Top 5 NFL Football Quarterbacks of All Time

You’re always asking for trouble when you get into a Top 5 of anything, especially when you’re talking about quarterbacks in our beloved NFL. But hey, we’ve got opinions just like you do, and we’re pretty sure this is the kind of article that will get a bunch of you piping up about how wrong we are, and that’s great!

Joe Montana (1979-1994) San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs

Statistics don’t always mean the best ever, but ‘Joe Cool’s’ do – eleven total playoff appearances, nine divisional championships, victories in Super Bowls XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV (the MVP in three of them). Quarterbacks ever since have been clambering to rack up stats that come anywhere near Montana’s, and though many may enjoy longer careers, it is doubtful any will match his accomplishments.

Dan Marino (1983-1999) Miami Dolphins

With that quickest release in football and his bullet passes, he left defences always wondering if he was going to somehow let fly even under the most intense pressure. He didn’t win a Super Bowl, but set a standard in the league with 20 records and more than 60,000 passing yards. The only rookie QB to start the Pro Bowl, Marino will be remembered for his consistent high quality of play thoughrout his career, especially when compared with other QBs who had better teams in front of them. Marino put up huge numbers with some questionable offences.

John Elway (1983-1999) Denver Broncos

The only quarterback to have ever started in five Super Bowls, ‘The Comeback Kid’ is known for finding ways to win after being down in the fourth quarter. His impressive arm strength helped him complete 300 TD passes, and he holds the record with 47 comeback victories. Though he averaged an interception per game, his clutch big plays and never-say-die leadership rate him among the best in the position. As well, ending his career with two consecutive championships was a classy way to go out.

Brett Favre (1992-present) Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings

The ‘Ironman’ Favre just can’t seem to leave the game, and by staying he’s hiking up his NFL stats to somewhere very few have been or will ever be. He is almost at 300 consecutive starts, and he owns or shares around 30 different NFL records, the majority of them involving the words, ‘consecutive games…’. Though his percentages aren’t the highest, he just can’t be overlooked having the record of most career touchdown passes. He’s got a ring to boast and the results to prove that he’s one of the hardest-working QBs to ever play the game.

Troy Aikman (1989-2000) Dallas Cowboys

Aikman won 90 games in the 90s, the most of any quarterback. He is known for being a big-game QB, taking his team to three consecutive Super Bowls and winning them all, being named Super Bowl MVP after the 52-17 drubbing of the Bills in 1992. The mechanics behind his throwing were impeccable, and he took a beating to help his team win night-in night-out, with 10 concussions to prove it. He had the receivers he needed to compete at the highest possible level, and he made it work for the best throughout the early 90s dynasty in the Big D.