While it took several months for Aaron Rodgers to figure out his status for the 2026 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback has already determined that the upcoming season will be the final one in a career that will one day be immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

By coming back for another season, the 42-year-old Rodgers will have a chance to move up even further in the NFL record book. He's 13 touchdown passes away from passing Peyton Manning and into third place in career touchdown passes. Rodgers is also less than 4,000 yards away from joining Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and former teammate Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks in history to throw for over 70,000 yards. 

Rodgers' legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time is already secure, but where does he rank among the best players at his position? To find out, we decided to rank the top-40 quarterbacks in NFL history by using the following criteria:  

• Individual accolades 
• Records set 
• Team success 
• Enduring legacy 

40. Roman Gabriel 

Gabriel beat out contemporary John Hadl for the final spot largely because he threw significantly fewer interceptions. The 1969 NFL MVP, Gabriel, won Comeback Player of the Year four years later after winning his first passing title at age 33. 

39. Bob Griese 

An eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, Griese was also the first quarterback to start in three straight Super Bowls. But he attempted just 18 total passes during Miami's two Super Bowl wins with him under center. He also made just six starts during the Dolphins' perfect 1972 season. 

38. George Blanda 

Owner of one of the most unique careers in NFL history, Blanda's career spanned a record 26 seasons and included a stint as a linebacker with the Bears early in his career. A three-time AFL champion with the Oilers, Blanda is the last quarterback to throw seven touchdown passes in a game, doing so during a win over the Titans in 1961. Blanda was also a prolific kicker who became the first player to score over 2,000 career points. 

37. Matt Ryan 

The Falcons' new president of football operations, Ryan, enjoyed a highly successful 15-year playing career that included 14 years in Atlanta. In 2016, Ryan won league MVP while nearly leading the Falcons to their first Super Bowl title. He's ninth all-time in career passing yards and 10th all-time in career touchdown passes. 

36. Bobby Layne 

One of the NFL's original gunslingers, Layne led the Lions to the franchise's first two championships in 1952 and 1953. He capped off his career by going 27-19-2 in five seasons with the Steelers, who had just two winning seasons before he arrived in 1958. 

35. Norm Van Brocklin 

Van Brocklin helped revolutionize the quarterback position during the 1960s. After leading the Rams to the NFL title game in 1950, Van Brocklin capped off his career by leading the Eagles to a win over Vince Lombardi's Packers in the 1960 NFL title game. 

34. Joe Namath 

Namath's career is defined by his role in arguably the biggest upset in the history of American professional sports. In Super Bowl III, Namath led the AFL champion Jets to a 16-7 win over the NFL champion Colts, who were 18-point favorites. Namath's career accolades also include being the first player in AFL/NFL history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season. 

33. Eli Manning 

In many ways, Manning is the 21st-century version of Namath. While his stats don't stack up to those of other quarterbacks on this list, Manning's excellence in two successful playoff runs makes up for it. He played a key role in the greatest upset since Super Bowl III when the Giants upset the then-undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. It was the first of two Manning-led Super Bowl wins against the NFL's preeminent team of the century. 

32. Matthew Stafford 

While his three Pro Bowl nods are underwhelming, nothing else about Stafford's career is. A Super Bowl champion with the Rams, Stafford is sixth all-time in career passing yards and seventh in career touchdown passes. He essentially locked up a future spot in Canton, Ohio, this past season by virtue of winning league MVP. 

31. Josh Allen 

Longevity is the only reason why Allen isn't higher on this list. A four-time Pro Bowler, Allen has earned a spot on this list after winning his first league MVP at the end of the 2024 season. A Super Bowl win would do wonders for Allen and his legacy. 

During his 18-year career, Rivers led the NFL in passing yards (2010), touchdown passes (2008), completion percentage (2013), completions and attempts (2015) and average yards gained per pass attempt twice (2008-09). Rivers' most memorable NFL moment -- outside of his unbelievable comeback last season after a four-year hiatus -- may have been his gritty performance against the then-undefeated Patriots in the 2007 AFC title game while playing with a torn ACL. 

29. Warren Moon 

Moon started his career in Canada before finally getting his shot in the NFL with the Oilers at age 28. Moon spearheaded a resurgence in Houston (who were just 13-35 in his first three seasons) that included seven consecutive playoff berths. Moon, whose patented deep ball helped him win back-to-back passing titles later in his career, was third all-time in career passing yards (behind only Dan Marino and John Elway) at the time of his retirement. 

