Quarterback is the most important position in the NFL.
They’re the sun in the middle of their offense’s solar system. And while it’s possible to win a world title without an upper crust passer behind center, it’s harder than ever to pull that off in a league that values its aerial attacks more than ever. Eighteen of the last 20 Super Bowls have been won by quarterbacks who are likely bound for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.
Some franchises have been blessed by multiple stars behind center. Others have lurched through barren deserts looking for a long-term solution who can make them a perennial contender. But every team has one (or, in rare cases) two quarterbacks who stand above the rest when it comes to naming a best ever.
And that’s what we’re here to discuss.
Longevity and team success played a significant role in figuring out who each franchise’s most legendary quarterback was. Some were no-brainers. Others were debates with no losers. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the opposite.
Who stands atop mountains and elevated hills across the NFL landscape? As of 2023, these are the jewels that stand out in each franchise’s crown.
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Arizona Cardinals: Jim Hart
The best quarterbacks in Cardinals history — Carson Palmer and Kurt Warner — didn’t stick around for long. Each lasted just five seasons in the desert. Hart, on the other hand, played for 18 years and earned four Pro Bowl nods and an All-Pro selection over that span. He also led the franchise to its first playoff appearances since leaving Chicago in 1959 … losing both.
Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan
Michael Vick cuts one heck of a “what if,” but no one in the franchise can match Ryan’s longevity and run of “good, even occasionally great”-ness. The former third overall pick burst onto the scene with winning records in his first five seasons as a starter. Over time he transformed into a prolific volume passer — 290 passing yards per game from 2012-2020 — and earned 2016 MVP honors. This of course, led to a Super Bowl appearance where nothing horrifying happened to Falcons fans.
Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco
There’s only 27 seasons of data to work with here. While Lamar Jackson is, just like in real life, in position to usher Flacco out the door he can’t match the longtime starter’s overall success — especially in the postseason.
The former Delaware Blue Hen’s passer rating of 84.1 ranks 25th out of 33 quarterbacks to make at least 50 starts from 2008 to 2017, right behind Kyle Orton. But Orton didn’t go 10-5 in the postseason or win a Super Bowl MVP.
Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly
Kelly’s a rare breed — a modern era quarterback who was a first-team All-Pro but not an MVP. He lost out on that honor to teammate Thurman Thomas, who he teamed up with for four straight AFC championships. At the peak of his powers — 1987 to 1995 — he was a perennial top five quarterback in terms of touchdown rate and overall efficiency. His 18 fourth quarter comebacks over that stretch rank second only to the greatest quarterback in Miami Dolphins history.
Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton
With all due respect to Jake Delhomme and Steve Beuerlein, there’s no doubt who the best quarterback in Panthers history is. The 2015 MVP was dealt a rough hand when injuries sapped him of his budding downfield accuracy in the late-2010s, but at his peak Newton was a derecho sweeping over the flat land of the gridiron with devastating speed and power. Of course, he only led Carolina to three winning seasons and never in back-to-back seasons, so there’s an attainable bar here for Bryce Young to clear.
Chicago Bears: Jim McMahon
Per Pro Football Reference’s approximate value tool, only one of the top 50 most valuable players in Bears’ franchise history is a quarterback … and that’s Jay Cutler. McMahon coasted off a dominant defense and great supporting cast in stretches — his career high for touchdown passes in a season is 15 — but he also unlocked the best version of himself for the team’s 1985 Super Bowl run. He had 626 passing yards and three touchdowns without an interception as Chicago rolled to its last Lombardi Trophy, earning the hardware to cement his spot at the top of this list.
Cincinnati Bengals: Ken Anderson
We’re a few winning seasons away from Joe Burrow taking over this spot, but for the time being Anderson — the 1981 NFL MVP — reigns. His 91-81 record as a starter was enough to inch him beyond Boomer Esiason despite Esiason’s 1988 MVP and subsequent Super Bowl appearance.
His passer rating of 82.3 was second-best among all starting quarterbacks to play in at least 100 games between 1972 and 1984, trailing only Roger Staubach. Unfortunately, like Esiason and Burrow, his lone Super Bowl ended in defeat.
Cleveland Browns: Brian Sipe
It’s a grim scene for the Browns, but Sipe proved you can be a top three MVP candidate while leading the league in interceptions (1979) and then took home the award in 1980. That led to his lone playoff appearance, where he completed 13 of 40 passes and threw three interceptions in a 12-14 loss to the Raiders.
Dallas Cowboys: Roger Staubach
Is there a wrong answer between Staubach and Troy Aikman? Both are Hall of Famers with six Pro Bowl honors and multiple Super Bowl rings each. But while Aikman was efficient and rose to the occasion when it mattered most, Staubach helped redefine what a quarterback could do. His dual-threat capabilities flummoxed defenses on the ground (5.5 yards per carry in his career) and he led the league in passer rating in four of his eight seasons as a starter.
