Top 10 Quarterbacks

This is a simple list ranking the top ten QBs in this league.

Number 1: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

The Rodgers vs Brady debate is one of the century. Let me sum it up for you. It’s Rodgers. Rodgers holds the highest career QBR in NFL history. Rodgers is the only one with a QBR of over 100 (103.8) and the gap from him to the second best (Russell Wilson, 98.8) is nearly the same as the gap from Tom Brady (97.6) to Chad Pennington (90.1). One thing that has helped Rodgers post such a historic stat is another stat of his that ranks highest in NFL history. That stat is a TD:INT ratio of over 4 in his career. The next closest is Tom Brady who averages nearly one less TD. This isn’t to take anything from Brady. Brady is historically great; but not as great as Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers’ stats alone can make the case that he’s not only the greatest QB in NFL history, but he is also the greatest football player in NFL history. When you look at the numbers and then combine it with the insanity that you see on tape, there has never been anyone better than Aaron Rodgers. People that claim Brady holds this spot base it off of rings. Football is a team game. It really boils down to the cohesion and play of 53 men and the coaching and planning of dozens more. If you’re going to argue that Brady is better than Rodgers because Brady has more team accolades, then you also need to say that Emmanuel Sanders is better than Larry Fitzgerald. It may not be fair to compare QBs to WRs in this regard, but it is honestly the same argument. QBs don’t do it all. Rodgers has consistently carried some of the most average rosters in the league deep into the playoffs and to double-digit wins season after season. The Packers have also shown that they clearly can’t perform without him at all. Rodgers is historically elite. We should all be honored we get to watch this man tear teams apart every season, even if it’s our team.

Number 2: Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Brady is a little down he wasn’t number one, but he should be content knowing he is a lock for Top 2 QBs to ever play the game. As I said to end Rodgers’ segment, we should all be thankful. Not only do we get to watch the best QB to ever do it, we also get to watch a very close second. I honestly believe that this generation holds the two greatest quarterbacks to ever lace them up. Rodgers and Brady. Brady’s tape won’t jump out at you, but he still performs. I know I watered down the importance of rings and championships, but 8 SB appearances is a sign of elite play no matter how you cut it. Brady is Top 3 in about every important career passing stat and he is somehow getting even better this late in his career. His clutch gene is second to none and the leadership and swagger he provides is top tier. When I say that a man that runs like a baby giraffe has swagger, you know that his career has been noticeably and objectively amazing.

Number 3: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Tom may have been pouting a bit at number two, but Brees is certainly looking happy to crack top 3. Many people claim that Brees is underrated in the NFL today, but I believe he’s right where he should be. He’s almost always a consensus top 3 at number 3 on most people’s lists. Considering I already crowned Rodgers and Brady as the best and second best in all of football history, Brees being third in today’s NFL is right on the mark. There has only ever been 9 5k yardage passing seasons in NFL history. No QB has ever done it more than once. Except for Drew Brees, who has posted more than half of those 9 (5 seasons with 5k+). Couple that with the highest completion percentage in NFL history and the fact he’s carried his team for a long time and you have one of the better QBs to ever play the game.

Number 4: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Wilson was never supposed to be this good. He wasn’t drafted with the idea that he would ever be this good. But he really is this dang good. Two SB appearances and one ring. 2nd highest career QBR and 3rd best career TD:INT ratio. Wilson is elite. Turn on his tape. He’s about as close to Rodgers as you can find right now in this league. One more thing to close this off because there’s not much more you need to say about Wilson. The Seahawks had 38 TDs last season. Wilson was responsible for 37 of them and also happened to be his teams leading rusher with no offensive line. That’s insane.

Number 5: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan may have struggled to close out a Superbowl, but he has been consistently one of the most clutch QBs in the league. He’s also posted Top 5-10 QB number in all of his seasons and is the proud owner of the NFL MVP title from 2016. Matt Ryan is very very good. No amount of 28-3 comments can ever take that away from him. Don’t be shocked if the Falcons see another SB very soon. Ryan is the type of QB that can absolutely win a couple of those and he’s got a good team around him. Don’t sleep on Ryan.

(*Stats picked from years as starters*) (GWD = Game-Winning Drives *Active Players*)

Number 6: Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers 

Career TD:INT (17th) Career QBR (9th), Completion % (11th), GWDs (3rd, 2004-2017)

Number 7: Matt Stafford, Detroit Lions

Career TD:INT (18th), Career QBR (18th), Completion % (24th), GWDs (7th, 2009, 2017)

Number 8: Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

Career TD:INT (6th), Career QBR (4th), Completion % (1st), GWDs (20th, 2012-2017)

Number 9: Carson Wentz, Philidelphia Eagles 

Career TD:INT (6th), Career QBR (14th), Completion % (T-31st), GWDs (31st, 2016-2017)

Number 10: Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers 

Career TD:INT (11th), Career QBR (8th), Completion % (10th), GWDs (9th, 2004-2017)

After 5, things get a bit hazy. I wouldn’t be upset if someone flipped Cousins and Stafford. After all, they’ve had similar bad supporting casts throughout their careers. I also wouldn’t mind if someone took Wentz off this list considering he’s only two years into his career. I wouldn’t mind someone sneaking on Carr to this list either. At the end of the day, most of this stuff is subjective (Except Rodgers, don’t @ me). Even if some guy has worse stats, he still might be better but we just don’t know it. This list is purely my opinion, and even I’m not totally sold on it.