Since the 1980s, NFL passing stats have exploded thanks in large part to rule changes in the 1970s. As we have counted down the top 30 quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era, we’ve listed plenty of QBs who played prior to 1980, but out with the old and in with the new.
The entire group of the top 10 QBs in NFL history come from 1979 onward, where new pass-game techniques helped elevate NFL offenses to new heights.
We assembled a 13-person panel to decide the 30 greatest quarterbacks of the Super Bowl era. 48 quarterbacks received votes for respective placements on the list. Those votes have been tallied, and the list has officially been put together. So, with that said, let’s meet the panel and the 30 greatest quarterbacks of the Super Bowl era.
The panel voting on the best quarterbacks of the Super Bowl era
Here are the 13 voters who participated in the survey listed in alphabetical order:
- Jarrett Bailey, SB Nation
- Tyler Dunne, Go Long
- Eric Edholm, NFL Media
- Doug Farrar, Athlon Sports
- Arif Hasan, Wide Left
- Dan Hanzus, Underdog
- Sam Monson, The 33rd Team
- Steve Palazzolo, The 33rd Team
- Gregg Rosenthal, NFL Media
- Aaron Schatz, FTN Fantasy
- Marc Sessler, Underdog
- Mike Tanier, Too Deep Zone
- Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated
Voting methodology used to determine the best QBs of all-time
Each voter ranked their list of the 30 best quarterbacks of the Super Bowl era which began in 1966. Their rank on each list was added up, then the total score was divided by the number of lists on which they appeared. Then each QB would be penalized by adding one point for every list they didn’t appear on.
If a QB appeared on 9 of the 13 lists, his total score would be added up, divided by 9, and then 4 points would be added to create his final panel score. The quarterbacks with the 30 lowest scores are the ones who made the list.
10. Drew Brees
Highest Ranking: 5
Lowest Ranking: 17
Drew Brees career stats
- Years active: 2001-20
- Completions: 7,142 (second all-time)
- Passing yards: 80,358 (second all-time)
- Passing touchdowns: 571 (second all-time)
- Passer rating: 98.7 (seventh all-time)
- Fourth-quarter comebacks: 36 (fifth all-time)
Drew Brees career accolades
- 13-time Pro Bowl selection
- 1-time First-Team All-Pro
- 2-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year
- 2004 NFL Comeback Player of the Year
- 1-time Super Bowl champion
- Super Bowl XLIV MVP
What makes Drew Brees one of the best NFL QBs of all-time?
“Drew Brees joined the Saints as a curiosity – a talented former first-round pick who was also coming off major shoulder surgery and questions about his viability as a true franchise quarterback. By the time he departed 15 years later, Brees was a legend. His tenure in New Orleans included nine postseason appearances and the team’s lone Super Bowl championship, and his unrivaled ability as a precision passer has put him at or near the top of nearly every relevant statistical category in NFL history. Brees also embraced his team’s city in a way few athletes of his stature ever had; it’s not an overstatement to say Brees helped save football in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. As far as franchise icons go, they don’t get much bigger.” – Dan Hanzus
9. Brett Favre
Highest Ranking: 5
Lowest Ranking: 12
Brett Fave career stats
- Years active: 1991-2010
- Completions: 6,300 (third all-time)
- Passing yards: 71,838 (fourth all-time)
- Passing touchdowns: 508 (fourth all-time)
- Passer rating: 86.0 (T-41st all-time)
- Fourth-quarter comebacks: 28 (T-11th all-time)
Brett Favre career accolades
- 11-time Pro Bowl selection
- 3-time First-Team All-Pro selection
- 3-time NFL MVP
- 1995 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
- 1-time Super Bowl champion
- Pro Football Hall of Fame (2016)
What makes Brett Favre one of the best NFL QBs of all-time?
“I think people have begun to forget just how great Brett Favre was. Yes, he threw a lot of interceptions (the most all-time, in fact), but he was also a player unlike anything the league had ever seen. He was John Wayne in a football uniform. When you think of the term ‘gunslinger,’ you think of Favre. He’s the only player in NFL history to win three consecutive MVP awards, and he held almost every major passing record at the time of his retirement.” – Jarrett Bailey
8. John Elway
Highest Ranking: 3
Lowest Ranking: 18
John Elway career stats
- Years active: 1983-98
- Completions: 4,123 (13th all-time)
- Passing yards: 51,475 (12th all-time)
- Passing touchdowns: 300 (T-14th all-time)
- Passer rating: 79.9 (78th all-time)
- Fourth-quarter comebacks: 31 (9th all-time)
John Elway career accolades
- 9-time Pro Bowl selection
- 1987 NFL MVP
- 2-time Super Bowl champion
- Super Bowl XXXIII MVP
- Pro Football Hall of Fame (2004)
Why is John Elway one of the best NFL QBs of all-time?
