Top 5 QBs of All Time
Updated: Nov 18, 2020
1. Tom Brady
He was a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. A Pro Bowl invitee in each of his ten NFL seasons and two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and established himself as one of the most elusive runners in pro football with his quickness and agility. In 2007, he was ranked by NFL Network's NFL Top 10 series as the most elusive runner in NFL history. Through ten seasons in Detroit, he averaged over 1,500 rushing yards per season and just under 100 rushing yards per game. In 1997, he became the third player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season and was named the NFL Most Valuable Player. He is often regarded as one of the greatest running backs in NFL .
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2. Joe Montana
He played for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for Kansas City Chiefs. After winning a national championship at Notre Dame, Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with San Francisco, where he played for the next 14 seasons. While a member of the 49ers, Montana started and won four Super Bowls and was the first player ever to have been named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player three times. He also holds Super Bowl career records for most passes without an interception (122 in four games) and the all-time highest passer rating of 127.8. In 1993, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for his final two seasons, and he led that franchise to its first AFC Championship Game in January 1994. Montana was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
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3. Peyton Manning
He played in the National Football League for 18 seasons spending 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and his final four seasons with the Denver Broncos. Manning holds many NFL records, including 5 AP MVP awards, 14 Pro Bowl appearances, 14 4,000-yard passing seasons, single-season passing yards with 5,477 in 2013), single-season passing touchdowns with 55 in 2013. He is also tied with Sammy Baugh for the most first-team All-Pro selections for a quarterback with 7, and is third in career passing yards (71,940) and passing touchdowns (539). A two-time Super Bowl winner and the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLI, Manning is the only starting quarterback to have multiple appearances and win the Super Bowl with more than one franchise.
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4. John Elway
He had a16-year professional career with the Denver Broncos. At the time of his retirement in early 1999, Elway had recorded the most victories by a starting quarterback and statistically was the second most prolific passer in NFL history. He was also a prolific rusher of the ball, being one of only two players ever to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super Bowls. Elway led his teams to six AFC Championship Games and five Super Bowls, winning two. Elway has been a member of the Broncos organization for all three of their Super Bowl victories, two as a player and one as an executive. Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004 in his first year of eligibility and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
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5. Johnny Unitas
He spent the majority of his career playing for the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the NFL's most valuable player in 1959, 1964, and 1967. For 52 years, he held the record for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass (set between 1956 and 1960), until it was broken in 2012 by Drew Brees. Unitas led the Colts to NFL titles in 1958 and '59, helped them win Super Bowl V, was chosen to five all-league teams and played in 10 Pro Bowls. Unitas was the prototype of the modern era marquee quarterback, with a strong passing game, media fanfare, and widespread popularity. He has been consistently listed as one of the greatest NFL players of all time.
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