At the same time, just the stratospheric nature of Manning's numbers alone warrant a place in the top five. After a short stint in Atlanta, Harrington retired in 2009. Only two starting quarterbacks for Washington have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Sammy Baugh (1937-1952) and . His best years were 1974-1977, when he went to four straight Pro Bowls and his Cardinals made the playoffs twice. Boller was a respectable player for the Ravens, but never turned into anything more than a game-manager style quarterback. He was known for running the no-huddle "K-Gun" offense- often calling two or three formations in the huddle and then immediately getting back into an offensive formation to keep the defense from making substitutions. That happens to bother me quite a bit- and so while Krieg undoubtedly deserves a spot, the fact that he played relatively poorly in comparison to his abilities when the chips were down hurts him on the list. The opposite of Ron Jaworski, Joe Theismann was a better quarterback than television analyst; he now works for NFL Network. Williams's victory was without doubt the high point of his career; he dealt with injuries afterward and eventually lost his starting job to Mark Rypien. The arguments about what Namath did for the game are all completely valid, and make him a lock to stay on this list so long as the NFL exists, though he will fall as time goes on- his stats really don't support his mythical status. Johnson went over 3,000 yards passing in one season five times during his career, including a 4,000 yard season with the Washington Redskins, and he also won one Super Bowl as quarterback of the Bucs. If you put up Anderson's numbers against many QBs who are in the Hall, Anderson compares favorably. Slingin Sammy Baugh played in the NFL for 16 seasons, all with the Washington Redskins. Still, he passed for a respectable 34,241 yards and 196 touchdowns over 17 seasons that included a four-year hiatus from 1994 through 1997, according to Pro Football Reference. He won two (XXXII, XXXIII), including being named MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII, the final game of his playing career. Nearly all sports, when played at the highest level, are pursuits for the young. The other "forgotten" Cowboys quarterback is Danny White, the guy who had the misfortune of playing between the tenures of two-time champion Roger Staubach and three-time champion Troy Aikman. Steve Grogan played in the NFL for 15 seasons, all with the New England Patriots, from 1975-90. Nevertheless, Brodie was pretty good in his own right; he was the No. Gannon had a successful career but was never able to actually win a Super Bowl championship. Brady's status as a clutch player wasn't undermined, but his legacy was, and instead of No. Yeah, I know; Michael Vick's career numbers aren't that great. Probably the best QB in Bills history not named Jim Kelly, Joe Ferguson played 17 years in the NFL, the first 11 with the Bills before three years with the Detroit Lions, two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and one with the Indianapolis Colts in Jeff George's rookie season. This is because Kevin Kolb absolutely robbed the Arizona Cardinals when they traded for him and gave him a massive contract in hopes that he would be their next franchise quarterback. Before joining the Bills, Kelly spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL, winning league MVP honors in 1984. The Kurt Warner story is one of those "feel good" moments when a guy who isn't supposed to be that good turns out to be even better than the starter. He was known as one of the first great T-formation quarterbacks; he is probably still the best QB in Bears franchise history (nice try Jim McMahon). Brunell had a fantastic connection with wideouts Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. He developed into a scrambling QB and then eventually into a conventional pocket QB as he aged; it was a good thing too considering he was surrounded by a great supporting cast headlined by arguably the best player in NFL history regardless of position, WR Jerry Rice. He is a two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year, having constantly dealt with adversity throughout his career, and he now backs up Chad Henne. In ten appearances, Graham won seven league titles (3 NFL, 4 AAFC), the most all time for any player. While he never won a Super Bowl, which hurts his status on this list to some degree, Marino did play in the big game (XIX) in just his second season as an NFL quarterback. Tue, Jan 17, 2023 LOGIN Subscribe for $1 I have ranked the top 100 quarterbacks in NFL history, and because I'm writing the article, I get the privilege of unilaterally deciding who was better than who. He looks reinvigorated since joining the Ravens, and understandably sohe seems to have tired of all the losing in St. Louis. Baugh played three ways, offense, defense, and punter, leading the Washington Redskins to two NFL titles (1937 and 1942). Not a bad second career. