Was Joe Montana or Steve Young the 49ers' best quarterback ever? What about Bart Starr, Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers for the Packers? And which NFL teams have had the best -- and worst -- quarterback play of the past 50-plus years? Those are the debates we set out to solve in our new 1-32 ranking.
We judged overall performance, peak performance and continuity to rank all 32 teams based on how productive their quarterbacks have been in the Super Bowl era, which is 1966-2019. We then picked every team's best and worst quarterbacks of the past 54 years, along with interesting stats for each team and 2020 projections for their starters from ESPN fantasy writer Mike Clay. Here's more on how we ranked the teams:
The criteria for our QB rankings
The following three categories were weighted equally to create the rankings:
Overall performance: How much value each franchise has gotten from quarterbacks on a per-season basis using Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value metric (AV). AV places a single value on every player (similar to Wins Above Replacement, or WAR, for baseball). Football stat lines aren't as in-depth as baseball, so AV is by no means an end-all-be-all stat, but it provides helpful context comparing collections of players.
Peak performance: Great quarterback performance matters. If a franchise had a QB with a great 2-3 year run (e.g. Jeff Garcia, 2000-02 49ers), it should be rewarded, rather than a long run of consistent but replacement-level production (Jim Hart, 1966-83 Cardinals). This measures each team's Pro Bowl-caliber seasons at QB, using AV as a benchmark, rather than actual Pro Bowl selections, which can be skewed, especially with the amount of replacement Pro Bowlers in today's game.
Continuity: The number of different QBs a team starts. The teams that constantly shuffle QBs experience more misery and are sometimes considered the laughingstock of the league, so the Browns (30 different starting QBs since 1999) take a hit here, while the Chargers (three different starting QBs since 2001) move up in the rankings.
Bonus: I've also added each franchise's best and worst QB. They aren't based on a formula like the team rankings, but a subjective selection based on their career production, accolades and expectations.
Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
1. New England Patriots
Best QB: Tom Brady. Is one quarterback enough for a franchise to top these rankings? Not exactly. Thanks to Brady's combination of longevity (20 seasons) and production (second all time in passing yards and touchdowns), he's essentially two Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks in one. Brady added nearly as much Approximate Value (280) in his New England career as Joe Montana and Steve Young combined for with the 49ers (304). The Patriots also got significant production from Drew Bledsoe and Steve Grogan to help them top the list.
Worst QB: Jim Plunkett. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 draft finished with a 23-38 record with 62 touchdown passes and 87 interceptions in five seasons with the Patriots. He later won two Super Bowl rings with the Raiders and was the MVP of Super Bowl XV.
Remember ... Doug Flutie? Although Flutie didn't start a game for the Patriots in 2005 -- the final season of his career -- the 43-year-old did convert the first successful dropkick in pro football since 1941.
Did you know? Jarrett Stidham, a fourth-round pick in 2019, will continue the Patriots' reliance on homegrown quarterbacks if he takes the reins from Brady in 2020. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, their past 423 games have been started by a quarterback they drafted, easily the longest streak in the Super Bowl era (next: 227 by 1976-90 Cowboys). The last time the Patriots started a quarterback they did not draft was 1993 (Scott Secules).
Clay's 2020 projections for Stidham: 19 TD passes, 12 INTs, 3,569 passing yards and 219 fantasy points
2. Green Bay Packers
Best QB: Aaron Rodgers. It doesn't get much better than the trio of Bart Starr, Brett Favre and Rodgers. The Packers are the only franchise in league history to have three quarterbacks win an NFL MVP, plus start and win a Super Bowl. Rodgers gets the edge as Green Bay's best signal-caller. He has the highest TD-to-INT ratio (4.3) in NFL history and could throw a pick on 151 straight passes and still have a better mark than Favre in his Packers career. Starr is out of these rankings because most of his career was before the Super Bowl era (he played from 1957-71).
Worst QB: Jerry Tagge. Despite its rich quarterback history, Green Bay isn't first in the rankings because of its bad QB play in the 20 seasons between the Starr and Favre eras (1972-91). That run started with Tagge, the heir apparent to Starr. He had just three touchdowns and 17 interceptions in his career after getting drafted 11th overall in 1972.
Remember ... Jim McMahon? McMahon won a Super Bowl in 1985 with the Bears, but he finished his career with the rival Packers, throwing five passes from 1994-95.
Did you know? The Packers have had either Favre or Rodgers for every season since 1992. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, their 28 straight seasons starting a former or future MVP quarterback is the longest in NFL history (next: 1956-81 Colts, who had 26 seasons with Johnny Unitas, Earl Morrall, Bert Jones). Could Jordan Love, a first-round pick in the 2020 draft, eventually continue that streak?
Clay's 2020 projections for Rodgers: 26 TD passes, 8 INTs, 3,820 passing yards and 266 fantasy points
3. Dallas Cowboys
Best QB: Roger Staubach. Dallas has a handful of star quarterbacks to choose from, namely the trio of Staubach, Troy Aikman and Tony Romo. Romo didn't do enough in the postseason to be considered the best Cowboys quarterback, and Staubach edges out Aikman on our list. Staubach, who played for the Cowboys from 1969-79, had the highest passer rating and best Approximate Value of any QB in the 1970s, and only Fran Tarkenton had more touchdown passes over that span. Aikman didn't rank in the top three in any of those categories in the 1990s, and he never threw more than 23 touchdown passes in a season. Staubach actually had more touchdown passes in each of his last two seasons (25 in 1978, 27 in 1979), when he was in his mid-to-late 30s. Another feather in Staubach's cap: He has the second-best win percentage (.746) of any QB in the Super Bowl era, behind Tom Brady (.774).
