New York Giants Top 5 Quarterbacks of All Time

(last updated on February 7, 2026)

Yes, I know you New York Giants fans have had a rough go of it for a long time, and as an Eagles fan, I do take some pleasure in that. However, the Giants are one of only seven NFL franchises that have won at least four Super Bowls; they also won four NFL titles in the pre-Super Bowl era. Regardless of recent history, the New York Football Giants have a storied past. Just think about some of their hallowed residences … the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, the Meadowlands, and now MetLife Stadium. Coaching luminaries like Owen, Howell, Sherman, Parcells, and Coughlin have led this franchise. They have had defensive Hall of Famers like Robustelli, Huff, Carson, Taylor, and Strahan. But what about their quarterbacks? If a franchise has won eight championships, then there had to be some decent QB play.  Let’s look back to better times for this team and identify the best quarterbacks ever for the New York Giants.

Jeff Hostetler doesn’t crack the top 10 for the New York Giants in really any passing categories, and he only started 25 games for them at quarterback with a 16-9 record, but when a backup QB steps in and wins three huge playoff games to get your team a Super Bowl title, he gets mentioned with the top quarterbacks in franchise history. The G-Men drafted Hostetler in 1984, and he was a backup and even third stringer for years to Phil Simms. He even played special teams just to get on the field and actually once blocked a punt. In 1990, Simms went down for the season with an injury, and the Hos stepped up. Including the playoffs, he was 5-0 in his starts. In those three postseason starts, this backup threw for a combined 510 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs. Against Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Jim Kelly, this Giant gritted out tough, low-scoring victories and got the team its second Lombardi Trophy. Albeit a smaller sample size, Hostetler actually had a better completion % (57.8) and passer rating (81.9) than the guy he sat behind for years. Jeff Hostetler’s unforgettable performance filling in at QB and helping New York win Super Bowl XXV over Buffalo earned him a place with the top Giants quarterbacks of all time.

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In 1963, Y.A. Tittle threw for a league-record 36 touchdown passes for the New York Giants. That is a single-season team record that still stands over 60 years later, so that is a big factor in including this Hall of Famer with the best New York Giants quarterbacks of all time. The Bald Eagle played the last four years of his career in New York and made quite a mark … three Pro Bowl selections, twice leading the NFL in TD passes, and two top-2 MVP finishes (including the top prize in 1963 at age 37). His record as the starting QB was 32-13-3, and the Giants went to three straight NFL Championship Games (‘61, ‘62, & ‘63) but lost all three. In 1962, he set the league record for TD tosses in a season with 33 and added 3,243 passing yards to finish second in MVP voting. The following year he took the award by breaking his own record with 36 touchdown strikes and also leading the NFL in completion % (60.2), passer rating (104.8), and Y/A (8.6). When Tittle retired after the 1964 season, he was the all-time NFL leader in completions (2,118), passing yards (28,339), and passing TDs (212). Y.A. Tittle is an NFL legend who gave New York some great years to close his career, and he definitely deserves to be called one of the top Giants quarterbacks of all time.

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Who did Y.A. Tittle follow as the Giants starter? That would be Charlie Conerly … another one of the best quarterbacks in New York Giants history. Like Tittle, Conerly got the G-Men to three NFL title games, but he captured a championship in 1956. Considering this man hasn’t taken a snap for the team since 1961, it’s impressive that he is still third in both passing yards (19,488) and passing TDs (173) for the Giants, and he played in an era of run-dominant offenses. Ironically, this man from Mississippi threw for a career high in touchdowns (22) and yards (2,175) as a rookie in 1948. When the Giants won that championship in 1956, Charlie threw for two touchdowns and 195 yards with a 152.1 passer rating in a 47-7 beatdown of the Bears. Then in both ‘58 and ‘59, Conerly and the Giants lost in the championship game to Unitas and the Colts. In that ‘59 season, this New York QB was second in MVP voting and led the NFL in passer rating (102.7), Y/C (15.1), and Y/A (8.8). It took the New York Giants 30 years to win another championship after 1956. Charlie Conerly, a lead force behind that title, earned a lofty spot with the top New York Giants quarterbacks ever.

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Here is a great trivia question … who was the first Super Bowl MVP to proclaim, “I’m going to Disney World”? The answer is Phil Simms after he led the New York Giants to a win at Super Bowl XXI over the Denver Broncos. Out of Morehead State, Simms was drafted with the seventh overall pick of the 1979 draft by New York and then became one of the top quarterbacks ever for the Giants. Phil was plagued by injuries and poor play from ‘79 to ‘83, but he broke out in ‘84 with a career-high 4,044 passing yards and 22 TD tosses. The G-Men made the playoffs but lost to the eventual champs in the Divisional Round: the indomitable 49ers. In ‘85, #11 had another solid season with 3,829 yards passing and 22 touchdowns. But, once again, New York lost to another buzzsaw eventual champion in the playoffs: the mighty Bears. However, 1986 was different for the Giants. After another solid regular season statistically and a team record of 14-2, Simms had three stellar playoff games … combined stats of a 65.5 completion %, 8 TDs to 0 INTs, and a 131.8 passer rating. In that monumental Super Bowl XXI MVP performance, the Giants QB was an astounding 22 of 25 for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns with a 150.9 passer rating … one of the most efficient performances ever in a Super Bowl. In 1990, the Giants won another Super Bowl off the strength of an 11-3 record with Simms, but a late-season injury forced him to miss the playoffs and the glory. Phil Simms was the first New York Giants QB to win a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP, so that places him very high on the list of the best Giants quarterbacks ever.

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Eli Manning can make a very strong claim to being the top New York Giants quarterback of all time. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards (57,023), passing TDs (366), and completions (4,895). And I almost forgot those two Super Bowl titles and two Super Bowl MVP awards. Although Manning had 14 seasons of 3,000+ yards and 12 seasons of 20+ TD passes, many pundits and fans see Eli as an average QB because of his 117-117 career record and 244 interceptions. Those stats are tough to dispute, but Peyton’s little brother had two of the greatest playoff runs ever for a quarterback, and that alone created his legacy. In the 2007 playoffs, Archie’s youngest son won three road playoff games without throwing an interception. Then the Giants upset the undefeated Patriots 17-14 as Manning won his first Super Bowl MVP with clutch plays like the helmet catch. Then in 2011, this same QB won three more playoff games on the way to Super Bowl XLVI. Once again, Eli outdueled Tom Brady as the Giants won 21-17. The Giants quarterback once again was the Super Bowl MVP and once again made an amazing play: that sideline throw to Mario Manningham. Yes, New York only reached the postseason six out of Eli’s 16 years, but he won two road NFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls as a decisive underdog. Those accomplishments, along with being 11th in NFL history in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, undoubtedly make Eli Manning one of the top New York Giants quarterbacks of all time.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, March 15th, 2025 at 3:35 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.