This blog post is in reference to a tweet by The Atletic's Ben Baldwin.
Now, this photo is a graph that shows QB efficiency, but we can knock this down to this being a ranking for QBs from '02 until now (min. 3000 snaps)
1. Peyton Manning (IND, DEN)
2021 HOF
14x Pro Bowl
7x All-Pro
5x MVP
2x SB Champ (XLI, 50)
2x OPOY (2004, 2013)
2012 CPOY
All-2000s Team
71,940 Yards (3rd All-Time)
539 Passing TDs (3rd All-Time)
We can all agree that Tom Brady is the best QB of all time, but this surprises me that Manning is the more effective passer and does more when he is under center. When it comes to strictly QB play Manning has always been considered a force to be reckoned with and his five MVPs seem to be in play to put him over Brady.
2. Aaron Rodgers (GB)
9x Pro Bowl
3x All-Pro
3x MVP
SB XLV Champ
All-2010s Team
51,245 Passing Yards (11th All-Time)
412 Passing TDs (7th All-Time)
Where is Brady again? A coworker of mine always says that Rodgers is a better QB than the GOAT, and this graph may prove him correct. Rodgers always seems to carry sorry teams to playoff success and is often held back by poor team building around him. Makes you think about what he could do with a good defense and solid receiving core.
3. Tom Brady (NE, TB)
14x Pro Bowl
3x All-Pro
3x MVP
7x SB Champ (XXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, LIII, LV)
2x OPOY (2007, 2010)
2009 CPOY
All-2000s Team
All-2010s Team
79,204 Passing Yards (2nd All-Time)
581 Passing TDs (1st All-Time)
Again I feel bad ranking Brady at #3. Even with SB XXVI and his '01 Pro Bowl being cutoff he still has more accolades than anyone ever. Or does he? Since this is based on the efficiency of the QB, individual awards (OPOY, All-Pros, MVPs) should be more heavily weighed since Lombardis are team accomplishments. Being consistently battling with Manning for most of his career it seems that he had a leg up with more All-Pros and MVPs than Brady.
4. Drew Brees (SD, NO)
13x Pro Bowl
2006 All-Pro
SB XLIV Champ
2x OPOY (2008, 2011)
2004 CPOY
2006 WPMOTY
80,358 Passing Yards (1st All-Time)
571 Passing TDs (2nd All-Time)
Recently retired Drew Brees has never won a single MVP award, but he consistently led the league in passing yards and briefly held the record for TDs. #4 feels right for Brees because it seems that he never wins anything and is constantly being overshadowed by his peers.
5. Russell Wilson (SEA)
7x Pro Bowl
SB XLVIII Champ
2020 WPMOTY
33,946 Passing Yards (35th All-Time)
267 Passing TDs (19th All-Time)
We have now reached this point of the list where the accomplishments get shorter and shorter because the above QBs have stolen every award in this time period. Russell Wilson started his career off great with two super bowl performances against arguably the two greatest QBs to play the game and almost walking away defeating both. Sadly, since his last appearance at the big game the Seahawks have failed to support him and he has done nothing since.
6. Philip Rivers (SD/LAC, IND)
8x Pro Bowl
2013 CPOTY
63,440 Passing Yards (5th All-Time)
421 Passing TDs (5th All-Time)
This is the first of a few WTF moments on this list. Even as a Chargers fan I am surprised to realize that Rivers is a near top-5 QB since 2002. Criminally underrated and overshadowed by his '04 counterparts with his lack of hardware. We see here that he will be rated higher than Roethlisberger and E. Manning and I am glad to see that some science man can backup my personal hero.
7. Tony Romo (DAL)
4x Pro Bowl
34,183 Passing Yards (34th All-Time)
248 Passing TDs (24th All-Time)
Did somebody say WTF? The man made of glass himself, Tony Romo has always been injured, but when he isn't he shined out on the field. Very surprising as Romo spent most of his time on subpar Dallas teams and has an all-time playoff record as 2-4. Would have been exciting to see what Romo could have done with that elite 2016 team that Dak inherited. However, we will see Romo in the Hall one day... as an announcer.
8. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)
6x Pro Bowl
2x SB Champ (XL, XLIII)
2004 ROTY
60,348 Passing Yards (7th All-Time)
396 Passing TDs (8th All-Time)
Ben being this low is strange. Outside of Super Bowls Ben has no real accomplishments besides stats. As with most of these QBs, this has been because he is playing in an era with All-Time greats so it is hard to consistently compete. Surprisingly surpassed by fellow '04 QB Rivers, Roethlisberger has been surrounded by greater teams and they have not had to rely on his skills to win games which hurts his factors when it comes down to strictly QB play.
9. Matt Ryan (ATL)
4x Pro Bowl
2016 All-Pro
2016 MVP
2016 OPOY
2008 ROTY
55,767 Passing Yards (9th All-Time)
347 Passing TDs (7th All-Time)
Before looking this up I would have not realized Ryan has this many achievements. I am now surprised that he is not higher up on this list. The only real knock I have on Ryan during my research is that it seems as though 2016 was an outlier in his career where all he was missing was a defensive stop to complete the quadfecta. His stats are noteworthy as he is top 10 already in yards and touchdowns in what seems like 60% of the way through his career. Maybe if we see Ryan leave Atlanta in the future we can see a resurgence to send him into the next plane of existence for QBs.
10. Kirk Cousins (WAS, MIN)
2x Pro Bowl
28,372 Passing Yards (60th All-Time)
190 Passing TDs (T-55th All-Time)
Bold take here. Kirk Cousins is a good quarterback. He took over for RGIII and never looked back. After his start with Washington, Cousins has never looked back. He was the hottest free agent before he signed with Minnesota and even today he has been mentioned as a trade target by a Super Bowl-ready team. Maybe he has just played with really bad teams that hold him back or he just stat pads while no one is looking. The 2nd best QB out of the 2012 draft has somehow outplayed Luck, RGIII, and the well-endowed Nick Foles, with only Russell Wilson in his way Cousins is on his way to an underrated and oft-forgotten career in the 10s/20s.
by Brandon McCann
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