Worst QB: Quincy Carter. Carter was drafted 53rd overall in 2001, less than two weeks after Aikman retired. He started Week 1 as a rookie and 31 games over three seasons before he was cut just before the 2004 season because of a failed drug test. He finished his Cowboys tenure with more interceptions (36) than touchdown passes (29) while completing just 56.2% of his passes.
Remember ... Ryan Leaf? Leaf's final NFL season came in 2001 with Dallas. He made three starts (all losses) after Carter was injured.
Did you know? The Cowboys have the most Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback seasons (24) by any franchise in the Super Bowl era. The group? Staubach (8), Romo (4), Dak Prescott (4), Aikman (3), Danny White (3) and Don Meredith (2). Their peak performance helped top the Colts and 49ers in the rankings.
Clay's 2020 projections for Prescott: 27 TD passes, 11 INTs, 4,280 passing yards, 4 rushing TDs and 302 fantasy points
4. Indianapolis Colts
Best QB: Peyton Manning. Manning received an NFL-record five regular-season MVP awards, including four with the Colts from 2003 to '09. During that span, he led Indianapolis to seven straight 12-win seasons, the longest streak in NFL history at the time. He also commanded the most prolific offense in the league during his 13 seasons as their starter. Had pre-Super Bowl era numbers been taken into account, the Colts would be higher in these rankings and Johnny Unitas would have had a case for their best QB.
Worst QB: Art Schlichter. Schlichter was the fourth overall pick in 1982, drafted one spot ahead of Jim McMahon. He didn't start as a rookie and finished his career with an 0-6 record, marred by a lengthy suspension for gambling, while throwing three touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.
Remember ... Kerry Collins? The Colts signed Collins in 2011 as insurance for Manning, who was recovering from neck surgery and would miss the season. Collins made three starts, all losses, in his final NFL season.
Did you know? The Colts are the only franchise to have four different quarterbacks win NFL MVP (Manning, Unitas, Earl Morrall and Bert Jones).
Clay's 2020 projections for Philip Rivers: 26 TD passes, 15 INTs, 3,835 passing yards and 229 fantasy points
5. San Francisco 49ers
Best QB: Steve Young. This might be the toughest call of any of our quarterback debates, given the similar production from Young and Joe Montana in their time with the 49ers. You might not remember what Montana and Young did in their eras. They ran the West-Coast offense to a tee, each leading the NFL in completion percentage in a season five times, tied with Drew Brees for the most in the Super Bowl era. Both also won two regular-season MVP awards. Montana won the Super Bowl four times as a starter to Young's one. It's tempting to use rings to justify Montana as the 49ers' best QB, but Young backed up Montana for four seasons, and five of his six playoff losses came at the hands of Green Bay and Dallas. Essentially, San Francisco had bigger hurdles in the '90s with Young than in the '80s with Montana.
At the end of the day, Young gets the edge because of his peak performance. He led the NFL in yards per pass attempt and passer rating in four straight seasons from 1991 to '94. Those streaks are the longest by any QB in the Super Bowl era, which Young accomplished despite seven other Hall of Fame QBs in the league for those runs -- Montana, Brett Favre, Troy Aikman, Dan Marino, John Elway, Jim Kelly and Warren Moon. Montana never led the NFL in either of those categories more than twice, and never for consecutive seasons. Yes, Montana had dominant stretches and competed with some of the same all-time great QBs, but it was not on the same level as Young. The 49ers also led the NFL in scoring with Young in four straight seasons from 1992 to '95, the longest streak in NFL history. If you want to go deeper, FiveThirtyEight wrote earlier this month about why Young was better than Montana. On top of Young elevating the 49ers offense more, the story explains how Montana had the luxury of a better defense.
Worst QB: Jim Druckenmiller. The 49ers whiffed on a successor to Young, drafting Druckenmiller in the first round in 1997. He made one start in his career and was traded to Miami in 1999 for a seventh-round pick that San Francisco used to draft a long snapper. Talk about return on investment.
Remember ... Steve Spurrier? Before becoming a Hall of Fame college football coach, Spurrier spent nine seasons with the 49ers from 1967-75. He went 13-12-1 as a starter with 33 touchdown passes and 48 interceptions.
Did you know? Not many quarterbacks experience the ultimate combination of team and individual success, but the 49ers have had lightning strike twice. There have been five instances in league history of a QB winning NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same season. Montana (1989) and Young (1994) are responsible for two of them (Starr, 1966; Terry Bradshaw, 1978; Kurt Warner, 1999). Montana and Young are also the only QBs to have five touchdown passes in a Super Bowl.
Clay's 2020 projections for Jimmy Garoppolo: 25 TD passes, 13 INTs, 3,694 passing yards and 233 fantasy points
6. Seattle Seahawks
Best QB: Russell Wilson. Remember when Seattle was a smashmouth team that relied on running and great defense? It was hard to envision Wilson as the quarterback he is today, a one-man show. Over the past three seasons, he is the only NFL player to account for at least 75% of his team's touchdowns and yards. That's a lot of added value and one reason Seattle is at No. 6, just one spot behind a 49ers franchise with two all-time great QBs. It also helps that among Wilson, Matt Hasselbeck, Dave Krieg and Jim Zorn, Seattle has had good-to-great QB play for much of its history. Those four have been the Seahawks' primary starters for 33 of the franchise's 45 seasons.
Worst QB: Dan McGwire. He was one of two quarterbacks (Todd Marinovich) drafted ahead of Brett Favre in 1991, but he made only five starts and threw two touchdown passes for Seattle. But hey, he's the tallest QB (6-foot-8) in NFL history, so there's that.
Remember ... Matt Flynn? Flynn made himself a lot of money ($26 million over three years) after a 480-yard, six-touchdown game to cap the 2011 regular season for Green Bay. Seattle signed him in free agency in 2012, but he never started a game after Wilson won the job as a rookie.
Did you know? Wilson has never received a single MVP vote. His teammate Bobby Wagner even got a vote in 2014.
