Who is the best quarterback ever? That is a question that NFL fans have always debated, and always will. There is an inherent problem that lies in the question itself though. You can’t feasibly compare quarterbacks across the entire history of the NFL. How are you supposed to compare Norm Van Brocklin to Joe Montana, Michael Vick, or Baker Mayfield? The game of football changes constantly, and for that reason, you can’t determine a clear greatest of all time.
Instead, you can break it down by generation. Who was the best Quarterback each decade?
1950’s
We’re starting with the 1950s because this is when football really started realizing passing was an acceptable part of the game. Yes, you had Sammy Baugh and Bob Waterfield in the ’30s and ’40s. But in the 1950s the game finally accepted the passing game. Quarterbacks became Field Generals and had to prove their toughness, showing leadership to the rest of the team. There were none better at that than Otto Graham.
Best of the ’50s: Otto Graham
Graham played from 1946-1955 for the Cleveland Browns, leading them to a 47-4-3 record and 4 championships in the ’40s. But he was just getting started. From 1950-55, Otto Graham led the Browns to 6 straight championship games, winning 3 of them. That made for 10 straight championship appearances from 1946-1955. With a career record of 105-17-10, he absolutely dominated the league. Graham truly revolutionized the Quarterback position and was one of the first, true, greats.
Honorable Mention:
- Norm Van Brocklin (Rams/Eagles 1949-60)
- Y.A Tittle (49ers 1951-60)
1960’s
In 1960, the American Football League was founded, eventually merging with the National Football league in 1969. Thanks to these two leagues, the ’60s became an era of great Quarterbacks in both leagues. Whether they were methodical field generals analyzing every throw, or gunslingers creating the first 4000 yard passing season in history. These quarterbacks were playing under the likes Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, and Tom Landry. It doesn’t get much better, does it?
Best of the 60’s: Johnny Unitas
I know, ‘Broadway’ Joe Namath had the first 4000 yard passing season, and Bart Starr has a .900 winning percentage in the playoffs. But Johnny Unitas was special. Throughout his career, he totaled 40,239 passing yards, but 26,548 were in the 1960’s alone. He was a pro-bowler 11 seasons in a row from 1957-67 and was an All-Pro in ’58, ’59, ’64 and ’67. And as if that weren’t enough, he was league MVP in ’59, ’64 and ’67. The ’60s were Unitas’ prime years. He also set the record for the most consecutive games with a passing touchdown at 47, a record that stood until 2012 when Drew Brees finally surpassed it.
Honorable Mention:
- Joe Namath (Jets/Rams 1965-77)
- Bart Starr (Packers 1956-71)
1970’s
In the 1970s there were a number of rule changes that benefit Quarterbacks greatly. Changes were made to the way Offensive Linemen could block, and contact with Wide Receivers was limited to five yards downfield. This made huge changes to the way the game was played and allowed passing to become a much bigger focus of the game.
Best of the ’70s: Terry Bradshaw
This was a tough one, that can almost come down to the flip of a coin, much like where Bradshaw ended up in the 1970 draft. Roger Staubach was a great player, but due to a military commitment, did not play his rookie season until he was 27.
Bradshaw, of course, ended up with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Leading them to a total of 4 Super Bowl wins, he clearly had what it took to win. This was assisted of course, by the ‘Steel Curtain’ defense. Even with multiple shortened seasons, due to injuries and a lockout, Terry Bradshaw still put up an impressive 27,989 passing yards in his career. One of Bradshaw’s defining moments was in Super Bowl X, completing a 64 yard touchdown pass to Lynn Swann while getting demolished by Larry Cole. Bradshaw suffered a serious concussion from this hit, but it sealed the second straight Super Bowl for the Steelers, defeating Roger Staubach and Tom Landry.
Honorable Mention:
- Roger Staubach (Cowboys 1969-79)
- Fran Tarkenton (Vikings 1961-66, 72-78, Giants 1967-71)
1980’s
1983. The single greatest QB draft in NFL History. Six Quarterbacks were taken in the first round, including Hall-of-Famer’s Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, and John Elway. While all of these were incredible Quarterbacks, they were not the best of the ’80s. That went to a player who was often questioned about his size and was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1979 draft.
Best of the 80’s: Joe Montana
Joe Cool. The Comeback Kid. Montana won four Super Bowls with the 49ers. Three of those games, he was named Super Bowl MVP (the first player to do so). As if that wasn’t enough, he also set the Super Bowl record for the most passes without an interception (122 in 4 games). Okay so he can play in the big game, we get it. He dominated the league in the regular season too, posting the highest passer rating in 1981, ‘84, ‘85, ‘87 and ‘89. But who could forget one of his most incredible drives? A 92 yard, game winning drive against the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII.
While his size was questioned coming into the league, that quickly fell to the wayside. Joe Montana quickly became one of the most clutch quarterbacks to ever play the game and one of the best Quarterbacks ever.
Honorable Mention:
- Dan Marino (Dolphins 1983-99)
- John Elway (Broncos 1983-98)
- Jim Kelly (Bills 1986-96)
1990’s
Oh, the 90’s. Millennials will try to tell you you’re not a millennial if you were born after 1995, or is it 96? Who cares. There were great Quarterbacks in the ’90s. The West-Coast Offense developed by Bill Walsh took off. Thanks to this, passing numbers went up incredibly.
Best of the ’90s: Steve Young
Yes, the 49ers had two of the best Quarterbacks of all time. And they were back to back. Queue Drake. Back to the 90s though. The lefty, Steve Young was the definition of efficient. He leads the league in passer rating six times, a record no other quarterback has achieved. He has a career passer rating of 96.8. If that isn’t enough, he also leads the league in completion percentage and yards per attempt five times.
