Analysis
6/7/23
7 min read
Ranking NFL's Top 10 Quarterbacks of All Time
I love talking about quarterbacks, so this was truly a great exercise. Ranking the top 10 quarterbacks of all time isn't easy, so I've got a few ties on this list. Also, I left off some pretty iconic names.
How did quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Bart Starr, Troy Aikman and Terry Bradshaw not make it? I mean, there are seven Super Bowl wins between Aikman and Bradshaw alone. How about Fran Tarkenton, Ben Roethlisberger and Warren Moon? How are they not in there? Well, this list is subjective, and I've got some biases I'll cover throughout the rankings.
Top 10 QBs of All Time
10. Drew Brees
I had the pleasure of coaching Drew in the Pro Bowl one year. What a great quarterback to witness in person. In the end, though, it's his numbers that put him over the top. He compiled more than 80,000 yards passing, on a 67.7 completion percentage, racking up 571 touchdown passes with a win in Super Bowl XLIV and a Super Bowl MVP to boot.
9. John Elway
Known for his incredible comebacks, Elway is a two-time Super Bowl champion, winning back-to-back Lombardi Trophies in Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII — including an MVP effort in the latter. His glory came after leading the Denver Broncos to three Super Bowls in which they came up short. As one of the most creative, mobile, strong-armed quarterbacks in NFL history, with five Super Bowl appearances, there was no way Elway was missing the list.
8. Dan Marino
How can you put a quarterback in the top 10 of all time when he didn't win a Super Bowl? Numbers.
Dan Marino was the purest passer of the football of his era, and the numbers back it up. The best example of his greatness is his 1984 season. Marino had 48 touchdown passes, a record held for 20 years — until a different passer on this list wrangled the honor from him. He took only 13 sacks in 564 attempts and led the league with 5,084 yards passing, the first quarterback to break the 5,000-yard barrier. He led the Dolphins to Super Bowl XIX after that season, but they couldn't secure the victory.
7. Brett Favre, Steve Young
Yeah, I'm biased. I coached both of these men. But you still can't deny their dominance.
Both first-ballot Hall of Famers with a Super Bowl win, Brett Favre and Steve Young are two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. However, they're a little bit different than each other. Brett Favre was the consummate gunslinger. Steve Young, on the other hand, was like a surgeon. But they both got it done, and I'm proud of how they played the game.
I can't stand to put one in front of the other, so they'll tie for the No. 7 spot.
6. Roger Staubach
I tried to put Brett and Steve ahead of Roger "The Dodger" Staubach, but I couldn't do it.
Staubach retired in 1980 with the highest career passing rating in history and two Super Bowl wins. He won the Heisman Trophy, Super Bowl MVP and went to four Super Bowls.
Staubach is, of course, most famous for the Hail Mary. Everybody knows the Hail Mary now, but it didn't exist before he dropped back and threw a deep ball to Drew Pearson for a touchdown. They asked Roger afterward, "What were you thinking on that play?" He said, "I put the ball up and said a Hail Mary."
And because of Staubach, now we call every play like that one a Hail Mary.
5. Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning, also known as the sheriff because he runs things right, is a two-time Super Bowl champion and five-time NFL MVP. Sure, his numbers are out of this world, but here's the thing that he did that was special: he revolutionized the manner in which a quarterback goes about his business. At the line of scrimmage and with how he prepares and how he operates during games, Peyton set the standard going forward. Typically, Peyton stepped up to the line of scrimmage with a number of options. The Indianapolis Colts, and to some extent, the Broncos later in his career, relied on Peyton to get the team into the best play, every play.
The feather in his cap? He won a Super Bowl with two different NFL franchises.
4. The Old Timers
Otto Graham, Sammy Baugh, Sid Luckman
Why the triple tie? Because we pride ourselves on the history of the game. And without these three men, Where would we be? Where would the passing game be?
An incredible athlete, Otto Graham played pro basketball as well as pro football. He retired with the highest career winning percentage for a quarterback and still holds that record, along with the record for yards per pass attempt.
Three-time MVP and three-time NFL champion "Slingin" Sammy Baugh was the rare player who could actually throw the football with precision in the 1940s. Now we're going back to what might as well be the prehistoric days, but in 1945 Baugh had a 109.9 passing rating, led the league playing defense in interceptions and led the league in punting average (43.4 yards). He led the league in that category five times.
Sid Luckman, meanwhile, is known for throwing seven touchdown passes in one game — on Nov. 14, 1943, long before the NFL's passing revolution. He added four NFL championships and an MVP before he hung up the cleats.
3. Johnny Unitas, Patrick Mahomes
We've got another tie, this time between Patrick Mahomes and the great Johnny Unitas.
Unitas revolutionized the two-minute offense with timing and precision. Really, he revolutionized the whole passing game. His timing with receiver Raymond Barry was the stuff of legend. He's a three-time MVP and three-time NFL champ. Enough said.
Still, he'll have to share the No. 3 spot with Mahomes — who leapfrogged his way into the top three. At such a young age (27), Mahomes is already a two-time Super Bowl MVP and two-time NFL MVP, and there is still much more to come from him.
2. Joe Montana
The top two should be no surprise to football fans. The great Joe Montana known as "Joe Cool" for his heroic comeback efforts was a Super Bowl champion four times, going 4-0 in the big game. A three-time Super Bowl MVP and two-time NFL MVP, Joe Montana, was thought by some to be the greatest of all time for decades, however ...
1. Tom Brady
The greatest of all time is no longer in doubt: Tom Brady out of San Mateo, Calif. He racked up an unbelievable 30 playoff wins in his career with the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He's a seven-time Super Bowl champion and three-time MVP. He has a lot of NFL records now, but two of the most important are his 649 touchdown passes and his 251 career wins.
Brady is the greatest of all time, but Mahomes does have a chance to catch him. What are the odds? They're low, but there is a chance for Mahomes because he's so young. He's on track to be one of the greatest in the history of the National Football League. But for now, Brady is still No. 1.
Marty Mornhinweg is a former head coach of the Detroit Lions and a longtime NFL offensive assistant. He was the quarterbacks coach on the 1996 Green Bay Packers team that won Super Bowl XXXI. Follow him on Twitter at @MartyMornhinweg.
