The NFL is filled with talented athletes at the quarterback position. Since the start of the sport, the game has evolved, and players have become much more athletic and versatile. Quarterbacks are throwing bombs and are capable of outrunning some running backs. I want to discuss who are the top 3 quarterbacks in history.
Joe Montana
Joe Montana finds himself 3rd on our list of top quarterbacks of all time. Montana was close to perfect. He won four of four and was named MVP three times. In the ’89 postseason, he threw 11 touchdown passes with no interceptions while sporting a passer rating (of 146.4). His 1984 season was, along with Marino, the first 100 passer rating season since 1976. That year, Montana led the most complete team in Super Bowl history to an 18-1 record as a starter. He had an incredible 1989 season, winning the first of his two MVP titles.
Montana completed more than 70% of his passes with a passer rating of 112.4 while playing under rules that made the quarterback position much more difficult than it is now. Those figures would be near the top of the rankings right now. In 1980, he led the Niners back from a 35-7 hole against the Saints to produce the biggest regular-season comeback in the NFL’s 99-year history.
Dan Marino
Dan Marino has considered the universal exception to the “thou shalt win a Super Bowl to be great” sports proverb that has pervaded analysis over the last 25 years. In his first season, Marino excelled, going 7-2 as a starter and ending as the AFC’s best passer. The most amazing offensive season in the NFL’s 100-year history occurred during his second campaign. 5,084 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 108.9 are the final numbers. In 1985, 1986, 1988, and 1992, Marino had the most throwing yards in the NFL. His record-breaking season of 1984 saw him throw 48 touchdown passes, breaking the previous mark of 36 that had stood for 20 years.
He became the first quarterback to surpass 5,000 throwing yards. However, Marino was not quite the same player after an Achilles injury in 1993, but he was still among the top quarterbacks in the game.
Tom Brady
At the top of the list is Tom Brady. Brady has accumulated many accolades and has secured a spot in the NFL hall of fame. Brady currently holds the record for most regular-season completions, passing yards, and touchdowns in NFL history. Tom Brady has won super bowl MVP 5 times and regular-season MVP 3 times throughout his career. Brady has also received NFL offensive player of the year honors twice. With many accomplishments throughout his career, it’s no surprise he ended up number 1 on this list.
Brady’s career has been a study in consistency, but it’s also been punctuated by individual and team triumphs. There hasn’t been much deterioration, and Brady may have even improved in his final years.
