Top 10 Quarterbacks in NFL History
There are many factors that go into determining what makes a good quarterback. However, good quarterback play typically translates into wins. While many talking heads in the media love to say that winning is not a quarterback stat…it totally is. Stats and highlights are obviously important, but the true greatness of a quarterback is usually measured in their ability to step up in big moments and win games. That being said, the stats of older quarterbacks just simply don’t match up well with those in more recent years, which reflects in these rankings. So let’s get into the list.
Honorable Mentions
TERRY BRADSHAW: Pittsburgh Steelers (1970–1983)
JONNY UNITAS: Pittsburgh Steelers (1955), Baltimore Colts (1956–1972), San Diego Chargers (1973)
KURT WARNER: St. Louis Rams (1998–2003), New York Giants (2004), Arizona Cardinals (2005–2009)
TROY AIKMAN: Dallas Cowboys (1989–2000)
BEN ROETHLISBERGER: Pittsburgh Steelers (2004–2021)
ELI MANNING: New York Giants (2004–2019)
JIM KELLY: Buffalo Bills (1986–1996)
WARREN MOON: Houston Oilers (1984–1993), Minnesota Vikings (1994–1996), Seattle Seahawks (1997–1998), Kansas City Chiefs (1999–2000)
ROGER STAUBACH: Dallas Cowboys (1969–1979)
FRAN TARKENTON: Minnesota Vikings (1961–1966, 1972–1978), New York Giants (1967–1971)
10. Steve Young: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1985–1986), San Francisco 49ers (1987–1999)
SUPER BOWL WINS: 3
SUPER BOWL MVPS: 1
MVPS: 2
ALL- PROS: 6
PRO BOWLS: 7
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS: Offensive Player of the Year, 4x Touchdown Pass Leader, 5x Completion Percentage Leader
CAREER STATS: Passing — 33,124 yds, 232 TD, 107 INT / Rushing — 4,239 yds, 43 TD
Steve Young was one of the most electric running quarterbacks of his time, rushing for over 4,200 yards and 40 rushing touchdowns over the course of his career. He added a completely new element to the already elite offensive attack for the 49ers when he took over for Joe Montana. More importantly though, he threw 232 touchdowns to 107 interceptions and over 33,000 yards. However, the most important factor contributing to Young’s appearance on this list is definitively his Super Bowl wins and MVPs. Those are not easy feats to accomplish and there are not many quarterbacks that have achieved both. While it must be noted that Young was a backup for one of his three Super Bowl victories, he did contribute that season, passing for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns. Regardless, Steve Young still won multiple Super Bowls and multiple MVPs, making him a top ten quarterback of all time.
9. John Elway: Denver Broncos (1983–1998)
SUPER BOWL WINS: 2
SUPER BOWL MVPS: 1
MVPS: 1
ALL-PROS: 3
PRO BOWLS: 9
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS: Walter Payton Man of the Year, Passing Yards Leader, 1990s All-Decade Team
CAREER STATS: Passing — 51,475 yds, 300 TD, 226 INT / Rushing — 3,407 yds, 33 TD
John Elway was one of the most highly touted quarterback prospects in NFL history when he was coming out of Stanford in 1983. This was not without good reason as he is one of the more physically gifted quarterbacks the NFL has seen. Elway had a rocket arm that many players from that era pass down legends about. He was also extremely mobile and was one of the best rushing quarterbacks of his time along with Steve Young. It did take a long time for Elway to win his first Super Bowl. However, once the Broncos helped balance the offense by adding Terrell Davis to the bakcfield, Elway almost immediately won two Super Bowls before retiring. While he doesn’t have an argument as the greatest of all time, he is certainly a top ten quarterback of all time and the best quarterback in Broncos history.
