NFL all-time quarterback rankings: Who is the best?

If you’ve noticed, Peyton Manning’s name is mentioned with two different teams. Why? His role on both could say he belongs in Canton with both represented. He won a Super Bowl and an MVP with both and took each to the big game twice. Plus, he’s the only quarterback in history to win with two different teams.

What more can you say?

The Sheriff might be the most polarizing player on this list. When looking at him coming out of Tennessee in 1998, you just knew he was going to be a star. And before Brees broke the record, it was Manning who had the most touchdowns and passing yards in league history.

Manning’s mechanics were off-point, but the strength made up for it. Only he and the Colts seemed like legitimate threats against New England in the 2000s, terrorizing the AFC for over a decade. His arm? Flawless. Vision? Standout. Accuracy? Pretty consistent when you look at it.

Ask most linebackers of the 2000s who was the best and they’ll likely give the nod to Manning.

Manning won five MVPs throughout his 18-year career. The next closest? Four players with three. If Manning would have won at least one more Super Bowl, he’d be the second name here.

One could argue that Rodgers and John Elway share a similar background. Both were stars the second they arrived on the field and were considered among the best to play at their time. Rodgers won a Super Bowl in his third full season as a starter. Elway waited until the very end of his career, but he grabbed a pair of Lombardis.

Advantage? Elway.

This was the arm. The most polished pass fans had ever seen.  Go look back on YouTube and watch clips of the progression Elway would go through to make a pass. There might not be a more pretty ball to ever grace a football field than that. On top of that, he also was extremely mobile for a guy that wasn’t known for running.

Elway was the first quarterback to start in five Super Bowls. He also had the second-most game-winning drives (40) in the common Super Bowl era. A leader on and off the field, Elway is Mr.Bronco though and through.

Pat Bowlen said after Denver won Super Bowl XXII that “this one’s for John.” There might not be a quarterback of the time who deserved the trophy more.

Before the G.O.A.T., there was the O.G. Joe Montana, a humble third-round pick out of Notre Dame, never was expected to become really anything special when coming out of college.

For a long time, it was Montana and then everyone else in the list of greatest gunslingers. There wasn’t really even a close second up until the early 2010s. Even with Young’s success for a decade, most fans remember No.16 instead of No.8.

With Bill Walsh leading the way, Montana relied on accuracy than strength. Some believed he has the most catchable ball in the history of the sport. He helped make Jerry Rice a star and is credited with perhaps the most recognizable play in the common era of football dubbed “the catch” of the 1981 NFC Championship game.

Enter the San Francisco dynasty.

There’s also the perfection surrounding his name. In four Super Bowl appearances, he won them all and was named the MVP three different times. In those games, he had 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Only one more player has been more effective in winning the big game. It’s why Montana now is the runner-up.

Was there even another choice?

Not only is Tom Brady the leader in touchdowns, but he’s the leader in Super Bowls as well. With the victory over Green Bay, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers returned to the big show for the first time since 2003.

It’s now Brady’s 10th Super Bowl in 21 years. And the conference championship? That was his 14th. In retrospect, two-thirds of Brady’s career has been playing for a chance to either go to the Super Bowl or win the whole dang thing.

Brady’s career has been the ultimate underdog story. He was a little unathletic quarterback taken 199th overall from Michigan and was viewed as a camp body. Instead, he’s a six-time Super Bowl winner, a three-time MVP and has led the NFL in near every category since becoming the full-time starter for the Patriots’ dynasty in 2001.

From almost being an afterthought to having a perfect regular season to hoisting another Lombardi, Brady has done it all.  He is the NFL’s top all-time quarterback, if not player.

Nevermind, he already is that as well.