Clay's 2020 projections for Wilson: 29 TD passes, 9 INTs, 3,690 passing yards and 296 fantasy points
7. New Orleans Saints
Best QB: Drew Brees. Just how good is Brees, and how bad are the rest of the quarterbacks in Saints history? If these rankings had been done at the end of the 2005 season, New Orleans would have ranked 24th. They rank seventh thanks to signing Brees in 2006, now the NFL's career leader in touchdown passes and yards. If that doesn't tell you what he has meant to the franchise, well, he has the 13 highest single-season passing yard totals in team history. The closest anyone else comes to that feat for one franchise is Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger, who have the top eight totals for their teams.
Worst QB: Heath Shuler. The former Redskins third-overall pick went 4-5 as the Saints' starter in 1997 but had an abysmal two touchdown passes and 14 interceptions.
Remember ... Jake Delhomme? Before starting a Super Bowl with the Panthers in 2003, Delhomme was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Saints. He won one game with New Orleans, in 1999 against Troy Aikman and the Cowboys, throwing for 278 yards with two touchdown passes and an interception in the win.
Did you know? The Saints have the longest active drought without drafting a quarterback in the first round, as their last time was Archie Manning in 1971. That's one reason they're the only team in NFL history to never start a homegrown QB in a playoff game.
Clay's 2020 projections for Brees: 30 TD passes, 9 INTs, 4,011 passing yards and 268 fantasy points
8. Cincinnati Bengals
Best QB: Ken Anderson. A third-round pick by Cincinnati in 1971, Anderson gets the nod here due to longevity, but it's close. He and Boomer Esiason both made four Pro Bowls with the Bengals, won an MVP award and lost a Super Bowl to the 49ers in the 1980s.
Worst QB: Akili Smith. Smith finished his career with five touchdown passes after being drafted No. 3 overall in 1999, one pick after Donovan McNabb. To make matters worse, the four picks after Smith were Edgerrin James (Hall of Famer), Ricky Williams (10,000-yard rusher), Torry Holt (seven Pro Bowls) and Champ Bailey (Hall of Famer).
Remember ... Ryan Fitzpatrick? Fitzpatrick's second NFL stop was in Cincinnati from 2007 to '08. In 2008, he went 4-7-1 as the starter. The tie was against the Eagles, a game famous for McNabb not realizing there were ties.
Did you know? Going by these rankings, the Bengals have had the best quarterback play among teams without a Super Bowl title. They've had continuity at the position; they're one of two teams to have four different QBs (Anderson, Esiason, Carson Palmer, Andy Dalton) with 150 career touchdown passes, along with the five-time champion Cowboys.
Clay's 2020 projections for Joe Burrow: 20 TD passes, 13 INTs, 3,687 passing yards and 233 fantasy points
9. New York Giants
Best QB: Eli Manning. Manning had an all-or-nothing career. He won two Super Bowl titles but never won a postseason game in his other 14 seasons (he missed the postseason 10 times and went one-and-done four times). Despite the inconsistency, he compiled big numbers over the course of his career, as his Approximate Value is 14th highest among quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era. The Giants also got production from Phil Simms, Kerry Collins and Fran Tarkenton, one reason they rank ahead of a team like the Steelers, who got little production after Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw. New York also ranked first in quarterback continuity, tied with the Patriots for the fewest different starting QBs among 23 teams around for the entire Super Bowl era.
Worst QB: Gary Wood. Best known for backing up Y.A. Tittle and Tarkenton, Wood ushered the Giants into the Super Bowl era by losing all six of his starts in 1966. He completed one or fewer passes in three of those starts.
Remember ... Jared Lorenzen? The late Lorenzen backed up Manning during the Giants' Super Bowl XLII win over the Patriots in the 2007 season.
Did you know? Last season, rookie Daniel Jones had as many games with 300 passing yards, four touchdown passes and zero interceptions (three), as Manning and Simms combined for in their careers.
Clay's 2020 projections for Jones: 25 TD passes, 13 INTs, 3,718 passing yards and 255 fantasy points
10. Los Angeles Chargers
Best QB: Philip Rivers. Rivers, one of most productive quarterbacks in NFL history, ended his Chargers career with an ironman streak of 224 straight starts. But all those numbers haven't added up to a Super Bowl appearance. He has the most wins, touchdown passes and yards of any QB in NFL history without a Super Bowl start. That's still plenty to be the best QB in franchise history and a future Hall of Famer. If you're wondering again, where are the Steelers?!?! Rivers and Hall of Famer Dan Fouts combined to post a higher career Approximate Value than Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw. They also outproduce the Pittsburgh duo in most counting stats, besides Super Bowls, which weren't part of the criteria.
Worst QB: Ryan Leaf. The No. 2 overall pick in 1998 might be the biggest draft bust in NFL history. Want proof? We looked at the career Approximate Value of all 16,000-plus players selected in the common draft era (since 1967) and compared that with their expected value based on where they were drafted. Using that method, no player performed below expectations more than Leaf (Akili Smith and JaMarcus Russell were close). To make matters worse, the No. 1 overall pick in 1998 was Peyton Manning, who retired as the NFL's career leader in passing touchdowns and yards.
Remember ... Johnny Unitas? Unitas was the NFL's leader in touchdowns passes, when he was traded to the Chargers in 1973 at the age of 40. He was a shell of his former self with San Diego, going 1-3 with three touchdown passes and seven interceptions before he was replaced by a rookie Fouts.
Did you know? Since 2001, the Chargers have used only three different starting quarterbacks, fewest in the NFL. The three signal-callers? Rivers, Drew Brees ... and Doug Flutie.
