Miami Dolphins Top 5 Quarterbacks of All Time

(last updated on February 19, 2026)

Trivia time … what NFL franchise was the first to reach three consecutive Super Bowls? Lombardi’s Packers? Guess again. The Steel Curtain? We’ll give you another try. The 49ers in the 80s? Sorry, you’re out of turns. The first team to reach three straight Super Bowls was the Miami Dolphins in the early 70s. In that group was the immortal undefeated 1972 Dolphins … still the only NFL team to have a perfect season. Those glory days for the Phins were over 50 years ago. It’s been over 40 years since they last reached a Super Bowl. This team from South Florida does have a rich tradition: five Super appearances and two world titles. In addition to legendary coach Don Shula, some quarterbacks were key parts of that tradition. It’s time to visit South Beach so we can dig out the top quarterbacks of all time for the Miami Dolphins.

If you break down David Woodley’s stats, they are very underwhelming, but he got the Phins to the Super Bowl, so he gets a place with the best quarterbacks in Miami Dolphins history. Woodley was an eighth-round draft pick in 1980 but quickly became the starter after an injury to Bob Griese. That season he set the team rookie-record with 176 completions (more than Marino had as a rookie) and was third in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. In 1981, this LSU product led Miami to an 11-3-1 record with a career-best 2,470 passing yards. The Dolphins lost an OT heartbreaker to the Chargers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Next in the strike-shortened 1982 season, Woodley led Miami to a 7-2 record and then three playoff wins to get them to Super Bowl XVII. They were actually winning at halftime before falling in the second half to the Redskins. Don Shula liked Woodley’s ability to scramble, and that skill produced 771 rushing yards and nine rushing scores in his Dolphins days. In 1983, Miami drafted some QB from Pittsburgh, and that effectively ended David’s time there. David Woodley has the distinction of being the QB between Griese and Marino, and he also deserves to be mentioned with the top Miami Dolphins quarterbacks ever.

---

Is Tua Tagovailoa an elite NFL quarterback? That is a common debate among football fans today. Regardless of where you fall in that argument, Tua Tagovailoa has already established himself as one of the top Miami Dolphins quarterbacks of all time. A member of the quarterback-rich draft of 2020, Tua has produced when healthy; the ‘when healthy’ part is the issue. In six seasons as the Miami signal-caller, this lefty has led the Dolphins to a 44-32 regular-season record and two playoff appearances. This guy’s career TD to INT ratio is 120 to 59, and his career completion % of 68.0 is second in NFL history. In 2022, this former national champion at Alabama led the league in Y/A (8.9), Y/C (13.7), and passer rating (105.5). Then in 2023, Tua’s only fully healthy year, he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards to go along with 29 TD tosses and a 101.1 passer rating. Even in an injury-marred 2024, this native Hawaiian had a league-best 72.9 completion rate (the third-best single-season mark ever). In 2025, his numbers dropped a bit, and he was benched the last three games … leaving his Miami future in doubt. However, there is no doubt that Tua Tagovailoa is one of the best quarterbacks in Miami Dolphins history.

---

To the surprise of some, this is the second all-time franchise quarterbacks list to include Ryan Tannehill. Before finishing his career in Tennessee, Tannehill was one of the top quarterbacks ever for the Miami Dolphins. He was the third QB taken in the 2012 NFL Draft behind the top two picks, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, but his career passing yards (34,881) and passing touchdowns (216) are far higher than both of them. From 2012 to 2016, this tall and slender QB out of Texas A&M threw for 2,900+ yards each year and had three seasons of 24+ TD tosses with the Phins. He was an efficient passer too with an impressive 62.8 completion % in South Florida. Ryan was also an underrated runner and had 74 rushing first downs for the Dolphins. Unfortunately, Miami never made the postseason in Tannehill’s tenure. Ryan Tannehill was the least heralded field general taken in the 2012 draft, but he ended up having the longest career and earned a spot with the best quarterbacks in Miami Dolphins history.

---

Hall of Famer Bob Griese, one of the top Miami Dolphins quarterbacks of all time, had a rough start to his career. After being the fourth pick overall in the 1967 NFL Draft, the golden boy out of Purdue went 10-20-2 in his first three seasons as the Dolphins QB. Then from 1970 to 1974, Miami had a combined regular-season record of 57-12-1 with five playoff trips, three Super Bowl appearances, two world titles, and one perfect season. During their Super Bowl seasons of ‘71, ‘72, and ‘73, Griese led the Phins to a 7-1 record in the postseason with rather ordinary numbers, but …. remember … those Miami teams were powered by a three-headed monster in the backfield. Even though those Dolphins didn’t pass much, Griese was efficient when called upon. In victories at Super Bowls VII and VIII, Bob was a combined 14 of 18 for a 77.7 completion % and a 99.25 passer rating. Later in the 70s, #12 showed off his arm by leading the NFL in TD strikes (22) and passer rating (87.8) in 1977; then in 1978 he led the league in completion % (63.0). He still ranks second in team history with 25,092 passing yards and 192 passing TDs. Eight Pro Bowl selections, seven playoff trips, three AFC championships, two Super Bowl titles, and the only perfect season ever make you an NFL Hall of Famer, and it also easily makes Bob Griese one of the all-time quarterbacks for the Miami Dolphins.

---

In addition to perhaps being the top quarterback in Miami Dolphins history, Dan Marino is often remembered as the greatest player to never win a Super Bowl. Nabbed in the first round of the 1983 draft, Marino made the Dolphins instant contenders in the AFC. In only nine starts as a rookie, Dan threw for 2,210 yards and 20 touchdowns as Miami won the AFC East. The following season, 1984, Marino had maybe the best year ever for a QB with record-setting numbers: 5,084 passing yards and 48 TD tosses. He was the NFL MVP, and the 14-2 Dolphins reached the Super Bowl but lost to Montana and the Niners (even though Dan threw for 318 yards in the game). Unfortunately, that was this Hall of Famer’s only trip to the Super Bowl. He had 13 years with 3,200+ passing yards and 20+ passing TDs. As far as team success, this rifle-armed signal-caller had a 147-93 record in the regular season and got the Dolphins to the postseason 10 times in his career. When this Western Pennsylvania native retired after the 1999 season, he was the league’s all-time leader in completions (4,967), passing yards (61,361), passing TDs (420), and game-winning drives (47). Dan the Man still ranks in the all-time top 10 in all of those categories. Although Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl, his superlative accomplishments make him one of the top players in NFL history and unquestionably one of best quarterbacks ever for the Miami Dolphins.

---

FAQs

---

Join our Sports Reference Community

Of Statheads:

Subscribe to Stathead, the most powerful research tools in sports, and find any player, team, season, game, and any play. With over 80 different search tools for baseball, basketball, football, and hockey, you’ve got infinite answers at your finger tips.

With Our Email Newsletters:

Sign up for our newsletter and get curated stats, recaps, and more from the Pro Football Reference to your inbox every morning. No commitment, unsubscribe at any time.

On Social Media:

Stay connected with Pro Football Reference on social media! Bringing you stats, trivia, and more on all our channels daily.

Twitter – Instagram – Facebook – TikTok – YouTube – Reddit – LinkedIn

Follow the rest of the Sports Reference sites on social here.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 11th, 2025 at 3:17 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.