Houston Texans Top 5 Quarterbacks of All Time

(last updated on February 9, 2026)

Born in 2002, the Houston Texans are the youngest franchise in the National Football League. After the Oilers left in the mid-90s, the football-hungry Houston area had a void, and the Texans filled it. Although they didn’t make the playoffs in their first nine seasons, the Houston Texans have won eight AFC South titles since 2011. That’s more divisional crowns than many much older franchises. With a talented young nucleus built around a franchise QB and a charismatic coach, the Texans seem to be well positioned moving forward. But before we look forward, it’s time to go not-that-far back in time. For a state where football is religion, here are the top quarterbacks of all time for the Houston Texans.

Since the Houston Texans are pretty young, every guy on their all-time quarterback list isn’t going to be ticketed for Canton, so I give you Davis Mills. Mills is the current backup in Houston, but he was the starter in 2021 and 2022. Yes, his record isn’t so hot (8-19-1). However, his career numbers aren’t terrible: a 61.8 completion %, 7,082 passing yards, 40 TDs to 26 INTs, and an 82.5 passer rating. He has six career games with 300+ passing yards and 14 games with at least two TD passes. In his defense, he didn’t have an overly abundant number of offensive weapons or a stable line (sacked 31 times in both ‘21 and ‘22). He filled in three times as the starter in 2025, and Houston won each time. Considering this Stanford man was just a third rounder in 2021, Houston has gotten a decent return on their investment, so that gets Davis Mills a place with the top Texans quarterbacks of all time

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The first quarterback in Houston Texans was also their first ever draft pick: David Carr. With the top overall selection in the 2002 draft, Houston took this QB who could have doubled as a Backstreet Boy. It’s no secret that this California boy got beat up in the pocket. In his rookie season, he was sacked a still-standing NFL record 76 times … ouch. Then he went down another 68 times in 2005. On the bright side, this battered slinger still managed to throw for at least 2,000 yards all five years he was in H-Town. Numbers wise, 2004 was his best season with 3,531 yards passing and 16 TD strikes, and … yeah, he was sacked an NFL-high 49 times. Carr’s other Houston highlight was leading the league with a 68.3 completion rate in 2006; that’s not bad for a dude who was constantly picking himself off the turf. As you would imagine, the Texans weren’t very good in David’s tenure (22-53 in his starts). David Carr’s toughness alone gets him a comfy seat with the best quarterbacks in Houston Texans history.

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In this humble writer’s opinion, the current Houston Texans quarterback will be considered their top QB ever someday. We are talking about C.J. Stroud, the second overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. In only three seasons, this athletic signal-caller has already led the Texans to two AFC South titles and a playoff win in each of the last three seasons. In 2023, he was the Offensive ROY with a 63.9 completion %, 4,108 yards, 23 TDs to only 5 INTs, and a 100.8 passer rating. Then he led Houston’s 45-14 Wild Card romp over the Browns with 76.2 completion rate, 274 yards, 3 TD tosses, and a 157.2 passer rating. Along with another division crown and another Wild Card victory in 2024, this former Buckeye produced 20 TD strikes and 3,700+ yards in the air. Although the Texans didn’t win the AFC South in 2025, Stroud got them to the playoffs as a Wild Card, and they won another postseason game. Not to be overlooked is Stroud’s selective mobility as he has scampered for 54 first downs and extended countless plays so far in his career. C.J. Stroud is one of the NFL’s rising young stars who has already secured his spot with the top quarterbacks of all time for the Houston Texans.

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It’s no secret that Deshaun Watson has had a rough go of it the last several years. However, when he was on the field for the Houston Texans, he delivered as one of the best quarterbacks in team history. After winning a natty with Clemson, Watson was selected 12th overall by Houston in 2017. A starter out of the gate, he had 19 TD tosses to only 8 INTs with a 103.0 passer rating when he was injured for the season after only seven games. From 2018 to 2020, he was a Pro Bowler each year and led the Texans to two AFC South titles and one playoff win. In those halcyon days, Deshaun never had a completion % below 67.3 and threw for 26+TDs and 3,800+ yards each season. Although the Texans struggled in 2020, his numbers were pretty unreal: a 70.2 completion rate, an NFL-best 4,823 aerial yards, an NFL-best 12.6 Y/C, 33 TDs to just 7 INTs, and a 112.4 passer rating. In just four seasons, this native Georgian is the franchise’s all-time leader in both completion % (67.8) and passer rating (104.5), and he is second in both passing yards (14,539) and passing TDs (104). For a few seasons, Deshaun Watson was one of the league’s most exciting players, and he earned a place with the top quarterbacks in Houston Texans history.

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This blast-from-the-past name is maybe the greatest quarterback ever for the Houston Texans: Matt Schaub. You remember this guy. Once a ballyhooed backup for the Falcons, the Texans acquired him in a substantial trade in 2007. Then Schaub went on to have seven productive years in Houston. He is their all-time leader in passing yards (23,221), passing touchdowns (124), and game-winning drives (14). In 2009, this tall QB threw for a league-leading 4,770 yards and 396 completions. Although he got hurt and missed the last six games and the playoffs, he was a big contributor to the Texans first ever playoff trip in 2011. Then in 2012 he had a day where he threw for 527 yards, which is the second-most in NFL history for a single game. That year Houston won a second straight division crown and behind Schaub reached the Divisional Round of the postseason. Yes, this signal-caller may not elicit the most rousing reaction from fans, but the stats are what the stats are. His 46 wins also top the team rankings, so Houston did win a bunch of games with him behind center. Matt Schaub isn’t the sexiest NFL name you’ve ever heard, but you can’t have an all-time Houston Texans quarterbacks list without him. 

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 27th, 2025 at 4:35 pm 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.