The Ten Most Underrated All-Time NFL Quarterbacks

Old NFL quarterbacks are a fun topic, and Quarterback rankings can be fun. Sometimes, though, for any number of reasons, some quarterbacks get de-valued over time. This can happen for a lot of reasons, primary among them a lack of Super Bowl rings (we know there is a post-career bump for those who have won a title). Injuries and other barriers can also impact how much of a quarterback’s career we saw. Sometimes, it’s a renewed look at a statistical case. Things like sacks (which are more tied to a quarterback than you think) can be devalued but have a big impact on winning, so quarterbacks who avoid sacks but maybe throw a few more interceptions to do so get dinged in public.

In order to know who is overrated or underrated, it’s important to know how quarterbacks are viewed or ranked. Most Hall of Famers, for example, are properly ranked as among the top 20. I went through as many online lists of quarterback rankings as I could find, ranging from lists showing up on popular sites like Ranker and Sporcle to those put out by individuals. After perusing those, here are my thoughts on which quarterbacks are most underrated:

#10 Trent Green

Consensus: Outside the Top 60

Trent Green has several factors that cause him to be underrated: late start, injuries, and playing on teams with poor defenses. He was under appreciated and a late round pick early, so it took awhile to get his opportunity. He didn’t play a NFL game until 1997 (he was an 8th round pick in 1993). He got his chance in Washington in 1998 to replace Gus Frerotte, and did pretty well. Then, he signed with the St. Louis Rams and was slated to be their starter.

As we know, he suffered a preseason knee injury that set in motion Kurt Warner getting his big opportunity. Warner is now seen as a Hall of Famer, while Green eventually had to move on to Kansas City. Green was the quarterback for some high-powered offenses in Kansas City from 2001 to 2005, but they were frequently undone by bad defense. The average rank, in points allowed, for teams that Green started a game for, was 24.6.

#9 Joe Namath

Consensus: Outside the Top 30, ranging from 30 to 50

I’m sorry, is this the overrated list? Well, all things are cyclical, and there has been so much “Joe Namath is overrated” talk throughout the years that he is actually now underrated. It’s hard to be underrated publicly as a Hall of Famer, but there is enough opinion that Namath is unworthy that he qualifies. Many of the online lists I viewed (those that went past 20, as Namath was never in the Top 20), had him in the 40’s, below several non-Hall of Famers.

I wrote about Namath being a legitimate Hall of Famer years ago, and Chase Stuart also wrote about how Namath’s career is so misunderstood in modern times.

Namath threw a lot of interceptions, but he also did it by avoiding sacks at a ridiculous rate with his quick release. He was a star quarterback, even without the guarantee. He threw for 4,000 yards in 1967, in a 14-game season. No one else in NFL history threw for that many, before the schedule changed to 16 games. Pro-rated, that would have been over 4,500 passing yards. While those seasons have become commonplace in recent years, here is the entirety of quarterbacks who threw for 4,500 yards before 2000: Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, Neil Lomax, Warren Moon, and Drew Bledsoe.

He followed that up with the Super Bowl year, and another great season in 1969. After missing most of two years with injury, he returned in 1972 and led the NFL in TDs, yards, yards per attempt, and was an all-pro. After another lost injury season, he was Comeback Player of the Year in 1974. I found an article from a sportswriter named Pat Sullivan that year, after Namath played in a big upset of the two-time champ Dolphin that said, “[i]f I had written this a few years ago, I would have gone to great lengths to tell you what an overrated egotist Joe Willie Namath is. I’m glad I didn’t.”

Namath played three more years after that, and put up horrific numbers. But from 1965-1974, for a full decade, he was considered one of the best quarterbacks in the game, when he could get on the field. Thanks to research from Scott Kacsmar on comebacks, we also know that he led the league in 4th quarter game winning drives four different times between 1966 and 1974. Considering that he was hurt three of those years, that means he was a clutch king in two-thirds of his healthy seasons during his prime. Sure, he may have been overrated initially, because his career got cut short and he lost seasons, but the pendulum has swung too far.

#8 Philip Rivers

Consensus: Outside Top 35

Philip Rivers is the only active player on this list, but he is likely to be continually undervalued because he came in the same class as Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, and sat for two seasons behind Drew Brees. You can make a pretty good argument that Rivers has been the best of those three quarterbacks, but because of the rings, will likely fall behind them in the Hall of Fame pecking order, which could get crowded.

