Justin Jefferson made news last week when he listed his top five NFL quarterbacks and he did not include Kirk Cousins among them. While Jefferson deserves credit for objectivity and he is almost certainly correct in his assessment, it may not be the best thing for the long-term relationship between the Vikings’ two most important offensive performers.

For his part, Cousins reacted with his usual calm demeanor and did not get the least bit upset about Jefferson’s rankings that included Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs at the top followed by Aaron Rodgers of the Jets, Joe Burrow of the Bengals, Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Josh Allen of the Bills.

"People have to be honest and share what they think,” Cousins said. “I'm not going to tell somebody what they need to think and hopefully in 2024 I'll be on his list. We'll see what we can do this year."

Going into the 2024 season, Cousins has every reason to believe that he can rank with the top quarterbacks in the league. But the fact that he is not among them after 11 seasons in the NFL renders that aspiration as something that’s little more than a pipe dream.

Based on consistency, production in big games, athleticism, arm strength, accuracy and durability, Cousins barely gets into the league’s top 10 quarterbacks – and that assessment may be a tad generous.

Here’s how they rank going into the start of training camp.

With 2 Super Bowl victories to his credit, Mahomes has assumed the mantle as the best quarterback in the NFL. He is the most creative player at his position, with more than enough arm strength, athleticism and playmaking ability. When the game is on the line, Mahomes believes that he is the best, and his teammates and coaches know that he is correct.

It seems like it’s only a matter of time before Burrow leads his team to a Super Bowl, because the Cincinnati quarterback has the confidence, arm strength and athleticism to play his best in the biggest games. Burrow focuses extremely well in the biggest moments.

No quarterback stepped his game up more than Hurts did last year with the Eagles. He is a driven leader who was removed from Alabama’s 2018 National Championship game against Georgia in favor of Tua Tagovailoa. After that blow, Hurts was bound and determined to never let something like that happen again. He has been brilliant since then, and has shown no signs of slowing down.

Jackson was enjoying a brilliant season last year before he suffered sprained PCL ligament late in the year. The Ravens are counting on him being in top form after signing him to a five-year, $260 million contract during the offseason. They have helped Jackson by signing Odell Beckham Jr. and drafting explosive Zay Smith. Jackson should be able to perform at a near-MVP level in 2023

Herbert was on the wrong end of a painful playoff loss to the Jaguars in which the Chargers had a huge lead before some awful Los Angeles play calling helped Jacksonville make a successful comeback. Herbert throws one of the most catchable balls in the NFL, and no quarterback had more long completions — more than 50 yards in the air — last season.

Allen ranks with Jackson and Chicago’s Justin Fields as one of the NFL’s best athletes at the position. However, Allen slipped last year because of a string of red zone interceptions that clearly hurt Buffalo. The Bills have been on the precipice of greatness for years, but Allen may be starting to feel the pressure because Buffalo is having a difficult time competing with the Chiefs and Bengals.

Lawrence showed improvement in every area of his game last season as he led the once-moribund Jaguars to the playoffs and a victory in the postseason. He is on the brink of greatness after passing for 4,113 yards and delivering an impressive 25-8 touchdown to interception ratio.

Rodgers was in the No. 1 or No. 2 position of quarterback rankings throughout his tenure with the Packers, but he was never at his best last season due to a wrist injury and his diva-like ways. While he appears to have an improved outlook as he prepares for his first season with the Jets, it’s difficult to see the 39-year-old Rodgers returning to top form in his 19^th NFL season.

The only thing keeping Tagovailoa from joining the top three or four quarterbacks in the league is his tendency to endure hard hits that lead to concussion issues. When Tagovailoa is healthy, he puts the ball in a perfect position for his explosive wideouts. He led the league in yards per attempt (8.9) and yards per completion (13.7) last season. He had a career-best 25 TD passes last year, and he could approach 40 this season.

The belief here is that Cousins is one of the most accurate passers in the game and that’s the primary reason he belongs in the top 10. The other factor is the improvement Cousins made at leading his team to 4^th-quarter victories and comebacks. However, it’s one thing to lead a record-setting comeback against the lowly Colts, and it’s quite another to come up with a big game against elite opponents. He has yet to prove he can do that, but the Vikings are counting on improvement in that area this season.