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. His Hall of Fame NFL career spanned 11 seasons, tallying a stellar 101-59 record with a career completion percentage of better than 60 percent. He signed with the Denver Broncos before the 2003 season, and in Denver he enjoyed his best seasons as a professional before being traded to Tampa Bay following his replacement as the starting QB by then-rookie QB Jay Cutler. List of San Francisco 49ers starting quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo (2017-present) Nick Mullens (2018-2021) C. J. Beathard (2017-2021) These quarterbacks have started at least one game for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Jim McMahon is the closest thing the Chicago Bears have had to a starting quarterback since the days of Sid Luckman, and while some thought that Jay Cutler would be the answer, results indicate otherwise. He was a REALLY GOOD game manager who also happened to win an NFL MVP. He still has time to do so, especially now that he has Chad Johnson on his team catching passes, but it looks like the Bengals are still the Bungles when it comes to putting together back-to-back playoff seasons. As "pilot" of the famous "Air Coryell" offense, Dan Fouts was the quarterback for the San Diego Chargers in the 1970s and 1980s. The knock on Manning has always been that he doesn't usually play his best when the chips are down. Get real. In 2000 he helped the Dolphins beat Peyton Manning's Colts 17-14, allowing the Dolphins to beat out Indianapolis for the AFC East division title. This happened while Garrad himself was overcoming the burdens of Crohn's Disease, which he was diagnosed with in 2004. Just look at the numbers. Esiason played nine seasons of his career with the Bengals, from 1984-92 and then a final season in 1997. However, despite the gaudy offensive numbers, Fouts's teams never appeared in a Super Bowl, though they did get to the AFC title game in 1980 and 1981. In addition to playing for the Seahawks, he spent time with the Tennessee Titans before finishing his career with the Indianapolis Colts as one of the oldest NFL quarterbacks to ever put on the pads. He won both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award. He also was elected to six Pro Bowls during his career and is widely recognized as the most prolific passer of his era. Having played most famously for the New England Patriots, Brady also played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his final two seasons, according to ESPN. Theismann's Redskins won Super Bowl XVII, but failed to defend their title in Super Bowl XVIII the next year. #1 Aaron Rodgers - 13002 yards (4th), 14.74 . Unitas was the winning quarterback in the so-called "Greatest Game Ever Played," the 1958 NFL championship against the New York Giants, quarterbacked a successful title defense in 1959, then defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V. Most of Unitas's records have now been broken with the advent of rule changes that favor offensive production, but Unitas pioneered such mainstays as the so-called "two-minute drill" that are still used today. He was a three-time NFL MVP, and he won two MVP awards as a member of the AAFC. He drove the Patriots down the field for a go-ahead touchdown with about 2:30 in the fourth quarter. Either way, in five years, Aaron Rodgers will be 42 years old and well past the typical retirement age for quarterbacks. He frequently led his teams to come-from-behind victories, earning himself the label "Captain Comeback," a title Roger Staubach earned before him. Troy Aikman was the No. Every day, get free NFL updates sent straight to your inbox! He would spend all 16 seasons of his Hall of Fame career in Denver, where he would go on to play in five Super Bowls. Of course, you can also do better, and that's why he's only No. Ultimately when you get to the top few spots, you are obliged to nitpick, and nitpicking is enough for me to leave Elway at No. He appeared in two Pro Bowls: the first with the Los Angeles Rams, who drafted him with the "bonus" draft pick that no longer exists in today's NFL draft, and the latter during his title season with the Bears. . No matter what Boller did after football, he already won at life when he married former Miss California USA beauty pageant star, Carrie Prejean. Krieg ranks very highly in many career passing categories, but his teams rarely went deep into the playoffs, and indeed