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Debates about the greatest quarterback of all time are almost as popular as professional football itself.
Sports fans love a good argument, and when we argue it tends to be about football — since the NFL is the clear top dog among North American sports.
The debate about quarterback rankings dominates news cycles — since the position gets the most attention of any in sports.
The QB position is the hardest to play on the field and quarterbacks are the most scrutinized players, a fact that earns them extra attention and glory when they win.
Have a top-class quarterback and you’re sure to be one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl at the best NFL betting sites.
10. Warren Moon
- Moon did not start his NFL career until he was 28 because he spent his first six seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
- But if you consider those prime seasons in Edmonton, Moon threw for more than 70,000 yards.
- This would rank fifth among all quarterbacks, an especially dumbfounding fact since he played in an era defined by running the ball.
Moon never played in a Super Bowl, but he was ahead of his time by manning the run-and-shoot offense with the Houston Oilers from 1984-1993.
A nine-time Pro Bowler and the 1990 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Moon led the NFL in passing yards twice (4,689 in 1990, 4,690 in 1991) and completions three times.
Moon played in an era where he was overshadowed by greats like Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Joe Montana, and John Elway, who were Moon’s primary rival QBs.
But Moon played until he was 44, spending three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and two years apiece in Seattle and Kansas City, and still is 13th on the all-time passing list.
He earned a Hall of Fame induction in 2006 and is clearly one of the best NFL quarterbacks of all time.
9. Drew Brees
Brees sits second on the NFL’s all-time passing list, topping the 80,000-yard mark by playing 20 seasons for the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints.
This is despite a shoulder injury that nearly cut his sure-fire Hall of Fame career short after five seasons in Southern California.
But fortunately he recovered and went east to New Orleans where he became one of the greatest QBs of his era, no small feat considering his peers are Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
He defeated Manning in Super Bowl XLIV for the Saints’ lone championship, earning MVP honors in New Orleans’ 31-17 win over the Colts.
- Brees led the NFL in passing five times, throwing for more than 5,000 yards four times.
- He led the league in completion percentage six times.
- He was the Offensive Player of the Year twice, and although he was never named NFL MVP, he was a four-time runner-up.
- Brees will be inducted into the Canton, Ohio-based Hall of Fame when he is eligible in 2026.
8. John Elway
Those who came of age in the pass-happy era of 21st Century NFL may not appreciate Elway’s career, especially since he has dropped to 12th on the NFL’s all-time passing list.
But Elway was a once-in-a-lifetime quarterback prospect, proven by the fact he was chosen first by the Baltimore Colts in the 1983 NFL Draft despite promising the Colts he’d never play for them.
After he was traded to Denver, Elway showed why he was worthy of the top pick, reaching nine Pro Bowls and winning the 1987 NFL MVP.
Elway led Denver to five Super Bowls, yet famously could not push the Broncos over the top until their upset, 31-24 victory over Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXII.
- He then officially went out on top by quarterbacking Denver to back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
- Elway won the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII by throwing for 336 passing yards and one touchdown and rushing for a TD in the Broncos’ 34-19 win over Atlanta.
7. Dan Marino
Marino is eighth on the all-time NFL passing-yards list, and dropping every year as QBs throw the ball more than ever, but he retired with the most passing yards in NFL history.
This fact cannot be overlooked even though he was famously unable to win a Super Bowl.
- Marino set multiple records, including becoming the first quarterback to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season.
- He did this as well as throwing 48 touchdowns on his way to winning NFL MVP in his legendary 1984 season.
- He pushed the Dolphins to Super Bowl XIX the same year, but Marino and Miami were defeated by Joe Montana’s San Francisco 49ers, 38-16.
He led the NFL in passing five times, including his 5,084 yards in 1984, which stood as the most in a single season for 27 years before Brees surpassed it in 2011.
He led the NFL in passing touchdowns three times, including the 48 TDs in 1984, a record that stood for 23 years until Tom Brady topped it in 2007.
6. Brett Favre
- A self-proclaimed gunslinger from Mississippi, Favre became an NFL legend with his every-man personality and laser-rocket arm.
- Favre was a three-time MVP and three-time first-team All-Pro who sits fourth on the all-time passing-yards list.
Favre is mostly remembered for his time in Green Bay, one of the oldest NFL teams, but he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons and traded north for a first-round pick in 1993.
Favre helped Green Bay back to prominence, guiding the Packers to the Super Bowl twice and winning Super Bowl XXXI.
