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Bleacher Report: Ranking the Top 99 Quarterbacks in NFL History

Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:12 pm
Posted by RLDSC FAN
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Member since Nov 2008
59451 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:12 pm
quote:

The NFL quarterback doesn't just carry a playbook. He carries the hopes of entire regions, sometimes more. He's the guy who wears the crown when things go right and has it knocked askew in the morning-after headlines when they don't.

That kind of spotlight turns the great ones into something bigger than athletes. It turns them into folk heroes.

That's why the debate over who's the best to ever do it never cools. But how do you decide who belongs above who when you're stacking legends like Manning, Mahomes, Brees and Montana against one another?

That's the bear B/R's NFL staff wrestled with.

Our panel of writers and editors weighed a player's peak, longevity, career statistics, accolades, playoff success and more when submitting their vote for the 99 greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time.

If it was measurable, we considered it. If it happened between the ears, we baked that in too. Bonus points for trend-setters and mold-breakers. Because while stats and awards matter, sometimes sheer talent transcends all that.

To keep us honest, we enlisted help from the B/R community with a run-off among our top five, the results of which we'll list alongside our own rankings.

After plenty of note taking and agonizing, here's what shook out.


quote:

1) Tom Brady
2) Joe Montana
3) Peyton Manning
4) Patrick Mahomes
5) Aaron Rodgers
6) John Elway
7) Brett Favre
8) Drew Brees
9) Steve Young
10) Dan Marino


rest of the list
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
41395 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:15 pm to
Rodgers is too high for sure.
Posted by GeauxZone90
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2010
3328 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:21 pm to
Brees over favre
Posted by texag7
College Station
Member since Apr 2014
41109 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:22 pm to
Archie Manning on there invalidates the list. He was garbage
Posted by mizzoubuckeyeiowa
Member since Nov 2015
39255 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:35 pm to
7) Brett Favre
8) Drew Brees
9) Steve Young
quote:

10) Dan Marino


This is just wrong on so many levels.

quote:

“Put Marino into today’s game where he gets free release . . . and his receivers, holy cow, weren’t very big,” Montana told Men’s Health. “Now these guys are 6'4,” 6'5.” I think [Marino] is probably one of the most unsung heroes of the game. People don’t talk enough about him or realize the numbers that he put up during the times that he put them up.”

“He had a quick release. I had to step into a lot of things to get enough [force] on the ball,” Montana said of Marino. “He had the perfect torque of his upper body and strength to deliver the ball quickly at a fast release with accuracy.”


He's the best ever, according to Montana... But at the very least, he's certainly not below Young, Brees and Favre.
Posted by RLDSC FAN
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Member since Nov 2008
59451 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:38 pm to
Yeah, he threw for 5K yards in 1984 Not having any rings is what kills him. It’s unfortunate but the reality of the situation.
Posted by TeamLSU
Member since Feb 2009
3707 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:40 pm to
Peyton Manning over Mahomes??? Nawwwwww
Posted by TheWalrus
Land of the Hogs
Member since Dec 2012
46546 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:42 pm to
Stopped reading at Ryan Tannehill at 99
Posted by NotoriousFSU
Atlanta, GA
Member since Oct 2008
12332 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:53 pm to
No Shedeur? List is shite.
Posted by tide06
Member since Oct 2011
21824 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:58 pm to
If I’m drafting no chance I’m taking Marino any later than #4 and from a pure talent standpoint he’s probably higher than that.
Posted by UnluckyTiger
Member since Sep 2003
42418 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 12:59 pm to
Tannehill top 99? Get the frick out of here.
Posted by kajunman
Member since Dec 2015
8572 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 1:03 pm to
Manning should NEVER, EVER be in a top 5 convo. Too many choke games.
Posted by TigerBait2008
Boulder,CO
Member since Jun 2008
39489 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 1:06 pm to
Bleacher report is garbage.
Posted by UnluckyTiger
Member since Sep 2003
42418 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 1:07 pm to
Where is Doug Flutie? Did I miss him? I’d take him every single day over Tannehill. shite I’d take Jay Cutler and Jake Delhomme over Tannehill.
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
41395 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 1:11 pm to
quote:

Where is Doug Flutie? Did I miss him? I’d take him every single day over Tannehill. shite I’d take Jay Cutler and Jake Delhomme over Tannehill.


If you do an out 99 list, the 99 guy should be a name that makes you think "wtf that's too low, no way he is 99" not a guy that immediately invalidates your list.
Posted by 632627
LA
Member since Dec 2011
14773 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 1:12 pm to
I’d put Marino higher but I think they have the top 10 correct
Posted by UnluckyTiger
Member since Sep 2003
42418 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 1:14 pm to
Stan Humphries and Neil O’Donnell are a couple others that come to mind. shite I’d take Jameis Winston over Tannehill. Trevor Lawrence too. Sam Darnold. Baker Mayfield. I mean come on Bleacher Report…
Posted by Madking
Member since Apr 2016
67787 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 1:20 pm to
Knew it would be a bad list but some of it is shocking.
This post was edited on 2/17/26 at 1:21 pm
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
41395 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 1:22 pm to
Some of these voters. One dude had Cam Newton ranked 19. Wtf. Some Cowboy hater in there too putting Dak at 92. One guy putting Namath at 90 and Otto Graham at 60. Dan Marino at 25 by one voter Definitely some young bucks on the panel.
Posted by bgtiger
Prairieville
Member since Dec 2004
11985 posts
Posted on 2/17/26 at 1:28 pm to
In no way is Rodgers better than Elway. Mahomes is questionable, because this list is obviously not Superbowl driven.
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