Cincinnati Bengals Top 5 Quarterbacks of All Time

(last updated on January 24, 2026)

There is no denying that the Cincinnati Bengals don’t have the richest history of team success in the NFL. The franchise has never won a title, and they are about 80 games below .500 with their all-time record since entering the league in 1968. However, the Bengals have been to three Super Bowls (XVI, XXIII, & LVI). Their first coach was legendary Hall of Famer Paul Brown, and they may have had the greatest tackle ever in Anthony Munoz. Even though Cincinnati hasn’t had abundant team success, they have had some pretty successful quarterbacks in their history. Heck, in the 1980s the Bengals had two QBs that won the NFL MVP. Their current guy behind center isn’t so bad either. So this franchise does have some pedigree. Without any more delay, it’s time to find out the top Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks of all time.

Not only has Joe Burrow already gotten the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl in his brief career, but statistically speaking he already has the three best individual passing seasons in team history. That gets him a place with the best quarterbacks ever for the Bengals. In 2021, Joe Cool threw for 34 TDs, 4,611 yards, had a 108.3 passer rating, and accrued a league-leading 70.4 completion %. That season he got the team to Super Bowl LVI with huge road wins at Tennessee and an epic comeback at Kansas City. Even in the Super Bowl loss to the Rams, Burrow had a passer rating over 100. The following year the LSU matinee idol produced similarly stellar stats: 35 TDs, 4,475 yards, a 100.8 passer rating, and a 68.3 completion %. That year ended with a heartbreaking defeat at KC in the AFC Championship Game. 2020, 2023, and 2025 were injury-shortened seasons for the former #1 overall pick, but you can see his solid numbers were still there. Although the Bengals narrowly missed the postseason in 2024, his stats were spectacular: a career-best in completion % (70.6) and passer rating (108.5) and an NFL-best in completions (460), passing yards (4,918), and TD tosses (43). His completion % numbers aren’t just good … they are all-time good … he is the all-time leader in completion % (68.5). In six seasons, #9 is already in the top five for most franchise passing categories. If Joe Burrow stays healthy, he may be the greatest Cincinnati Bengals quarterback ever, but he is already good enough for a spot in their top five.

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In addition to the current stud at QB, the Cincinnati Bengals drafted another quarterback #1 overall in 2003: Carson Palmer. This is another one of the best quarterbacks in Bengals history. Palmer didn’t play as a rookie, but in 2004 he threw for 18 touchdowns and nearly 3,000 yards. The following year the former Heisman winner led Cincinnati back to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, and he led the league in TD passes (32), completion % (67.8), and TD % (6.3). He tore up his knee in a 2005 AFC Wild Card game, but he returned to form quickly in 2006 with 4,035 passing yards, 28 TDs, and a 93.9 passer rating. Overall, Carson had five seasons with 3,000+ yards and 21+ touchdowns in the Queen City. He got the Bengals to the playoffs twice and made the franchise relevant again. He moved on in 2011 but is still fourth in team history for both passing yards (22,694), fifth in passing touchdowns (154), and second in completion % (62.9). Maybe under the radar, this USC boy ranks 16th in passing touchdowns (294) and 17th in NFL history in both passing yards (46,247). Carson Palmer helped turn a franchise around, and that makes him one of the top quarterbacks all time for the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Younger football fans may only know Boomer Esiason as a CBS football commentator and talk show host, but this lefty is also one of the top quarterbacks in Cincinnati Bengals history. Esiason took over as the starter in 1985 and proceeded to have six straight seasons of 3,000+ yards passing. In five of those seasons, he threw at least 24 TD strikes. His high-water point with the Bengals was undoubtedly the 1988 season. That year Boomer was the NFL MVP as he led Cincy to a 12-4 mark and a Super Bowl XXIII berth. He had 3,572 passing yards, 28 TDs, and a league-leading 97.4 passer rating. If not for a guy named Joe Montana, this former Maryland Terp would have gotten the Bengals their first Lombardi Trophy. #7 is third all time in franchise history with passing yards (27,149) and passing touchdowns (187), and he is second all time in game-winning drives (22). After leaving Cincinnati in 1993, this blond bomber returned to close out his career there in 1997. In a limited role on his farewell tour, he put up some statement stats: a 4-1 record as the starter, 13 TDs and only 2 picks, a career best 63.4 completion %, and a 106.9 passer rating. Now that is going out in style. Boomer Esiason was one of the most popular players in the NFL throughout the 1980s, and he is definitely one of the best quarterbacks the Cincinnati Bengals have ever had.

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Yes, Andy Dalton is still in the NFL; he was the backup QB for the Carolina Panthers in 2025. And, yes, Andy Dalton is one of the best quarterbacks in Cincinnati Bengals history. He may not be a sexy name, but Dalton did get the Bengals to the playoffs his first five seasons and had a 50-26-1 record during that stretch. In nine seasons in Cincinnati, the Red Rifle hit for at least 3,000 passing yards in eight of them; twice he eclipsed 4,000 passing yards. In 2013, this TCU product lit up the Queen City with 33 touchdown passes, and he threw for at least 20 TDs on five other occasions. If you really break down Dalton’s stats, he was a very reliable starting QB for almost a decade. His lack of flash and playoff wins work against him, but he is first in team history in TD passes (204) and game-winning drives (24); he is also second in passing yards (31,594) and wins as a starter (70). Since leaving Cincinnati in 2020, Dalton has actually been climbing the all-time QB ranks: 22nd in completions (3,514), 26th in passing yards (39,500), and 27th in passing touchdowns (254). When it is all said and done, Andy Dalton’s NFL resume will be pretty solid, and he has already earned a lofty spot with the top quarterbacks in Cincinnati Bengals history.

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Who is the Cincinnati Bengals all-time leader in passing yards (32,838) and wins as a quarterback (91)? Kenny Anderson is the answer and also one of the top quarterbacks in Cincinnati history. Anderson played all 16 years of his career in the Queen City. As a Bengal, #14 led the league in passing yards twice (‘74 and ‘75), in passer rating four times (‘74, ‘75, ‘81, & ‘82), and he went to four Pro Bowls. He also got his team to the playoffs four times. 1981 was a magical season for Kenny Anderson and the Cincinnati Bengals. Anderson was the NFL MVP with 3,754 passing yards, 29 TDs to only 10 picks, and a passer rating of 98.4. In the 1981 AFC Championship Game at Riverfront Stadium, one of the coldest games ever, the Bengals QB stayed hot with a 115.9 passer rating while he spiraled two touchdowns in the frosty air as they beat the Chargers 27-7 and earned their first Super Bowl trip. Unfortunately, the Bengals lost Super Bowl XVI 26-21 to that Montana guy and the Niners. Kenny came back strong in 1982 and led the league in completion % (70.6), one of three times he did that, but Cincy lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. All told, this signal-caller from Augustana College in Illinois threw for at least 2,100 yards 11 different times as a Bengal. For the better part of two decades, Kenny Anderson was a steady fixture in Cincinnati, and he may be the greatest quarterback of all time for the Bengals.

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 25th, 2024 at 10:59 am and is filed under NFL History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.