Since football is easily the most popular sport in the NFL, debates continue to emerge about the best quarterbacks in the history of the league. The quarterback position is the most important on the field, and the NFL has had it’s fair share of terrific quarterbacks. 

Of course looking at the NFL stats will play a key role in these rankings, but team success is also going to matter. Without further ado, here are the top-10 quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. 

 

10. Drew Brees

The numbers that Drew Brees put up during his NFL career are mind-boggling, but especially when he went to the New Orleans Saints. There is no doubt that Brees is one of the best passers in league history, but he played in an area that allowed a small quarterback to put up such gaudy stats. 

9. Brett Favre

Most quarterbacks were concerned with throwing an interception, but that never bothered Brett Favre. Favre would throw the ball up for grabs at times, but his toughness and his ability to throw the deep ball was unmatched. 

Watching Brett Favre play was an absolute joy, and you could always expect to see some excitement when he was under center. 

8. Roger Staubach

Staubach started just eight seasons in the NFL, but made an appearance in the Super Bowl in half of those years. During his run with the Cowboys, Staubach posted a winning percentage of .746 and was the face of the league during his run. 

7. John Elway

Elway was arguably the toughest quarterback on this list, and he willed his Broncos team to a couple of championships. Elway led the team to five Super Bowl appearances, and was extremely clutch throughout his career. 

6. Dan Marino

The biggest knock on Marino is that he never won a Super Bowl, but it wasn’t his fault in Miami. Marino is known for getting his passes off quicker than any other QB in history, and he put up some monstrous stats throughout his career. 

5. Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers is the most talented quarterback of all-time and he makes the quarterback position look easy. Rodgers has won just one Super Bowl in his career, but his record in the regular season is phenomenal. 

4. Johnny Unitas

Unitas paved the way for other quarterbacks to follow in his footsteps, and he was a three-time MVP winner during his career. The league looked much different when Unitas was playing, but his skills would translate to any era. 

3. Joe Montana

Montana won a pair of Super Bowl MVP Awards during his career, but he arguably could have won a few more. In 1989 Montana completed over 70 percent of his passes, and that was when defenses were actually allowed to hit the quarterback. 

Montana was blessed with having some terrific receivers throughout his career, but he knew how to get them the ball. 

2. Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning could easily be considered the best NFL quarterback of all-time if he didn’t consistently have to face the man in the number one spot. Manning won a Super Bowl with both the Colts and the Broncos, and it was his passing that led the way for each of those teams. 

Manning is known for his control of the game and his ability to read defenses and change plays at the line of scrimmage. The lack of mobility hurt Manning at times, but he always seemed to know where to go with the football. 

1. Tom Brady

Brady might not be the most talented player on this list, but he might go down as the greatest NFL player of all-time. All Tom Brady does is win, especially in the postseason and in the Super Bowl.

Brady is going to hold nearly every major statistical category by the time that he calls it a career, and no one is going to get close to matching the number of Super Bowl titles he has won.