Top 10 Greatest Quarterbacks of All-Time

Since its creation in 1920, the National Football League has seen many different quarterbacks set foot on the field. A popular subject among passionate NFL fans is to rank these quarterbacks and debate their rankings while criticizing others for their blasphemous opinions.

With the increase in social media in recent years, fans have taken their thoughts to Twitter, Instagram, and various other apps to share their thoughts and rank the greatest quarterbacks.

However, these rankings are often faulty as bias and limited knowledge play a factor in skewing the rankings. Here is our definitive list of the ten greatest quarterbacks of all time.

10. Roger Staubach

Number of Super Bowl wins: 2

Teams played for: Dallas Cowboys (1969-1979)

Awards: 6x Pro Bowl, Super Bowl VI MVP, HOF All-1970s Team, 1971 Bert Bell Award, 1971 SN POY, 1978 Walter Payton Man of the Year, 1978 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award

Staubach had a short career compared to most quarterbacks, but in his ten years with the Dallas Cowboys, he left a mark that is still widely talked about today. He led the Cowboys to five Super Bowls, winning two of them. Staubach is known for his versatility on the field, as he was able to scramble for yardage in addition to being a prolific passer. In addition, Staubach is credited with creating the “Hail Mary” play, as his desperation, game-saving pass to Drew Pearson in the 1975 playoffs was done after Staubach said a Hail Mary prayer. Staubach finished his career with 1,685 completions, good enough for 22,700 yards and 153 touchdowns.

9.  John Elway

Number of Super Bowl wins: 2

Teams played for: Denver Broncos (1983-1998)

Awards: 9x Pro Bowl, 1987 AP MVP, Super Bowl XXXIII HOF All-1990s Team, 2x UPI Offensive POY, 1992 Walter Payton Man of the Year

The Baltimore Colts selected John Elway with the first overall selection in the 1983 draft; however, Elway made it clear he did not want to play for them. Elway even threatened to give up football altogether and play in the MLB if the Colts did not find a trade partner. After looking through the various trade offers, the Colts shipped the generational QB to the Denver Broncos. Elway ended up leading Denver to five Super Bowls in his career, a record for one player until Tom Brady broke it in 2015. Elway is currently 9th all-time in passing yards, 10th in passes completed, and 12th in passing touchdowns. He was also a threat in the ground game, having rushed for four total touchdowns in his Super Bowl appearances (a QB record).

8.  Aaron Rodgers

Number of Super Bowl wins: 1

Teams played for: Green Bay Packers (2005-present)

Awards: 10x Pro Bowl, 4x All-Pro, 4x AP MVP, 4x PFWA MVP, Super Bowl XLV MVP, HOF All-2010s Team, 2011 Bert Bell Award, 2011 PFWA Offensive POY, 2x SN Off. POY

Aaron Rodgers is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in NFL history. His ability to put the ball exactly where he wants it is shown by his six seasons of leading the NFL in touchdown to interception ratio and six seasons with the lowest interception percentage. He also holds the second-highest regular-season passer rating in NFL history and was the first to have a career passer rating of over 100. However, despite this regular-season success, Rodgers only has one Super Bowl to his name. Nonetheless, Aaron Rodgers has had a remarkable career so far and looks to build on it in his later years of the NFL.

7.  Dan Marino

Number of Super Bowl wins: 0

Teams played for: Miami Dolphins (1983-1999)

Awards: 9x Pro Bowl, 3x All-Pro, 1984 AP MVP, 1984 NEA MVP, 1984 PFWA MVP, 1984 AP Offensive POY, 1984 Bert Bell Award, 1994 PFWA Comeback Player of the Year, 1984 SN POY, 1983 SN ROY, 2x UPI Offensive POY, 1998 Walter Payton Man of the Year

Dan Marino is often regarded as the best quarterback in NFL history to never win a Super Bowl. He gets this title as his career with the Miami Dolphins was filled with record-breaking seasons, though many have since been broken. These records include the most passing yards in a single season (5,084), most touchdowns in a season (48), most 300-yard passing games in a season (nine), and most 400-yard passing games in a season (four). Although these statlines have become more common in today’s games, what Marino did in his career was unprecedented, and for that, he earns a spot on the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks list.

6.  Otto Graham

Number of Championship (pre-Super Bowl era) wins: 3

Teams played for: Cleveland Browns (1946-1955)

Awards: 5x Pro Bowl, 7x All-Pro, 4x AAFC Champ, 3x NFL Champ, 3x UPI MVP, HOF All-1950s Team, 1955 SN POY

The Cleveland Browns do not have a lot to celebrate in their history. In the 2016 and 2017 seasons, they finished a combined 1-31, including an 0-16 record. They are among only four teams to never make a Super Bowl, despite being around yearly since the Lombardi Trophy was created. One bright spot in their dark history, however, is Otto Graham. Graham was one of the first quarterbacks in Brown’s history, but he’s also the best, as he lead them to a championship appearance in every year of his career, of which he won 7. He also holds the record for the highest average yards gained per pass attempt in a career, with 8.63.

