There hasn’t been any other position out on the football field with a more storied past than the quarterback. Navigators for the entire team and directors of the offense, these players are just about some of the greatest athletes America has ever produced. The likes of Tom Brady, Joe Montana, and Brett Favre all come to mind when talking about the greatest NFL quarterbacks.
It is a shame not to be able to talk about every great QB career we have seen in the league. However, that would’ve been an awfully long read. That is why, we bring you a list of the top 10 Greatest NFL Quarterbacks. Buckle up to know about some of the stars of our generation and some from the ones gone by.
#10. Drew Brees
While the likes of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady dominated that era, one other man was quietly racking up insane numbers for the New Orleans Saints. That man was none other than one of the longest-serving quarterbacks in history, Drew Brees. The Purdue grad was often ridiculed for his size and height, but he proved his doubters wrong year after year, producing mammoth performances every week.
Brees eventually led the Saints to their first Super Bowl win in 2010, defeating Peyton Manning’s high-flying Colts in the process. The 13-time Pro Bowler racked up 80,358 yards in his career and recorded 571 touchdowns overall, certainly making him one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks ever to play the sport.
#9. Brett Favre
It isn’t easy to become a household name around the country when so many of your peers are performing at unreal levels. However, Brett Favre was just that good in his absolute prime.
The man dismantled opposition defenses for fun. It has to be said that Favre laid the seed for what Aaron Rodgers achieved with the Green Bay Packers.
The eleven-time Pro Bowler put the Packers on the NFL map, so to speak, with his supreme performances and the ability to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and produce magical moments.
In fact, Brett Favre also led the side to their first Super Bowl win in 30 years, achieving legendary status in the process. Favre finished his career with 71,838 total yards and 508 touchdowns, and stats like these are what got him the Hall of Fame status in 2016.
#8. Fran Tarkenton
If there was one man who played way ahead of his time, it was Fran Tarkenton. The man had a playing style so well-suited for the evolved version of the game that one could actually place him as the signal caller for any current NFL outfit and he would still dominate. A sublime passer and a killer with his rushing prowess, Tarkenton was simply a beast.
In a career that spanned 17 years during the ’60s and ’70s, the nine-time Pro Bowler had the Vikings offense on lock, making the team a force to reckon with. In fact, he even carried the side to three Super Bowl appearances, that too in an era where the value of a pass-heavy QB wasn’t understood.
Fran Tarkenton finished his career with 47,003 yards and 342 touchdowns to his name, a crazy feat for anyone who understands how football was played back in the day.
#7. John Elway
For over a decade and a half, there was no other quarterback who even came close to John Elway’s level. He was simply too good for the opposition. Credited as someone who revolutionized the passing game in the NFL that we are now used to watching, Elway had a rocket arm and was sublime when it came to finding his teammates from the backfield.
However, his career wasn’t always as great as one would picture, as he finished every playing year in his career with double-digit interceptions.
Even then, the kind of memorable moments he gave the Broncos have taken him to the legendary status that he has now. With two Super Bowl Wins, 51,475 yards, and 300 touchdowns, John Albert Elway is truly a gridiron great.
#6. Steve Young
If I had to sum up Steve Young’s entire career in one sentence, I’d say that man could do it all. Starting off as an understudy to the great Joe Montana at the San Francisco 49ers, Young got his break when his fellow Hall of Famer went in search of greener pastures in the twilight of his career. And boy did he spring out of the shadows.
What followed is arguably the greatest QB performance of the entire decade as the seven-time Pro Bowler dominated every opposition and won the league MVP award in his first year.
Steve Young went on to win three Super Bowl titles in his tenure with the 49ers and create history as one of the greatest quarterbacks of this storied outfit. Young finished his career with 33,124 yards and 232 touchdowns to his name, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time.
#5. Dan Marino
Dan Marino is known as the bridge between the old NFL and the new, and rightfully so, as he is credited with revolutionizing the sport into what we see today with his sublime passing skills and exceptional ability to run with the ball.
Moreover, it was Marino’s skill of finding pockets of spaces in between a tightly packed opposition defense that made him lethal. Owing to his exceptional campaign for the Miami Dolphins, Dan Marino was named the Offensive Player of the Year in 1984.