his postseason statistics are generally worse than those in the regular season. You'll periodically hear Starr's name come up in discussions about the top quarterback of all time, though it is rare. Prior to "18 and d'oh," many people were getting ready to crown Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback of all time. The winningest quarterback in NFL history (278 victories, regular season and postseason), Brady is No. Bulger is truly one of the forgotten quarterbacks of the decade. He had all the physical tools anyone could ask for, and yet he simply couldn't put it all together. Allegedly, Layne put a curse on the Lions, saying that they would not win for 50 years. He will probably also be hurt by the perception that he was the guy that held back several really good Philadelphia Eagles teams; there are also people who feel like Brian Westbrook was the guy that made Philly's offense go during McNabb's tenure in Philadelphia. Jackson was clearly in a dark place and hopefully he finds his way out of whatever hole he is in. Elway ended his career with 51,475 passing yards, 300 touchdowns, one NFL MVP and first-team All-Pro, and two Super Bowl titles. The idea of a guy like Peyton Manning doing that is simply hilarious, so it bears repeating that Luckman, one of the best QBs in league history, actually had that intention. By his own admission, Kosar isn't over the events of those two plays even today, and even after winning a Super Bowl ring as Troy Aikman's backup in Dallas. To be fair, Marino's only appearance in the Super Bowl came against Joe Montana's 49ers, and the 49ers probably had a better supporting cast around Montana. Maybe it's a stretch to put Rodgers this high, especially given that he's only in his third full season as an NFL starter. From that logic, I figure I'm within my rights to bump the league's most polarizing player into the top 80. 12 jersey has been retired by the 49ers, and yet he's probably only remembered as the third-greatest quarterback in franchise history. He was the first black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl, and to this day remains the only black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl. The 2004 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee excelled as both a passer and a runner. Meredith was a great player who consistently led the Cowboys to good seasons, but he suffers in the ratings for his losses to Vince Lombardi's Packers in the 1966 and 1967 championship gamesthe latter being the famous "Ice Bowl" in Green Bay. I know it shouldn't necessarily be the case, because he lost to the Dolphins and Steelers dynasties in the 1970s when he did get to the Super Bowl. He eventually ended his 8-year career in 2011. But on occasion, you could still see it shine through. Eli is basically a "one hit wonder" as well, defeating the Patriots in arguably the greatest upset in NFL history, and he's largely failed in clutch situations since. Greg Landry was the 11th overall pick in the 1968 draft and spent most of his career with the Detroit Lions before finishing his career with the Baltimore Colts and then the Chicago Bears. But for Roger Staubach they did. It was a different time- there weren't as many teams in the NFL as there are today, and there wasn't the same kind of parity. I'm not averse to putting "young guns" on the list, but I won't jump Joe Flacco to No. Baugh also ranks as a top-20 punter in NFL history with a career average of 45.1 yards per punt. Moving deeper into the top ten, we now see John Elway ranked at No. Culpepper has never been the same since leaving Minnesota, but he had more than just one really good season. Grossman retired on his own terms because he felt that he just wasn't mentally into the game anymore. Moon is often credited with throwing the most perfect spiral in NFL history. Favre also built a tough-as-nails reputation on his way to becoming the NFLs Iron Man, starting in 297 consecutive regular-season games. Only Joe Montana can rival Bradshaws perfect 4-0 record in Super Bowl starts. However, they ran into a buzz saw in the form of the Seattle Seahawks with a final score of 43-8. Interestingly, the other quarterback to accomplish the feat is Kurt Warner, who like Morton also played intervening time between those two teams with the New York Giants. Interestingly, Theismann played his first three professional seasons with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts after failing to agree on contract terms with the Miami Dolphins, who had drafted him in the fourth round out of Notre Dame. 12 for the Bills, as Jim Kelly did following Ferguson's departure. By 21st-century standards, Len Dawsons stats from the Pro Football Hall of Fame dont jump out at