Clay's 2020 projections for Justin Herbert: 16 TD passes, 12 INTs, 3,118 passing yards and 185 fantasy points
11. Pittsburgh Steelers
Best QB: Ben Roethlisberger. Terry Bradshaw's 4-0 Super Bowl record and MVP award are tough to beat, but Big Ben has made roughly 50 more starts and thrown for 30,000 more yards in a Steelers uniform, to go along with two rings. Bradshaw agrees with the selection. Bradshaw's career Approximate Value is the same as Drew Bledsoe's. Bradshaw threw nearly as many interceptions (210) as touchdown passes (212) in his career, which lasted 14 seasons.
Worst QB: Terry Hanratty. Hanratty, drafted 30th overall in 1969, had an 0-5 record as a rookie, throwing eight touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Silver lining: His struggles led to the Steelers drafting Bradshaw No. 1 overall in 1970.
Remember ... Mike Vick? Vick's final NFL season was in 2015 with the Steelers. He went 2-1 starting for an injured Roethlisberger and led a thrilling walk-off win on Monday Night Football in San Diego.
Did you know? How does Pittsburgh rank 11th despite six Super Bowl titles? Well, for one, titles aren't part of the criteria. And consider that Roethlisberger and Bradshaw have more career touchdown passes (575) than all other Steelers players combined (527) in the Super Bowl era. There's a huge gap between those two and the next-best Steelers QB, which you could argue is Kordell Stewart. That's why the Bengals and Giants, who got long, productive runs from more quarterbacks, are ahead of the Steelers.
Clay's 2020 projections for Roethlisberger: 25 TD passes, 12 INTs, 3,867 passing yards and 240 fantasy points
12. Kansas City Chiefs
Best QB: Len Dawson. The Hall of Famer is the Chiefs' leader in touchdown passes, even if you exclude his pre-Super Bowl era numbers. He also held Kansas City's single-season record (30 TDs in 1964) until Patrick Mahomes broke it in 2018. Dawson led the Chiefs to their first of two Super Bowl titles in 1969.
Worst QB: Todd Blackledge. He was the second of six quarterbacks drafted in the first round of the famed 1983 class, along with John Elway, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, Ken O'Brien and Dan Marino. He finished with just 26 touchdown passes in his Chiefs career, and the franchise would not get another win from a homegrown QB for 30 years (Mahomes in 2017).
Remember ... Ron Jaworski? "Jaws" finished his career in Kansas City in 1989, when he threw two of his 179 career touchdown passes.
Did you know? Mahomes, the 10th overall pick in 2017, already has the most touchdown passes (76) by a homegrown QB in franchise history (Mike Livingston ranks second with 56).
Clay's 2020 projections for Mahomes: 32 TD passes, 10 INTs, 4,464 passing yards and 333 fantasy points
13. Philadelphia Eagles
Best QB: Donovan McNabb. He is the Eagles' career leader in most passing categories and led the franchise to four straight conference championship games. He extended Philadelphia's successful run of quarterbacks spanning from the late 1970s to the late 2000s, which included Ron Jaworski and Randall Cunningham.
Worst QB: John Reaves. He was drafted in the first round in 1972, one pick after the Steelers picked Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris. Reaves went 0-7 with the Eagles, throwing seven touchdown passes and 15 interceptions.
Remember ... Vince Young? He played his final NFL game with the Eagles in 2011, the year he declared they would be a "dream team" following a busy offseason. Young threw four touchdown passes and nine interceptions while serving as Mike Vick's backup, and the Eagles went 8-8.
Did you know? The future looks bright. In 2019, Carson Wentz became the first player in Eagles history with 4,000 passing yards in a season. And he was the first quarterback in NFL history to do that without a 500-yard wide receiver, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.
Clay's 2020 projections for Wentz: 27 TD passes, 9 INTs, 3,801 passing yards and 268 fantasy points
14. Carolina Panthers
Best QB: Cam Newton. He is the only player to lead an active franchise in both passing touchdowns and rushing touchdowns. His dynamic playmaking nearly led the Panthers to an undefeated season in 2015. They still reached the Super Bowl, and Newton won the franchise's first and only MVP award.
Worst QB: Jimmy Clausen. He was the No. 1 recruit in the nation out of high school in 2007 but fell short of the early comparisons to Joe Namath, John Elway and Tom Brady. Clausen still owns the lowest single-season Total QBR in the metric's history (since 2006), posting a 13.8 in his rookie season with Carolina in 2010. His struggles led Carolina to take Newton No. 1 overall in 2011.
Remember ... Frank Reich? The Colts coach and former Bills backup quarterback actually started the first three games in Panthers history in 1995, losing all three. That included a game against his former team in which Reich and Jim Kelly combined to complete 10 of 42 passes.
Did you know? The Panthers' single-season records for touchdown passes and yards don't belong to Newton or Jake Delhomme; they're owned by Steve Beuerlein (36 TDs and 4,436 yards in 1999). Beuerlein led the NFL in passing yards in 1999 and even beat Brett Favre and the Packers with a walk-off touchdown run.
Clay's 2020 projections for Teddy Bridgewater: 17 TD passes, 10 INTs, 3,610 passing yards and 205 fantasy points
15. Minnesota Vikings
Best QB: Fran Tarkenton. This is an easy choice. Tarkenton retired after the 1978 season, but he was the NFL's career passing yards leader until 1995, when Dan Marino jumped him. He was also a dual-threat player, holding the all-time rushing yards record for a quarterback until 1992, when Randall Cunningham broke his mark. About the only thing Tarkenton didn't do was win a title: He was 0-3 in the Super Bowl.
Worst QB: Christian Ponder. A first-round pick in 2011, Ponder had his only decent season with the Vikings in 2012, the year Adrian Peterson ran for 2,097 yards and won MVP. Peterson actually rushed for more yards (1,598) than Ponder passed for (1,501) over the last 10 games of that season. Ponder was out of the league after the 2014 season.
Remember ... Archie Manning? Manning spent his final two seasons with Minnesota (1983-84), where he made two starts, losing both. The last start of his career came in 1984, a 51-7 loss to the Joe Montana-led 49ers.