He’s made six pro bowls, which puts him in the Top 20 all time. He led the league in yards per attempt three straight years. He’s averaged a whopping 8.0 yards per attempt in playoff games, but the Chargers are 4-5 in those games. His most similar players after 12 seasons, according to the pro-football-reference page, are four slam dunk Hall of Famers often ranked in the top 12 on every online list (Montana, Staubach, Brees and Favre), and Ken Anderson (more on him in a bit).

#7 Jim Hart

Consensus: 75 to 100

Jim Hart played for 19 seasons, mostly through the “dead-ball” offensive era of the 1970’s, and for a franchise that had very little history of success (Cardinals). He is most likely unknown to the younger fan. The stretch from 1974 to 1977 is the most successful for the franchise in modern times. His raw stats may not look impressive, but he was well above average at pass efficiency for much of the 1970’s. Part of that was his extremely low sack numbers for his era. Hart’s league-adjusted career numbers compare favorably to lots of guys in the “Hall of Very Good” category often ranked in the Top 50, but Hart is a big omission from that group.

#6 Lynn Dickey

Consensus: Outside Top 100

Lynn Dickey was one of the most popular choices when I ran a Twitter poll of most underrated. Dickey’s raw career numbers, like some other guys on here, were impacted by opportunity and injury. He was drafted by the Oilers in the same draft they took Dan Pastorini in the first round. He sat in Houston, and then got traded to Green Bay. But a broken leg kept him out for almost two entire seasons. He finally took over again in 1980 at age 31, and put together a very underrated five-year stretch.

Like Trent Green, Dickey also played on teams that had poor defenses. In 1983, he managed to pull of a rare feat: leading the league in yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. He averaged over 8 yards per attempt for three straight years from 1982 to 1984.

James Lofton, who starred with the Packers and then later went to Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills, had this to say about Dickey:

"“If he were playing in today’s game — and that’s one of those scenarios that as an analyst you don’t normally talk about — but if he was in today’s game, where you can’t hit a quarterback except above the knees and below the shoulders, he would carve up the NFL. Yes, Jim Kelly’s in the Hall of Fame, but those two guys are close to the same level.” "

#5 Jim Everett

Consensus: Between 75 and 100

Jim Everett is most well-known for his fracas with Jim Rome. But he’s also undervalued and generally grouped with guys who did not do as much. Everett led the league in touchdowns twice in 1988 and 1989 and was not selected to a pro bowl either year. He led the league in 4th quarter comebacks (with 5) in that 1989 season and then threw a famous game-winner in overtime to beat the Giants in the playoffs.

His comparable players include Jaworski, Simms, Hasselbeck, and Plunkett, but he’s not grouped with those players in most rankings. He’s 26th in career passing yards and 39th in career passing touchdowns. The Rams teams fell apart in the early 1990’s, and then he went to the Saints team post Dome Patrol when they stopped making playoffs (and yes, his coach was Jim Mora).

#4 Jeff Garcia

Consensus: Between 50 and 75

Jeff Garcia played in the CFL and didn’t get his NFL opportunity until he was 29, when Steve Young’s career ended in 1999. Garcia is generally not thought of as one of the best quarterbacks of the 2000’s, but when you look back at what he accomplished in a variety of situations, it is impressive. He doesn’t fit the physical mold of the quarterback, listed at 6’1″ and probably under that. He played well in San Francisco. He spent one year in Cleveland and put up near-league average numbers, which in retrospect, probably should get him Hall of Fame consideration. He came in for Philadelphia when Donovan McNabb got hurt and went 5-1 to get the Eagles to the playoffs in 2006, then went to Tampa Bay at age 37 and quarterbacked them to the postseason.

