Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time, and it is not close. Pro-Football-Reference credits him with seven Super Bowl wins, five Super Bowl MVP awards and an NFL-record 89,214 passing yards. The rest of the top 10 runs from Joe Montana and Peyton Manning to Otto Graham. Graham’s Browns reached the title game in all 10 of his seasons.
Updated October 11, 2026.
I have followed the standings for most of my life. Every greatest-quarterback argument I have sat through ends the same way: rings or numbers. I weigh both. A passer who piled up yards without a title, like Dan Marino, still belongs here. So does Otto Graham. His totals look small next to today’s passing games, but he won almost every year he played.
Some great ones just missed the cut, and you could argue for any of them: Steve Young, Roger Staubach, Warren Moon, Fran Tarkenton, Jim Kelly, Sammy Baugh, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman.
Tom Brady: the greatest quarterback of all time
Brady played 23 seasons, 20 for New England and three for Tampa Bay, finishing after 2022. Pro-Football-Reference credits him with a 251-82 regular-season record, 649 touchdown passes and 89,214 yards, the most in NFL history. He won seven Super Bowls and five Super Bowl MVP awards. He was the AP MVP in 2007, 2010 and 2017.
Brady also made 15 Pro Bowls. What separates him is length at the top, with titles for two different franchises.
Joe Montana
Montana went 4-0 in Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and was the game’s MVP in three of them. He was the AP MVP in 1989 and 1990. Pro-Football-Reference lists a 117-47 regular-season record and a 16-7 playoff record. He finished with two seasons in Kansas City, 1993 and 1994.
His case rests on composure. His teams trusted him most in the final minutes, and he was perfect on the biggest stage. He entered the Hall of Fame in 2000.
Peyton Manning
Manning won five AP MVP awards, in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2013, more than anyone else on this list. He spent 13 seasons with Indianapolis and four with Denver, and he won a Super Bowl with each. His 2013 season in Denver produced 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdown passes.
He finished with 71,940 yards and 539 touchdowns, and he was a first-team All-Pro seven times. Manning ran the offense at the line of scrimmage like a coach, changing plays after reading the defense. He retired after the 2015 season and was inducted in 2021.
Dan Marino
In 1984, his second season, Marino threw for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns. Both were NFL records, and he won the AP MVP award. He retired holding the career records for completions (4,967), yards (61,361) and touchdown passes (420), the Hall of Fame notes.
Those records have since been passed, and Marino now sits 10th in career passing yards. He never won a Super Bowl. Still, he did all of it in 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. The Hall of Fame inducted him in 2005.
Brett Favre
Favre appeared in two games for Atlanta as a rookie without a start. Then he spent 1992 through 2007 with the Green Bay Packers. He won the AP MVP three years running, 1995 through 1997, and led Green Bay to a Super Bowl title. Pro-Football-Reference lists 298 regular-season starts, 71,838 yards and 508 touchdown passes.
He spent 2008 with the New York Jets and two seasons with Minnesota, retiring after 2010. Durability is his argument. He started nearly every game for almost two decades, and the Hall of Fame inducted him in 2016.
Johnny Unitas
Unitas built the modern passing game with the Baltimore Colts. He won the AP MVP in 1959, 1964 and 1967, three NFL championships and one Super Bowl. Pro-Football-Reference lists 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns over 18 seasons. The last, in 1973, came with the San Diego Chargers.
Those totals look modest now. In his era they were unheard of. The Hall of Fame names his 38 game-winning drives as the record Marino later broke. He was inducted in 1979.
Drew Brees
Brees played 20 seasons, five in San Diego and 15 in New Orleans, and retired after 2020 at age 41. He ranks second all time with 80,358 passing yards and threw 571 touchdowns. He won Super Bowl XLIV and its MVP award.
Pro-Football-Reference shows five seasons of 5,000 or more yards, in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016. He never won a regular-season MVP. That is the only hole in his case.
John Elway
Elway spent his whole career in Denver and finished with a 148-82-1 record, 51,475 yards and 300 touchdown passes. He was the AP MVP in 1987, made nine Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls. He retired after 1998 and entered the Hall of Fame in 2004.
Pro-Football-Reference credits him with 31 fourth-quarter comebacks and 40 game-winning drives. Late in a close game, few quarterbacks were more dangerous.
Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers is the only active player here. He won four AP MVP awards in Green Bay, in 2011, 2014, 2020 and 2021. He was also MVP of Super Bowl XLV. After 18 seasons with the Packers, he played two for the Jets and joined Pittsburgh in 2025.
Ball security is his calling card. Pro-Football-Reference lists a career passer rating of 101.8 and an interception rate of 1.4%. As of early October 2026 he had 67,273 yards and 534 touchdowns. He ranks fifth all time in passing yards.
Otto Graham
Graham played 10 seasons for the Cleveland Browns, four in the All-America Football Conference and six in the NFL. The Pro Football Hall of Fame says the Browns reached the title game in all 10 of them. They won four AAFC titles and three NFL championships.
Pro-Football-Reference lists seven first-team All-Pro selections and an average of 9.0 yards per pass attempt. That is an efficiency number few modern passers match. He was inducted in 1965.
Greatest quarterbacks of all time: quick answers
Who is the greatest quarterback of all time?
Tom Brady holds the strongest case. Pro-Football-Reference credits him with seven Super Bowl wins, five Super Bowl MVP awards and three league MVPs. His 89,214 career passing yards are the most in NFL history, over 23 seasons. Joe Montana, who went 4-0 in Super Bowls, is the usual runner-up in the debate.
Which quarterback has the most career passing yards?
Tom Brady leads with 89,214 yards, according to Pro-Football-Reference. Drew Brees is second with 80,358, then Peyton Manning with 71,940 and Brett Favre with 71,838. Aaron Rodgers is fifth with 67,273 and is still adding to it with Pittsburgh in 2026. Dan Marino, once the record holder, now ranks 10th with 61,361.
Which quarterback has won the most MVP awards?
Peyton Manning won five AP MVP awards, in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2013. Aaron Rodgers is next among quarterbacks on this list with four. Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Johnny Unitas each won three. Favre is the only one here to win three in a row, from 1995 through 1997.
Which quarterback has the most Super Bowl wins?
Tom Brady has seven, six with New England and one with Tampa Bay. Joe Montana is next with four, all with San Francisco, and he never lost a Super Bowl. Peyton Manning and John Elway each won two. Otto Graham played before the Super Bowl existed, but his Browns won seven league titles in his 10 seasons.
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