Not every fan just watches the game. Some want to understand why a 199th overall pick became the most dominant player in football history — and what 60 years of quarterback evolution looks like when you rank them honestly.
Complex Sports has counted down the 10 greatest quarterbacks of all time, from dual-threat pioneers to gunslinging iron men to the undisputed GOAT. This countdown rewards the fans who care about why, not just who.
10. Steve Young and #9. Johnny Unitas
Oct 3, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers former player Jerry Rice (left) and former player Steve Young high five before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Steve Young was the original dual-threat, serving as Joe Montana’s understudy before seizing San Francisco’s starting job at age 30 and winning two MVPs and a Super Bowl XXIX MVP.
Johnny Unitas played a generation earlier with brilliant recklessness — 290 touchdowns against 253 interceptions in an era when the league-wide pick rate was 4.8%.
Young proved quarterbacks could run. Unitas proved they could dominate through the air. Together, they laid the foundation for the position.
8. Brett Favre
A three-time consecutive MVP from 1995 to 1997, Brett Favre could fire darts all over the field like few before or after.
The apex of his golden age was a Super Bowl XXXI victory over the Patriots — Favre, celebrating an early touchdown with his helmet off, remains an iconic image.
He’s also the most intercepted man in NFL history with 336 picks, a number that’s as much a testament to his ironman durability as his gunslinger risk-taking.
7. Dan Marino
Dan Marino is the ultimate testament to how hard it is to win championships in professional sports. That he never won a Super Bowl says more about the NFL than it does about Marino, who dominated the 1980s with the quickest release the position has ever seen.
He posted the lowest sack rate among qualifying quarterbacks across 10 seasons, getting the ball out quickly behind his offensive line. His arm was a weapon. His supporting cast wasn’t.
6. John Elway and #5. Aaron Rodgers
Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) warms up before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
John Elway’s 15-play, 98-yard march against Cleveland in the 1986 AFC Championship may stand forever as the greatest offensive possession in football history. He won two Super Bowls and engineered 40 fourth-quarter game-winning drives.
Aaron Rodgers took over for Brett Favre and became even better — a 527-to-123 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a Hail Mary to Jeff Janis that may be the best throw ever delivered. Two different kinds of greatness. Both unmatchable.
4. Peyton Manning
Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Peyton Manning looks on during the game between the New York Giants and the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
If Dan Fouts and John Elway were the prototypes of the modern quarterback, Peyton Manning is the finished product. A master at reading defenses, Manning won an NFL-record five regular-season MVPs and started every game for the Colts from 1998 to 2010.
After a neck injury and release by Indianapolis, he signed with Denver and delivered arguably the greatest regular season ever in 2013 — setting records with 55 touchdowns and 5,477 passing yards at age 37.
3. Patrick Mahomes
Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) looks on during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Patrick Mahomes is the natural successor to Tom Brady as the NFL’s one inevitable player. His seven-year streak of AFC Championship appearances before missing the 2025 playoffs may never be matched.
Three Super Bowl rings, a 95-31 regular season record, and a 17-4 playoff record — all before turning 31. The best endorsement of Mahomes’ brilliance is how shocking it feels when things don’t go his way. He built a dynasty-caliber résumé in half the time it takes most.
2. Joe Montana
Sep 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana waves to the crowd before the start of the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Joe Montana spent the better part of the 1980s flinging dimes, winning Super Bowls, and looking completely unflappable doing it.
As the maestro of Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense — the scheme that became the blueprint for modern football — Montana led the league in completion percentage four times.
Four Super Bowl titles. Three Super Bowl MVPs in 1981, 1984, and 1989. Montana was perfection under pressure, and the standard before Brady rewrote it.
1. Tom Brady
Tom Brady acknowledges his fans during a halftime celebration and the announcement of his induction in the the Patriots Hall of Fame. The New England Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles in their home opener at Gillette Stadium on Sept 10, 2023. [The Providence Journal / Kris Craig]
Nobody thought that when Mo Lewis knocked Drew Bledsoe out in 2001, Tom Brady would step in and appear in half of all Super Bowls over the next 20 years.
Never a superior athlete — his Draft Combine tape is good for a laugh — Brady dominated for 23 years on brain and work ethic alone.
Seven Super Bowl wins. 649 touchdowns. 89,214 passing yards. A 251-82 record. For two decades, the NFL revolved around one man, and he never blinked.
This Is for Fans Who Follow the Game for How It’s Played
Tom Brady was just an average quarterback at Michigan, including when he lost this fumble after getting hit by Na’il Diggs in Ohio State’s 1998 victory over the Wolverines.
From Unitas building the position to Young proving that quarterbacks could run. From Marino’s ringless brilliance to Kelly’s four heartbreaks. From Elway’s drive to Staubach’s prayer to Mahomes’ three rings and counting.
Every name on this countdown carries weight that transcends statistics. The quarterback position has been shaped by talent, prejudice, innovation, and moments so improbable they became part of the language. If you watch the game for how it’s played, these are the stories that matter.
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Sources:
Complex Sports, “The 25 Best NFL Quarterbacks of All Time, Ranked,” Feb. 5, 2026
ESPN career statistics and records archive
CBS Sports Super Bowl records database
Pro Football Hall of Fame, “The Drive” archive
ABC News, Broncos Wilson release reporting
NPR / TIME, Black quarterbacks Super Bowl history
University of Tennessee Athletics, Manning MVP records