Denver Broncos: John Elway
Elway was a bridge between the old, inefficient days of quarterbacking and the advent of pass-heavy offenses, peaking — in terms of passing efficiency — well into his 30s. That also happened to be when he got the Broncos over the hump and won back-to-back Super Bowls in his final two seasons on the field. More than a decade later, he returned to the franchise as general manager and signed Peyton Manning, leading to the team’s third Super Bowl win (please do not sort through his other quarterback acquisitions, thank you).
Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford
This decision came down to Stafford and early 1970s quarterback Greg Landry, which created an apples-to-bowling-balls comparison between two very different eras. Ultimately, Stafford’s three playoff appearances to Landry’s one and 33,000 more passing yards in Honolulu Blue gave him the nod.
He was tasked with making the most out of a bad situation throughout his mismanaged Lions years, playing arguably his best football under Jim Caldwell (who was later fired for the cardinal sin of, uh going 36-28 as head coach of this cursed franchise). He finally got to shine on a brighter stage once he was traded to the Rams, and the return from that deal has set Detroit up to compete for both the short and long terms.
Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay has a handful of Super Bowl-winning, Hall-of-Fame caliber quarterbacks who stuck around for a decade-plus in Wisconsin. Bart Starr? Incredible. Brett Favre? Awesome on the field and a wreck off it. Aaron Rodgers? The same, to a lesser degree. But Rodgers’ four MVP awards sway this in his favor … for the regular season. If we’re talking playoffs, then you’d want Starr — 9-1 in the postseason in his career with four NFL titles won.
Houston Texans: Matt Schaub
Deshaun Watson was on his way to taking this crown, but he loudly requested a trade out of town even before more than 20 counts of sexual misconduct and what the league itself later described as “predatory behavior” ended his career as a Texan. So the honor falls to Schaub, who emerged from Michael Vick’s shadow in Atlanta to earn a pair of Pro Bowl invitations and a single playoff berth in Houston. Good news CJ Stroud; there’s a clear path to the top here.
Indianapolis Colts: Johnny Unitas OR Peyton Manning
There’s no wrong answer between Manning and Unitas; you’re either getting a three-time MVP and four-time NFL champion or five-time MVP and Super Bowl champion. Between 1956 and 1967, Unitas threw for 12,000 more yards than the next closest NFL quarterback. Between 1999 and 2010 Manning threw for 6,000 more yards than second place. Both prolific, both great, don’t make me choose.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Mark Brunell
Jacksonville’s first quarterback is, to date, its most accomplished. All three of Brunell’s Pro Bowl seasons came with the Jaguars and his dual-threat capabilities brought the expansion franchise to the postseason in its second year of existence — and the three seasons that followed as well. Through two seasons, Trevor Lawrence is in solid position to overtake him — but it’ll take some work.
Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes
It takes a lot to unseat a legend like Len Dawson — a two-time NFL champion who somehow made drinking a Fresca look cool. But Mahomes has two Super Bowl wins and two MVP awards in only five seasons as a starter. He’ll likely wrest the franchise record for career passing yards (and possibly touchdowns) from Dawson this winter. It’s projecting a bit to throw him ahead of the Chiefs’ legend this early, but barring catastrophic injury it’s clear he’s on his way to something special.
Las Vegas Raiders: Ken Stabler
“Snake” won a Super Bowl, a league MVP and twice led the NFL in touchdown passes. He was a brand of old-school cool that epitomized the 1970s Oakland Raiders. He only had one losing record as a full-time starter too — and that was with the Houston Oilers at age 36.
Los Angeles Chargers: Philip Rivers
From 2008 to 2010, Rivers was the most efficient quarterback in the league. His passer rating was higher than Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. His 8.6 yards per pass were significantly better than second-place Aaron Rodgers.
But his place among the elite was unraveled by team struggles and postseason failure — see Nate Kaeding’s disastrous performance in a 2010 Divisional Round playoff game following a 13-3 regular season. Even so, at his peak Rivers was an absolute stud (and around it he was pretty good, too).
Los Angeles Rams: Kurt Warner
Warner was enough of a stud to earn top honors despite just three seasons with more than six starts for the Rams. He fit a pair of MVP awards into that short window — one more than runner-up Roman Gabriel. He’s also responsible for 40 percent of the franchise’s Super Bowl appearances and half its Super Bowl wins. He didn’t burn long as a Ram, but he burned brighter than anyone else.
