Appreciate The Golden Age Of Quarterbacks While It Lasts
When Peyton Manning announced he would return to the Denver Broncos in 2015, it ensured that the NFL‘s Golden Age of Quarterbacks would last a little longer.
This week, Peyton Manning told The Denver Post that he plans on returning to the Denver Broncos next season. While that’s bad news for potential opponents across the NFL, it’s great news for football fans. Right now Manning and his fellow signal-callers represent the greatest collection of talent ever seen at the quarterback position in NFL history. Sadly, the Golden Age of Quarterbacks won’t last forever, so enjoy it while you can.
Manning is the greatest regular season quarterback in NFL history, and his 14 Pro Bowl selections and five MVP awards make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer. For good measure, he also ranks second all-time in passing yardage (69,418), is first in career touchdown passes (530) and is tied for second in all-time passer rating (97.6). Manning and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady may represent the best contemporary quarterback duo to ever play the game. Brady has three Super Bowl rings, two MVP awards, 10 Pro Bowl selections and five AFC Championships. Brady also ranks fifth in passing yardage (53,178) and touchdown passes (392), and is sixth in career passer rating (95.9). Those facts already make him one of the most accomplished players in NFL history and he still has a few years left to play.
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While Manning and Brady get most of the attention, there could be as many as seven other current starting quarterbacks in the league who will wind up enshrined in the Hall of Fame. That is simply unbelievable and it’s why this era has been so special for NFL fans. Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger are all record-setting quarterbacks for their respective franchises with eye-popping career numbers. Meanwhile, a case can be made for both Tony Romo and Eli Manning as potential Hall of Famers, and Andrew Luck certainly looks like he’s on his way to putting together a phenomenal career.
When Manning (who is 38) and Brady (37) finally step away from the game, other top guys will follow shortly and the league will never be the same again.
Drew Brees flies under the radar but is almost certain to receive a gold jacket in Canton someday. The 35-year-old New Orleans Saints quarterback is currently fourth on the career passing touchdowns list (395), one spot ahead of Brady (392). Brees is also fourth on the career passing yardage list (55,752) and sits seventh all-time in passer rating (95.6). He won a Super Bowl, has been to the Pro Bowl eight times and has twice been the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. So yeah, it’s fair to say he’s a lock.
Aaron Rodgers is just 31 but is already setting records. The Cal product is currently the career passer rating leader by a wide margin. He’s No. 1 at 105.8, while second place is shared by Romo and Manning at 97.6. Rodgers just keeps getting better too, as he is currently putting together another MVP-caliber season. He has an MVP award, a Super Bowl ring, four Pro Bowl selections and has already thrown 224 passing touchdowns in just seven years as a starter. It’s a safe bet that he’ll maintain this level for a few more years.
All Philip Rivers has done during his nine years as the starting quarterback for the San Diego Chargers is break franchise records. He currently owns 20 such records, while also ranking fifth on the career passer rating list (96.0). The five-time Pro Bowler also ranks 16th in passing touchdowns (252) and 20th in passing yardage (36,364). At this time next year he should be knocking on the door of the top 10 in both categories. Though Rivers has never won a Super Bowl San Diego has been to the postseason in five of his eight seasons at the helm and the Chargers can make that six out of nine with a win in Week 17 this year. Rivers is 33 and will definitely play a few more years and keep moving up the all-time lists. By the time he’s finished he’ll rank as one of the most efficient quarterbacks to ever play the game, and you can bet he’ll be headed to the Hall of Fame.
Ben Roethlisberger will be an interesting case, because he hasn’t had the individual success some of his peers have, but he has won two Super Bowls and set dozens of Pittsburgh Steelers franchise records. The 32-year-old is also 16th on the career passing yardage list (38,740), 18th on the passing touchdowns list (249) and eighth in passer rating all-time (93.9). He definitely has at least three more good years left in him and, like Rivers, will start passing a lot of guys on those lists in the next year or two. There will definitely be contentious debates about his candidacy, but I would be surprised if he didn’t make it.
Eli Manning is another tough one because he guided the New York Giants to two Super Bowl wins and was the MVP in both victories, but outside of those championship runs he hasn’t really been above average. He is tied for 41st in passer rating (82.5), but is 13th in passing touchdowns (258) and 15th in passing yards (39,326). The problem has been his lack of efficiency, as the 33-year-old has thrown a whopping 184 interceptions. He will be another guy whose candidacy is hotly debated, but I think his big-game success and his last name will help him get in.
Romo is the opposite of Eli Manning and Roethlisberger because he hasn’t had much team success but his individual numbers are gaudy. He is second all-time in passer rating (97.6), 22nd in passing touchdowns (240) and 31st in passing yards (32,971). At 34 he probably has a few years left to keep moving up those lists and the fact that he plays for the Dallas Cowboys will certainly help his candidacy. He’s the Cowboys all-time leader in passing touchdowns and passing yards, which is a really big deal in some circles. If he has any postseason success in the next few seasons he may wind up being a lock.
Obviously it’s too early to evaluate Andrew Luck as a potential Hall of Famer, but there is no doubt he has the tools to be that kind of guy. By the time Manning and Brady hang up their cleats, Luck will likely be poised take over as the consensus best quarterback in the NFL. Barring injuries, Luck should have a phenomenal career.
What was the point of me laying out the resumes of all the quarterbacks above? it’s simple, I want my readers to realize how lucky they are to be football fans right now. What we’re seeing out of the league’s current group of quarterbacks is absolutely astonishing. The NFL has never seen this level of quarterback play in its history and likely won’t ever again.
So make sure you watch as much football as you can over the next few years. These guys won’t be around forever and we will definitely miss them when they’re gone. Until then just sit back and feel lucky for fact that you are around to witness the Golden Age of Quarterbacks.