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Who are the top quarterbacks in NFL history? Here is our top 10 countdown:
Note: Updated in 2021.
10. Aaron Rodgers: with the highest career passer rating and best touchdown-to-interception ratio in NFL history, Rodgers is a 9x Pro Bowler, 3x All-Pro, and 3x MVP who led the Green Bay Packers to Super Bowl XLV (earning Super Bowl MVP in the process).
9. John Elway: the first quarterback selected in the famed “Year of the Quarterback”, Elway was actually traded from the Baltimore Colts to the Denver Broncos, where he went on to win MVP honors while leading the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1997 and 1998.
8. Brett Favre: famous for his gun-slinging ways, Favre was the first player to win MVP in three consecutive seasons and is part of a select group of quarterbacks to win MVP and the Super Bowl in the same season; he was the first quarterback with over 70,000 career passing yards and 500 passing touchdowns, retiring as the record-holder for both categories.
7. Dan Marino: though he was the sixth quarterback selected in 1983 during the famous “Year of the Quarterback”, Marino arguably had the best NFL career – though he never won a Super Bowl, he was MVP in 1984 and retired with league records for both single-season and career passing yards and touchdowns (all since broken by others on this list).
6. Drew Brees: despite his relatively diminutive size, Brees is the most prolific quarterback in league history – he not only holds a slew of career passing records (completions, completion percentage, yards, touchdowns, etc.), but also led the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl title.
5. Otto Graham: the winningest quarterback in NFL history in terms of winning percentage (81.0%), Graham was a 2x AAF and 3x NFL MVP who led the Cleveland Browns to championships in seven of his 10 professional seasons (4x AAFC champion and 3x NFL champion).
4. Johnny Unitas: the modern quarterback prototype, Unitas was a 3x MVP with the Baltimore Colts and set a number of passing records in his day, including career passing yards (since broken); moreover, his record of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass stood for 52 years until it was broken by Brees in 2012.
3. Peyton Manning: coming from a family of quarterbacks (father Archie and brother Eli also played in the NFL), Manning is one of the greatest signal-callers in league history, winning five MVP awards and two Super Bowls, among a slew of other honors, and retiring as all-time leader in career passing yards and touchdowns (though he has since been surpassed in both categories).
2. Joe Montana: a 2x regular season MVP, Montana is best-remembered for his postseason prowess – during his time with the San Francisco 49ers, he led the team to a perfect 4-0 Super Bowl record in the 1980s and was the first player in league history to be named Super Bowl MVP 3x.
1. Tom Brady: the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Brady is a 3x MVP who has not only passed for over 70,000 career yards and 500 touchdowns in the regular season, but perhaps more importantly, has guided the New England Patriots to a record six Super Bowl titles while winning Super Bowl MVP a record 4x.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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