The 50 Greatest Quarterbacks from the Last 5 Decades in the NFL

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Out of all 22 starters for a football team, the most important, the most critical and most significant is the quarterback. 

A quarterback in football is almost like a general—in fact, the position is often referred to as a field-general. 

Out of the NFL's illustrious history, there have been many quarterbacks who have emerged as legends due to their stellar play as the field-general.

Here are the 50 greatest quarterbacks from the last five decades.

 

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50. Archie Manning

Career Stats: 23,911 passing yards, 125 touchdowns and a 67.1 quarterback rating. 

Many may believe that Archie Manning shouldn't be included in the discussion as one of the best quarterbacks of all time, but he put up respectable numbers while playing in such a lifeless franchise (the New Orleans Saints).

49. Ron Jaworski

Career Stats: 28,190 passing yards, 179 touchdowns and a 72.8 quarterback rating. 

Ron Jaworski played a long and productive 15 years in the NFL as he was named to one Pro Bowl in 1980 when he threw 27 touchdowns as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. 

48. Neil Lomax

Career Stats: 22,771 passing yards, 136 touchdowns and a 82.7 quarterback rating. 

Neil Lomax was one of the most underrated passers of all time, due to the multiple losing seasons as a Cardinal, but he found a way to score points. 

47. Doug Williams

Career Stats: 16,998 passing yards, 100 touchdowns and 69.4 quarterback rating. 

The highlight of Doug Williams' career was when he was named Super Bowl XXII Most Valuable as he led his Washington Redskins to a huge 42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos. 

46. Bernie Kosar

Career Stats: 23,301 passing yards, 124 touchdowns and a 81.8 quarterback rating. 

Bernie Kosar is not only a Super Bowl champion but he is also an All Pro passer. 

45. Trent Green

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Career Stats: 28,475 passing yards, 162 touchdowns, and a 86.0 quarterback rating. 

Trent Green was named to two Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl as a member of the St. Louis Rams. 

44. Philip Rivers

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Career Stats: 19,661 passing yards, 136 touchdowns and a 97.2 quarterback.

Throughout Philip Rivers' career, he has put up huge numbers and an impressive 55-25 record as a stater; Rivers is well on his way to Canton. 

43. Joe Namath

Career Stats: 27,663 passing yards, 173 touchdowns and a 65.5 quarterback rating. 

Joe Namath's stats may not be great, but he was a winner and was able to perform well in the clutch—there's a reason why he's a Hall of Famer.  

42. Dave Krieg

Career Stats: 38,147 passing yards, 261 touchdowns and a 81.5 quarterback rating.

Dave Krieg played a long 19-year career in the NFL as he retired with a stellar 98-77 record as a starting quarterback. 

41. Bert Jones

Career Stats: 18,190 passing yards, 124 touchdowns and a 78.2 quarterback rating.

Bert Jones was named the 1976 NFL Most Valuable Player as a member of the Baltimore Colts. 

40. Rich Gannon

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Career Stats: 2,533 passing yards, 180 touchdowns and an 84.7 quarterback rating.

Rich Gannon was named to four Pro Bowls and was named the 2002 NFL Most Valuable Player as he led his Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl. 

39. Jack Kemp

Career Stats: 21,218 passing yards, 114 touchdowns, and a 57.3 quarterback rating. 

Not only has Jack Kemp had a solid career as a quarterback, but he's now a successful politician. 

38. Daryle Lamoncia

Career Stats: 19,154 passing yards, 164 touchdowns and a 72.9 quarterback rating.

When Daryle Lamoncia played, the game was completely different but he still managed to put up impressive numbers as a passer as he was named to two All-AFL teams and two Pro Bowls, as well as being a three-time AFL Champion. 

37. Joe Theismann

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Career Stats: 25,206 passing yards, 160 touchdowns and a 77.4 quarterback rating. 

Joe Theismann's career may have ended too soon, but he still managed to compete at a high level as he was named All Pro twice and was awarded as the league's Most Valuable Player in 1983.

36. Sonny Jurgensen

Career Stats: 32,224 passing yards, 255 touchdowns and an 82.6 passer rating. 

Not too many people know about Sonny Jurgensen, but he was one hell of a passer, as he had two 30-touchdown seasons. 

35. Ben Roethlisberger

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Career Stats: 22,502 passing yards, 144 touchdowns and a 92.5 quarterback rating.

All you need to know about Ben Roethlisberger is that he's a winner as he already has two Super Bowl rings at the young age of 29.