“Elway paradoxically spent the first seven-eighths of his career as both the king of the comeback and someone who ‘could not win the big game.’ He started his career as the cocky troublemaker who dared to challenge the NFL’s draft infrastructure. He looked like he was washed up after about 10 seasons; the Broncos even drafted his successor. It’s a testimony to both his talent and his perseverance that he endured through all of those narrative twists and turns to arrive at back-to-back championships and end his playing career as that most admirable of football tropes: The Guy Who Walked Away a Winner.” – Mike Tanier
7. Steve Young
Highest Ranking: 3
Lowest Ranking: 11
Steve Young career stats
- Years active: 1984-99
- Completions: 2,667 (47th all-time)
- Passing yards: 33,124 (43rd all-time)
- Passing touchdowns: 232 (36th all-time)
- Passer rating: 96.8 (14th all-time)
- Fourth-quarter comebacks:13 (T-26th all-time)
Steve Young career accolades
- 7-time Pro Bowl selection
- 3-time First-Team All-Pro selection
- 2-time NFL MVP
- 1992 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
- 3-time Super Bowl champion
- Super Bowl XXIX MVP
- Pro Football Hall of Fame (2000)
Why is Steve Young one of the best NFL QBs of all-time?
“Who has the highest era-corrected adjusted net yards per attempt of all-time? Is it Dan Marino? Patrick Mahomes? Peyton Manning? Tom Brady? Joe Montana? No. It’s Steve Young. And it’s not particularly close, either. Young is seen as a lesser quarterback than Montana, despite Montana’s better defenses, coaching and supporting cast. But Young innovated the game much like Montana did, operating as a dual-threat in an era hostile to the concept. Young’s late introduction to the NFL and then to a starting job has unfairly diminished him among all-time greats.” – Arif Hasan
6. Aaron Rodgers
Highest Ranking: 4
Lowest Ranking: 10
Aaron Rodgers career stats
- Years active: 2005-present
- Completions: 5,369 (seventh all-time)
- Passing yards: 62,952 (seventh all-time)
- Passing touchdowns: 503 (fifth all-time)
- Passer rating: 102.6 (First all-time)
- Fourth-quarter comebacks: 23 (T-16th all-time)
Aaron Rodgers career accolades
- 10-time Pro Bowl selection
- 4-time First-Team All-Pro selection
- 4-time NFL MVP
- 1-time Super Bowl champion
- Super Bowl XLV MVP
Why is Aaron Rodgers one of the best NFL QBs of all-time?
“I’d argue there has never been a better pure thrower of the football in NFL history than Rodgers. No one has ever had the combined ability to consistently put a pass exactly where it needs to be at all angles while rarely turning the ball over at the clip in which he has done it. Look at some of these season totals:
- 2009: 30 TDs, 7 INTs
- 2011: 45 TDs, 6 INTs
- 2012: 39 TDs, 9 INTs
- 2014: 38 TDs, 5 INTs
- 2015: 31 TDs, 8 INTs
- 2016: 40 TDs, 7 INTs
- 2018: 25 TDs, 2 INTs
- 2019: 26 TDs, 4 INTs
- 2020: 48 TDs, 5 INTs
- 2021: 37 TDs, 4 INTs
Only Peyton Manning has won more MVPs than Rodgers, and only Brady, Brees, Manning, and Favre have thrown more touchdowns.” – Jarrett Bailey
5. Dan Marino
Highest Ranking: 4
Lowest Ranking: 11
Dan Marino career stats
- Years active: 1983-99
- Completions: 4,967 (tenth all-time)
- Passing yards: 61,361 (ninth all-time)
- Passing touchdowns: 420 (seventh all-time)
- Passer rating: 86.4 (T-39th all-time)
- Fourth-quarter comebacks: 33 (seventh all-time)
Dan Marino career accolades
- 9-time Pro Bowl selection
- 3-time First-Team All-Pro Selection
- 1984 NFL MVP
- Pro Football Hall of Fame (2005)
What makes Dan Marino one of the best NFL QBs of all-time
“Marino’s 1984 remains one of the best seasons of all-time, setting the tone for a career of high-powered passing offenses and, unfortunately, playoff disappointments. With a lightning-quick release and cannon for an arm, Marino set the standard for downfield passing, leading the league in passing yards five times and touchdown passes in three out of his first four years in the league.”
