5 historic NFL QBs who would crush it today

The NFL is driven by the quarterback. That's pretty much always how it's been, as least that's the perception. In the early days, quarterbacks were important, but they weren't always the focal point of the offense. However, from the beginning of time, quarterbacks seems to be the most popular player on the field. That hadn't always translated into remarkable careers, but they were still memorable.

When looking at the game today, the cream has risen to the top. Even with the NFL in a little bit of a transitional period, where some of the all-time greats (Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger come to mind) decided to move on from the game of football and we're still waiting for the next generation to establish itself (although names like Brock Purdy, Trevor Lawrence, and C.J. Stroud are doing a great job so far).

There are definitely no shortage of quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame. There are 36 signal callers whose bust calls Canton home. However, we can't help but look back at some quarterbacks in history who weren't so lucky. It wasn't always a matter of talent. Sometimes, they were playing in the wrong era. Who might have had a different career if they played today?

First, a couple of rules.

No Hall of Fame Quarterbacks

Of course, Dan Marino would have slayed today. Warren Moon would give defenses nightmares in today's game. Dan Fouts would be a superstar. Hall of Famers are players we expect to transcend generations.

No Players After 2010

We had to find a cut off date, so we chose 2010. Players had been throwing like crazy (see Tom Brady's 2007 season and nearly all of Peyton Manning), but this seemed to be when the truly great quarterbacks started to stand above and it wasn't just arbitrary numbers (like when Matt Schaub led the league in passing).

5. Boomer Esiason, Original Careet: 1984 to 1997

Boomer Esiason is well known among NFL circles because he's been prominent in sports broadcasting and pop culture since his retirement. He's appeared in dozens of commercials, appears on game shows, and even co-hosted the Miss America Pageant and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Now, he's known as the host of a morning talk radio show host in New York and a broadcaster for CBS.

While most know he was a football player once, most don't know how good he was. Esiason is a former MVP winner. His 1988 performance was amazing, throwing for 9.2 yards per attempt and leading the league in passer rating. He also led three fourth-quarter comebacks, which helped build his MVP narrative. He took a pretty paltry Cincinnati Bengals roster all the way to the Super Bowl.

If Esiason played now, a few things would really help his narrative. For one, he probably wouldn't be stuck on so many bad rosters. Public pressure forces the hand of many owners, even the Bengals owner, so his record wouldn't look close to what it was during his career (80-93). Also, his stats would stand out more. He'd likely play closer to 4,500 yards per year instead of between 3,000 and 4,000 yards per season. The offenses would be more nuanced, and the way penalties are called would have dropped his interceptions pretty significantly. He was built like an NFL QB from today, standing at 6-foot-5 and 224 pounds during his prime. He had all the tools to be a legendary quarterback.