34. Earl Morrall

Career Stats: 20,809 passing yards, 161 touchdowns and a 74.1 quarterback rating. 

Earl Morrall was named the 1968 NFL Most Valuable Player. 

33. John Brodie

Career Stats: 31,548 passing yards, 214 touchdowns and a 72.3 quarterback rating.

John Brodie not only passed for an astronomical amount of yards, but he's now a successful golfer as he's a member of the Senior PGA Tour. 

32. Craig Morton

Career Stats: 27,908 passing yards, 183 touchdowns and a 73.5 quarterback rating.

Craig Morton may have never won a Super Bowl, but he did post a solid 81-62-1 record as a starter. 

31. Boomer Esiason

Career Stats: 37,920 yards, 247 touchdowns and an 81.1 quarterback rating.

Boomer Esiason was named to four Pro Bowls and was the league's Most Valuable Player in 1988 as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. 

30. Mark Brunell

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Career Stats: 32,045 passing yards, 184 touchdowns and an 84.0 quarterback rating.

Mark Brunell is not only a Super Bowl champion, but he was selected to three Pro Bowls as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars and was a key part to building the Jaguars franchise. 

29. Steve McNair

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Career Stats: 31,304 passing yards, 174 touchdowns and an 82.8 quarterback rating.

The late Steve McNair will forever be known as "Air McNair" in my mind.

28. Jim Kelly

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Career Stats: 35,467 passing yards, 237 touchdowns and an 84.4 quarterback rating.

Jim Kelly is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play who did not win a Super Bowl, despite playing in four of them as a member of the Buffalo Bills. 

27. Jim Plunkett

Career Stats: 25,882 passing yards, 164 touchdowns and a 67.5 quarterback rating.

Jim Plunkett's quarterback rating may have been low, but he is a two-time Super Bowl champion with a Super Bowl MVP under his belt. 

26. Ken Anderson

Career Stats: 32,838 passing yards, 197 touchdowns and an 81.9 quarterback rating. 

Ken Anderson was selected to four Pro Bowls and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in 1981 as well as being honored as the Comeback Player of the Year. 

25. Ken Stabler

Career Stats: 27,938 passing yards, 194 touchdowns and 75.3 quarterback rating.

Many may disagree that Ken Stabler is ranked so high on this list, but he's a winner with one Super Bowl ring and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in 1974.  

24. Donovan McNabb

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Career Stats: 36,250 passing yards, 230 touchdowns and an 85.7 quarterback rating.

In my opinion, not enough people give Donovan McNabb credit; he still hasn't won a Super Bowl but he's one hell of a quarterback with six Pro Bowl selections. 

23. Drew Bledsoe

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Career Stats: 44,611 passing yards, 251 touchdowns an a 77.1 quarterback rating.

Drew Bledsoe one day should be inducted into the Hall of Fame as he was one of the league's greatest pocket-passers. 

22. Kurt Warner

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Career Stats: 32,344 passing yards, 208 touchdowns and a 93.7 quarterback rating.

Sometime in the near future Kurt Warner will be inducted in the Hall of Fame; he's a two-time league MVP with a Super Bowl ring. 

21. Phil Simms

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Career Stats: 33,462 passing yards, 199 touchdowns and a 78.5 quarterback rating.

Phil Simms is a two-time Super Bowl champion as a member of the New York Giants. 

20. Bob Griese

Career Stats: 25,092 passing yards, 192 touchdowns and a 77.1 quarterback rating. 

Bob Griese led the Miami Dolphins in 1972 to a perfect undefeated season. 

19. Roman Gabriel

Career Stats: 29,444 passing yards, 201 touchdowns and a 74.3 quarterback rating. 

Roman Gabriel was named to four Pro Bowls as well as being honored as the league's Most Valuable Player in 1969. 

18. Dan Fouts

Career Stats: 43,040 passing yards, 254 touchdowns and an 80.2 quarterback rating.

Dan Fouts was ultimately the perfect passer and really knew how to air it out. 

17. Terry Bradshaw

Career Stats: 27,989 passing yards, 212 touchdowns and a 70.9 quarterback rating.

Forget stats, Terry Bradshaw was a winner as he won four Super Bowls as quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

16. Drew Brees

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Career Stats: 35,266 passing yards, 235 touchdowns and a 91.7 quarterback.

Drew Brees is a Super Bowl champion and is one of the league's greatest passers in the game today; there's no reason why he should not be in Canton at the end of his career. 