5.  Drew Brees

Number of Super Bowl wins: 1

Teams played for: San Diego Chargers (2001-2005), New Orleans Saints (2006-2020)

Awards: 13x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Pro, Super Bowl, XLIV MVP, 2004 AP Comeback Player of the Year, 2x AP Offensive POY, 2009 Bert Bell Award, 2004 PFWA MIP, 2x SN Offensive POY, 2006 Walter Payton Man of the Year, 2011 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award

Drew Brees had a very successful career with the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints. He started rough with San Diego, but he quickly had a bounce-back season, resulting in his first Pro Bowl appearance. However, a devastating injury found him hitting free agency, where he ended up with the Saints, and the rest is history. Brees turned the Saints around and led them to their only Super Bowl appearance in 2009, in which they defeated the Colts 31-17.

4.  Johnny Unitas

Number of Super Bowl wins: 1

Teams played for: Baltimore Colts (1956-1972), San Diego Chargers (1973)

Awards: 10x Pro Bowl, 5x All-Pro, 3x NFL Champ, 3x AP MVP, 3x UPI MVP, 2x NEA MVP, HOF All-1960s Team, 3x Bert Bell Award, 3x SN POY, 1970 Walter Payton Man of the Year

Johnny Unitas first suited up for the Baltimore Colts in 1956. To put that into perspective, it’s the same year Joe Montana was born. This goes to show how much of an impact Unitas had on the game of football, as his name is still being brought up today despite playing long ago. With that being the case, his Super Bowl V victory helped grow the sport significantly. Unitas was quite the underdog, as he was initially cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers shortly after they drafted him in the 9th round, but found his game with the Colts as he led them in the NFL’s early stages.

3.  Joe Montana

Number of Super Bowl wins: 4

Teams played for: San Francisco 49ers (1979-1992), Kansas City Chiefs (1993-1994)

Awards: 8x Pro Bowl, 3x All-Pro, 2x AP MVP, 1989 NEA MVP, 1989, PFWA MVP, 3x Super Bowl MVP, HOF All-1980s team, 1989 AP Offensive POY, 1989 Bert Bell Award, 1986 PFWA Comeback Player of the Year, 1989 SN POY, 1989 UPI Offensive POY

Even though there is not a physical “clutch” statistic, if there were such a thing, Joe Montana’s would be 110 out of 100. Montana led his 49ers squad to four super bowl appearances, winning all 4. In those four appearances, he set a Super Bowl record for most passes without an interception (122) and the highest passer rating (127.8), both records that have yet to be broken. He is also the first player to win 3 Super Bowl MVP awards, leading to his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2000. Montana is remembered for one of the most clutch plays in NFL history, a game-winning touchdown pass to Dwight Clark in the 1981 playoffs. This play was so significant it received the nickname “The Catch.” This play is widely brought up in today’s NFL, showing why Joe Montana is among the all-time greats.

2.  Peyton Manning

Number of Super Bowl wins: 2

Teams played for: Indianapolis Colts (1998-2010), Denver Broncos (2012-2015)

Awards: 14x Pro Bowl, 5x AP MVP, 2x NEA MVP, 4x PFWA MVP, Super Bowl XLI MVP, HOF All-2000s team, 2012 AP Comeback Player of the Year, 2x AP Offensive POY, 3x Bert Bell Award, 4x PFWA Offensive POY, 2013 SN Offensive POY, 3x SN POY, 2x Walter Payton Man of the Year, 2004 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award

Although Peyton Manning doesn’t have the rings that Tom Brady does, he definitely has the stats and awards to prove he is among the greatest QBs. Manning holds the record for MVP awards, first-team All-Pro selections, and 4,000-yard passing seasons. He also holds the single-season record for most passing yards (5,477) and passing touchdowns (55), both of which were completed in the 2013 season when he led the Denver Broncos to a super bowl appearance. Manning also receives praise for his ability to read defenses, resulting in his frequent use of audibles and his trademark Omaha call.

1.  Tom Brady

Number of Super Bowl wins: 7

Teams played for: New England Patriots (2000-2019), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020-present)

Awards: 15x Pro Bowl, 3x All-Pro, 3x AP MVP, 2007 NEA MVP, 3x PFWA MVP, 5x Super Bowl MVP, HOF All-2000s team, HOF All-2010s team, 2009 AP Comeback Player of the Year, 2x AP Offensive POY, 2007 Bert Bell Award, 2009 PFWA Comeback player of the Year, 2x PFWA Offensive POY, 2x SN Offensive POY, 2007 SN POY

Tom Brady has had the greatest career among NFL QBs and arguably the greatest career in the history of professional sports. After being selected in the 6th round by the New England Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady sat behind quarterback Drew Bledsoe for the following season. However, an injury to Bledsoe in the 2nd game of the 2001 season thrust Brady into the starting role. He caught the league by storm, going 11- 3 the rest of the season and leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory, becoming one of two quarterbacks to win the Lombardi Trophy in their first season as a starter. After this remarkable win, Brady continued his dominance and led the Patriots dynasty, solidifying himself as an all-time great.

Closing Thoughts

The NFL has seen many great quarterbacks since its creation in 1920. Only a handful, however, are great enough to have their legacies discussed past their playing years. Even then, only a sacred few deserve the recognition of being called the best of the best.

So now, when the conversation comes up about QBs deserving of the best of the best article, you have the perfect list, complete with the stats and facts to back up your well-founded opinion.