8. Brett Favre: Atlanta Falcons (1991), Green Bay Packers (1992–2007), New York Jets (2008), Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010)
SUPER BOWL WINS: 1
SUPER BOWL MVPS: 0
MVPS: 3
ALL-PROS: 6
PRO BOWLS: 11
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS: Offensive Player of the Year, 2x Passing Yards Leader, 4x Touchdown Pass Leader, Completion Percentage Leader, 1990s All-Decade Team
CAREER STATS: Passing — 71,838 yds, 508 TD, 336 INT / Rushing — 1,844 yds, 14 TD
Brett Favre was an explosive threat in the NFL. He was one of the first quarterbacks that forced teams to defend the end zone at all times. Favre was known for his gunslinging abilities and could throw a deep touchdown pass from anywhere on the field at any given moment. Those deep shots did come at a cost as Favre is the NFL’s all time leader in interceptions with 336, a record that will likely never be broken. However, this does not negate the fact that Favre is top five all time in passing yards and touchdown passes. It also certainly doesn’t negate his three MVPs and his Super Bowl victory either. Favre played 20 seasons in the NFL and is the only great quarterback from the 90s that extended their career into the 2000s and experienced the shift towards a passing league. Favre actually had his most efficient season in 2009 for the Vikings at 40 years of age, throwing for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. This means that it’s possible Favre could have maybe been even better under a modern offense designed to control his big arm.
7. Dan Marino: Miami Dolphins (1983–1999)
SUPER BOWL WINS: 0
SUPER BOWL MVPS: 0
MVPS: 1
ALL-PROS: 6
PRO BOWLS: 9
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS: Offensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Walter Payton Man of the Year, 5x Passing Yards Leader, 3x Touchdown Pass Leader
CAREER STATS: Passing — 61,361 yds, 420 TD, 252 INT / Rushing — 87 yds, 9 TD
Dan Marino is the only quarterback without a Super Bowl ring that makes this list. In a weird way, it’s kind of an honor. The only other ringless quarterbacks that even came close to sniffing this list are Jim Kelly and Fran Tarkenton. All three of them are widley considered to be among the best football players to never win a Super Bowl. However, the reason Marino makes the list while Kelly and Tarkenton are left off is because he was so elite that he changed the NFL forever. He was the first quarterback to pass for 5,000 yards during an era where such a feat was beyond unheard of. Marino did not get to benefit from the many recent rule changes favoring the quarterback and he still put up elite numbers even by today’s standards. The evolution of the NFL towards a passing league can largely be credited to Dan Marino as he was the first quarterback to prove to the league that it is possible to lead an efficient attack primarily through the air. While Marino’s career is largely defined by painful playoff losses, he played the game at such a high level and redefined the quarterback position moving forward. This set the stage for many of the quarterbacks ahead of him on this list.
6. Aaron Rodgers: Green Bay Packers (2005-present)
SUPER BOWL WINS: 1
SUPER BOWL MVPS: 1
MVPS: 4
ALL-PROS: 5
PRO BOWLS: 10
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS: 2x Touchdown Pass Leader, Completion Percentage Leader, 2010s All-Decade Team
CAREER STATS: Passing — 59,055 yds, 475 TD, 105 INT / Rushing — 3,466 yds, 35 TD
Aaron Rodgers has had himself an illustrious career and definitely finds himself among the top ten NFL quarterbacks of all time. He is one of only two active quarterbacks that make this list. Although there are quarterbacks with more Super Bowl wins behind him on the list, it would be simply incorrect to rank Rodgers any lower than this. Rodgers has been consistently incredible over the course of his NFL career. Unfortunately, his career has also been defined by painful playoff losses. That being said, he has won a Super Bowl and a shocking four MVPs, good for the second most MVPs of all time. Rodgers currently sits at number nine in all-time passing yards and will most likely move into the top five if he continues to play. He has also been one of the most efficient quarterbacks the league has ever seen with an absurd touchdown to interception ratio. While Rodgers has disappointed in the playoffs, his body of work overall lands him among the ranks of the greatest to ever throw a football.