Did you know? The Vikings have never had much continuity at quarterback. They've had 19 different starting QBs in the postseason in the Super Bowl era, seven more than any other team. And they've had a different starting signal-caller in each of the past seven times they reached the playoffs.
Clay's 2020 projections for Kirk Cousins: 21 TD passes, 9 INTs, 3,739 passing yards and 230 fantasy points
16. Atlanta Falcons
Best QB: Matt Ryan. Ryan has quietly put together a Hall of Fame-caliber career, which is why Atlanta ranks ahead of teams such as the Dolphins and Broncos, who have both had all-time greats. Ryan ranks 10th on the career passing yards list, and his nine straight seasons with 4,000 passing yards mark the second-longest streak in NFL history (Brees, 12). Atlanta's QB room is also deeper with Mike Vick, Chris Chandler and Steve Bartkowski, while the aforementioned Dolphins and Broncos have massive dropoffs after their Hall of Fame duos.
Worst QB: Kim McQuilken. During his four seasons with Atlanta from 1974 to '77, McQuilken threw four touchdown passes and 28 interceptions. In a 38-0 loss to the Vikings in 1975, he had the same number of completions to his team (five) as his opponent. His stat line that day is one of the worst in NFL history: 5-of-26 passing, 43 yards, 0 TDs, 5 INTs, 0.0 passer rating.
Remember ... Brett Favre? The Falcons drafted Favre 33rd overall in 1991, only to trade him to the Packers before the following season for a first-round pick. That pick, Tony Smith, had 329 career rushing yards.
Did you know? Ryan has nine of the 10 highest single-season passing yard totals in Falcons history. The other one season belongs to Jeff George (4,143 in 1995),
Clay's 2020 projections for Ryan: 28 TD passes, 12 INTs, 4,533 passing yards and 283 fantasy points
17. Washington Redskins
Best QB: Sonny Jurgensen. The answer here for the pre-Super Bowl era would be Sammy Baugh, but for post-Super Bowl it's close between Jurgensen and Joe Theismann. Theismann has a few things with the Redskins that Jurgensen doesn't have -- an MVP, Super Bowl ring and a playoff win, but overall Jurgensen was more productive, especially in his era. He led the NFL in passing yards three times in the late 1960s, and the Hall of Fame QB led the NFL in both passing yards and touchdowns in a five-season span from 1966 to '70.
Worst QB: Heath Shuler. This is the second time Shuler lands as the worst quarterback on this list (also with the Saints). The third overall pick in 1994 was easily the Redskins' biggest underachiever, throwing 13 touchdown passes in three seasons in D.C.
Remember ... Donovan McNabb? The Eagles traded McNabb to the Redskins in 2010, when he went 5-8 as their starter. On the same day McNabb signed a five-year, $78 million extension with the Redskins, he was on the wrong end of a historic performance against his former team and Mike Vick in a 59-28 loss on Monday Night Football. Washington traded McNabb to Minnesota in July 2011.
Did you know? The Redskins haven't made a conference championship game since winning Super Bowl XXVI in the 1991 season. Chalk up the struggles to quarterback play. They've had 29 different starting QBs since then, trailing only the Browns (36) and Bears (32) for most in the NFL.
Clay's 2020 projections for Dwayne Haskins: 18 TD passes, 14 INTs, 3,726 passing yards and 211 fantasy points
18. Las Vegas Raiders
Best QB: Ken Stabler. The Hall of Famer led the Raiders to five straight conference championship games from 1973 to '77. During that span, he led the NFL in touchdown passes, was selected to the Pro Bowl four times and won NFL MVP (1974).
Worst QB: JaMarcus Russell. Going by Approximate Value, Russell is the biggest underachiever among any No. 1 overall pick in the common draft era (since 1967). He went 7-18 with more picks than touchdowns in his three NFL seasons (2007-09), all with Oakland.
Remember ... Matt Leinart? Leinart's last NFL season was in 2012 with the Raiders. He did not start any games, but he played in Week 16, completing 16 of 32 passes for 115 yards in a loss to the Panthers.
Did you know? Derek Carr is the Raiders' career leader in passing yards (22,793). But that's the fewest for a leader among the 23 franchises that have been around since the start of the Super Bowl era.
Clay's 2020 projections for Carr: 20 TD passes, 9 INTs, 3,385 passing yards and 208 fantasy points
19. Miami Dolphins
Best QB: Dan Marino. He retired as the NFL's career leader in passing yards and touchdowns. Perhaps the most impressive feat? Marino shattered an NFL record with 48 touchdown passes in 1984, 12 more than the previous mark (36 by George Blanda & Y.A. Tittle). Granted, Marino played two more games that season, but can you imagine someone throwing 67 touchdowns now, to break the current record by 12 (Peyton Manning, 55 in 2013).
Worst QB: Rick Norton. Norton went 1-10 in his Dolphins career from 1966-69, mostly as a backup to Bob Griese, tossing six touchdown passes to go with a whopping 30 interceptions.
Remember ... Daunte Culpepper? If you read No. 7, you'd know the Dolphins would be near the top of this list had they signed Drew Brees in 2006, rather than trading for Culpepper. One of the better NFL "What ifs?" in recent memory. Culpepper spent one season with Miami in 2006, going 1-3 as their starter before being benched by then-coach Nick Saban.
Did you know? Here's why a franchise with Hall of Famers Griese and Marino doesn't rank higher: The Dolphins haven't had a quarterback selected to the Pro Bowl since Marino in 1995, the longest active drought in the NFL. Including Marino, Miami has started 23 different QBs since 1996, from the likes of Jay Fiedler and Chad Pennington to John Beck and Josh Rosen.
