More recently, Smith (on the right in the photo above) became part of a group (including Ted Ginn Sr. and Eric Metcalf) to help bring medical marijuana dispensaries to the Cleveland area. Hostetler technically won a Super Bowl as a starting quarterback, but he lost the starting job to Phil Simms the next season and had trouble staying healthy, which eventually landed him with the Oakland Raiders and eventually the Washington Redskins. Morrall's best statistical season was in 1963 with the Detroit Lions, the second of the six teams for which he played, although he was a notable Pro Bowl snub that season. (Had to get that in there somehow, or I'd be a bad Ravens fan.). And hey, there's only one other quarterback who has ever won four Super Bowls- that's an accomplishment in and of itself. The other "forgotten" Cowboys quarterback is Danny White, the guy who had the misfortune of playing between the tenures of two-time champion Roger Staubach and three-time champion Troy Aikman. McNair's Titans did appear in one Super Bowl, which they lost to the "Greatest Show on Turf" when WR Kevin Dyson was famously stopped one yard short of what would have been a game tying touchdown to send the Super Bowl into overtime. He will probably also be hurt by the perception that he was the guy that held back several really good Philadelphia Eagles teams; there are also people who feel like Brian Westbrook was the guy that made Philly's offense go during McNabb's tenure in Philadelphia. Stats for active players are through the 2021 regular season. Jake "the Snake" Plummer first earned his proverbial call sign for his elusiveness while playing for Arizona State University, and the nickname stuck with him throughout his college career. He would ultimately win five NFL titles in total, two via Super Bowls I and II. He has never been an elite quarterback, but he was certainly a good one for a long period of time, often labeled as "too old" only to promptly have a pretty good season. Separated by 18 years, Peyton Manning followed Elways path in retiring after winning a Super Bowl. The arguments about what Namath did for the game are all completely valid, and make him a lock to stay on this list so long as the NFL exists, though he will fall as time goes on- his stats really don't support his mythical status. The 24-year-old was told that he should retire after suffering multiple concussions this past season with fears of future injuries and the Miami Dolphins have sent a clear message to the quarterback. He is the only QB to ever throw for more than 400 yards and keep a perfect 158.3 QB rating in the same game; he also combined with Marino to throw for over 900 passing yards in the same game, another NFL record. He was named MVP of that game, the capper to arguably the greatest season by a QB in NFL history. Under . Favre was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 33rd overall pick out of Southern Miss in the 1991 NFL Draft. The Hall has room for Joe Namath but not for Ken Anderson? Elway was arguably even more clutch than "Captain Comeback," leading 47 game winning drives in the 4th quarter or overtime. Of course, his claim to fame in fans' memories are those two crucial interceptions he threw to Cowboys defensive back Larry Brown in Super Bowl XXX that were largely responsible for the Cowboys' victory over the Steelers. Manning would have his shot at redemption in 2015. Even so, his immense talent led teams to repeatedly take chances on him, which allowed him to put up big numbers. Still, his career has been a long one, and Hasselbeck has provided stability at the QB positionsomething that isn't very easy to find (just ask the Cardinals). Drew Bledsoe was famous for one thing: being a water buffalo in the pocket. "Hoss" quarterbacked the Giants team that was the beneficiary of the famous moment in Bills lore known simply as "Wide Right.". Unfortunately, he was unable to take home a second Lombardi Trophy. He won't move up very far if he continues to make me waste high picks on him in my fantasy draft, though 2009 was his best seasonhis first as a full-time starter, when he stayed healthy for all 16 gamesand he made the Pro Bowl that year while lighting up the passing charts. You'll periodically hear Starr's name come up in discussions about the top quarterback of all time, though it is rare. Many of his biggest records have since been surpassed, but he still holds several NFL passing records and literally every Dolphins passing record. Try to dig up more information on him; I dare you. Whether that's true or not, his comments don't give the impression that a decision will be announced right after the end of the season. 66.1 percent completion percentage (best all-time), Early in his career, Jeff Hostetler backed up Phil Simms for the New York Giants and became an NFL starter only after Simms was injured in a game in December 1990. It would be sacrilege to have an NFLs greatest quarterback list without Joe Willie Namath. Byron Leftwich was selected with the #7 overall pick in the the 2003 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars and nearly immediately became the starter, even jumping David Garrard on the depth chart to do so. What made this surprising is that many scouts had Quinn rated as a top 10 prospect leading into the draft. The former Boston College Eagle and Heisman Trophy winner might be best known for his famous Hail Mary against Miami in 1984, and he was part of a major quarterback controversy with Rob Johnson in Buffalo. According to Pro Football Reference, Earl was drafted at 22 and was 38 when the Dolphins went on their historic run. To be fair, Jeff Hostetler was actually the QB that played in the 1990 win, and if the gods had been on Buffalo's side that day, NFL history might be very different. One of the poster boys for prima donnas in the NFL and a former No. This season, he also became the Packers' all-time leader in touchdown passes (449 and counting). The Falcons were making their first Super Bowl appearance after also posting a 142 regular season record. He would soon make his way to Green Bay in 1992 where he would flourish for the next 16 seasons. As the season has played out and new reporting has trickled in, however, we've learned more about Brady's future plans. Theismann's Redskins won Super Bowl XVII, but failed to defend their title in Super Bowl XVIII the next year. They are listed in order of the date of each player's first start at quarterback for the 49ers. Everybody knew that Jackson would need time to develop into an NFL caliber quarterback, but his physical attributes were through the roof and too hard to resist. Quarterback of the Cleveland Browns from 1974-83, Sipe's career was okay, maybe above average, with one notable exception: the 1980 season. He retired in 1994 after spending his final two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. This list does not include preseason nor postseason appearances. However, Young's