Top 10 Greatest Quarterbacks Of All Time

Throughout the long history of the National Football League, the quarterback has emerged as the premiere position in the league, and for a good reason. However, that does not mean that all the greatest quarterbacks have come from the modern era.

So, who are the 10 greatest quarterbacks of all time?

(Honorable Mention: Fran Tarkenton, Brett Favre, Steve Young, Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman)

10. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers)

A four-time NFL MVP, second to only Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers has set a standard of success in Green Bay that will likely be hard to replicate in years to come. One of the most efficient quarterbacks of all time, Rodgers led the Packers to a Super Bowl XLV victory over the Steelers where he was named MVP. Upon retirement, Rodgers will be among the Top 10 in just about every significant statistic for a quarterback.

9. Bart Starr (Green Bay Packers/New York Jets/Minnesota Vikings)

The most often overlooked of the Packers’ great trio of quarterbacks, Bart Starr is the owner of the best playoff-winning percentage in NFL history. His 9-1 record is good for a .900 winning percentage which pairs nicely with his 104.8 passer rating in the postseason. Starr led the Packers to back-to-back wins in Super Bowls I and II which came on the heels of three straight NFL Championships from 1965-1967.

8. Roger Staubach (Dallas Cowboys)

His passing numbers don’t stand out relative to what we see today (he had just 153 passing touchdowns), however, Roger Staubach was another quarterback way ahead of his time with his scrambling ability. His penchant for leading the comeback (23 game-winning drives) earned him the name, “Captain Comeback”. Staubach is a two-time Super Bowl Champion and won was named MVP of Super Bowl VI.

7. Otto Graham (Cleveland Browns)

It’s nearly impossible to put into context the era in which Otto Graham played to where some will think he is too high on the list and others will think he is far too low. Both would likely have a good argument. However, without punishing him for the era, Graham played 10 seasons and played in 10 championship games for the Cleveland Browns. Graham won four titles in the AAFC, a rival to the NFL at the time, between 1946-49. Upon arriving in the NFL in 1950, he led the Browns to six-straight NFL Championship Games, winning three of them. He is a member of the NFL’s 1950s All-Decade team.

6. Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins)

Dan Marino was a quarterback before his time. His quick release is tailor-made for the current game but he put up current numbers nonetheless. Marino took the league by storm in 1983 and in 1984 he threw a then-record 48 touchdown passes, a record that would stand for 30 years. He led the Dolphins to the Super Bowl that season, however, he came up short and unfortunately never got back again. He ended his career as the league’s leader in career touchdown passes with 420 and 61,361 yards.

5. John Elway (Denver Broncos)

Another quarterback that would likely thrive in the current game, John Elway led the Broncos to five Super Bowl appearances which, at the time, was a record for quarterbacks. However, it wasn’t until his final two seasons he was able to hoist the Lombardi trophy for the only two times in his career.

4. Johnny Unitas (Baltimore Colts)

Before there was Peyton Manning, there was Colts legend Johnny Unitas. A two-time NFL champion and Super Bowl V winner, Unitas dominated the passing game in an era of rush-first (and often) offenses. Unitas won league MVP three times, including in 1959 with 32 touchdown passes. He ended his career with 40,239 yards passing and 290 touchdowns. He was a 10-time Pro Bowler.

3. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts/Denver Broncos)

The first overall selection of the 1998 NFL Draft, Peyton Manning came to the Colts with a ton of hype and surpassed in just about every way. He led the Colts to two Super Bowl appearances, winning one and he won four of his five league MVP awards with Indianapolis. After a career-threatening neck injury, Manning went to the Broncos and led the team to two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl LV, his final game. He added a fifth MVP award with the Broncos… an NFL record.

2. Joe Montana (San Francisco 49ers/Kansas City Chiefs)

A perfect 4-0 in the Super Bowl, Joe Cool set the standard for “G.O.A.T” quarterback play. In those four wins for the 49ers, Montana didn’t throw a single interception and led one of the best game-winning drives in Super Bowl history with his 97-yard gem in Super Bowl XXIII. Montana was named Super Bowl MVP in three of his four wins and won league MVP twice. He ended his career throwing for 40,551 yards, 273 touchdowns, and a 92.3 passer rating.

1. Tom Brady (New England Patriots/Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Not surprisingly, the seven-time Super Bowl Champion lands firmly at number one on this list. A sixth-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, Tom Brady won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, two more than any quarterback in NFL history. After nearly 20 years with the Patriots, Brady took his talents to Tampa Bay where he won his seventh ring in his first season as a Buccaneer and became the first player to surpass 100,000 yards passing.