you, but hes one of the all-time greats to step on the field. The two rings did, however, jump him ahead of Roger Staubach. What is really interesting about Dawson's career is that he was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers but never got a chance to play when the Steelers acquired Bobby Layne in a trade with Detroit. He retired in 1994 after spending his final two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Manning is the epitome of elite in every sense of the word. However, in 1958, the Lions traded Layne to the Pittsburgh Steelers what happened then is the subject of much debate. Brees, who turned 41 on Jan. 15, has said for the past three years that he is taking his career "one year at a time." And he has not yet committed to returning for a 20th . But it's just too early- try me again in five years. The 1998 Broncos fired on all cylinders during the regular season. His four-touchdown performance in Super Bowl XXVII earned him MVP honors. His resume also includes two NFL MVP Awards (1992 and '94), seven Pro Bowl selections and six All-Pro selections. 6 on the countdown. Could Orton be on the presidential ticket one day? 1 overall pick in the draft out of UC Berkeley. Aikman was named to six Pro Bowls and received the distinguished Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 1996. Smith has long been an advocate for the FIT Kids Act that would provide helpful information for children regarding health and nutrition. Griese played in the actual Super Bowl that year. That task fell to Marc Bulger. Norm Van Brocklin played the first nine years of his twelve year career with the Los Angeles Rams and then finished his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. Tom Brady's retirement last offseason lasted all of 40 days, but the assumption entering 2022 seemed to be that this would be his final season. After leaving one storied franchise after the 1983 season, he landed with the Raiders in 1987 after spending time in the USFL, playing with them in both Los Angeles and Oakland. He only made one Pro Bowl, but playing with the Bungles it's hard to make a lot of those A former No. One of the poster boys for prima donnas in the NFL and a former No. He started and ended the 1972 season, when the Dolphins were a perfect 17-0, though he was relieved by Earl Morrall following an injury in week 5 as mentioned earlier. I hadn't heard of him. I know that this guy shed the label of not winning the big one. And his team is 3-5.). Earl Morrall, during his 21-year career, earned the title of "best backup QB" in NFL history; Morrall was part of three Super Bowl teams and led the Baltimore Colts into Super Bowl III at 13-1 where they were promptly upset by Joe Namath's Jets. He has opened up a Retro Fitness gym that has seemingly done very well since its debut in 2014. Brees's QB rating during the Saints' Super season a whopping 109.6. However, Young also changed while he was playing the game. Elway was quickly traded to the Broncos, having never played a single down for the Colts. Manning finished the game 13 of 23 for 141 yards with one interception. Regardless of his play, he was talking trash the entire time. Rodgers' list of accomplishments include Super Bowl champion (XLV), Super Bowl MVP, four-time NFL MVP (2011, '14, '20, '21), 10-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro. 88 on the countdown. If you listen to a lot of NFL analysts these days, they seem ready to rank Eli much higher up this list already, though I will readily admit that he very well could climb with greater production. However, it's not like the one ring by itself gives Favre a boost. In the process . Chad Pennington 4 of 100 Ronald Martinez/Getty Images The first modern quarterback. Of course, going by purely numbers was never something that Cunningham did. Although the business is very successful, Grossman has hinted at the idea that he may return to football in some coaching capacity. Marino has everything else as far as numbers, including the all-time single season yardage record (5,084), most games with at least 300 yards passing (63), most games with 400 yards passing (13), and most 4th quarter comebacks including both regular and postseason (51). He was never a show stopper at the position, evidenced by the fact that he constantly switched teams; however, you could win with this guy- and the Bucs did just that, along with a great Derrick Brooks-led defense. NFL record for lowest interception percentage in 1990. The roller coaster ride with Lomax was at its best in his Pro Bowl seasons, and his 4,614 passing yards in 1984 is good for 12th all time right now, though recent trends suggest that more and more quarterbacks will be hitting the 4,000 passing yard barrier in coming years. After his career failed to ever get back on track, Bulger retired from the game and remained fairly under the radar. 