(last updated on February 7, 2026)

The quarterback is very possibly the most celebrated and scrutinized position in American team sports. Major passing statistics only tell part of the story of a QB. The player under center is also heavily credited or faulted with the wins and losses of his team. Quarterbacks whose teams achieve championships are often given priority in these greatest-ever discussions. This list, however, will largely be determined by their approximate value (AV) – a regular-season statistic. Although football stat lines do not capture all the contributions of a player the way they do in baseball and basketball, approximate value is a regular season-only statistic that attempts to attach a single number to every player since 1960. With that considered, here are 25 of the best quarterbacks of all time.