Clay's 2020 projections for Tua Tagovailoa: 17 TD passes, 12 INTs, 3,259 passing yards and 190 fantasy points
20. Denver Broncos
Best QB: John Elway. He lost his first three Super Bowl starts by an average of 32 points before winning back-to-back titles to end his career. Elway is the greatest QB in franchise history, but he's also one of the reasons Denver ranks only 20th here. Quarterbacks drafted by Elway, who has been the team's general manager since 2011, have a collective career QBR of 43. That's only a hair better than all Browns QBs (42) over that span.
Worst QB: Tommy Maddox. Elway knows how you feel, Aaron Rodgers. The Broncos drafted Maddox 25th overall in 1992, meant to be Elway's successor. Maddox lost all four of his starts as a rookie and was traded two years later, and with Elway, the rest is history.
Remember ... Tim Tebow? Of course you remember him, but it's worth reminding you of how crazy "Tebow Time" was in 2011:
He won eight games, including the postseason, and led a winning drive in six of them.
He had a Total QBR of 77 in the fourth quarter and overtime, but it was 31 in the first three quarters. Basically the difference between Rodgers and Christian Ponder.
In two different games, he led the Broncos back from a double-digit deficit with under three minutes left to win. He threw an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime to beat the Steelers in a wild-card game.
Did you know? Only two starting quarterbacks have retired after winning the Super Bowl, and they both did it with the Broncos: Elway (1998) and Peyton Manning (2015).
Clay's 2020 projections for Lock: 21 TD passes, 11 INTs, 3,532 passing yards and 226 fantasy points
21. Houston Texans
Best QB: Deshaun Watson. Matt Schaub is the most productive, but Watson already has the same number of Pro Bowl selections (two) and postseason wins (one) as Schaub, plus some mouth-watering numbers. Watson is already the only player in NFL history with 25 touchdowns passes and five touchdown runs in back-to-back seasons.
Worst QB: David Carr. Carr is the only choice, really, based on the expectations (No. 1 overall pick in 2002) and lack of production (22-53 record with 59 TD passes to 65 INTs). He was under a lot of pressure. though --literally. He was sacked an NFL-record 76 times in his rookie season and faced a lot of scrutiny as the first pick of an expansion team.
Remember ... Rex Grossman? Grossman signed with the Texans in 2009 after his time ended in Chicago. He played in only one game with Houston, in relief of Schaub.
Did you know? Carr owns the Texans' record for most consecutive games started at quarterback, making 50 in a row from 2003 to '06.
Clay's 2020 projections for Watson: 27 TD passes, 12 INTs, 4,017 passing yards and 314 fantasy points
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
Best QB: Mark Brunell. He led the Jaguars to the postseason in four of their first five seasons, capped off by a 14-2 year in 1999. He helped hand the Dolphins a 62-7 loss in the playoffs (Dan Marino's final game) before losing in the AFC Championship. It might surprise you that the Jaguars rank ahead of a franchise such as the Titans/Oilers here, but Brunell and David Garrard were better than we give them credit for. They averaged roughly the same Approximate Value per season as Warren Moon and Steve McNair, the Titans/Oilers' top two QBs, aided by the fact Moon and McNair played with significantly more Pro Bowlers on offense.
Worst QB: Blaine Gabbert. The Jaguars have drafted a quarterback in the first round three times (Gabbert, Byron Leftwich, Blake Bortles), and whiffed each time. But Gabbert was the worst, sporting a 5-22 record and 24 Total QBR in his Jaguars career, which lasted three seasons (2011-13). Credit to him, however, as he has managed to stick around in the NFL and is now Tom Brady's backup in Tampa.
Remember ... Rob Johnson & Jay Fiedler? Both made one start in their Jaguars careers. Johnson's 1997 audition was enough for the Bills to trade a first-round pick for him, which turned into Fred Taylor. Fiedler's start in 1999 helped him land in Miami, where he replaced the retired Marino.
Did you know? According to Elias Sports Bureau research, Gardner Minshew II, whom the Jaguars picked in the sixth round of the 2019 draft, had the most passing yards (3,271) and touchdown passes (21) by a rookie drafted in the fifth round or later (or undrafted rookie) in the common draft era, which began in 1967.
Clay's 2020 projections for Minshew: 19 TD passes, 9 INTs, 3,616 passing yards and 229 fantasy points
23. Los Angeles Rams
Best QB: Kurt Warner. The Rams turned to former NFL Europe star Warner after Trent Green's knee injury in the 1999 preseason. From 1999 to 2001, Warner led St. Louis to the Super Bowl twice, won two regular-season MVP awards and easily led the league in most major passing categories (completion percentage, touchdown passes, yards per attempt and passer rating). Remarkably, he's still the last quarterback to win an NFL MVP and Super Bowl title in the same season, doing so in 1999. He also helped engineer one of the most potent offenses in league history, known as "The Greatest Show on Turf." Alongside Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, the Rams led the NFL in scoring and yards for three straight seasons, the only team to do that in the Super Bowl era.
Worst QB: Nick Foles. Foles lasted one season in St. Louis after being traded for Sam Bradford in 2015. He went 4-7 with seven touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.
Remember ... Joe Namath? Broadway Joe did not have a Hollywood ending to his career with the Rams in 1977, going 2-2 with three touchdown passes and five interceptions. His last game was a brutal one on Monday Night Football in Chicago, where he was benched after throwing four picks.
Did you know? This fact might be pre-Super Bowl era, but it's one of my personal favorites. On Sept. 28, 1951, Rams quarterback Norm Van Brocklin threw for 554 yards against the New York Yanks (no, not the one with Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra). Somehow, 69 years later, it's still the most passing yards in a game in league history.