2) Joe Montana. This list does not include preseason nor postseason appearances. Stats for active players are through the 2021 regular season. McNair's best statistical season was 2003, when he was co-MVP of the league with Peyton Manning. The Minnesota Vikings thought they had drafted a steal when they traded up to get Tarvaris Jackson in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He was a solid but unspectacular player. He was the only real superstar of the expansion New Orleans Saints. He competed on the Golf Channel's Big Break show and also held a quarterback counsel position with the start up Major League Football (MLF). He began his career with the 49ers before being selected in the 1967 expansion draft by a new expansion team, the New Orleans Saints. A title that has since been passed on to Tom Brady. Separated by 18 years, Peyton Manning followed Elways path in retiring after winning a Super Bowl. Brodie's No. Meredith played for nine seasons under Tom Landry. He would ultimately go on to a storybook career with the Rams, Giants and Cardinals that spanned 12 years. Tough break, John. Phil Harrison. Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News. A guy with a lot of upside, Matt Schaub is the first active player to appear on the list that has a real chance to move up, especially with the kind of talent around him on the Houston offensemost notably Andre Johnson and now Arian Foster. Rankings by Rob McVey, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. 1 overall draft pick in the 1989 NFL Draft following an outstanding collegiate career that began at Oklahoma and concluded at UCLA. Eli Manning somehow escaped a sack before heaving the ball deep down the field for David Tyree, who made the famous "helmet catch," and we all know what happened next. Manning won the AFC West all four years he was in Denver, helping the Broncos reach two Super Bowls. Keep in mind that the only active players who rank highly on the countdown have enjoyed long and accomplished careers. Super Bowl I Bart Starr, Green Bay PackersSuper Bowl II Bart Starr, Green Bay PackersSuper Bowl III Joe Namath, New York Jets, Super Bowl IV Len Dawson, Kansas City ChiefsSuper Bowl V John Unitas, Baltimore ColtsSuper Bowl VI Roger Staubach, Dallas CowboysSuper Bowl VII Bob Griese, Miami DolphinsSuper Bowl VIII Bob Griese, Miami DolphinsSuper Bowl IX Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh SteelersSuper Bowl X Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh SteelersSuper Bowl XI Ken Stabler, Oakland RaidersSuper Bowl XII Roger Staubach, Dallas CowboysSuper Bowl XIII Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XIV Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh SteelersSuper Bowl XV Jim Plunkett, Oakland RaidersSuper Bowl XVI Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ersSuper Bowl XVII Joe Theismann, Washington RedskinsSuper Bowl XVIII Jim Plunkett, Los Angeles RaidersSuper Bowl XIX Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ersSuper Bowl XX Jim McMahon, Chicago BearsSuper Bowl XXI Phil Simms, New York GiantsSuper Bowl XXII Doug Williams, Washington RedskinsSuper Bowl XXIII Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XXIV Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ersSuper Bowl XXV Jeff Hostetler, New York GiantsSuper Bowl XXVI Mark Rypien, Washington RedskinsSuper Bowl XXVII Troy Aikman, Dallas CowboysSuper Bowl XXVIII Troy Aikman, Dallas CowboysSuper Bowl XXIX Steve Young, San Francisco 49ersSuper Bowl XXX Troy Aikman, Dallas CowboysSuper Bowl XXXI Brett Favre, Green Bay PackersSuper Bowl XXXII John Elway, Denver BroncosSuper Bowl XXXIII John Elway, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl XXXIV Kurt Warner, St. Louis RamsSuper Bowl XXXV Trent Dilfer, Baltimore RavensSuper Bowl XXXVI Tom Brady, New England PatriotsSuper Bowl XXXVII Brad Johnson, Tampa Bay BuccaneersSuper Bowl XXXVIII Tom Brady, New England PatriotsSuper Bowl XXXIX Tom Brady, New England PatriotsSuper Bowl XL Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh SteelersSuper Bowl XLI Peyton Manning, Indianapolis ColtsSuper Bowl XLII Eli Manning, New York GiantsSuper Bowl XLIII Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XLIV Drew Brees, New Orleans SaintsSuper Bowl XLV Aaron Rogers, Green Bay PackersSuper Bowl XLVI Eli Manning, New York GiantsSuper Bowl XLVII Joe Flacco, Baltimore RavensSuper Bowl XLVIII Russell Wilson, Seattle SeahawksSuper Bowl XLIX Tom Brady, New England PatriotsSuper Bowl L Peyton Manning, Denver BroncosSuper Bowl LI Tom Brady, New England PatriotsSuper Bowl LII Nick