2025 NFL PAL Rating and Value Rating: performance and contract value
Two scores from 0 to 100. PAL Rating measures the season's performance against regulars at the same position (quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, tight ends, offensive line, interior defensive line, edge rushers, linebackers, cornerbacks, safeties, kickers, punters): 50 is the median regular. Salary never enters it. Value Rating answers a different question: for what the player costs, does the return come in more or less than expected?
99PALDrake MayeNE · EliteTop running back
99PAL87ValueDe'Von AchaneMIA · EliteTop receiver
99PAL100ValuePuka NacuaLAR · EliteTop edge rusher
99PAL98ValueMyles GarrettCLE · EliteTop linebacker
100PAL99ValueAlex HighsmithPIT · EliteTop cornerback
99PAL99ValueDonte JacksonLAC · EliteBest contracts
Highest Value Rating among players rated 70 or more.
- 100Puka NacuaLAR · 1.02 M$ · PAL 99 (expected 15)
- 100Sam LaPortaDET · 2.37 M$ · PAL 99 (expected 17)
- 100Jeffery SimmonsTEN · 35.28 M$ · PAL 99 (expected 74)
- 100Antonio JohnsonJAX · 1.04 M$ · PAL 99 (expected 33)
- 100Tanor BortoliniIND · 1.20 M$ · PAL 98 (expected 24)
Heaviest contracts
Lowest Value Rating among contracts of $25M or more per year.
- 8Dexter LawrenceNYG · 28.00 M$ · PAL 18 (expected 71)
- 15Lamar JacksonBAL · 52.00 M$ · PAL 46 (expected 71)
- 18Lane JohnsonPHI · 25.00 M$ · PAL 29 (expected 68)
- 20Jonathan GreenardMIN · 30.00 M$ · PAL 46 (expected 72)
- 20Tee HigginsCIN · 28.75 M$ · PAL 43 (expected 72)
The scale — PAL Rating
- 90–100 Elite
- 80–89 Excellent
- 70–79 Very good
- 60–69 Above average
- 40–59 Around average
- 20–39 Below average
- 0–19 Very poor
The scale — Value Rating
- 90–100 Exceptional value
- 75–89 Very good contract
- 55–74 Good value
- 45–54 Fair value
- 25–44 Poor return
- 0–24 Very poor return
| # | Player | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drake MayeNE · QB · 23 | 99 | — | — | 3.7 | 99 | 99 | 40 | 99 | 68 |
| 2 | Jordan LoveGB · QB · 26 | 96 | 97 | 55.0 | 2.7 | 93 | 88 | 88 | 82 | 65 |
| 3 | Brock PurdySF · QB · 25 | 93 | — | — | 1.5 | 90 | 96 | 43 | 76 | 88 |
| 4 | Matthew StaffordLAR · QB · 37 | 90 | — | — | 2.7 | 96 | 40 | 96 | 96 | 1 |
| 5 | Josh AllenBUF · QB · 29 | 88 | 77 | 55.0 | 2.3 | 71 | 90 | 24 | 54 | 96 |
| 6 | Daniel JonesIND · QB · 28 | 85 | 79 | 44.0 | 1.6 | 76 | 79 | 65 | 68 | 71 |
| 7 | Dak PrescottDAL · QB · 32 | 82 | 69 | 60.0 | 2.5 | 79 | 71 | 85 | 85 | 21 |
| 8 | Sam DarnoldSEA · QB · 28 | 79 | — | — | 1.5 | 88 | 93 | 29 | 90 | 10 |
| 9 | Patrick MahomesKC · QB · 29 | 76 | 57 | 64.0 | 2.3 | 85 | 29 | 51 | 71 | 90 |
| 10 | Mac JonesSF · QB · 26 | 74 | 98 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 74 | 82 | 63 | 7 | 40 |
| 11 | Jared GoffDET · QB · 30 | 71 | 48 | 53.0 | 2.1 | 82 | 68 | 74 | 51 | 4 |
| 12 | Jalen HurtsPHI · QB · 27 | 68 | 41 | 51.0 | 1.3 | 46 | 51 | 79 | 88 | 76 |
