St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams Top 5 Quarterbacks of All Time

(last updated on February 7, 2026)

Did you know the Rams franchise originated in Cleveland? They actually won an NFL Championship there. This team has won four championships in three different cities: Cleveland (1945), Los Angeles (1951 & 2021), and St. Louis (1999). Overall they have made 10 appearances in either the NFL Championship Game or the Super Bowl. Their 34 playoff trips rank the Rams fourth among all NFL franchises. The Greatest Show on Turf offenses around the turn of the century were some of the most exciting and explosive in football history. It’s also pretty crazy to think that this team went from LA to St. Louis and then back to LA. There is no lack of pedigree or curiosity when it comes to this storied franchise that now resides near Hollywood … again. Enough of the first act of this Hollywood script … it’s time to find out the top quarterbacks of all time for the Rams.

The LA Rams acquired Matthew Stafford to help get them over the top and win a Super Bowl title … he did that … in his first year there. That alone makes Matthew Stafford one of the top quarterbacks in Rams history. Then you’ll see his stats in a short amount of time are very solid. In that 2021 Super Bowl season, Stafford had a 67.2 completion %, 4,886 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, and a 102.9 passer rating. After a 12-5 regular season, the top pick in the 2009 draft led the Rams to four postseason wins with almost 1,200 yards in the air, a 70 completion %, 9 TDs, and a 108.3 passer rating. The franchise got their second Lombardi Trophy, and Stafford cemented his legacy.

In 2023, this QB got LA back to the playoffs with 3,965 yards and 24 TD strikes. Even though they lost, he threw for 367 yards, 2 TDs, and had a 120.9 passer rating in a Wild Card game at Detroit. In 2024, the Rams returned to the postseason and gave the eventual champion Eagles their toughest battle. This composed QB was only about 20 yards short of victory in snowy conditions. Most recently in 2025, as a 37 year old, this former Georgia Bulldog produced MVP numbers: 46 TD tosses, 4,707 passing yards, a 109.2 passer rating, and a trip to the NFC Championship Game. After five seasons in LA, Matthew Stafford has done more than enough to get a place with the best quarterbacks ever for the Rams. 

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In 1962, Roman Gabriel was the first overall pick by the Oakland Raiders in the AFL Draft, and he was also the second overall pick of the NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. Roman chose the NFL and then went on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time for the Rams. He didn’t become the Rams full-time starter until 1966, but then he became a legend at the Coliseum. From 1966 to 1972, Gabriel threw for at least 165 completions and 2,000+ yards every season. During that period the Rams never had a losing year and twice made the postseason. Undoubtedly, 1969 was this popular QB’s best season as he won the NFL MVP award with 2,549 passing yards and 24 passing TDs. The Rams went 11-3 but lost to the Vikings in the playoffs. This man was also groundbreaking as the first Filipino-American star in American professional sports. By a healthy margin, #18 is still the Rams all-time leader in wins by a starting QB (74-39-6) and passing touchdowns (154). Many football fans feel Roman Gabriel deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and he may be inducted eventually, but he definitely gets honored as one of the top quarterbacks in Rams history.

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You may remember Jim Everett’s famous confrontation with Jim Rome back in the day, but Jim Everett should also be remembered as one of the best quarterbacks ever for the Rams. After all, Jim, not Chris, is the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards (23,758) and second in touchdown passes (142). Everett was drafted third overall by the Houston Oilers in the ‘86 NFL Draft and then was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. He became the starter midway through his rookie season and helped get the Rams to the playoffs. From 1988 to 1992, #11 threw for at least 3,200 yards every season in LA. He led the league in TD passes in ‘88 (31) and ‘89 (29). In 1989, Jim also threw for 4,310 yards and led the Rams to the NFC Championship Game. He got them tough road wins at the Eagles (281 yards & 2 TDs) and the Giants (315 yards & 2 TDs) before losing to the virtually unbeatable 49ers. The Rams never got back to the playoffs with Everett, but he was a steady presence for them before going to New Orleans in 1994. If you look at all-time NFL rankings, this Purdue Boilermaker is 39th in passing yards (34,837) and 51st in passing touchdowns (203). Jim Everett was a very productive quarterback in the late 80s and early 90s, and he was one of the best quarterbacks of all time for the Rams.

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In an era of ground-control football, Norm Van Brocklin took to the air for the Los Angeles Rams and became one of their top quarterbacks of all time. Van Brocklin joined the Rams in 1949 and had to split time behind center with Bob Waterfield for a few seasons. LA went to the NFL Championship Game in ‘49, ‘50, ‘51, and ‘55. The Dutchman led them to the title in 1951 with a passing touchdown and a 149.3 passer rating in the championship game win over the Browns. In the 1951 regular season, this Hall of Famer had a 554-yard game with 5 touchdowns. Amazingly, that record still stands today as the most passing yards in an NFL game. He led the league with 2,637 passing yards in 1954, one of four 2,000-yard seasons #11 had for the Rams. As a Ram, Van Brocklin went to six Pro Bowls, had a 42-20-3 record, and threw 118 TD passes (fifth in team history). After moving on from LA, the Dutchman went to Philadelphia and got the Eagles an NFL title in 1960. Canton inducted this QB into the Hall in 1971, and that more than earns Norm Van Brocklin a place with the greatest quarterbacks ever for the Rams.

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About a quarter century ago, Kurt Warner was leading the Greatest Show on Turf in St. Louis and on his way to becoming one of the best quarterbacks in Rams history. Who could forget Dick Vermeil’s tearful press conference after Trent Green was injured in the 1999 preseason? That set the stage for former Iowa Barnstormer Kurt Warner to make history. Warner led the Rams to a 13-3 season and won his first NFL MVP award with a league-leading 65.1 completion percentage, 4,353 passing yards, 41 TDs to only 13 INTs, and a 109.2 passer rating. In Super Bowl XXXIV against Tennessee, Warner was the game’s MVP with 414 yards passing and two touchdowns in a thrilling Rams victory. The following year Kurt put up similarly splendid numbers, but St. Louis stumbled in the Wild Card round. He reclaimed his NFL MVP trophy in 2001 with a 68.7 completion rate, 4,830 aerial yards, 36 TDs, and a 101.4 passer rating. The Rams got back to the Super Bowl but lost an epic game to the Patriots and some guy named Brady. Warner had one of the greatest three-year stretches ever for a quarterback: 98 passing TDs, three times leading the league in completion % and Y/A, two NFL MVPs, two Super Bowl Appearances, a Super Bowl MVP award, and the Rams first Lombardi Trophy. Kurt Warner went from being a football journeyman to a Hall of Famer, and that easily makes him one of the Rams top quarterbacks of all time.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 31st, 2024 at 5:18 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.