30 greatest NFL QBs of all time: Where does Patrick Mahomes rank now?

Joe Namath is one of the most famous quarterbacks of all time. Is he one of the best? That’s a different question.

He has the most famous guarantee in all of American sports. When he told everyone the New York Jets were going to beat the Colts in Super Bowl III, the prevailing thought was that he was nuts. The AFL was the lesser league, and this was the Johnny Unitas-led Baltimore Colts.

We hear about this win, knowing Namath made the call and showed his cards, winning possibly the biggest game in early NFL history. He became a global megastar, transcending football and becoming a household name in the process. Did the superstardom actually stop Namath from becoming one of the very greats to ever play the game? The precipitous fall from grace is hard to argue.

We always hear how Namath was overrated, but we need to look into his career. He was the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards. He jumped under center for the Jets the moment he left Alabama. New York paid him more than any player coming out of college after making him the first overall pick. He was named the league’s Rookie of the Year and the top player in 1968.

From 1965 to 1969, Namath was the best player on the planet. Yes, this is a world with Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas, who are higher on this list, but he was simply untouchable in that timeframe. Then, he started to get injured, and his numbers plummeted. He had one more great season in 1972, but he still threw way too many interceptions. It’s just a weird career overall, but we can’t not have him on this list. He was truly one of the best to ever do it when he was at his best, even if his best was fleeting.