With the NFL offseason in a slow period after the Super Bowl but before the NFL Draft and free agency, Bleacher Report’s NFL staff took on one of the biggest out-of-season tasks in the sport: Ranking the top 99 quarterbacks in NFL history. The massive list is comprised of both past and current players, ranging from Johnny Unitas to Patrick Mahomes and many more.
The question for Tennessee fans isn’t whether Peyton Manning is on the list, but just how high he landed in the rankings. Manning spent his whole career being compared to Tom Brady, but the NFL has obviously had plenty of great quarterbacks before him and a few since his playing days.
Landing one spot ahead of Mahomes and two spots above Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning comes in as the No. 3 all-time NFL quarterback, according to B/R’s collective rankings. The former Tennessee Volunteers legend spent 17 seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos, racking up two Super Bowl appearances and one championship win with each organization.
“The two-time Super Bowl champion ranks third all-time with 71,940 passing yards and 539 passing touchdowns,” B/R writes. “He has the most MVP awards and first-team All-Pro nods among quarterbacks, as well as the most seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards. Manning redefined the quarterback position based on how he thought his way through games, displayed a relentless work ethic to reach that level of preparation and accumulated yardage.”
Manning’s top listed accolades include: Hall of Fame selection, 5x MVP, 1x SB MVP, 2x SB Champion, 2x OPOY, 14x Pro Bowler, 7x All-Pro, 1x Comeback Player of the Year, 3x Bert Bell Award (top player in the NFL)
Manning threw for 71,940 total yards, 539 total touchdowns, and 251 total interceptions during his playing career. He is also noted for having 43 fourth-quarter comebacks and 54 game-winning drives.
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Two players land ahead of Manning in the rankings. Four-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana comes in at the No. 2 spot, while seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady lands at the No. 1 spot.
Other notable entries in the Bleacher Report Top 99 include Broncos quarterback John Elway at No. 6, Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino at No. 10, and Giants quarterback Eli Manning at No. 24.
Check out Bleacher Report’s full Top 99 all-time quarterbacks list here.