So, clearly Young could make great choices with the ball, but that didn’t always mean using his arm. Young has the third most rushing yard sales of all time for a QB at 4,239 and had 43 rushing touchdowns. A true dual-threat Quarterback. His abilities earned him two MVP awards, one Super Bowl MVP, and two super bowl wins as a starter. Maybe being Joe Montana’s backup wasn’t a bad thing. Was Steve Young best Quarterback ever? He was definitely one of them.
Honorable Mention:
- Brett Favre (Falcons 1991, Packers 1992-07, Jets 2008, Vikings 2009-10)
- Troy Aikman (Cowboys 1989-00)
- Dan Marino (Dolphins 1983-99)
- Jim Kelly (Bills 1986-96)
- Warren Moon (Oilers 1984-93, Vikings 1994-96, Seahawks 1997-98, Chiefs 1999-00)
- John Elway (Broncos 1983-98)
2000’s
Once again, the NFL had a shift in play. Mobile Quarterbacks became more prevalent in the league like Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb. On the other hand, there were generational field generals and pocket passers. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning came into their own. And of course the gunslinger Brett Favre. What an exciting era of football.
Best of the 00’s: Peyton Manning
OMAHA OMAHA. No, I’m not calling an audible. Peyton is the best of the 2000s. No questions. No other player has ever understood the game in the way Peyton has. He picked apart defenses before a play would even begin by calling audibles, hot routes, and protection schemes. Manning was the Quarterback, the Head Coach, and the GM. He made the calls. And for good reason.
Over the course of his 18 seasons, he managed to set the football world on fire. The most touchdown passes (539), most MVP awards (5), most 4,000 yard passing seasons (14), most yards in a season (5,477), and most passing touchdowns in a season (55). The Sheriff also went to a record 14 Pro Bowls, was a First-Team All-Pro 7 times, and won two Super Bowls with two different teams (the only Quarterback to do this).
So you think he had great coaching like Brady? Well… Peyton went to the Super Bowl four times. All with different coaches. It’s hard to say any one player has had as big an impact on a team than Peyton Manning did.
Honorable Mention:
- Brett Favre (Falcons 1991, Packers 1992-07, Jets 2008, Vikings 2009-10)
- Tom Brady (Patriots 2000-present)
- Kurt Warner (Packers 2004, Rams 1998-2003, Giants 2004, Cardinals 2005-09)
- Michael Vick (Falcons 2001-06, Eagles 2009-13, Jets 2014, Steelers 2015)
2010’s
Okay so everyone expects this to be Tom Brady. Well, it’s not. Get over it. He’s successful. It doesn’t mean he’s the best. If you think he is, tell me why in our forums. I’ll gladly tell you why you’re wrong.
Now that that’s over. We’ve seen some seriously impressive Quarterbacks since 2010. Many are possibilities for being the best Quarterback ever. There is a slew of different types of QBs. From the mobile QBs like Cam Newton to pocket passers like Tom Brady. Then in the middle, there are guys with ‘escapability’ like Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger. But who is really the best?
Best of the 10’s: Drew Brees
F**k Tom Brady. Here are some facts from the 2010-2018 seasons.
| Drew Brees | Tom Brady | |
| Yards | 43,791 | 39,670 |
| TDs | 318 | 292 |
| INTs | 123 | 72 |
| Comp % | 69.4% | 64.8% |
| Passer Rating | 102.4 | 101.7 |
Told you Brady isn’t the best. Brees has had an incredible career. He currently holds the following NFL records: career pass completions, career completion percentage, career passing yards, 2nd in career touchdown passes, 3rd in regular-season passer rating, and 4th in postseason passer rating. Not enough? He also holds the record for the most consecutive games with a touchdown pass. With five seasons over 5,000 passing yards he currently sits at 74,437. Brees has led the league in yards a record seven times, and touchdowns a record-tying four times.
So he’s got a lot of records, but Brees has awards too. The NFL comeback player of the year in 2004, and Offensive Player of the year in ‘08 and ‘11. And finally, he was awarded Super Bowl MVP during his win in Super Bowl XLIV.
Brees makes a serious argument for the best Quarterback ever. And he’s still playing. All of this at 6’0”, in a league that criticizes quarterbacks that aren’t 6’4” or 6’5”.
Honorable Mention:
- Tom Brady (Patriots 2000-present)
- Philip Rivers (Chargers 2004-present)
- Aaron Rodgers (Packers 2005-present)
- Peyton Manning (Colts 1998-2011, Broncos 2012-15)
- Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers 2004-present)
New Generation
So we’re considering the new generation of Quarterbacks to be ones still on rookie deals. It’s early to say who will really be the best but there’s some serious talent in the group. Who is the future of the best Quarterback ever?
Best of the Future: Patrick Mahomes
Kermit the Frog. I had to add that.. the guy literally sounds like Kermit. In reality, Mahomes has the strongest arm in the league. Mahomes has shown he has the makings to be one of the greatest and most exciting players in the game. Hence his no look passes. Albeit it has only been for one year, he’s on the right track for success.
Assuming he doesn’t have some catastrophic injury, it’s safe to say that Mahomes will be one of the greats. His one full season he had over 5,000 passing yards (one of only seven players to do so). He also threw 50 touchdowns. This made him the second quarterback to achieve both of those stats in one season. The other? Peyton Manning. And what shouldn’t be surprising is he won the MVP award thanks to those stats.
Honorable Mention
- Carson Wentz (Eagles 2016-current)
- Baker Mayfield (Browns 2018-current)
- Deshaun Watson (Texans 2017-current)
- Jared Goff (Rams 2016-current)