Clay's 2020 projections for Jared Goff: 22 TD passes, 13 INTs, 4,278 passing yards and 243 fantasy points
24. Tennessee Titans
Best QB: Steve McNair. The Alcorn State product, the third overall pick in 1995, led the franchise's transition from the Houston Oilers to Tennessee and was under center for their best years. He led the Titans to their only Super Bowl appearance in 1999 and won co-MVP (along with Peyton Manning) in 2003, plus he became the franchise's winningest quarterback thanks to his trademark toughness. You could certainly make a case for Warren Moon, who spent the prime of his Hall of Fame career with the Oilers, but I'm going with Air McNair.
Worst QB: Zach Mettenberger. There's a case for former first-round pick Jake Locker, but it's hard to ignore Mettenberger's 0-10 career record in the NFL, all with the Titans from 2014-15.
Remember ... Oliver Luck? Luck spent time as Moon's backup and also split time with Archie Manning in the 1980s. Oliver's son, Andrew, would ultimately replace Archie's son, Peyton, in Indianapolis.
Did you know? In 2019, Ryan Tannehill became the second player in the Super Bowl era to complete 70% of his passes and average 9.0 yards per pass attempt in a season (minimum of 100 attempts), along with Joe Montana in 1989, when he won NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP.
Clay's 2020 projections for Tannehill: 23 TD passes, 11 INTs, 3,491 passing yards and 239 fantasy points
25. Detroit Lions
Best QB: Matthew Stafford. Bobby Layne would have a good case if we were considering pre-Super Bowl era. The Hall of Famer retired as the NFL's career passing yards leader and won three championships with Detroit in the 1950s. Stafford is by far the best Lions quarterback in the Super Bowl era, but he holds the dubious distinction of having the most passing yards and touchdowns of any player without a playoff win, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.
Worst QB: Andre Ware. Most probably remember Joey Harrington (2002 third overall pick) as the Lions' biggest bust, but former Heisman Trophy winner Ware was the seventh overall pick in 1990, and he made only six starts and threw five touchdown passes in his career. Harrington at least made 55 starts with Detroit.
Remember ... Matt Cassel? He last played in the NFL in 2018 with the Lions, reuniting with former Patriots coach Matt Patricia. He threw 17 passes for Detroit, including six in relief of Stafford in the Monday Night Football opener against the Jets, better known for Sam Darnold's NFL debut.
Did you know? The Lions have had eight different quarterbacks start a playoff game in the Super Bowl era. The only one to win a game was Erik Kramer in 1991. He threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns to beat the Cowboys. Dallas would win Super Bowls in three of the next four years following that loss to Detroit.
Clay's 2020 projections for Stafford: 27 TD passes, 11 INTs, 4,213 passing yards and 269 fantasy points
26. New York Jets
Best QB: Joe Namath. The Hall of Famer is the Jets' career passing leader, and his Super Bowl guarantee alone makes him the team's best QB. The Jets' quest for the elusive "franchise" quarterback continues. Mark Sanchez or "Sanchize" couldn't fill Namath's shoes, and we'll see about Sam Darnold.
Worst QB: Geno Smith. He was drafted 39th overall by the Jets in 2013 but is best known for suffering a broken jaw after a fight with teammate IK Enemkpali. Smith went 12-18 with 28 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions in four seasons with the Jets.
Remember ... Tony Eason? Part of the famous 1983 draft class, Eason started a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 1985 and finished his career with the Jets. His last start came in 1989, a 37-0 loss to the Bills.
Did you know? Namath is the only player in Jets history with 4,000 passing yards in a season (1967). The Jets' 52 seasons without a 4,000-yard passer is the second-longest active drought in the NFL, behind only the Bears.
Clay's 2020 projections for Darnold: 22 TD passes, 14 INTs, 3,647 passing yards and 219 fantasy points
27. Buffalo Bills
Best QB: Jim Kelly. The Hall of Famer led Buffalo to four straight Super Bowls. The Bills haven't won a playoff game since 1995 with Kelly, but they might have found something in Josh Allen, who led them to a postseason appearance in 2019.
Worst QB: Nathan Peterman. It will be hard for Bills fans to forget Peterman's first career start. In 2017, he threw five first-half interceptions against the Chargers before getting benched. Somehow, he still made three more starts for Buffalo. He finished his Bills career with three total touchdown passes and 12 picks.
Remember ... Daryle Lamonica? He backed up Jack Kemp with the Bills, last playing for Buffalo in 1966, tossing four touchdown passes. He averaged 12 wins and 30 touchdown passes in the following three seasons with the Raiders.
Did you know? The last Bills quarterback with five touchdown passes in a game was Kelly in 1991. It's the longest active drought by any team in the NFL (including postseason).
Clay's 2020 projections for Allen: 18 TD passes, 11 INTs, 3,411 passing yards, 545 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs and 266 fantasy points
28. Baltimore Ravens
Best QB: Joe Flacco. Surprised to see the Ravens at 28, considering they have the reigning MVP? Lamar Jackson just became Baltimore's first Pro Bowl quarterback since Vinny Testaverde in 1996. And yes, Jackson could top this list eventually, but for now it's Flacco. His 2012 postseason stands as one of the best ever, as he threw 11 touchdown passes and zero interceptions on his way to winning Super Bowl XLVII MVP.
Worst QB: Kyle Boller. He was selected 19th overall in 2003 but finished with a losing record in Baltimore. His last season with the Ravens was in 2007, right before they drafted Flacco. Boller completed 56.9% of his passes in his Ravens career, throwing 45 touchdown passes and 44 picks.
Remember ... Randall Cunningham? His final NFL season was in 2001 with the reigning champion Ravens. He won both of his starts in Baltimore, including a win over the Steelers, in which he connected with Shannon Sharpe for a touchdown.
Did you know? Jackson has more rushing yards (1,762) in 22 career starts than the NFL's all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith, had through his first 22 starts.
