Top Ten Greatest Quarterbacks of All Time

In honor of Drew Brees' recently becoming the all time NFL leader in passing yards, I have decided to embark on a series of Greatest NFL players of all time. I have been a huge NFL fan since the mid 1990s. I am a die hard fan of the always struggling Detroit Lions yet also the league in general. I love everything about this league, more than any other sports league; starting with my team of course, yet also the other teams, the players, the coaches, the rivalries, the history, and the never-ending story lines. For me the NFL is a non-stop action/drama series that is always entertaining (even during the off-season).

So anyway back to this list regarding greatest quarterbacks of all time. This is always a debatable topic in sports regarding who is the greatest of all time (ex: Michael Jordan vs Lebron James). The question is how can we possibly compare and determine how one is better than the other. Well for me the criteria comes down to statistics, winning percentage, championships, and overall character. And unlike many who consider championships as the top criteria for an athlete's "greatness", I rather like to look at the individual as a whole. After-all championships are won by the team and not just one superstar athlete, and therefore should not be the ultimate criteria in this debate. (So those who consider Tom Brady and Michael Jordan as the GOATs because they have more championships, this will probably not be your list).


10. Terry Bradshaw

• Career: Pittsburgh Steelers (1970-1983)
• Winning Percentage: 68% (107-51) 11th all time
• Total Passing Yards: 27,989 yards; 58th all time
• Completion Percentage: 52%; 158th all time
• Career Passer Rating: 70.9%; 143 all time
• TD-INT ratio: 212-210 (1%)
• PRO-Bowls: 3 (1975, 1978, 1979)
• Most Valuable Player: 1 (1978) 
• Superbowl Championships: 4-0 (1975, 1976, 1979, 1980) 
• Superbowl MVP: 2 (1979, 1980)
• Legacy: Terry's stats are a bit on the back-end in comparison to others but his winning percentage is undeniable, especially his 4 for 4 championships. Also of note is that he played very well in each of his championship appearances. He is the one player on this list that came before my time and I never got a chance to witness. However I have seen his highlights, heard of his impact, and can tell by his broadcasting character that he was a great leader and player.

9. Troy Aikman

• Career: Dallas Cowboys (1989-2000)
  
• Winning Percentage: 58% (94-71) 18th all time
• Total Passing Yards: 32,942 yards; 36th all time
• Completion Percentage: 61.5%; 32nd all time
• Career Passer Rating: 81.6%; 55th all time
• TD-INT ratio: 165-141 (1.2%)
• PRO-Bowls: 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)
• Most Valuable Player: 0
• Superbowl Championships: 3-0 (1993, 1994, 1996) 
• Legacy: I remember he was a star quarterback in his heyday in the mid 1990s when I started following the sport. At that time the Dallas Cowboys had become the team to beat and had established themselves as America's team. This was thanks to their superstar trio of Emmitt Smith, Micheal Irvin, and their quarterback Troy Aikman. Similar to Tom Brady, Troy was on a very successful team yet his individual greatness cannot be disputed. He was a natural leader on the field and has carried that talent over to become one of my favorite play-by-play commentators. 

8. John Elway

• Career: Denver Broncos (1983-1998)
  
• Winning Percentage: 65% (148-82) 4th all time 
• Total Passing Yards: 51,475 yards; 9th all time
• Completion Percentage: 56.9%; 92nd all time  
• Career Passer Rating: 79.9%; 73rd all time
• TD-INT ratio: 300-226 (1.3%)
• PRO-Bowls: 9 (1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998)
• Most Valuable Player: 1 (1987)
• Superbowl Championships: 2-3 (1998, 1999)
• Superbowl MVP: 1 (1999)
• Legacy: Elway was yet another star quarterback in the heyday of his career when I began tuning into the NFL in the mid 1990s. I most remember watching his greatness in display at the 1998 Superbowl where he lead the Denver Broncos to a thrilling superbowl win against the Green Bay Packers. It was at this game that he had one of his most iconic rushes to gain a first down, being sandwiched by two Green Bay defenders. This was his first superbowl victory after losing 3 before that. He then went on to lead his team to a 2nd championship the following year against the Atlanta Falcons. Elway was a proven winner and a natural leader on the football field. He has carried this leadership beyond his playing career to become the General Manager of the Broncos since 2011. 

