San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers Top 5 Quarterbacks of All Time

(last updated on January 29, 2026)

The Chargers were one of the original AFL franchises when the league started in 1960. That first season they were based in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961. This SoCal team appeared in five of the first six AFL Championship Games and won it in 1963. Legendary receiver Lance Alworth was a part of some aerial-assault offenses in the 60s. In 1970, the AFL and NFL officially merged, and it started a down stretch for the Bolts until the Air Coryell days. Years later, San Diego did make a Super Bowl appearance in the mid 90s. Since then the Chargers have made several playoff appearances without tasting ultimate glory. In 2017, the franchise moved north up the Pacific Coast Highway to LA where they now reside in a state-of-the-art stadium. Some of the most potent offenses in football history have been Chargers teams. These potent offenses needed potent arms, and they have had some great gunslingers. Let’s travel to one of the most beautiful areas of the country and spotlight the top quarterbacks of all time for the Chargers.

Justin Herbert is still pretty young, but he is already one of the best quarterbacks ever for the Chargers. Only six years in the league, Herbert has six seasons with 3,000+ passing yards and 20+ passing TDs. In 2020, the sixth overall pick out of Oregon was the Offensive Rookie of the Year with a 66.6 completion %, 4,336 yards, 31 TDs to only 10 INTs, and a 98.3 passer rating. The following year Herbert set single-season team records in yards (5,014) and touchdowns (38). In 2022, 2024, and 2025, this QB got the Bolts to the playoffs, but they lost in the Wild Card round each time. If you look at the star-studded quarterbacks taken in the 2020 NFL Draft (Burrow, Tua, Love, & Hurts), Herbert leads them all in career passing yards (24,820) and TD passes (163). In both of those categories he already ranks fourth all time in franchise rankings. In 2024, this dude had a 23 to 3 TD/INT ratio with a 101.7 passer rating. Then in 2025 he put another year with 3,700+ passing yards and 26 TD tosses. Justin Herbert is one of the most exciting QBs in the NFL, and he is on his way to maybe being the greatest quarterback of all time for the Chargers.

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As of this second, Stan Humphries is the only QB who can say he led the Chargers to the Super Bowl, so that secures him a spot with top quarterbacks in Chargers history. His career 47-29 record as the Chargers starter is not too shabby. In the 1990s, Humphries had four seasons of 16+ touchdown passes and three seasons of 3,200+ yards passing for San Diego. He got the Chargers to the playoffs in ‘92, ‘94, and ‘95. Of course, that 1994 season is what most Bolts fans will remember about Stan Humphries. That year the Chargers went 11-5 while their QB threw for 3,209 yards and 17 touchdowns. In the postseason, Stan led the team over the Dolphins in the Divisional Round, and then the Chargers gutted out a 17-13 win at Pittsburgh as nine-point underdogs in the AFC Championship Game. The Chargers got smoked by the 49ers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX, but that is still the only Chargers team to even reach the Super Bowl. This former late-round pick of Washington sits fifth in Chargers history in both passing yards (16,085) and TD passes (85). Stan Humphries can make a claim nobody else can, so he gets a place with the top Chargers quarterbacks of all time.

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In the 1960s when the NFL and AFL were battling for football supremacy, the AFL’s aerial passing attacks generated massive fan excitement, and John Hadl was a big part of that. Hadl was one of the top quarterbacks ever for the Chargers. He threw for 26,938 yards and 201 TDs as a San Diego Charger (both third in franchise rankings). From 1964 to 1972, this Kansas native never threw for less than 2,100 yards in a season and three times led the AFL or NFL in that stat. The John Hadl to Lance Alworth connection was pretty prolific during that era. Hadl helped the Chargers win the 1963 AFL championship with a TD pass and a 135.4 passer rating in the title game over the Patriots. They returned to the championship game in ‘64 and ‘65 but could not secure another title. In ‘68, he led the AFL in completions (208), yards (3,473), and touchdowns (27); then in ‘72 he repeated in all of those categories but as the NFL leader (the leagues merged in 1970). Not only is John Hadl’s name all over the Chargers team records, but he is also prominently featured in the AFL records. Along with the names Blanda, Dawson, and Namath, you will also find Hadl. John Hadl was a big-time passer for the innovative AFL, and he will go down as one of the all-time quarterbacks for the Chargers.

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If you remember the deep-strike Air Coryell offenses, then you unquestionably know this name: Dan Fouts. This legendary rifleman is a Hall of Famer and certainly one of the top quarterbacks ever for the Chargers. This slinger threw for 43,040 yards and 252 touchdowns (both second in franchise history) in his 15 years with the San Diego Chargers. Fouts fought injuries most of his career, but things really took off for him and the team in the late 70s/early 80s. He led the league in passing yards every season from ‘79 to ‘82; in that stretch he became the first QB ever to throw for 4,000+ yards in three straight years. During that period, the Chargers won three AFC West titles and reached two AFC Championship Games in 1980 and 1981. This former Oregon Duck was prolific in 1981 with league-leading numbers: 360 completions, 4,802 passing yards, and 33 TDs. In an epic ‘81 AFC Divisional Round game at Miami, #14 threw for 433 yards and 3 touchdowns for a thrilling 41-38 overtime victory. The following year Fouts was the Offensive Player of the Year with 2,883 yards and 17 TDs in only nine games during a strike-shortened season. When this man retired after the 1987 season, he was only one of three QBs ever to pass for 40,000+ yards. Analyzing the stats, it is easy to see why Dan Fouts was an obvious Hall of Fame choice, and you could strongly argue he was the best Chargers quarterback of all time.

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If you are simply looking at data, the best Chargers quarterback of all time would be a no-brainer. This man leads the Chargers in starting QB record (123-101), passing yards (59,271), and passing TDs (397) … all by very healthy margins. We are talking about briefly unretired Phillip Rivers. The Chargers acquired Rivers for Eli Manning from the Giants in a famous draft-day deal in 2004. Rivers sat behind Drew Brees his first two years in San Diego before becoming the starter in 2006. That season the team went 14-2 behind their QB’s 3,388 passing yards, 22 touchdown passes, and a 92 passer rating. The team lost at home in the playoffs, but they knew they had their quarterback. Then this Alabama-born boy proceeded to have 11 seasons of 4,000+ passing yards as a Charger … that is no misprint. In 2008, he led the league in TDs (34), Y/A (8.4), and passer rating (105.5). Phillip consistently had a great completion % in the mid 60s, topping out at 69.5 in 2013. As his 123 wins indicate, Rivers played on some very good Chargers teams. In 2007, he got them all the way to the AFC Championship Game on a shredded knee before losing to the undefeated Patriots. Five other times the Chargers got to the Divisional Round with #17 at the helm, so they always had a chance with him. Retiring after the 2020 season and then returning for a late-season stint with the Colts in 2025, this dude is Canton-bound for a reason: sixth in NFL history in passing TDs (425), eighth in NFL history in passing yards (63,984), ninth in NFL history in completions (5,335), and 19th in NFL history in passer rating (95.0). If you have the debate about the best Chargers quarterback of all time, it probably comes down to two guys, and Phillip Rivers would have to be one of them. 

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 22nd, 2024 at 6:09 pm and is filed under Top Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.