Miami Dolphins: Dan Marino
The greatest quarterback to never win a Super Bowl was an immediate hit in south Florida; his 108.9 passer rating in 1984 was the highest mark the league had seen in nearly 25 years. He spent nearly two decades as the engine behind the Dolphins’ offense, leading the league in completions six different times and retiring with a then-record 61,000 passing yards in 1999 — nearly 10,000 more yards than second-place John Elway. That led to 10 playoff appearances in 17 years but, unfortunately, only one unsuccessful Super Bowl start.
Minnesota Vikings: Fran Tarkenton
Tarkenton is the best quarterback in Vikings history despite spending five years of his prime as a New York Giant (four Pro Bowl invitations). But his return to Minnesota at age 32 gave way to a new era of success. He ended his career as a Vike with six straight winning seasons, the 1975 NFL MVP award and three fruitless Super Bowl appearances.
New England Patriots: Tom Brady
I mean, six Super Bowl rings (before a seventh). NFL records in nearly every major counting stat. He’s Tom Brady.
New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees
Brees arrived in New Orleans after being cast out by the Chargers and finished his career as an icon, reversing the fortunes of a franchise that hadn’t been past the Divisional Round of the playoffs before his arrival. The Saints were 237-352-5 pre-Brees (a 40 percent win rate) and 142-86 with him (62.3 percent). They have five playoff appearances in 40 seasons without Brees and had nine while he dressed in black and gold, including a Super Bowl win.
New York Giants: Eli Manning
Manning or Phil Simms? Each has two Super Bowl rings, but Simms’ second came from the sideline thanks to injury. That, along with Eli’s all-or-nothing playoff runs — he’s won four straight games to win a title twice and been one-and-done in each of his remaining four postseason appearances) give him the edge. The younger Manning was never consistently great and led the NFL in interceptions three different seasons. But he showed up when it mattered most (sometimes) and created a kinda bizarre legend for himself.
New York Jets: Joe Namath
There haven’t been many serious competitors to Broadway Joe’s crown; the two that have come the closest in the nearly five decades since are Ken O’Brien and … Richard Todd? Chad Pennington? Despite the lack of competition, Namath’s icon status, All-Pro honors and Super Bowl victory make him a worthy figure atop this steeply sloped mountain.
Philadelphia Eagles: Donovan McNabb
Each year McNabb started at least 10 games in the regular season, the Eagles finished with a winning record. They made four straight NFC title game appearances in that stretch and made it to the postseason seven times in those nine years. That was enough to push him past Randall Cunningham (electric two-time MVP runner-up who couldn’t match McNabb’s consistency) and Ron Jaworski (solid, if unspectacular, for roughly a decade).
Pittsburgh Steelers: Terry Bradshaw
Bradshaw’s numbers don’t scale up to a modern pass-happy NFL. They didn’t look especially great at the time, either; from 1970-1983 his 70.9 passer rating was 19th best among 36 quarterbacks to make at least 50 starts.
But stats couldn’t measure his impact on that game. He never finished with a losing record between 1972 and 1982. Over that stretch, he won four Super Bowls and was named 1978’s MVP.
San Francisco 49ers: Joe Montana
Four Super Bowls, three Super Bowl MVPs, two regular season MVPs and a 14-5 record with the 49ers in the postseason. Montana was the only quarterback in the 1980s to start at least 64 games and complete more than 60 percent of his passes (he clocked in just under 64 percent for the decade).
Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson
Wilson was superbly efficient as a Seahawk, seizing a starting role as a rookie and immediately becoming a perennial Pro Bowler. His 5.6 percent completion percentage over expected (CPOE) was tops among all starting quarterbacks in his decade with Seattle — a full 1.1 more than second place Peyton Manning.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Doug Williams
There isn’t a single quarterback who has spent more than five seasons as the Bucs’ primary starter. So rather than give this award to Tom Brady for three very good years, let’s single out Williams for his general success in a dire era. He was the starter for the franchise’s first postseason appearance (and trip to the NFC title game!) and made it to the playoffs in three of his five seasons. Tampa Bay wouldn’t make it back to the bracket for 15 years following his departure.
Tennessee Titans: Steve McNair
Eliminating the Oilers from consideration hands this award to McNair instead of making it a debate between him and Warren Moon. At his best, the former Alcorn State star was a magician capable of spinning disaster into gold. He was 2003’s MVP and led the Titans one yard away from what could have been the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory. He also had five seasons with at least 400 rushing yards to bevel off his high impact passing game.
Washington Commanders: Joe Theismann
Both an MVP and a Super Bowl champion — albeit at the end of a strike-shortened 1982 season — Theismann game varied from season to season but he saved his best work for the biggest moments. His 91.4 postseason passer rating is nearly 15 points higher than his regular season mark, including a fourth-quarter comeback to seal Super Bowl XVII.