7. Dan Marino

• Career: Miami Dolphins (1983-1999)
  
• Winning Percentage: 60% (147-93) 5th all time
• Total Passing Yards: 61,361 yards; 4th all time
• Completion Percentage: 59.4%; 52nd all time
• Career Passer Rating: 86.4%; 28th all time
• TD-INT ratio: 420-252 (1.6%) 26th all time
• PRO-Bowls: 9 (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1994 1995)
• Most Valuable Player: 1 (1984)
• Superbowl Championships: 0-1 (lost in 1985)
• Legacy: He is the greatest quarterback to have never won a Superbowl. He was my first favorite NFL athlete when I began tuning into the NFL in the mid 1990s and chose the Miami Dolphins as my favorite team (I would later switch to the Detroit Lions). Marino pretty much had all the individual passing records for nearly 15 years until Manning, Brady, and Brees have recently surpassed many of those. Marino would probably be higher up on many lists had he actually won a championship or two. However going back to my original case regarding this list I am celebrating the individual's overall greatness. Marino would have certainly won several super bowls had he been on the Dallas Cowboys of the 90s or the New England Patriots of the 2000s. 

6. Drew Brees

• Career: San Diego Charges (2001-2005) New Orleans Saints (2006-present)
• Winning Percentage: 57% (145-107) 6th all time
• Total Passing Yards: 72,103 yards; 1st all time
• Completion Percentage: 67.2%; 1st all time
• Career Passer Rating: 97.1; 4th all time  
• TD-INT ratio: 499-228 (2.19%) 5th all time 
• PRO-Bowls: 11 (2004, 2006, 2008-2014, 2016, 2017)
• Superbowl Championships: 1-0 (2010)
• Superbowl MVP: 1 (2010)
• Legacy: He cemented his legacy this past Monday when he passed both Brett Farve and Peyton Manning to become the all time leader in passing yards. This is probably the most prestigious of all NFL records and Brees sits on the mountain top. (Brady is the only one closest to catching him depending when they both decide to retire). Brees has incredible statistics to back his case for being an all time great as well as a Superbowl title in 2010 against Manning's Indianapolis Colts. He is tremendous leader and competitor on the field which is all the more impressive considering his shorter than average size for a quarterback. His legacy is still to be decided if he can win another Superbowl or two before he retires. 

5. Aaron Rodgers

• Career: Green Pay Packers (2005-present)
  
• Winning Percentage: 65% (96-49) 16th all time
• Total Passing Yards: 40,074 yards; 20th all time
• Completion Percentage: 65%; 1st all time
• Career Passer Rating: 103.6%; 1st all time
• TD-INT ratio: 323-79 (4.09%) 1st all time 
• PRO-Bowls:6 (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016)
• Most Valuable Player: 2 (2011, 2014)
• Superbowl Championships: 1 (2011)
• Superbowl MVP: 1 (2011)
• Legacy: I want to say Aaron Rodgers is the greatest quarterback of all time based on his on-field demeanor. He is one of the most competitive, intelligent, and accurate quarterbacks in the game today. (Sadly I have many first hand accounts of him crushing my Lions) However he has had some bad luck with injuries that have held him back a little. His legacy is still yet to be determined however and I believe another Superbowl or two are still in his future. He leads the league in all time QB passer rating, TD-INT ratio, and completion percentage, as well as various other records. He also has a Superbowl title to his name winning in 2011. I believe he is a better quarterback than Tom Brady, yet has lacked the structure and maybe the discipline to match Brady's winning resume. Nonetheless Rodgers could retire today and would still easily make my top 10 list. 

4. Joe Montana

• Career: San Francisco 49ers (1979-1992) Kansas City Chiefs (1993-1994)
• Winning Percentage: 71% (117-47) 8th all time
• Total Passing Yards: 40, 551 yards; 18th all time
• Completion Percentage: 63%; 15th all time
• Career Passer Rating: 92.3%; 13th all time
• TD-INTO ratio: 273-139 (1.96) 14th all time
• PRO-Bowls: 8 (1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993)
• Most Valuable Player: 2 (1989, 1990)
• Superbowl Championships: 4-0 (1982, 1985, 1989, 1990) 
• Superbowl MVP: 3 (1982, 1985, 1990) 
• Legacy: Joe Montana is another quarterback he was slightly before my time, finishing up his career as I began my interest in the NFL. His glory days were of course with the 49ers in the 1980s winning 4 Super Bowls with them. During this time he established the 49ers as a winning team and eventually a dynasty. He was a tremendous competitor and leader on the field. He also had one of the greatest receivers of all time supporting him in Jerry Rice. The two went on to break many records together. For me his claim to fame came in the 1981 NFC championship match where he threw the game winning touchdown to Dwight Clark to win the game against the Dallas Cowboys. This play is famously known as "The Catch". Montana had many iconic game winning moments such as this to stamp his legacy. 

