFL?
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In terms of value, Murray's contract is on the complete opposite end of that spectrum. That's the benefit of having a starting quarterback on his rookie contract, and Arizona is poised to take advantage of that moving forward. Murray was very impressive on his way to being named the 2019 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, leading the Cardinals to a 5-9-1 record while showcasing his dual-threat ability on a weekly basis.
Nearly all of his passing statistics -- yardage, touchdowns, completion percentage, etc. -- were inferior to Garoppolo's, which again, is completely understandable for a rookie. However, he wasn't as far off as Goff was, and there is plenty of reason to believe that Murray will close that gap -- and possibly leapfrog Jimmy G -- in the year ahead. Between passing and rushing, he totaled over 4,200 combined yards and scored 24 touchdowns in his first season in Kliff Kingsbury's offense. Now, Murray returns for his second season with an upgraded offensive line and one of the best receivers in all of football -- DeAndre Hopkins -- at his disposal.
All of this is to say, Murray is a great bet to produce some impressive numbers during the 2020 season. He might not be better than Garoppolo at the moment, but that time doesn't appear to be all that far off.
That's not a knock on Garoppolo. He's a good, occasionally great QB in his own right.
One of three in the NFC West.
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