What does it take to be an All-Time elite NFL quarterback? Is it the signal-caller with the best statistics? The most Super Bowls? How about leading your team to the playoffs year after year?
The answer is, “All of the above.”
Through hours of research, I have analyzed over 200 NFL quarterbacks and assigned them points based on their career statistical rankings, Super Bowl wins and appearances, All Pro and MVP nominations and season leading statistics.
Each category is weighted based on importance:
Super Bowl Wins 12 points each
League MVP 15 points each
1st Team All-Pro 10 points each
Super Bowl MVP 9 points each
Super Bowl Losses 8 points each
Seasons Leading Pass Yards 8 points
Seasons Leading Pass TD’s 8 points
2-5th Place MVP Voting 7.5 points
Playoff Wins 5 points
Seasons Leading Int’s -8 points
Please note that this list is an accumulation of a quarterback’s achievements and statistics over their career—a quarterback with a long career with a large amount of accolades is more likely to make the list over a quarterback with multiple accolades and shorter career.
1. Tom Brady 725.5 points
The Goat by a mile. You know Tom Brady’s resume over 23 seasons—7 Super Bowl wins (3 losses), 3 MVP’s, 5 Super Bowl MVP’s, 3 times First-Team All Pro and the all-time leader in Passing Yards and Passing Touchdowns.
No one’s going to touch Tom Brady for a long time.
2. Peyton Manning 543.5 points
Once again, Peyton Manning plays second fiddle to Tom Brady.
Manning’s 5 MVP’s and 7 First-Team All-Pro selections along with his top-3 passing marks are what make up for his lack of Super Bowls and put him ahead of Joe Montana.
3. Joe Montana 412.5 points
Joe Cool was the GOAT until Tom Brady came along. His 4 Super Bowls, 2 MVPs and 3 First-Team All-Pro selections were unmatched for a couple decades.
If quarterbacks in the 80’s had the protection that they do today, Montana’s career may have been extended and then who knows how many rings he’d have.
4. Brett Favre 385.5 points
Although he only won one Super Bowl (and lost another), Brett Favre held many NFL passing record for a while. He also won 3 MVP’s and 3 First-Team All-Pro’s over a 20-season career.
5. Aaron Rodgers 385.5 points
What a QB dynasty in Green Bay! Nearly 30 years of Hall of Fame quarterback play between Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers picked up where Favre left off—amassing 4 MVP’s and 4 First-Team All-Pro selections, 1 Super Bowl and top-10 in most career quarterback numbers.
6. Drew Brees 382.0 points
Although he never won an MVP, Drew Brees placed in the top-5 in four different seasons. Add a Super Bowl win and top-5 in most all-time QB statistics and Brees is a top-10 all-time quarterback.
7. Johnny Unitas 355.0 points
It’s tough comparing quarterbacks from the 80’s and 90’s to todays. It’s even tougher comparing QB’s from the 50’s and 60’s.
Johnny Unitas transcended the quarterback position. He retired in 1973 and is still top-25 in passing yards (23rd) and passing touchdowns (17th).
Top that off with 3 world championships, 5 First-Team All-Pro nominations, 3 MVP awards and four 2nd-5th place MVP finishes and you have the 7thbest quarterback of all time.
8. Dan Marino 349.0 points
Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl. He DID break every NFL passing record and hold on to them for a decade all the while winning an MVP and 3 First-Team All-Pro’s. Marino is still top-10 in most significant passing marks and led the NFL in passing yards 5 times and passing touchdowns 3 times.
9. John Elway 346.5 points
It’s unlikely there will be a fairytale ending to a quarterback’s career more so than John Elway’s.
After getting blown out in three Super Bowls in the ‘80’s, Elway’s career was left for dead over the next half-decade before going on to win consecutive Super Bowls at the end of his career.
Elway’s numbers were as consistent as they come in a time where inflated quarterback numbers were not as prevalent as they are today.
Tack on an MVP in 1987 and three other top-5 MVP finishes, and John Elway is a top-10 All-Time quarterback.
10. Patrick Mahomes 338.5 points
Patrick Mahomes has taken Tom Brady’s torch and it appears he’ll be holding on to it for a while.
In only 6 seasons, Mahomes has 3 Super Bowls wins (1 loss), 2 MVP’s, 3 times placed 2nd-5th in MVP voting, won 1st-Team All-Pro honors twice and has 15 total playoff wins.
11. Steve Young 290.0 points
Once he got his shot, Steve Young never looked back.
Starting in his first full season as 49ers quarterback in 1992, Young won 3 consecutive First-Team All-Pro’s and MVP in 2 out of 3 seasons. He’d go on to lead the league in touchdown passes 4 times and a Super Bowl.
12. Ben Roethlisberger 284.0 points
In his 18 seasons, Big Ben won 2 Super Bowls, placed Top-5 in all-time passing yards and touchdowns, led the NFL in passing yards twice (and interceptions twice) and won 13 playoff games.
13. Fran Tarkenton 276.5 points
Guess who’s passing records Dan Marino broke—Fran Tarkenton’s.
Although he never won a Super Bowl, Tarkenton led the Vikings to four of them, won league MVP once, was 1st-Team All-Pro once and is STILL top-15 all-time in many passing statistics!
14. Terry Bradshaw 267.5 points
The ‘70’s Steelers dynasty is most notable for its Steel Curtain defense. But they would’ve never won 4 Super Bowls without Terry Bradshaw.
In a time when the NFL’s focus was NOT on quarterback safety, Bradshaw still put up respectable numbers, including leading the league in passing touchdowns twice and winning the 1978 MVP and First-Team All-Pro.
15. Kurt Warner 264.0 points
Kurt Warner only started 10 or more games SEVEN TIMES in his 12-year NFL career.
However, in a short time, he won a Super Bowl, lost two others, won MVP twice, First Team All-Pro twice and was the architect of one of the most amazing, out-of-nowhere offenses of all-time!
16. Dan Fouts 262.5 points
Although he only won three playoff games, Dan Fouts was a regular-season juggernaut in the early ’80’s. As the leader of “Air Coryell,” Fouts would lead the NFL in passing four consecutive seasons, lead the league in touchdowns in 1981 and 1982 and finish top-6 in MVP voting from 1979-1982.
17. Russell Wilson 241.0 points
Although he’s currently in the twilight of his career, Russell Wilson’s first 10 seasons with the Seahawks were about as good and consistent as it gets. Although he never won an MVP or All-Pro nomination, Wilson was consistently among the league leaders in passing yards and passing touchdowns (he led the league in 2017).
Tack on two Super Bowl appearances (winning it all in 2013) and you have yourself a top-20 All-Time quarterback.
18. Eli Manning 238.0 points
Why is Eli Manning on this Top-20 list?
How about because he won 2 Super Bowls (both over the GOAT) AND placed top-10 on the career passing yards and touchdowns list.
19. Jim Kelly 237.0 points
In only 11 seasons, Jim Kelly led the Bills to 8 playoff appearances and four Super Bowls. Did he win any of them? No. But the record of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances had never happened before the Bills did it and hasn’t happened since.
Kelly won First-Team All-Pro honors in 1991 and although only playing 160 regular season games in an era where quarterbacks weren’t protected as they are today, still put up Hall of Fame-level passing numbers.
20. Matt Ryan 236.0 points
He almost had a Super Bowl win versus Tom Brady in 2016.
Nonetheless, Matt Ryan put up incredible and consistent passing numbers over his 15 seasons in the NFL, ranking in the top-10 in most passing categories.
Ryan also won MVP and First-Team All-Pro honors in 2016.
