My Top 12 NFL Quarterbacks of All Time – Old and New!

There have been a number of quarterbacks that have played over the years. I’m sure you’ll think there are others, or someone else that belongs on this list. While that may be true, these are MY excellent dozen, and I’m rooting for them! 🙂

I’ll start with no. 12 and I will go down to n. #1. You may think you already know my top 12, but I bet you’ll be a little surprised. These are also not a needle in the haystack picks. Each and every one of them belongs on the list.

I think before I start the list, I’ll give you my honorable mentions. These are a handful of quarterbacks who landed just outside of my list. First on that list is Kurt Warner, the arena player turned NFL star. Next up is the star quarterback of five championship wins in the 1960s, that guy’s name is Bart Starr of the Packers.

Then there’s Warren Moon, who threw for nearly 50,000 yards and was the first African-American quarterback to be elected to the Hall of Fame. The Chargers had Dan Fouts, who started the Air Coryell era that delivered passing stats never seen before. Then, last but not least, there is a Bears quarterback named Sid Luckman. He still holds most of the Bears’ passing records today, retiring in 1950.

Now number 12 on my list is Steve Young. The 3-time Super Bowl champion replaced J. Montana (who ended his career at KC) and the 49 never missed a beat. They just kept winning.

My number 11 is the golden boy of the Dallas Cowboys who won the Super Bowl in 1990. Yep, you guessed it folks. This is Troy Aikman. I think those Super Bowls were more of a team accomplishment, but Aikman certainly played his part in the process of success.

I think my #10 was perhaps the most underrated quarterback of his time. I think it was mainly because of the size of him, believe it or not. He was a scrambler who wasn’t taken seriously as a quarterback. This gentleman’s name was Fran Tarkenton. He didn’t take him seriously, but his 47,000 yards in his time put him third all-time. (that’s been down for some since) all 3 of his Super Bowl appearances were bogged down by losing all 3, but that wasn’t all his fault.

My number 9 was a guy who pitched for the Steelers in the 1970s. That decade the Steelers won 4 Super Bowls and could have won 5 without a little bad luck. His name is Terry Bradshaw.

At #8 is John Elway of the Denver Broncos, a two-time Super Bowl winner. He was the best example of coming out as a winner. He won those 2 Super Bowls in the last two years that he played.

Now #7 was the T. Bradshaw of the ’80s. The 49ers won 4 Super Bowls behind a guy named Joe Montana. I think most of you know Joe.

Player #6 is the man who holds all of the NFL’s passing records to date. In 20 years, Bret Favre accomplished more than he ever thought he could. In more ways than one.

Moving up to #5 is the great Johnny Unitas. There are many people who think that he was the best of all time. His stats from the ’60s could hold up in today’s passing game. The 47th straight game of him with a touchdown pass still stands today.

Now #4 is the best quarterback to never win a Super Bowl, no debate. The 9-time professional bowler’s name is Dan Marino. He holds all of Miami’s passing records that may never be broken.

My #3 is not a surprise, I’m sure. He is the winner of 3 Super Bowl, Tom Brady. The Patriots have been riding the boy wonder arm for the past ten. I don’t blame them one bit.

The No. 2 pick will be my No. 1 when he retires, because he’ll have all the passing records that B. Favre now has, and then some. It’s the Colts’ Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Peyton Manning. He brings more to the game than anyone in the history of the game, and it shows.

Now my #1 which may come as a surprise to some but not to me. He was the big star for the Browns, before Jim Brown came on the scene. His name is the legendary Otto Graham. In his first 10 years playing for the Browns they won 7 championships. His winning percentage record for a starting quarterback remains .810 today.

He was 57-13-1 as the starting quarterback. He also played DB for the Browns. His career winning record while playing for the Browns was a staggering 105-17-4. Yes, those were days of yore, but football success is still measured today as it was then, by winning. There has been no greater winner in football than Otto Graham!

I hope you enjoyed this interesting and informative article as much as I did writing it.

Cool Jim “Devil’s Advocate”