Foles, Philadelphia EaglesSuper Bowl LIII Tom Brady, New England Patriots, Super Bowl LIV Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs. Follow him on Twitter @Rob_UTVOLS. Bartkowski played in the league 11 years, the first 10 with the Atlanta Falcons before finishing his career with the Los Angeles Rams. His 26 seasons in the AFL and NFL are the most all time for a professional football player. And if you're looking for the perfect quarterback to run that system, Warren Moon is your man. He's a little bit crazier, a little bit less conventional and yeah, Young probably benefits from the fact that he hasn't annoyed me constantly for the past few years with his whining. George played for seven teams in a 14-year career. A two-sport standout at Stanford, Elway spent a season in the New York Yankees' farm system before ultimately deciding to take his chances in the NFL. It's a damn good thing that I did my diligence; I'd never heard of Jurgensen a week ago. Guys like him don't come around very often. We dont know how many people would have bet on either his underwhelming CV for his time in the NFL or the length of his career. Of course, Morton's legacy is somewhat diminished by the fact that he lost both of his Super Bowl appearances- to the Unitas-led Baltimore Colts in 1970 and to the Staubach-led Dallas Cowboys in 1977. He played all the way through 1976 and promptly landed a gig at the University of Miami when he stopped playing. When the Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV, he quarterbacked that team instead of an injured Trent Green. 5. The door may be open for a return under the right circumstances. The athletic signal-caller, renowned for his legendary rocket arm, ranks among the top passers in NFL history in several categories as well. Rodgers' NFL career got off to a late start after playing a backup role to Brett Favre in his first three seasons in Green Bay. Kolb, who used to spend his offseasons fishing and hunting wild boar, is now using his entrepreneurial skills to make a name for him in the business world in Texas. Here is what I came up with for my top 10 quarterbacks for the last three years. They are listed in order of the date of each player's first start at quarterback for the Bears. He won't move up very far if he continues to make me waste high picks on him in my fantasy draft, though 2009 was his best seasonhis first as a full-time starter, when he stayed healthy for all 16 gamesand he made the Pro Bowl that year while lighting up the passing charts. In a nutshell, Favre has been everything you'd expect a great quarterback to be but nothing more. He never fully regained form after that historically bad performance. Many believe Leftwich has what it takes to eventually become a head coach in the NFL. He won with different people around him on offense and pretty good defenses. As I mentioned on the introductory slide if your guy was the greatest in history, why didn't he win? In the three following Super Bowls, the Bills were blown out, and one of the most talented teams in league history- the 90s Bills- broke up without ever winning a Super Bowl. Exactly how high Rivers can climb is yet to be seen, but I'd guess he'll land in the top 25 so long as he adds an NFL title somewhere along the way. He's a player who has been solid but has almost certainly topped out on the listunless, of course, he manages to lead his team to a Super Bowl title before he retires. Bobby Layne was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1948, but was behind both Sid Luckman and Johnny Lujack on the depth chart, so he refused to return to the team in 1949. That, in addition to spending his first two seasons in the USFL (1984-85), and two more quarterbacking an abysmal Buccaneers team in 1985-86. Moon is also the only African-American quarterback enshrined in the Hall. A perfect score then is 100 points, and the lowest possible is 12. most interceptions and fumbles). In case you were curious, the 50th year since Layne's departure was the season when the Lions had the only 0-16 season in NFL history. He is widely considered the best quarterback of his era, winning four AAFC championships and three NFL championships, all with the Cleveland Browns. Babe Parilli played mostly with the AFL's Boston Patriots in the 1960s and is a member of their all-decade team, though he won his Super Bowl ring while backing up Broadway Joe Namath in Super Bowl III. Careers for NFL players are notoriously short, so playing past age 30 is an accomplishment. He might be embattled and wearing the wrong team's colors these days, but the fact that he's become a polarizing figure shouldn't obscure Favre's legendary career.
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