Favre was embroiled in controversy in his post-Packers career, including his forgettable time at the New York Jets, and has been in the news for diverting funds for the Mississippi welfare program to his own coffers.
Still, there’s no denying Favre’s ability and passion on the football field.
5. Aaron Rodgers
It’s ironic because Rodgers and Favre were teammates in Green Bay for three seasons, and reportedly embroiled in controversy while each wore a Packers uniform, yet their careers have been eerily similar.
Favre reached the Pro Bowl 11 times, and Rodgers was voted to the game 10 times. Rodgers, like Favre, has one Super Bowl ring despite the Packers being perennial Super Bowl contenders.
Both Rodgers and Favre were traded to the Jets after their tenures in Green Bay expired.
- Rodgers gets a narrow nod in the debate against Favre due to his four MVP awards.
- A further four first-team All-Pro selections.
- And the fact he was Super Bowl MVP after throwing for 303 yards and three touchdowns in Green Bay’s 31-25 win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
4. Patrick Mahomes
Some might criticize Mahomes’ presence as a top-5 QB in NFL history, especially given the number of legendary players behind him and the fact he has only played seven seasons in the NFL.
But Mahomes is the best QB in the leagueright now, one of the highest paid NFL players and already worthy of this status as one of the best quarterbacks of all time based on a number of factors.
He’s a two-time NFL MVP, who threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns in 2018 when winning the MVP in his first full season as Chiefs starting quarterback.
A year later, he got KC over the hump, winning its first Super Bowl in five decades, with a 31-20 win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
Aside from his dumbfounding individual success, Mahomes has reached the NFL’s final four in every season he’s been the Chiefs’ starting QB and has played in the Super Bowl four times in six seasons.
The Chiefs have won three times already, and Mahomes shows no sign of slowing down.
There’s a good chance he’ll be the consensus GOAT when all is said and done, especially if he and the Chiefs can complete a three-peat, something no NFL team has ever done.
3. Joe Montana
Montana’s regular-season numbers may not look impressive, especially considering he is 22nd on the NFL’s all-time passing list.
But Joe Cool was deathly efficient, leading the NFL in completion percentage five times, qualifying for the Pro Bowl eight times and winning a pair of MVP awards in 1989 and 1990.
- Plus, Montana saved his best for the postseason, where he ranks sixth on the NFL’s all-time playoff passing yards (5,772).
- He famously won four Super Bowls for San Francisco.
- He beat Marino and Elway in championship games in the process, and claimed three Super Bowl MVP awards.
Montana was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000, and he was Tom Brady’s hero growing up, making him the model that helped mold the greatest of all time.
2. Peyton Manning
Manning redefined the quarterback position early in his NFL tenure by effectively being both a signal caller and an offensive coordinator on the field by starting the audible revolution that has since become the norm in the league.
But it wasn’t just Manning’s brain that has him so high on this list. Manning led the NFL in passing three times and set all-time records for single-season yards (5,477) and touchdowns (55) as a member of the Denver Broncos in 2013.
Manning is third on the all-time passing list, won the NFL MVP five times and was a 14-time Pro Bowler over his career split between the Colts and Broncos.
He even won a pair of Super Bowl titles, claiming Super Bowl XLI MVP and going out on top with a Super Bowl L win for the Broncos.
1. Tom Brady
As easy as it would be to put Manning atop this list based on his impact and revolutionary quarterback play, there is only one answer for “Who is the greatest quarterback of all-time.”
A three-time NFL MVP and 15-time Pro Bowler who holds the record for most NFL passing yards (89,214), Brady burst on the scene in 2001 by taking over for Drew Bledsoe and leading the upstart New England Patriots to a win in Super Bowl XXXVI.
After this, he did not stop winning.
- He won six Super Bowls for New England and reached nine in his 20 seasons as Patriots quarterback.
- He is a five-time Super Bowl MVP.
- Led the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history when he guided the Patriots from down 25 points to claim a 34-28 overtime win in Super Bowl LI.
He is one of two quarterbacks to defeat Mahomes in a playoff game, and the only one to do so twice.
After departing New England after the 2019 NFL season, he went south the Tampa Bay and won his seventh Super Bowl, 31-9 over Kansas City.
Brady’s individual and team accolades are too numerous to list in a brief, so we’ll put it this way: Brady simply is the GOAT and a well-deserving No. 1 on the list of the best quarterbacks of all time.