| 13 | Joe BurrowCIN · QB · 28 | 65 | 36 | 55.0 | 0.7 | 68 | 85 | 54 | 46 | 24 |
| 14 | Bo NixDEN · QB · 25 | 63 | 93 | 4.7 | 2.1 | 63 | 46 | 93 | 38 | 51 |
| 15 | C.J. StroudHOU · QB · 23 | 60 | 80 | 9.1 | 1.4 | 65 | 38 | 71 | 49 | 74 |
| 16 | Trevor LawrenceJAX · QB · 25 | 57 | 23 | 55.0 | 1.6 | 60 | 24 | 46 | 74 | 79 |
| 17 | Baker MayfieldTB · QB · 30 | 54 | — | — | 1.3 | 40 | 18 | 57 | 43 | 93 |
| 18 | Jaxson DartNYG · QB · 22 | 51 | — | — | 1.0 | 38 | 32 | 32 | 40 | 99 |
| 19 | Caleb WilliamsCHI · QB · 23 | 49 | 60 | 9.9 | 1.6 | 57 | 4 | 99 | 79 | 38 |
| 20 | Lamar JacksonBAL · QB · 28 | 46 | 15 | 52.0 | 0.7 | 54 | 35 | 13 | 93 | 82 |
| 21 | Justin HerbertLAC · QB · 27 | 43 | — | — | 1.1 | 51 | 63 | 15 | 57 | 85 |
| 22 | Marcus MariotaWAS · QB · 31 | 40 | — | — | 0.3 | 49 | 54 | 18 | 63 | 35 |
| 23 | Bryce YoungCAR · QB · 24 | 38 | 43 | 9.5 | 0.2 | 21 | 57 | 60 | 65 | 29 |
| 24 | Michael Penix Jr.ATL · QB · 25 | 35 | 54 | 5.7 | 0.4 | 43 | 7 | 90 | 15 | 54 |
| 25 | Spencer RattlerNO · QB · 24 | 32 | 91 | 1.1 | -0.2 | 15 | 74 | 49 | 29 | 49 |
| 26 | Tyler ShoughNO · QB · 25 | 29 | — | — | 0.2 | 26 | 60 | 21 | 32 | 46 |
| 27 | Aaron RodgersPIT · QB · 41 | 26 | — | — | 0.7 | 32 | 26 | 82 | 18 | 18 |
| 28 | Justin FieldsNYJ · QB · 26 | 24 | 25 | 11.0 | 0.0 | 18 | 49 | 35 | 26 | 63 |
| 29 | Jacoby BrissettARI · QB · 32 | 21 | 15 | 15.5 | 0.3 | 29 | 43 | 38 | 24 | 26 |
| 30 | Kirk CousinsATL · QB · 37 | 18 | 13 | 11.3 | 0.1 | 24 | 15 | 76 | 1 | 13 |
| 31 | Tua TagovailoaMIA · QB · 27 | 15 | 60 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 35 | 65 | 10 | 10 | 7 |
| 32 | Joe FlaccoCIN · QB · 40 | 13 | 13 | 6.0 | -0.4 | 13 | 21 | 68 | 21 | 32 |
| 33 | Geno SmithLV · QB · 34 | 10 | — | — | -1.0 | 7 | 76 | 1 | 4 | 15 |
| 34 | Cam WardTEN · QB · 23 | 7 | — | — | -1.5 | 1 | 13 | 26 | 60 | 43 |
| 35 | J.J. McCarthyMIN · QB · 22 | 4 | — | — | -0.5 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 35 | 57 |
| 36 | Shedeur SandersCLE · QB · 23 | 1 | 2 | 1.2 | -0.9 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 60 |
How it's calculatedHide the method
Like the NHL and the NBA: at each position, the line linking latent PAL (the standard score, before the percentile) to the log of the contract's average per year gives the level expected for that salary; the gap to the expected level becomes the Value Rating, 0 to 100. Average per year rather than the season's cap number: the cap number swings too much with contract structure (prorated bonuses, restructures). The line is fitted on veterans only: rookie contracts, set by draft slot, would skew the market price, so rookies come out on top. Each position has its own market: an average quarterback costs more than an excellent running back. Early in the season, Value Rating judges the last complete season against today's contract.
Data: nflverse, Pro Football Reference and NFL Next Gen Stats; salaries updated daily.