28. Len Dawson 

Dawson was the Drew Brees of his era, accuracy-wise. He led his league in completion percentage eight times, including six consecutive seasons in the 1960s and a final time in 1975 (his final season) at the age of 40. Dawson quarterbacked the Chiefs in Super Bowl I and was named MVP of Super Bowl IV, the final game played before the AFL-NFL merger. 

27. Ken Anderson 

Anderson's career has often been overlooked because he played in an era that included several other iconic quarterbacks. One of the most efficient quarterbacks of his or any era, Anderson led the NFL in passing yards twice, completion percentage three times and in 1981 won league MVP while leading the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance. A finalist for the Hall of Fame this past year, Anderson would undoubtedly already be in the Hall of Fame had the Bengals defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. 

26. Sonny Jerguson 

Jerguson took passing to a new level in the 1960s, winning five passing titles. In 1967, Jerguson became the first quarterback in history to attempt 500 passes in a season. His 82.62 career passer rating was the best in NFL history before 1978, when the NFL made several rule changes to help advance the passing game. 

25. Dan Fouts 

Fouts' career took off as soon as Don Coryell became his head coach. It was quite simply a perfect marriage, as Fouts mastered Coryell's pass-happy offense to the tune of four consecutive passing titles. Fouts was also the winning quarterback in one of the greatest games in NFL history, a 41-38 overtime win over the Dolphins in the 1981 playoffs, dubbed the "Epic in Miami " appropriately. 

24. Jim Kelly 

Kelly led the Bills' appropriately-named "K-Gun" offense that appeared in four consecutive Super Bowls, an NFL record. One of 18 quarterbacks with 100 career wins, Kelly led the NFL in completion percentage and passer rating in 1990 and in touchdown passes in 1991. 

23. Sammy Baugh

The modern-day quarterback can be traced back to Baugh, who led the NFL in completion percentage 8 times during his 16-year career. In 1945, Baugh became the first quarterback to complete over 70% of his passes in a season. He led Washington to NFL titles in 1937 (his rookie season) and in 1942. 

22. Ken Stabler 

"The Snake" won the NFL MVP Award in 1974 while leading a Raiders offense that featured a record seven future Hall of Famers. Two years later, Stabler led the Raiders to the franchise's first Super Bowl win that included an AFC title game victory over the two-time defending champion Steelers. Stabler's name is synonymous with two of the most famous TD passes in history: the "Sea of Hands" and the "Holy Roller." 

21. Y.A. Tittle 

Tittle was part of the 49ers' legendary "Million Dollar Backfield" during the 1950s. He ended his career with the Giants, including one of the greatest seasons in NFL history. At age 37, Tittle led the NFL in completion percentage, touchdown passes and passer rating while leading New York to an NFL Championship game appearance. 

20. Lamar Jackson 

Given his lack of longevity, you could argue that Jackson may be ranked a tad too high on this list. For me, though, Jackson's legacy as the greatest running quarterback in NFL history, in addition to having the highest passer rating in league annals, more than justifies his spot in the top-20. 

Jackson could eventually be a top-15 or even a top-10 QB of all time if he ever wins a Super Bowl. 

19. Kurt Warner 

Warner's story was so unbelievable that it was actually made into a movie. Warner toiled as a grocery store clerk before finding success in the Arena Football League, then got an opportunity with the Rams. Warner then seized his opportunity to play when an injury ended then-Rams starting QB Trent Green's season during the 1999 preseason. 

Warner quickly took the NFL by storm, becoming the first QB in history to throw three touchdowns in each of his first three starts. He capped off his storybook season by winning MVP honors in Super Bowl XXXIV on the strength of his game-winning touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce. 

Warner won two league MVP awards and played in two more Super Bowls. While his team lost both times, Warner threw for the second- and third-highest totals in Super Bowl history at that time (his 414 yards in the Rams' Super Bowl win over the Titans was the highest single-game total at the time). 

"Big Ben" started his career by going 13-0 as Pittsburgh's starter during his rookie season, the best mark ever by a rookie quarterback. Roethlisberger followed that up a year later by becoming the youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl, as the Steelers became the first six-seed to win it all. Three years later, Roethlisberger capped off one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time by completing one of the most clutch passes in NFL history when he hit Santonio Holmes for the game-winning score. 

Roethlisberger was named to six Pro Bowls and is fifth all-time in career passing yards and eighth in career touchdown passes. He's the only player in history with three games with at least 500 passing yards. He had back-to-back games with six touchdown passes back in 2014. 