improvisational skills proved best suited to the quarterback position. It wasn't in the Super Bowl, but "The Catch" is as good a moment as any to beat the Dallas Cowboys at the height of their power. Morrall is something of an unusual case in that he has more Super Bowl rings than Pro Bowl appearances. There have been blips on the QB radar screen since Kelly retired 20 years ago, but the Bills search for a steady franchise quarterback has mostly been fluid. Charley Johnson played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers and Denver Broncos during his 15-year NFL career, and he's a member of the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. Tommy Garrett is a writer for Pro Football Network covering the NFL and fantasy football. In any event, the forward pass became a primary offensive weapon while Baugh was in the league, and "Slingin Sammy" was always at the forefront in terms of using this innovative approach. Brunell had a fantastic connection with wideouts Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. He was the most prolific passer of his era, which is all the more impressive when you consider that he played in an option-based offense and never played the quarterback position until he reached the professional level. NFL Network also said that Brady entered the season planning to retire but could be open to considering his options in free agency. That task fell to Marc Bulger. My opinions are not scientific, and while I have done a fair amount of research in putting this list together, I am 100 percent sure that no one else on this planet would have exactly the same list as mechiefly because not everyone will use my criteria. Besides, I already reserved "worst quarterback ever to win two super bowls" for Jim Plunkett. For his efforts, Fouts was named NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1982. The Cards gave him the huge deal based off a few good games with the Eagles, which clearly wasn't enough of a sample size. Interestingly, the other quarterback to accomplish the feat is Kurt Warner, who like Morton also played intervening time between those two teams with the New York Giants. Brady, who ended the regular . As a result, they ranked second in the NFL with 501 points and third in total offense with 6,276 yards. That, in addition to spending his first two seasons in the USFL (1984-85), and two more quarterbacking an abysmal Buccaneers team in 1985-86. Having played most famously for the New England Patriots, Brady also played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his final two seasons, according to ESPN. Grossman had a roller coaster career as a starter in the NFL, most notable during the 2006 season in which he led the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl despite his propensity for costly turnovers and many fans calling for him to be benched. The life of an NFL quarterback has to be one of the best experiences anybody could ever have. Some quarterbacks thrive after retiring and others suffer adversity. Manning holds multiple NFL records, both single-season and career. As a general rule, things I value most on a player's resume are clutch plays and championships. Get real. Kosar finished his career in Miami as the backup to Dan Marino. Plunkett might be the worst quarterback to ever win two Super Bowls, but the point remains the man still did win two Super Bowls, both with the Oakland Raiders, winning the Super Bowl MVP in his first go-round. His 20-year run in New England is unprecedented: 17 division titles, nine Super Bowl appearances, and six world championships. Orton also has political aspirations and has stated that he one day wants to run for Congress. You can read. Thanks to his background as a collegiate running back, Graham rushed for 44 touchdowns during his 10-year professional career. When you compare the two players, Tarkenton retired as the leading passer AND rusher among quarterbacks. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. While he never won a Super Bowl, which hurts his status on this list to some degree, Marino did play in the big game (XIX) in just his second season as an NFL quarterback. Plummer's best season was probably in 2005, when he broke a few significant franchise passing records set by the great John Elway; however, Plummer always displayed a tendency to throw interceptions in bunches, which led to the Broncos' decision to draft his eventual successor, Cutler, in the first round. He frequently led his teams to come-from-behind victories, earning himself the label "Captain Comeback," a title Roger Staubach earned before him. He has served as a hero and role model for millions, both on and off the field. Besides, anybody who has appeared on the cover of Madden had to be pretty good at some point! The man who led the Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance in 2006 was only about halfway through his career at that point. Gannon had a successful career but was never able to actually win a Super Bowl championship. Speaking of Manning, you wont see him on this list. Griese played in the actual Super Bowl that year. In the 1970s, the Dallas Cowboys were "America's Team," and during the same time period, Roger Staubach became the team leader: "Captain America" or "Captain Comeback." In the AFC divisional playoff against the Oakland Raiders, the Browns trailed by two points and were within range for a short field goal attempt. If you listen to a lot of NFL analysts these days, they seem ready to rank Eli much higher up this list already, though I will readily admit that he very well could climb with greater production. Of course, Morton's legacy is somewhat diminished by the fact that he lost both of his Super Bowl appearances- to the Unitas-led Baltimore Colts in 1970 and to the Staubach-led Dallas Cowboys in 1977. Brooks played most of his career with the New Orleans Saintshe held most franchise passing records at the time of his retirement, though he also played for the Oakland Raiders. One of the oldest NFL quarterbacks of all time was still effective in his final season, passing for 1,095 yards and five touchdowns over five games. Brady hasn't said whether he plans to retire this offseason, but reports have indicated that he's open to a return. Regardless, Young will still go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Check out some of his music on Youtube. However, retroactively applied to previous seasons, Plum's 1960 season earned a rating of 110.4, which was the highest of any quarterback prior to 1989, by which time the NFL had started to adopt several rules favoring the offense and in particular the passing game. Going purely by numbers, Randall Cunningham probably shouldn't be this high on the list. I don't know how I did them.". Is something of an NFL quarterback has to be one of the best experiences anybody could ever have order the... 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