5. Drew Brees: San Diego Chargers (2001–2005), New Orleans Saints (2006–2020)
SUPER BOWL WINS: 1
SUPER BOWL MVPS: 1
MVPS: 0
ALL-PROS: 5
PRO BOWLS: 13
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS: 2x Offensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Walter Payton Man of the Year, 7x Passing Yards Leader, 4x Touchdown Pass Leader, 6x Completion Percentage Leader
CAREER STATS: Passing — 80,358 yds, 571 TD, 243 INT / Rushing — 498 yds, 25 TD
Even though Drew Brees finds himself on a list of the top ten quarterbacks of all time, there is still actually an argument that he is underrated; he somehow never won an MVP despite his pedigree. But that fits right in with the Drew Brees story, which primarily centers around overcoming adversity. Standing at about 6'0, 210 lbs, Brees was a smaller quarterback prospect than teams typically liked to see when he was drafted. After being drafted in the second round, Brees eventually became the starting quarterback for the San Diego Chargers. His tenure as the starter for San Diego came with its challenges as Brees endured losing, being benched, and watching his team acquire Phillip Rivers in 2004. He then suffered a horrific shoulder injury in 2005 that many thought would be career ending. After becoming a free agent, Brees found himself in New Orleans and revived his career in a big way with Sean Payton and the Saints. In New Orleans, Brees led the league in passing seven times and became known as one of the most efficient and accurate passers in the league, casually passing for over 5,000 yards five times. He also led the Saints to their first franchise Super Bowl victory, receiving Super Bowl MVP honors. While Brees had a hall of fame career in New Orleans, the common theme of adversity did continue for him with the Saints as he suffered two extremely painful playoff losses at the end of his prime at the hands of the Minneapolis Miracle and the notorious pass interference no-call against the Rams. Despite all the obstacles, Drew Brees still had an incredible career and likely finds himself amongst the top five quarterbacks of all time.
4. Patrick Mahomes: Kansas City Chiefs (2017-present)
SUPER BOWL WINS: 2
SUPER BOWL MVPS: 2
MVPS: 2
ALL-PROS: 3
PRO BOWLS: 5
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS: Offensive Player of the Year, Passing Yards Leader, 2x Touchdown Pass Leader
CAREER STATS: Passing — 24,241 yds, 192 TD, 49 INT / Rushing — 1,547 yds, 12 TD
It could be considered a little overzealous to put Patrick Mahomes this high on the list already; his career stats obviously don’t stack up to those of some of the others on this list yet. But does anybody really doubt that he’ll amass plenty more yards, touchdowns, and awards? He already has two Super Bowl wins, two Super Bowl MVPs, and two MVPs; nobody else on the list so far has accomplished this feat. Mahomes has been the best quarterback in the league since taking over the starting job for the Chiefs in 2018. Since that time, he has hosted five straight AFC Championsip games, been selected to five Pro Bowls and three All-Pros, and has won two of the three Super Bowls he’s played in. Mahomes was expected to take a step back this season after losing superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the offseason. Instead, he had his best season to date, breaking the all-time record for yards from scrimmage and winning his second MVP and Super Bowl. Mahomes is now well past just having a “hot start” to his career and is now in the phase where he is showing that he can maintain this level of play over an extended period of time and be a longterm dynasty quarterback. His ceiling is unlimited; when it’s all said and done, Mahomes could easily finish as high as number one on this list at the end of his career.
3. Joe Montana: San Francisco 49ers (1979–1992), Kansas City Chiefs (1993–1994)
SUPER BOWL WINS: 4
SUPER BOWL MVPS: 3
MVPS: 2
ALL-PROS: 5
PRO BOWLS: 8
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS: Offensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, 2x Touchdown Pass Leader, 5x Completion Percentage Leader, 1980s All-Decade Team
CAREER STATS: Passing — 40,551 yds, 273 TD, 139 INT / Rushing — 1,676 yds, 20 TD
Joe Montana perfected the West Coast offense in the 80s under Bill Walsh and was the leader of the 49ers dynasty before handing the reins to Steve Young. Montana won four Super Bowls in San Francisco and was widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time for the ensuing 30 years. His statistics are slightly limited by the era in which he played, but myths and legends of Montana’s clutch gene persist to this day. His place on this list is primarily due to his ability to step up in big time moments and make plays in the most important moments of big games. Even after all the Super Bowl wins, the moment he is most remembered for is the 89 yard game winning drive that he orchestrated against the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship ending in “The Catch” by Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone. Montana consistently performed like this in big situations throughout his career and it resulted in him winning four Super Bowls, three MVPs and establishing himself as a top quarterback of all time.
