30 Best Quarterbacks of All Time

Bart Starr went from a 17th round pick to a Hall of Famer and NFL legend. He was the first NFL quarterback to win five league titles: three pre-Super Bowl NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls. His career completion percentage of 57.4% was an NFL best when he retired in 1972, and he led the NFL in completion percentage in four different seasons.

John Elway had one of the strongest arms of any quarterback, and he put it to good use: he ranks 10th all-time in passing yards, at 51,475. He is one of 13 quarterbacks to win both an MVP and a Super Bowl. For many years, it seemed he would come up short, but Elway finally powered his Denver Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in the last two seasons of his career.

Aaron Rodgers had big shoes to fill, replacing Hall of Famer Brett Favre in Green Bay. He’s done that admirably, becoming one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in the process. Rodgers proved himself as an elite player when he took the 2010 Packers from being the lowest seeded team into the playoffs to Super Bowl champions.

Since then, he’s racked up awards and accolades, including three NFL MVP awards. His latest MVP came in 2020, when he was 37 years old. Rodgers is one of just four quarterbacks with a lifetime QB rating over 100, though he is the only player on that list with more than a decade of NFL experience.

Dan Marino ranks on this list as the greatest quarterback without a championship ring. When he retired in 1999, he was the NFL career leader in passing TDs (420), passing yards (61,361), and completions (4,967). Throughout his career, Marino led the NFL in completions six times, passing yardage five times, and touchdowns three times.

In 2021, Drew Brees announced his retirement after 20 seasons in which he established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Many thought Brees’s career was over after he suffered a shoulder injury in 2005 with the Chargers, but he came back stronger than ever, signing with the New Orleans Saints. Brees is one of the most accurate passers of all-time, and his 67.7% completion percentage is the best among retired quarterbacks. Brees led the NFL in passing yards seven times and was the first to break 80,000 career passing yards.

Brees will forever have a place in the heart of New Orleans residents. His leadership of the Saints to the championship came not long after the city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, giving residents hope and something to cheer for.