CALEB WILLIAMS, RUSSELL WILSON, DANIEL JONES, AND DESHAUN WATSON CONTINUE CHRIS SIMMS’ TOP 40 QUARTERBACK COUNTDOWN, NOW ON “CHRIS SIMMS UNBUTTONED” AND “PRO FOOTBALL TALK” (2024)

Caleb Williams (No. 20), Russell Wilson (No. 21), Derek Carr (No. 22), Daniel Jones (No. 23), Deshaun Watson (No. 24), and Justin Fields (No. 25)

“I’m betting in Weeks 5 and 6, we’re going to start saying , ‘Holy crap, Caleb Williams.’” – Simms on Williams at No. 20

“He’s a guy that still has top-notch ability, but he lost his way in trusting himself and trusting what he sees on the football field.” – Simms on Wilson at No. 21

Simms’ Top 40 QB Countdown Continues with Nos. 25-20 and Culminates with the Top Four on Monday, June 10; In-Depth Breakdowns for Each Ranking Weekly on Chris Simms Unbuttoned Podcast

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 28, 2024 – Over the course of the next month, NBC Sports’ Chris Simms unveils his list of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and on “PFT Live.” Highlighting Simms’ fourth set of rankings are 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, Super Bowl XLVIII champion and nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson, the Giants’ Daniel Jones, and three-time Pro Bowler Deshaun Watson.

Continuing the countdown, Simms unveiled his quarterbacks ranked 40-20:

* Simms on Levis in the Ready Rookies section - “Not a rookie, but we’re treating him a little bit like one. He’s still kind of in there.”

Culminating Monday, June 10 with his top four quarterbacks, Simms will unveil a group of quarterbacks on each Chris Simms Unbuttoned episode and discuss his rankings on “PFT Live” with Mike Florio.

Simms, a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2003 NFL Draft who played eight NFL seasons, will also offer in-depth player breakdowns and rankings explanations throughout each week on Chris Simms Unbuttoned.

Simms has had recent success in projecting quarterbacks – including naming C.J. Stroud, who was named AP’s Offensive Rookie of the Year following his first season with the Houston Texans, as his top QB prospect in 2023. Additionally, Simms has named Patrick Mahomes as his most exciting prospect in 2017, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen as his top-two QBs in 2018, and Justin Herbert as his No. 2 QB in 2020.

The rankings will continue Thursday, May 30, with numbers 19-15 on the next episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:

No. 25: Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers

“He is the greatest athlete at quarterback in the game right now. I think that’s the number one headline right now. There is nobody that can move and run like Justin Fields. I love his grit, his toughness, his lay it on the line-ness to win a football game. I will never question Justin Fields’ will to win a game…his want to put his shoulder down and do the extra thing to help his team win the football game, never going to doubt that. He is showing growth as a pocket passer in the NFL, but it’s still not where you’d like it. Bottom line, he is still being managed.”

No. 24: Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

“Last time he played a full season was 2020 when he led the league in passing yards. I don’t know what Deshaun Watson is now. Here’s what I’ll say: there’s still a great physical ability, still has a strong arm, still moves well, maybe not like he used to. He can make some special plays, but they are few and far between. The big thing to me is he has yet to regain his groove overall as a player.”

No. 23: Daniel Jones, New York Giants

“He’s big, he’s tough, and he’s an exceptional athlete. He’s a better thrower and passer than he gets credit for. It’s not sexy, it’s not dynamic, it’s a little machine-like, it doesn’t look that cool… Daniel Jones might lead the league in the last five years of throwing strikes while getting drilled in the chest. But the lack of effect on the team, leadership, pizzazz, are what hurt him in my mind. He’s the hardest guy for me to rank in this whole thing.”

No. 22: Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints

“Still a high-level thrower of the football. Great accuracy, great control of the football. Really quick, efficient release. Can get it out of his hand as quick as anyone and has pretty good feel in the pocket. But within that, he’s not very tough in the pocket. Way too quick to take the short completion with a lack of aggressiveness. There are too many plays where he predetermines it and doesn’t let the play playout. He has more to offer there, he’s a better athlete than what he puts on the football field sometimes. He’s got to let it go a little bit, be more of a gunslinger.”

No. 21: Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

“He’s a guy that still has top-notch ability, but he lost his way in trusting himself and trusting what he sees on the football field. He’s a little too worried about his overall standing in the pantheon of quarterbacks, what it might look like if he plays this way in this game. I want to say to him, ‘Hey man, stop thinking so much, just let it fly a little bit.’ I don’t think the Sean Payton offense was for him. Don’t make it too complicated: he can really throw the football, let him drop back and give him two or three guys to look at, and he can throw a strike down the football field.”

No. 20: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

“I look at him as being ‘The Natural,’ being a ‘Chosen One’ type of guy. He’s been in an offense in his college career where it was on his shoulders, and he was asked to read the field. I think he is very mature for a quarterback as far as the play is concerned. He can play in the system, his physical talent is extraordinary, and I also think he has the mentality and maturity to handle Chicago and the new offensive situation. I’m betting in Weeks 5 and 6, we’re going to start saying, ‘Holy crap, Caleb Williams.’ He never misses the throws he shouldn’t miss and he makes a lot of the throws where you go, ‘You should miss.’ A pure talent, a player, a quarterback, all of it together.”

To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.

-NBC SPORTS-