2. Peyton Manning: Indianapolis Colts (1998–2011), Denver Broncos (2012–2015)
SUPER BOWL WINS: 2
SUPER BOWL MVPS: 1
MVPS: 5
ALL-PROS: 10
PRO BOWLS: 14
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS: 2x Offensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Walter Payton Man of the Year, 3x Passing Yards Leader, 4x Touchdown Pass Leader, 2x Completion Percentage Leader
CAREER STATS: Passing — 71,940 yds, 539 TD, 251 INT / Rushing — 431 yds, 18 TD
There isn’t much that needs to be said about “The Sheriff.” Peyton Manning is easily the most dominant regular season quarterback of all time and his accolades reflect that. He won the MVP award five times, the most in NFL history; he was also an All-Pro an absurd ten times. If it weren’t for his playoff woes, Manning would easily be number one on this list. Unfortunately for Peyton, greatness is truly determined in the postseason. Manning still won two Super Bowls, but given his dominance in the regular season year after year, he probably should have been able to win more. With pretty much every All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection for Manning also came a season in which his team was considered a top contender. With only two Super Bowl victories, that adds up to a lot of years that Manning didn’t finish the job in the playoffs. Much like Aaron Rodgers and Dan Marino, it does seem as though his career will be relatively defined by tough postseason losses, as unfair as that seems. However, most of those losses came at the hands of the man who finds himself at number one on this list, so Manning gets a pass here and still finds himself likely positioned as the second best quarterback in NFL history.
1. Tom Brady: New England Patriots (1999–2019), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020–2022)
SUPER BOWL WINS: 7
SUPER BOWL MVPS: 5
MVPS: 3
ALL-PROS: 6
PRO BOWLS: 15
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS: 2x Offensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, 4x Passing Yards Leader, 5x Touchdown Pass Leader, Completion Percentage Leader
CAREER STATS: Passing — 89,214 yds, 649 TD, 212 INT / Rushing — 1,123 yds, 28 TD
The GOAT. The King. Everybody must kiss the rings. All seven of them. Is anybody really surprised by this? You knew who was going to be number one while you were scrolling. That’s because Tom Brady is the undisputed greatest quarterback in NFL history and it’s not even a little bit close. Brady has more Super Bowl wins than any NFL franchise. Let me repeat that: Tom Brady has more rings than any NFL franchise. While Peyton Manning is probably the best regular season quarterback to ever play, Tom Brady DOMINATED everyone in the playoffs, including Manning. In order to be the best you have to beat the best, which Brady did consistently, defeating the likes of Peyton Manning, Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Roethlisberger in the postseason throughout his career just to name a few. After racking up six Super Bowl rings with the Patriots, Brady joined the Buccaneers in free agency and immediately won a Super Bowl with a team that hadn’t even been to the playoffs in over a decade. This man’s impact on a team’s ability to win was truly surreal and it might not even be the most amazing thing about his career; that would probably be the longevity. Brady played until 45 years old and never showed a single ounce of physical decline all the way to the very end. A decline in arm strength is usually very obvious for quarterbacks that play into their 40s. This was the case with even the greats like Manning, Brees, and Favre. Brady never showed that. His arm strength was the same at 45 years old, 35 years old, and 25 years old, no decline whatsoever. Tom Brady was truly a marvel to watch and anyone who got to witness his greatness should consider themselves lucky.