Clay's 2020 projections for Jackson: 25 TD passes, 10 INTs, 3,423 passing yards, 904 rushing yards, 6 rushing TDs and 338 fantasy points
29. Arizona Cardinals
Best QB: Kurt Warner. He is both the Cardinals' and Rams' best quarterback. It's close between Warner and Carson Palmer, but Warner separates himself with his postseason performance. He led Arizona to its only Super Bowl, a heartbreaking loss to the Steelers, and also had an incredible game (29-of-33 passing, 5 TDs) in Arizona's thrilling 51-45 win over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in a 2009 wild-card game. Meanwhile, Palmer almost got the Cardinals to the Super Bowl in 2015, before he threw four interceptions in a rout against the Panthers in the NFC Championship Game
Worst QB: Matt Leinart. Former 1987 first-round pick Kelly Stouffer never played for the Cardinals, and Josh Rosen (2018 first-round pick) was hard to gauge after being traded following his rookie year, so Leinart it is. He had high expectations as the 10th overall pick in 2006, a national champion and Heisman winner at USC, but he threw just 14 touchdown passes with the Cardinals. His NFL career is best known for playing in the "They are who we thought they were" game, being on the losing end of a Vince Young walk-off touchdown and losing his job to Warner.
Remember ... Josh McCown? In one of the most exciting plays of a regular-season finale ever, McCown threw a 28-yard walk-off touchdown pass to Nate Poole in 2003 to knock the Vikings out of playoff contention. It was a shocking win, considering the Cardinals entered the game with a 3-12 record.
Did you know? In 1996, Boomer Esiason threw for 522 yards in a game against the Redskins, the third-highest total in NFL history at the time. That was Esiason's only season in Arizona.
Clay's 2020 projections for Kyler Murray: 26 TD passes, 12 INTs, 3,817 passing yards, 470 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs and 294 fantasy points
30. Cleveland Browns
Best QB: Bernie Kosar. If you're like me, you were surprised the Browns weren't last in these rankings. However, they had a two-decade run with Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks in Brian Sipe (1980 NFL MVP) and Kosar. Kosar won three playoff games in Cleveland, but in typical Browns fashion, he was on the losing end of "The Drive" and "The Fumble." And I have to give a shoutout to Hall of Famer Otto Graham, who led the Browns to a LeBron James-like streak of 10 straight championship games in the 1940s and '50s.
Worst QB: Tim Couch. Couch had a lot of competition here, but it's ultimately him due to the expectations as the No. 1 overall pick in 1999. He went 22-37 as the Browns' starter in his five-year career, and he had as many interceptions as touchdown passes in three straight seasons from 2000-02. The only other QB to do that over the past 20 seasons (minimum of 200 attempts each season) is Marc Bulger at the end of his career (2007-09). Johnny Manziel, Brady Quinn and Brandon Weeden were all considered, and let's not forget DeShone Kizer, who quarterbacked the Browns to their 0-16 season.
Remember ... Doug Pederson? The Eagles' Super Bowl-winning coach actually won one game as the Browns' quarterback, in 2000 against Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
Did you know? Everyone's favorite Browns stat: They have started 30 different QBs since returning to the NFL in 1999, seven more than the next closest team (Bears). Here's most of the list immortalized on this infamous Browns jersey.
Clay's 2020 projections for Baker Mayfield: 25 TD passes, 15 INTs, 3,656 passing yards and 236 fantasy points
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Best QB: Doug Williams. He led Tampa Bay to the postseason three times in a four-year stretch, including the NFC Championship in 1979. Impressive, considering the stretch wasn't far removed from the Buccaneers' 0-26 streak from 1976 to '77. The Buccaneers' career passing leader is Jameis Winston, so there isn't much competition here.
Worst QB: Steve Young. It's unbelievable to think the Hall of Famer, Super Bowl champ and two-time NFL MVP had a 3-16 record with 11 touchdown passes and 21 picks with the Buccaneers from 1985 to '86 before he was traded to the 49ers. Young had 221 touchdown passes and 86 INTs for San Francisco.
Remember ... Jeff Garcia? Speaking of former 49ers quarterbacks, the last Buccaneers QB to start a playoff game was Garcia, in the 2007 wild-card round against the Giants. Garcia went 14-10 as Tampa Bay's starter from 2007 to '08.
Did you know? Tom Brady could lose 283 straight starts and still have a better career win percentage than the Buccaneers franchise. He would have to play into his 60s, but hey, don't let the facts get in the way of a good stat.
Clay's 2020 projections for Brady: 31 TD passes, 9 INTs, 4,455 passing yards and 291 fantasy points
32. Chicago Bears
Best QB: Jim McMahon. Because we're ignoring the pre-Super Bowl era (sorry Sid Luckman), it's McMahon, who helped lead the Bears to their only Super Bowl title and won an NFL record 25 straight starts from 1984 to '87 (including playoffs). He was ravaged by injuries with Chicago, starting 61 of 102 possible games (60%).
Worst QB: Cade McNown. McNown (12th overall pick in 1999) was the Bears' highest-drafted quarterback since McMahon, but he won just 3 of 15 starts with Chicago. To make matters worse, Chicago traded back in the 1999 draft for him, while the Redskins took Hall of Famer Champ Bailey with the Bears' original pick.
Remember ... Kordell Stewart? "Slash" had a cup of coffee with the Bears in 2003, his last career quarterback starts. There's a reason they were his last starts at QB: He completed 50% of his passes and won only two of his seven starts in Chicago.
Did you know? Here's one reason the Bears finished last in the rankings. There are 126 instances of a player throwing 30 touchdown passes in a season, and 186 instances of a player with 4,000 passing yards in a season in NFL history. Yet no Bears player has done either. They are the only franchise never to have a 4,000-yard passer, despite having played 100 seasons. The stat is so mind-boggling, I had to extend it beyond the Super Bowl era.
Clay's 2020 projections for Nick Foles: 13 TD passes, 8 INTs, 2,626 passing yards and 144 fantasy points