Namath also is well documented for his flamboyant Playboy lifestyle off of the gridiron. A major statistic that I look at for modern quarterbacks is interceptions, and Rodgers simply doesn't throw very many of them. Manning won the AFC West all four years he was in Denver, helping the Broncos reach two Super Bowls. Of all the good Cowboys quarterbacks, Don Meredith is probably the one who is most frequently forgotten. Usually when somebody opens his mouth it bites him in the behind, but judging from this photograph, Namath seemed pretty happy with the result- and the Jets' win over the Colts in Super Bowl III is one of the biggest upsets in sports history. He was known for running the no-huddle "K-Gun" offense- often calling two or three formations in the huddle and then immediately getting back into an offensive formation to keep the defense from making substitutions. In any event, following the 1989 game in which Everett pretty much got killed by the 49ers defensive front for the entire game, Everett was perceived by many as someone who shied away from contact. These quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League, formerly known as the Boston Braves (), Boston Redskins (1933-1936), Washington Redskins (1937-2019), and Washington Football Team (2020-2021). He then signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent prior to the 2020 season and promptly led the Buccaneers to victory in Super Bowl LV, earning MVP honors for a record fifth time. He'd do a lot of modern quarterbacks shame without any kind of adjustment for the new rules that favor offense. While Elway threw for over only 2,806 yards, he didnt need to do much more. Similarly, some retired quarterbacks leave a lasting impression because of their talent and personality (i.e., Brett Favre, Joe Montana, etc. The "Blonde Bomber" didn't have eye-popping statistics, but he quarterbacked one of the great dynasties in NFL history: the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, who won four Super Bowl titles. Chandler was the Falcons starting quarterback during John Elway's second Super Bowl winnot that many people remember much more than the "Dirty Bird" dance from that Falcons team. The two are a great pair together and have recently starter their own line of health nutrition bars called PHIVEbar. Stabler scored what appeared to be the winning touchdown with just over a minute left in the game, but his heroics were foiled by Franco Harris and the so called "Immaculate Reception," which kick-started a rivalry between the Steelers and Raiders that was at its strongest in the 1970s. Jackson eventually became the starter in Minnesota and later in Seattle, but failed to ever consistently perform at his high potential level. He did win a Super Bowl ring, but it came while he was backing up Staubach in Super Bowl XII. It is the longest streak of its kind by any player, at any position, in NFL history. However, in 1958, the Lions traded Layne to the Pittsburgh Steelers what happened then is the subject of much debate. He played all the way through 1976 and promptly landed a gig at the University of Miami when he stopped playing. Rankings by Rob McVey, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Exactly how high Rivers can climb is yet to be seen, but I'd guess he'll land in the top 25 so long as he adds an NFL title somewhere along the way. 32 overall. Check out some of his music on Youtube. Just shows you exactly how young I am. If there was ever a quarterback that took way too much heat, it would be Donovan McNabb. Williams's victory was without doubt the high point of his career; he dealt with injuries afterward and eventually lost his starting job to Mark Rypien. Sure, he's going to have some clunkers every now and again, but Brees has been in the league a long time and for the last five years has really been one of the league's elite QBs. 1 quarterback of all time. . He had all the physical tools anyone could ask for, and yet he simply couldn't put it all together. Luckman's bio is pretty hilarious; despite the fact that he was given the chance to play professional football, he originally planned to decline the opportunity and work at a relative's TRUCKING COMPANY. Fouts's first few years in the league were relatively anonymous, but when Don Coryell arrived in 1978 he turned San Diego into the "Superchargers." Still, the Cardinals didn't make very many deep playoff runs during Hart's career, which hurts his ranking on this list. While he's a guy who some might rank higher, the fact that Steve DeBerg was frequently a backup quarterback hurts him on my list. 3 overall draft choice in the 1957 NFL Draft out of Stanford and won a league MVP award in 1970. The perfect example of a quarterback that teams wouldn't use as their franchise guy because he didn't look like an NFL quarterback. I am too young to have seen him in his prime, but the '98 season with Minnesotathe best in his careerwas enough to make me a believer. His best season was 1969, when he won the league MVP, but he was consistently near the top of the NFL in passing categories during the late 1960s. Yet his two seasons outside the top 10 in overall grade were all the way down at 17 th (2015) and 25 th (2012), something that we never saw from Rodgers, Brees, and Brady ahead of him. According to Pro Football Reference, his best season was 1980 with the Chicago Bears when he completed 53% of his passes for 2,039 yards and 11 touchdowns. The former Los Angeles Chargers quarterback would light up the scoreboard one week, and completely fall apart the next. Brett Favre racked up a ton of titles, awards, and recognitions throughout his 20 seasons in the NFL, including being known as a gunslinger, a Super Bowl champion, one of the wealthiest quarterbacks in the business, and one of the oldest NFL quarterbacks to ever suit up. If this is the end for Tom Brady, hes a shoo-in for the history books and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027. Although his NFL days are over, Clausen has refused to give up on his love of the game. Manning is the epitome of elite in every sense of the word. He was the first minority quarterback to win a Super Bowl (he is Hispanic). Ultimately, though, Simms is diminished to some extent by the fact that he was never the biggest reason his team was winning during his tenure with the Giants. October 14, 2021. Still, despite not being the guy on the field for the record-breaking year, Green had a long and largely successful career in the league, though he ended up with the Kansas City Chiefs during his Pro Bowl seasons. Kelly's part in running the show was a major one. Everybody knew that Jackson would need time to develop into an NFL caliber quarterback, but his physical attributes were through the roof and too hard to resist. While Brady might not play for the Buccaneers next season, he's set to count just over $35 million against the cap for Tampa