The Greatest NFL Quarterbacks of All Time

Tom Brady is the consensus greatest quarterback of all time — seven Super Bowls, five Super Bowl MVPs and more wins than anyone settle it for most fans and analysts. Here is the all-time quarterback ranking the football world actually agrees on, from Brady and Montana through the modern greats, with our take on the spots people still argue over.

The order follows the fan and expert consensus — we don’t invent our own. Where the debate is genuinely open, our note says how we lean. Every player here comes from an era you can draft in the game, where our engine rates each season against its own time. How the ratings work →

1. 1
   Tom Brady2000–2022

   7× Super Bowl champion3× MVP5× Super Bowl MVP

   Our take: the rings and the longevity settle a debate that used to be Montana’s — no one else is close on either count.

2. 2
   Joe Montana1979–1994

   4× Super Bowl champion2× MVP3× Super Bowl MVP

   The pre-Brady GOAT, and still the pick for many: 4-for-4 in Super Bowls with a spotless big-game record.

3. 3
   Peyton Manning1998–2015

   5× MVP (record)2× Super Bowl champion14× Pro Bowl
4. 4
   Patrick Mahomes2017–present

   3× Super Bowl champion3× Super Bowl MVP2× MVP

   Our take: the fastest riser the position has seen — three rings and three Super Bowl MVPs before 30 have him top-five on nearly every current list. Longevity is the one line still unwritten; on this pace he’s chasing the top three.

5. 5
   Dan Marino1983–1999

   1984 MVP9× Pro BowlFirst to pass for 5,000 yards

   Our take: the best to never win it — a ring is the only line missing from the résumé.

6. 6
   Johnny Unitas1956–1973

   3× NFL champion3× MVP10× Pro Bowl

   The template for the modern passer — he ran the position before the position had a template. Modern fan polls slot him lower; the historians never do.

7. 7
   Aaron Rodgers2005–present

   4× MVPSuper Bowl XLV championSuper Bowl XLV MVP
8. 8
   John Elway1983–1998

   2× Super Bowl champion1987 MVP9× Pro Bowl
9. 9
   Brett Favre1991–2010

   3× MVPSuper Bowl XXXI champion297 consecutive starts
10. 10
    Drew Brees2001–2020

    Super Bowl XLIV championSuper Bowl XLIV MVPAll-time completions leader
11. 11
    Roger Staubach1969–1979

    2× Super Bowl championSuper Bowl VI MVP6× Pro Bowl
12. 12
    Otto Graham1946–1955

    7× league champion3× MVPPlayed the title game all 10 seasons

    Before the Super Bowl era: ten pro seasons, ten championship-game trips. Predates fan lists, tops expert ones.

13. 13
    Steve Young1985–1999

    2× MVPSuper Bowl XXIX championSuper Bowl XXIX MVP
14. 14
    Terry Bradshaw1970–1983

    4× Super Bowl champion2× Super Bowl MVP1978 MVP
15. 15
    Bart Starr1956–1971

    5× NFL champion2× Super Bowl championMVP of Super Bowls I and II
16. 16
    Troy Aikman1989–2000

    3× Super Bowl championSuper Bowl XXVII MVP6× Pro Bowl

A consensus ranking, not our invention — aggregated from the fan and expert lists people actually argue over. Names and honors are public record. Draft any of these eras for real in Draft Challenger.