17. Troy Aikman

Winning largely defines Aikman's legacy. He was the first QB to win three Super Bowls in four years. In his first Super Bowl, Aikman won MVP honors after going 22 of 30 for 273 yards and four touchdowns in leading Dallas to a 52-17 win over Buffalo. Aikman's 70% career Super Bowl completion percentage stood as the all-time best mark until it was recently broken by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. 

16. Bart Starr

The leader of the Packers' 1960s dynasty, Starr has a unique place in NFL history as the MVP of the first two Super Bowls. Starr (who led the NFL in completion percentage and passer rating four times) also authored one of the most iconic plays in NFL history on his quarterback sneak that sealed the Packers' win in the 1967 NFL title game, also known as the "Ice Bowl." 

15. Fran Tarkenton 

Tarkenton started and ended his career in Minnesota, where he led the Vikings to three NFC titles over four years. Tarkenton (nicknamed "Scrambling Fran" for his peerless elusiveness in and out of the pocket) was a Pro Bowler in four of his five seasons with the Giants. He retired as the NFL's all-time career passing leader, a title he held for 17 years. 

14. Roger Staubach 

Staubach didn't become the Cowboys' full-time starting QB until 1971, but he quickly made up for lost time. Staubach went 13-0 as Dallas' quarterback that year, including his MVP performance in Super Bowl VI. He led Dallas to three more Super Bowls during the 1970s, including a blowout win over the Broncos in Super Bowl XII. Staubach, who had a penchant for leading the Cowboys on game-winning drives, recorded the first "Hail Mary" in NFL history, which helped the Cowboys reach the third Super Bowl. 

13. Terry Bradshaw 

Believe it or not, Bradshaw is the only Steelers player to win the league MVP, doing so in 1978. Bradshaw also won the first of two consecutive Super Bowl MVP awards that season while becoming the first (and only) QB to win back-to-back Super Bowls twice. In Super Bowl XIII (played at the end of the '78 season), Bradshaw threw for then-Super Bowl records 318 yards and four touchdowns in Pittsburgh's 35-31 win over the Cowboys in the first Super Bowl played between two franchises that had already won multiple Super Bowls. 

In four Super Bowls, Bradshaw threw nine touchdowns against just four interceptions. He threw the game-winning score three times. 

12. Otto Graham 

Graham accomplished a lot during his career, with winning at the forefront. Graham (widely considered the best QB in history before Johnny Unitas) won seven championships, including three NFL titles. He went 9-3 in the postseason and played for a title in each of his 10 seasons with the Browns. Graham won 81.3% of his starts, the highest percentage of any QB in history with at least 1,500 pass attempts. 

11. Steve Young

Young's pro career included two years in the USFL, two forgettable years with the Buccaneers and two Super Bowl wins in San Francisco as Joe Montana's backup. Young didn't become a full-time starter with the 49ers until he was 30. Despite that, he enjoyed a prolific career that included seven straight Pro Bowl selections, two league MVPs and a Super Bowl MVP. His 96.8 career passer rating was the best in NFL history at the time of his retirement. 

In Super Bowl XXIX, Young threw for a Super Bowl record six touchdowns and was the first QB to lead both teams in rushing in a Super Bowl. Speaking of running, Young was one of the best dual-threat QBs in NFL history. He's sixth all-time among quarterbacks in career rushing yards and fourth in career touchdown runs. 

10. Drew Brees

Like Steve Young before him, Brees was an incredibly efficient player who reached a level of passing excellence few others have matched. Brees won seven passing titles, led the NFL in touchdown passes four times and completion percentage six times. Brees' excellence spearheaded the Saints' only Super Bowl win, a 31-17 victory over the Colts, in which Brees (who was named the game's MVP) went 32 of 39 for 288 yards and two touchdowns. 

Only Tom Brady has more career touchdown passes and career passing yards than Brees, whose 5,476 passing yards in 2011 have been surpassed only by Peyton Manning. Not bad company to be in. 

9. Brett Favre 

The epitome of a gunslinger, Favre's lengthy list of NFL records includes 336 career interceptions. Favre threw some legendary picks (including critical ones in three NFC title game losses), but his willingness to take risks also led to many breathtaking plays. It also contributed to the Packers' first Super Bowl win in 29 years, one that included three total touchdowns from Favre, whose lone Super Bowl win came in the middle of his stretch of three consecutive MVP seasons. 

