Who is the NFL’s greatest QB of all time? Ranking the top 15
The Post asked its six football writers to rank their 10 greatest quarterbacks all time, and then tallied up the results. Players received 10 points for a first-place ranking, 9 for a second-place ranking and so on.
Here are the tabulated results, along with each writer’s ballot and his own explanation:
The Post’s All-Time Great QB rankings
1. Tom Brady (56)
2. Joe Montana (50)
3. Patrick Mahomes (48)
4. Peyton Manning (35)
5. Johnny Unitas (33)
6. John Elway (22)
7. Otto Graham (18)
8. Dan Marino (15)
9t. Aaron Rodgers (14)
9t. Roger Staubach (14)
11. Brett Favre (7)
12. Terry Bradshaw (6)
13. Bart Starr (5)
14. Drew Brees (4)
15. Steve Young (3)
Mark Cannizzaro
1. Tom Brady
2. Patrick Mahomes
3. Joe Montana
4. Peyton Manning
5. Johnny Unitas
6. John Elway
7. Dan Marino
8. Brett Favre
9. Aaron Rodgers
10. Drew Brees
The fascinating chase to watch is whether Mahomes will someday overtake Brady as the best ever. If he and the Chiefs win Sunday, that’ll be four Super Bowl titles for Mahomes, which will still be three behind Brady’s seven. But Mahomes, at 29, figures to have plenty more chances. The question is whether he’ll remain as driven as Brady was into his 40s to maintain the chase.
Brian Costello
1. Otto Graham
2. Roger Staubach
3. Patrick Mahomes
4. Joe Montana
5. Tom Brady
6. Bart Starr
7. Peyton Manning
8. Steve Young
9. Aaron Rodgers
10. Johnny Unitas
If Mahomes wins Sunday, I would move him to No. 2 on the list. Graham is forgotten by many people, but look it up: He played in 10 championship games in 10 seasons and won seven of them. His average of 8.63 yards per pass attempt remains an NFL record. I look for those who dominated their era and Graham owned his.
Ryan Dunleavy
1. Tom Brady
2. Patrick Mahomes
3. Joe Montana
4. Peyton Manning
5. John Elway
6. Johnny Unitas
7. Dan Marino
8. Drew Brees
9. Aaron Rodgers
10. Brett Favre
Mahomes is already No. 2, with the back half of his career just trying to catch the gold standard. I put a premium on five categories: MVP; postseason success; durability; touchdown-to-interception ratio; and changing how the game is played. That’s how you end up with original gunslinger Marino, but not four-time Super Bowl champion Terry Bradshaw, and with pioneer Unitas, but not relatively short-lived Roger Staubach.
Paul Schwartz
1. Tom Brady
2. Joe Montana
3. Johnny Unitas
4. Patrick Mahomes
5. Otto Graham
6. John Elway
7. Peyton Manning
8. Brett Favre
9. Aaron Rodgers
10. Dan Marino
Mahomes is the only active player in my top 10, and he certainly is not fixed where he is at No. 4. If he succeeds in an unprecedented three-peat for the Chiefs in Super Bowl 2025, move him up one spot. He has a ways to go to supplant Brady, but he is only 29 and shows no sign of slowing down.
Steve Serby
1. Tom Brady
2. Joe Montana
3. Johnny Unitas
4. Patrick Mahomes
5. Peyton Manning
6. Aaron Rodgers
7. Dan Marino
8. John Elway
9. Otto Graham
10. Roger Staubach
Super Bowl championships aren’t the be-all and end-all (see Dan Marino, don’t see Terry Bradshaw) unless you win seven of them (Brady). Or you win four of them with 11 TDs without an interception (Montana). A Mahomes three-peat pushes him to No. 2. Ask any old-timer about the leadership and greatness of Unitas and Graham.
Mike Vaccaro
1. Tom Brady
2. Joe Montana
3. Patrick Mahomes
4. Peyton Manning
5. Terry Bradshaw
6. Johnny Unitas
7. Roger Staubach
8. John Elway
9. Dan Marino
10. Aaron Rodgers
I am always on the lookout for recency bias, which is why I’m still not willing to slide Mahomes past Montana, though the hour is drawing near. It’s also why I wish to make sure the world doesn’t forget that the position wasn’t invented around 1985, so please do not forget Staubach, Unitas, Bradshaw (and others just off the list).