“For all the downfield fireworks, perhaps most impressive was Marino’s leading the league in sack rate the first seven years of his career and three other seasons along the way. It was his ability to see the field and attack it with timing and precision that saw Marino retire as the all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns by a healthy margin before the pass-happy rules of the 2000s helped several QBs catch up. The only blip for Marino is the lack of playoff success as he never returned to the Super Bowl after a one-sided 38-16 loss to the 49ers in 1984, and he managed just six more playoff wins after that run to go with subpar performances compared to his regular-season excellence. Overall, Marino could do it all as a passer, and he’s the overwhelming favorite for the dubious title of best quarterback to never win a Super Bowl.” – Steve Palazzolo
4. Patrick Mahomes
Highest Ranking: 2
Lowest Ranking: 10
Patrick Mahomes career stats
- Years active: 2017-present
- Completions: 2,778 (41st all-time)
- Passing yards: 32,352 (48th all-time)
- Passing touchdowns: 245 (29th all-time)
- Passer rating: 102.1 (second all-time)
- Fourth-quarter comebacks: 19 (T-20th all-time)
Patrick Mahomes career accolades
- 6-time Pro Bowl selection
- 2-time First-Team All-Pro selection
- 2-time NFL MVP
- 2018 Offensive Player of the Year
- 3-time Super Bowl champion
- 2-time Super Bowl MVP
Why Patrick Mahomes is one of the best QBs of all-time
“Mahomes is only 29 years old, and already has the resume of a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The 2017 first-round pick has won three Super Bowls, is a three-time Super Bowl MVP, a two-time NFL MVP and has twice thrown for more than 5,000 yards in a season. The face of Kansas City’s dynasty, Mahomes changed the way the position of quarterback is played, turning off-platform throws and no-look passes from reckless to routine. He’s the standard for modern quarterbacks.” – Matt Verderame
3. Joe Montana
Highest Ranking: 2
Lowest Ranking: 7
Joe Montana career stats
- Years active: 1979-94
- Completions: 3,409 (24th all-time)
- Passing yards: 40,551 (24th all-time)
- Passing touchdowns: 273 (20th all-time)
- Passer rating: 92.3 (25th all-time)
- Fourth-quarter comebacks: 26 (T-14th all-time)
Joe Montana career accolades
- 8-time Pro Bowl selection
- 3-Time First-Team All-Pro
- 2-Time NFL MVP
- 1989 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
- 4-time Super Bowl champion
- 3-time Super Bowl MVP
- Pro Football Hall of Fame (2000)
Why Joe Montana is one of the best NFL QBs of all-time
“Joe Montana was the face of the NFL throughout the 1980s, winning four Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVPs with the 49ers. He was also a two-time NFL MVP while leading the league in completion percentage five times and touchdown passes twice. Yet the essence of Montana can be summarized by his 31 fourth-quarter comebacks, none bigger than in Super Bowl XXIII.” – Matt Verderame
2. Peyton Manning
Highest Ranking: 2
Lowest Ranking: 6
Peyton Manning career stats
- Years active: 1998-2015
- Completions: 6,125 (fourth all-time)
- Passing yards: 71,940 (third all-time)
- Passing touchdowns: 539 (third all-time)
- Passer rating: 96.5 (16th all-time)
- Fourth-quarter comebacks: 43 (second all-time)
Peyton Manning career accolades
- 14-time Pro Bowl selection
- 7-time First-Team All-Pro Selection
- 5-time NFL MVP
- 2-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year
- 2-time Super Bowl champion
- Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl MVP
- Pro Football Hall of Fame (2021)
Why Peyton Manning is one of the best NFL QBs of all-time
“A five-time NFL MVP, Manning redefined quarterback excellence with his cerebral approach and prolific passing, amassing 71,940 career yards and 539 touchdowns, both among the highest totals in league history. He led the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl XLI victory and later won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos, becoming the first QB to win titles with two franchises. His record-setting 55 touchdown passes in 2013 – after a serious neck injury that nearly ended his career – and 14 Pro Bowl selections in a golden era of quarterbacking underscore his consistency and dominance. Manning’s ability to elevate offenses was his career hallmark, and his postseason resilience following early-career playoff struggles cemented his place among the top quarterbacks of the Super Bowl era.” – Eric Edholm
1. Tom Brady
Highest Ranking: 1
Lowest Ranking: 1
Tom Brady career stats
- Years active: 2000-22
- Completions: 7,753 (first all-time)
- Passing yards: 89,214 (first all-time)
- Passing touchdowns: 649 (first all-time)
- Passer rating: 97.2 (12th all-time)
- Fourth-quarter comebacks: 46 (first all-time)
Tom Brady career accolades
- 15-time Pro Bowl selection
- 3-time First-Team All-Pro
- 3-time NFL MVP
- 2-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year
- 7-time Super Bowl champion
- 5-time Super Bowl MVP
Why Tom Brady is the best NFL QB of all-time
“The best summary of Tom Brady’s greatness is the seven Super Bowl rings, of course, but Brady had both team and individual success. His 2007 season may have been the most valuable season by a quarterback in NFL history, and then he was almost as good in 2010 with a completely different offense structured around two rookie tight ends. For a long time, there was a great debate about who was better: Brady or Peyton Manning. But Manning was toast by age 39, while Brady won two Super Bowls in his 40s. Nobody has ever played so well for so long.” – Aaron Schatz