Bay in 2023. The fact that his career has gone continually downhill since the early 2000s has made some people forget the few seasons where Culpepper was among the best passers in the NFL. Flutie eventually returned to the NFL in 1998 to head up the signal calling for the Buffalo Bills and finally retired in 2005 after a season with the same Patriots that first gave him a starting position. He was prolific in his attack and really brought the Oregon program back to national prominence. The Falcons were making their first Super Bowl appearance after also posting a 142 regular season record. That happens to bother me quite a bit- and so while Krieg undoubtedly deserves a spot, the fact that he played relatively poorly in comparison to his abilities when the chips were down hurts him on the list. For a select group of quarterbacks, they were able to retire on their terms after winning the Super Bowl. In addition to playing for the Seahawks, he spent time with the Tennessee Titans before finishing his career with the Indianapolis Colts as one of the oldest NFL quarterbacks to ever put on the pads. It would be sacrilege to have an NFLs greatest quarterback list without Joe Willie Namath. 13m ago. Still, he passed for a respectable 34,241 yards and 196 touchdowns over 17 seasons that included a four-year hiatus from 1994 through 1997, according to Pro Football Reference. That's fine, but if you look at the lack of playmakers he's had around him in his career, the reality is that he's produced at a high level for a long, long time. He only made one Pro Bowl, but playing with the Bungles it's hard to make a lot of those A former No. Miami 'definitely on the table' for QB in 2023 offseason, per report. Maybe it's a stretch to put Rodgers this high, especially given that he's only in his third full season as an NFL starter. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. The door may be open for a return under the right circumstances. The Cards gave him the huge deal based off a few good games with the Eagles, which clearly wasn't enough of a sample size. 1 overall pick in the 1987 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the former Heisman Trophy winner from "the U" was a bust there and ended up with the Cleveland Browns, who then moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens prior to the 1996 season. Meredith played for nine seasons under Tom Landry. He was a three-time NFL MVP, and he won two MVP awards as a member of the AAFC. Still, if he'd been that good, teams wouldn't have drafted players to replace himso he's here at No. Quarterback of the Cleveland Browns from 1974-83, Sipe's career was okay, maybe above average, with one notable exception: the 1980 season. It is interesting to note that Jones is occasionally described as someone who would be one of the better players ever, had he been in possession of a better supporting cast; this view is held by former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi. It might not be much consolation for losing the Super Bowl, but Esiason's final NFL play was a 70 yard winning TD pass to Darnay Scott against the Baltimore Ravens. In any event, the forward pass became a primary offensive weapon while Baugh was in the league, and "Slingin Sammy" was always at the forefront in terms of using this innovative approach. Steve Young is one of the more interesting characters in NFL history, having done things like wash his helmet in the shower. Gabriel played the first 11 years of his career with the Los Angeles Rams and the last five with the Philadelphia Eagles. It's a luxury for the Ravens to have this guy on their roster backing up Joe Flacco. Quarterback Drew Brees. But in a bizarre turn of events, Rivers was immediately traded to the Chargers for No. In what was a surprising turn of events in the 2007 NFL Draft, Brady Quinn fell all the way to the Cleveland Browns at the #22 pick overall. Trent Green was supposed to be the guy running the "Greatest Show on Turf" that eventually brought home a Super Bowl to St. Louis. List of retired professional football players | American Football Wiki | Fandom in: Pages with reference errors, Former players, 1994, 2000 NCAA Division 1-A List of retired professional football players View source This is a list of individuals who formerly played professional American football in the NFL, AFL, AAFC and other major leagues. Big Ben, as he is affectionately known, announced his retirement on Jan. 24 after 18 seasons as the Steelers' starting quarterback. Doug Flutie, one of the greatest college quarterbacks in history traveled a winding path on his way to becoming one of the oldest NFL quarterbacks of all time. Like Brady Quinn, Leinart is actually a very likeable and knowledgeable football commentator. I can appreciate a guy who lights up the stat sheet, but as a general rule, I tend to say, "So, if he was really that good, why didn't he win?". It is a testament to exactly how good Manning was that he made two Pro Bowls near the end of his tenure with the Saints. Leftwich, commonly remembered for his collegiate game in which he played with a broken leg, showed promise in the NFL but could never put it all together. Just look at the TD/INT differential and QB rating and compare it to other QBs of the era. T his Sunday, the Green Bay Packers will square off against the Chicago Bears. 1 overall pick Manning after he refused to sign with the Chargers. The 1998 Broncos fired on all cylinders during the regular season. Once he had finally been named the starter, he never looked back and led the Panthers to the Super Bowl in his first season. Gannon had a successful career but was never able to actually win a Super Bowl championship. Unitas was the winning quarterback in the so-called "Greatest Game Ever Played," the 1958 NFL championship against the New York Giants, quarterbacked a successful title defense in 1959, then defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V. Most of Unitas's records have now been broken with the advent of rule changes that favor offensive production, but Unitas pioneered such mainstays as the so-called "two-minute drill" that are still used today. After being traded from the Bills, he spent time with the Detroit Lions, the Tampa Bay Buccabeers, and the Indianapolis Colts before he walked away from the game. Brady cited "unfinished business" as the reason for his retirement reversal, but all that's really left for the surefire, first-ballot Hall of Famer at this point is to pad his numerous records. He currently plays in the UFL, though I'd bet he's still better than most backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Since he served in World War Two, Conerlys career didnt start until he was 27 years old in 1948. One of the poster boys for prima donnas in the NFL and a former No. The foundation helps provide resources to wounded veterans. 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