#3 Vinny Testaverde

Consensus: Between 60 and 75

Several years ago, I wrote about how Vinny Testaverde was much better than people realize, once they account for teammates. Here’s how I started that piece: 

"As impossible as it may be, I want you to wipe away any pre-conceived notions you have of Testaverde and his career. Let’s pretend like we are talking about a hypothetical quarterback. All you know is the following: 1. This quarterback signed with a national collegiate power that was the quarterback factory of the time period. 2. Our hypothetical quarterback won the Heisman trophy and was the first overall pick in the NFL draft. 3. He played until he was 44 years old, and threw 6,701 passes in his career. So, how good was our hypothetical quarterback? You would probably guess he was a Hall of Fame caliber player with that info before and at the completion of his career. And the funny thing is . . . you might be right. When quarterbacks get up for their induction speeches in Canton, they always thank their teammates . . . and they should. Because, but for the grace of God, they could have been Vinny Testaverde instead."

Now, Testaverde has no chance at the Hall of Fame, and I’m not suggesting he will get in. But when I compared his teammates throughout his career, to Hall of Famers, he compared very favorably when he had the same level of offensive talent around him. Exactly one player made a pro bowl on offense during Testaverde’s time in Tampa Bay: Mark Carrier. Only two other teammates on offense during that team even reached a pro bowl at any point during their careers: Gary Anderson, who had been a pro bowler once with San Diego but was in Tampa Bay after knee injuries, and a young Tony Mayberry, who would make some a decade later.

For perspective, Andrew Luck, who has not necessarily been supported well by the front office in adding elite talent, has played with six players (and counting) who have played in a pro bowl.

The first time Testaverde played with a future Hall of Famer was with rookie Jonathan Ogden in 1996, when he was 33 years old. Testaverde ended that year as the highest rated passer according to Football Outsiders. The second time was with Curtis Martin with the Jets at age 35. He went 12-1 as a starter replacing Glenn Foley, and the Jets went to the AFC title game.

We saw that Steve Young struggled in Tampa Bay, but became a Hall of Famer with the 49ers. Testaverde never played with the elite talent that other famous quarterbacks did, and he was better than given credit for, and continued to play for so long because he was a good quarterback, who was rarely in a good situation.

#2 John Brodie

Consensus: Around 40

John Brodie was drafted by the 49ers in 1957, but didn’t get his chance to take over as the full-time starter until the team traded Hall of Famer Y.A. Tittle to the Giants before the 1961 season. He averaged 9.1 yards per attempt that first season. He would go on to lead the NFL in passing yards and passing completions three times and touchdowns twice. He was selected as the NFL MVP in 1970. The 49ers went to the NFC title game in 1970 and 1971, and then in 1972, after missing several games with injury, he came off the bench to replace a struggling Steve Spurrier in the final week against Minnesota, and led a 4th quarter comeback to get them back to the playoffs for a third time.

Brodie has numbers that could put him in the Hall of Fame but has not received that honor to date. He also served as a broadcaster until he left to join the senior PGA tour after his retirement.

#1 Ken Anderson

Consensus: Around 30

Five years ago, I spoke to Ken Anderson and wrote about his Hall of Fame credentials. He’s still waiting for a selection from the veteran’s committee.

He won the MVP award in 1981, and could have won in 1982, when he set the league record for completion percentage, except it went to a kicker. That two-year stretch came after a down period thanks to injuries and staff changes, but in the mid-70’s, he was also phenomenal. He averaged over 8 yards per attempt in 1974 and 1975. In November 1974, against the Pittsburgh Steelers (who you might recall had a pretty good defense and won the Super Bowl that season) he went an unheard-of 20 for 22 passing as Cincinnati won. Dave Fink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote this after that game:

"If he were an escape artist, you could compare him to Houdini. If he were a hypnotist, you could compare him to Svengali. If he were a detective, you could compare him to Sherlock Holmes. But, all Ken Anderson is, was, or ever will be is a quarterback, and comparisons in the league are at best risky and even more subjective than grading a college English theme. Let it be said that the in the dank and dark that pervaded Riverfront Stadium, he was closer to perfection than any quarterback, you me or Amos Alonzo Stagg ever laid eyes upon."

Ken Anderson, in ways that don’t happen to other quarterbacks who came out of Bill Walsh’s West Coast system, gets it held against him, because his team ultimately never won a Super Bowl title. His efficiency numbers were ridiculous in several seasons. He has six great seasons, an MVP, a Super Bowl appearance. It’s ridiculous that he is not in the Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mention Underrated QBs

Danny White, Rich Gannon, Brian Sipe, Bert Jones, John Hadl, Randall Cunningham, Chad Pennington, Tobin Rote, Earl Morrall, Daunte Culpepper