3. Tom Brady

• Career:  New England Patriots (2000-present)
  
• Winning Percentage: 77% (199-57) 1st all time
• Total Passing Yards: 67,418 yards; 4th all time
• Completion Percentage: 64%; 12th all time
• Career Passer Rating: 97.5%; 3rd all time
• TD-INT ratio: 500-161 (3.01%) 2nd all time
• PRO-Bowls: 13 (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009-2017)
• Most Valuable Player: 3 (2007, 2010, 2017)
• Superbowl Championships: 5-3 (2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2017)
• Superbowl MVP: 4 (2002, 2003, 2014, 2017)
• Legacy: Love him or hate him it's hard to deny the GOAT claims for Tom Brady. It's his 77% winning percentage, 5 super bowl championships, and 3 regular season MVP honors that defend his claim. Even his individual stats are quite impressive, slightly behind Manning, Farve, and Brees. What's even more impressive about Brady is that he is in his 19th NFL season playing at the age of 41 and he still wants to play for another 5 years. If he keeps up this pace he will surely break all the records. He also has a natural leadership and competitive drive about him. He's also worked with sub-average talent for receivers most of his career. My one case against Brady is that he is simply a product of Belichick's well disciplined system. Take away Belichick and we might not have the great Tom Brady that we have all come to love and hate. 

2. Brett Favre

• Career: Atlanta Falcons (1991), Green Bay Packers (1992-2007), New York Jets (2008), Minneosta Vikings (2009-2010) 
• Winning Percentage: 62% (186-112) 3rd all time
• Total Passing Yards: 71,838 yards; 3rd all time  
• Completion Percentage: 62%; 26th all time
• Career Passer Rating: 86%; 29th all time
• TD-INTO ratio: 508-336 (1.51%) 35th all time
• PRO-Bowls: 11 (1992, 1993, 1995-1997, 2001-2003, 2007-2009)
• Most Valuable Player: 3 (1995, 1996, 1997)
• Superbowl Championships: 1-1 (1997)
• Legacy: Brett Farve was the superstar quarterback when I began tuning into the NFL, and the cover athlete of my favorite Nintendo game NFL Quarterback Club. He was the face of the Green Bay Packers for over 15 years and put them back on the map as a dynasty team. I'll never forget watching his greatness on display in the 1997 Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. He came up short however the following year losing the Super Bowl to John Elway's Denver Broncos. Despite only having 1 Super Bowl championship to his name, Farve broke all the individual passing records. He had a rocket for an arm, and an extremely accurate, gritty, competitive athlete. He also has the record for most consecutive starts for a QB at 297, a record that will most likely never be broken. An example of his commitment to his team, was best demonstrated the day after his father died where he threw for 399 yards and 4 touchdowns on Monday Night Football. Even after his time at Green Bay he almost led the Minnesota Vikings to the Super Bowl in 2010. He was truly a tremendous competitor, one of the greatest to play the position. 

1. Peyton Manning

• Career: Indianapolis Colts (1998-2011) Denver Broncos (2011-2015)
• Winning Percentage: 69% (186-79); 2nd all time
• Total Passing Yards: 71,940; 2nd all time
• Completion Percentage: 65%; 5th all time
• Career Passer Rating: 96.5%; 7th all time
• TD-INTO ratio: 539-251 (2.15%) 7th all time
• PRO-Bowls: 14 (1999, 2000, 2002-2010, 2012-2014)
• Most Valuable Player: 5 (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013) 
• Superbowl Championships: 2-2 (2007, 2016)
• Superbowl MVP: 1 (2007)
• Legacy: For me the greatest all time quarterback is Peyton Manning for various reasons. First is that he is the only quarterback on this list to have won the super bowl with 2 different teams, the Colts and the Broncos. He completely changed the culture in Indianapolis leading them to 9 playoff appearances and their first ever Super Bowl championship in 2007, and another appearance in 2010 where they lost to the Saints. He also went on to do this with the Denver Broncos winning in 2015. He broke almost all the individual passing records, some of which have been recently broken by Drew Brees. He also has 5 MVPs to his name, more than any other player. Beyond his competitive natural leadership he is also a very sincere, funny, and likable person. I believe had he been on the New England Patriots he would have more championships than Brady. Perhaps I might be a little biased as a Hoosier native (not a Colts fan however) but Peyton is the greatest quarterback of all time.