Along with his interception total, Favre's most iconic record is his 321 consecutive starts, a feat that may never be equaled. 

8. Aaron Rodgers

There are two main differences when comparing Brees and Rodgers. Rodgers won four league MVPs (the second-most in history) while Brees oddly never won one. Rodgers also threw more than 10 interceptions in a season just four times, compared to Brees' 14 seasons. 

Like Brees, Rodgers played in and won one Super Bowl, where he was named the game's MVP. Rodgers' career numbers don't add up to Brees (largely because Rodgers spent his first three seasons as Brett Favre's backup). Still, he is responsible for several of the most statistically insane QB seasons ever, including his fourth and final MVP season (in 2020), when he completed 70.7% of his throws with 48 touchdowns against just 5 interceptions. 

Mahomes is more than deserving of his top 10 position. The 30-year-old is already a two-time league and three-time Super Bowl MVP. He has an astonishing 112-35 record as the Chiefs' starting quarterback, including a 17-4 postseason mark. Mahomes' five Super Bowl starts are tied with John Elway for the second-most in history. 

6. John Elway 

Elway's brilliant career includes nine Pro Bowl selections, an NFL MVP award and back-to-back Super Bowl wins to close out his career. Elway was named Super Bowl MVP in his final game, a year after his famous helicopter run led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl win, an upset win over the defending champion Packers that ended the NFC's 13-year Super Bowl winning streak. 

Elway's career also included three other trips to the Super Bowl and his famous 98-yard drive (appropriately nicknamed "The Drive") that forced overtime in the 1986 AFC Championship game. 

5. Johnny Unitas 

The best QB during the NFL's first half-century, Unitas led the Colts to back-to-back titles, including a victory in the NFL's first overtime game. The Colts' 23-17 overtime win over the Giants in the 1958 NFL title game is also credited with helping take pro football's popularity to a new level. 

Unitas' career included four passing titles, being the NFL's leader in touchdown passes four times, a Super Bowl win with the 1970 Colts and 47 straight games with a touchdown pass (which spanned from 1956-60), a record that stood for over 50 years before it was broken by Drew Brees in 2012. 

4. Dan Marino 

Many consider Marino to be the best pure passer in NFL history, and the stats back it up. In 1984 (his second season), Marino threw for then-NFL records 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns while leading Miami to its most recent Super Bowl appearance. Marino won five passing titles (including four in five years early in his career) and led the NFL in touchdown passes three straight seasons from 1984-86. He retired after the 1999 season as the NFL's career passing leader. 

3. Peyton Manning 

Manning's rivalry with Tom Brady was similar to golf's greatest rivalry between Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. When comparing the rivalries, Brady was like Nicklaus in that he won significantly more titles. But like Palmer, Manning's legacy is more about his impact on the quarterback position and his status as one of the NFL's greatest ambassadors. 

Manning was also a great quarterback. He won a record five league MVP awards, was the first starting quarterback to win Super Bowls with multiple franchises, and is the single-season record holder for most career passing yards (5,477) and touchdown passes (55). Oh, he also went 3-1 against Brady in the AFC title games. 

2. Joe Montana 

Considered the greatest QB of all time pre-Brady, Montana still holds the unofficial title as the best QB of the 20th century. Montana's "Joe Cool" nickname was well-earned, as he led the 49ers on two of the most famous game-winning drives in NFL history. His touchdown pass to Dwight Clark (nicknamed "The Catch") led to the 49ers' first Super Bowl berth while shifting the NFL's balance of power from Dallas to San Francisco. Seven years later, Montana led a 92-yard drive that was punctuated by his game-winning touchdown pass to John Taylor that sealed the 49ers' third Super Bowl win during the 1980s. 

Montana went 4-0 in Super Bowls while becoming the first three-time Super Bowl MVP. Of his 92 pass attempts in Super Bowls, Montana threw 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions. His 59 rushing yards in Super Bowl XIX served as the single-game record for a quarterback for 15 years. 

1. Tom Brady 

It's hard to find anyone who would argue Brady's standing as the greatest quarterback of all time. Brady owns just about every significant NFL passing record, including the career marks for passing yards and touchdown passes. 

Brady also has three league MVP awards, a record five Super Bowl MVP trophies and has won more Super Bowls (seven) than any NFL franchise. He's the oldest quarterback (at age 43) to win the Super Bowl and only the second starting quarterback (Peyton Manning being the other) to win Super Bowls with multiple franchises.