15. Randall Cunningham

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Career Stats: 29,979 passing yards, 207 touchdowns and an 81.5 quarterback rating.

Randall Cunningham is one of the few successful scrambling quarterbacks to be named to four Pro Bowls. 

14. Len Dawson

Career Stats: 28,711 passing yards, 239 touchdowns and an 82.6 quarterback rating.

Len Dawson not only put up huge numbers as a passer, but he was also a winner with an amazing 94-57-8 record as a starter. 

13. Warren Moon

Career Stats: 49,325 passing yards, 291 touchdowns and 49,325 passing yards.

Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon played a long 17-year career as he finished with nine Pro Bowl selections. 

12. Bart Starr

Career Stats: 24,718 passing yards, 152 touchdowns and a 80.5 quarterback rating.

Bart Starr is an old-school quarterback as he won the first two Super Bowls in the history of the NFL as a member of the Green Bay Packers. 

11. Troy Aikman

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Career Stats: 32,942 passing yards, 165 touchdowns and an 81.6 quarterback rating.

Troy Aikman was one of the main reasons why the Dallas Cowboys emerged as an NFL dynasty in the 1990s with three Super Bowl victories under his belt. 

10. Fran Tarkenton

Career Stats: 47,003 passing yards, 342 touchdowns and a 80.4 quarterback rating.

All in all, Fran Tarkenton could have been a one-man team as he threw and ran the play effectively while scoring a total of 374 touchdowns—that's 2,244 total points. 

9. Brett Favre

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Career Stats: 71,838 passing yards, 508 touchdowns and an 86 quarterback rating. 

The word that describes Brett Favre the best is guts; he is the ultimate gunslinger. 

8. Steve Young

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Career Stats: 33,124 passing yards, 232 touchdowns and a 96.8 quarterback rating.

There has been only one quarterback to continue on a dynasty after the previous quarterback departs, and that's Steve Young; one of the most dynamic passers to ever play the game. 

7. Roger Staubach

Career Stats: 22,700 passing yards, 153 touchdowns and an 83.4 passing rating.

Roger Staubach is a two-time Super Bowl champion as a member of America's team, the Dallas Cowboys—must I say more? 

6. John Elway

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Career Stats: 51,475 passing yards, 300 touchdowns and a 79.9 quarterback rating.

John Elway is nothing short of a legend with his three Super Bowl wins as a Denver Bronco. Elway was a winner and could perform outstanding in the clutch. 

5. Johnny Unitas

Career Stats: 40,239 passing yards, 290 touchdowns and an 81.2 quarterback rating.

Johnny Unitas may have been an old-time quarterback, but he put up numbers as if he was playing in the game today, a pass-first league. Unitas not only recorded amazing passing numbers, but he's a Super Bowl champion as well as being named to 10 Pro Bowls—that's right, 10. 

4. Dan Marino

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Career Stats: 61,361 passing yards, 420 touchdowns and an 86.4 quarterback rating.

Dan Marino will go down as the greatest player to ever play the game without winning a Super Bowl. Marino was the ultimate passer but simply did not have a good enough supporting cast to get him over the hump. 

3. Peyton Manning

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Career Stats: 54,828 passing yards, 399 touchdowns and a 94.9 quarterback rating.

Quarterbacks are known as field-generals, but Peyton Manning takes it to a whole new level—he's is a coach on the field. Manning can read defenses better than any quarterback I've ever seen, and is one of the most accurate passers of all time. 

2. Tom Brady

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Career Stats: 34,744 passing yards, 261 touchdowns and a 95.2 quarterback rating.

Tom Brady defines clutch with his three Super Bowl victories—in all three of them, he led the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarterback.

Brady is not only a three-time Super Bowl champion, but he's been named NFL Most Valuable Player twice, been named to six Pro Bowls and is a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team.

If you wanted to build the perfect player, then Brady's heart and ability to stay calm under pressure would definitely be a part of it. 

1. Joe Montana

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Career Stats: 40,551 passing yards, 273 touchdowns and a 92.3 quarterback rating.

When you think about quarterbacks, Joe Montana should be the first person who comes to mind. He is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, as he's done it all; he's got the rings and he's got the stats. 

Montana won four Super Bowls, three Super Bowl Most Valuable Players and was named the league's Most Valuable Player twice and was selected to eight Pro Bowls.

If I had to choose one quarterback to lead my team to victory in any game, I would choose Montana in a heartbeat.  

Joe Montana is the greatest quarterback from the last five decades.