Unlike the other great quarterbacks of his era, Marino never had great receivers that could turn the tide in the favor of the Dolphins. However, he did what he could and was always considered at par with the likes of Joe Montana, leading the league thrice in terms of passing touchdowns and five times in passing yards.
In fact, Montana regards Dan Marino as the best QB he has ever seen and his toughest competition during their playing years. The nine-time Pro Bowler finished his career with 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns to his name, making him one of the most lethal quarterbacks of the modern game.
#4. Aaron Rodgers
The fact that Aaron Rodgers is the only active quarterback on our list should tell you just how good he has been over the years. Probably one of the QBs that the current generation grew up watching, Rodgers has lit up the league in almost every season he has been a part of the Packers.
Originally brought into the setup as a replacement for the aging Brett Favre, the ten-time Pro Bowler has surely made quite a name for himself. His MVP performance in Super Bowl XLV glory is one for the ages.
Playing for the Packers for almost his entire career, Aaron Rodgers has entertained crowds all over the country with his rocket arm and excellent game awareness. It is this particular skill of his that has made him the household favorite over the years.
As of today, Aaron Rodgers has thrown for 59,055 yards and 475 touchdowns, making him one of the very best in the league and certainly a future Hall of Famer. He has led the league twice in passing touchdowns, four times in passing ratings and has been named the NFL MVP four times, cementing his place among all-time greats.
#3. Joe Montana
Judging by the number of times the name has already been mentioned on our list, I’m pretty sure you know by now just how good Joe Montana was in his prime. The absolute beast of a quarterback single-handedly began an era of successful seasons for the San Francisco 49ers that have since shaped the entire franchise.
The four-time Super Bowl champ was the first player to be named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player three times and probably the first one to establish such dominance on a football field that the opposition was reluctant to face him.
For the current crop of NFL enthusiasts, it will be hard to understand just how good he was, let’s see if some numbers help. Joe Montana finished his career with 40,551 yards and 273 touchdowns to his name. As a prolific passer, Montana led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice, in 1982 and 1987. He also topped the league twice in passer rating, five times in pass completion percentage and was named the Offensive Player of the Year in 1989. With two NBA MVPs, Joe Cool conjured a career for the ages.
#2. Peyton Manning
When talking about passing stats, there are only a couple of names that come to mind, one of them surely being Peyton Manning. The big, burly Colts and Broncos legend had everything apart from the ability to run. However, he more than made up for it with his supreme passing, his ability to find space where there was none, and his ability to execute elaborate plays when the pressure was at an all-time high.
Manning clinched two Super Bowl victories, triumphing with the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI and later with the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. He won an astounding five NFL MVP awards and set a record by winning the honor in consecutive seasons (2008-2009).
The whopping fourteen-time Pro Bowler finished his career with 71,940 yards and 539 touchdowns, stats that most QBs today can only dream of achieving one day. Such was his influence on both outfits that he is widely considered the greatest quarterback by some of his fiercest rivals as well.
#1. Tom Brady
Well let’s be honest, there was nobody else anyone would pick for the number one spot. If you’ve had the privilege of seeing him play live, you know that Tom Brady is the greatest that ever was, and quite possibly the greatest there ever will be.
There’s simply no denying his brilliance. The man has upped the bar of QB insanity to a level only few will ever be able to reach. And the longevity is a different story in itself.
Brady has seven Super Bowls to his name. Yes, read that again: seven championship rings. If there were a definition of dominance, it would be this. His partnership with Bill Belichick and the kind of performances it generated are the stuff dreams are made of, and it terrified opposition defenses.
Tom Brady’s Super Bowl MVP collection is equally impressive, having earned the honor five times and the league MVP thrice. The California Cool was feared terribly on the offense, and his partnership with Rob Gronkowski, one of the greatest running backs of all time, saw him clinch the Offensive Player of the Year twice.
Brady finished his career with a mind-boggling 89,214 yards and an unreal 649 touchdowns to his name, proving once and for all why he deserves the #1 spot in the list of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time.
What are your thoughts on our list of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time? Are there any names you would like to add? Let us know down in the comments.
