Best of the best: Ranking the top 15 Quarterbacks since 2000

The past 23 years have been a golden era for quarterback play in the NFL, with wave after wave of talented players emerging from the college ranks. That said, now it’s time to rank the top 15.

Brett Favre: one of the all-time greats, but his Super Bowl and MVPs came during the 1990s so it is tough to put him on this list. Andrew Luck: his early retirement stops him from sneaking on to this list. Joe Burrow: He'll get there but we need a couple more seasons from him.

Romo emerged as an undrafted free agent from Eastern Illinois to become one of the best quarterbacks in Cowboys’ history. He was never able to lead Dallas back to the promised land despite his consistent brilliance. He is well deserving of recognition for his play style and bravery in the pocket.

McNabb is, for now, the best quarterback in Eagles’ history, leading the Birds to five NFC Championship games and a tough Super Bowl loss. Nowadays we think of the Eagles as a consistently competitive franchise, but before McNabb, there had been decades of mediocrity.

Allen is still only 27 yet he has become the face of the Buffalo franchise and driven the Bills back to relevance after a period of dwelling near the bottom of the AFC. Allen is a new breed of QB, playing fun and aggressive football. His huge arm and physicality make him more a Madden create-a-player than quarterback.

Gone are the days of Stafford’s achievements not being recognized whilst playing on mostly terrible Lions teams. He has finally got his flowers following a Super Bowl win with the Rams, yet he still may be best remembered for his connection with Calvin Johnson back in Detroit.

Another player who was perhaps underestimated for most of his career, Ryan sits in the top ten for touchdowns and passing yards in NFL history. He was also the clear 2016 MVP and one terrible coaching decision away from winning a Super Bowl.

For a good few years, Wilson and the Seahawks was one of the most feared matchups in the NFL. With a suffocating defense and Wilson’s ability to make something out of nothing they were nearly impossible to stop. If he had simply handed the ball to Marshawn Lynch, they would have won back-to-back Super Bowls as well (not at all his fault, we know, we know!)

Were it not for the 2007 and 2011 seasons, Eli may not be featured anywhere on this list. As it stands, he was able to lift himself and his team to win two Super Bowls, both of which came out of almost nowhere.

Big Ben was one of the toughest to ever play the position in the NFL, consistently playing through pain and injuries that would have left most players incapacitated. Roethlisberger boasts a couple of Super Bowls himself and sits amongst the greats in multiple statistical categories.

An eight-time Pro Bowler, Rivers was a key part of some dominant Chargers teams during the mid-2000s. They were never able to go all the way and win the big one but no one who saw or played against Rivers would say he isn’t deserving of this ranking.

Warner’s Super Bowl win just snuck into the 2000s so we’re going to count it. Two NFL MVPs (one in 1999) a Super Bowl trip with the Cardinals and a deserved spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is quite the resume for a player plucked from the Arena Leagues.

That Drew Brees sits at five on this list just shows how impressive this group is. Brees was unerringly accurate throughout his career, picking teams apart en route to over 80,000 passing yards with a completion percentage of 67.7%. A Super Bowl win rounds out one of the best careers the NFL has ever seen.

We’re at a point where we’re splitting hairs between these players, Manning could easily sit a place or two higher, but for us, he comes up a little short of the top three. Manning is probably the best pre-snap QB of all time, manipulating defenses with audibles to the point he was winning games with his mouth as much as his arm.

A Super Bowl win, four All-Pro nods, and four MVP awards, Rodgers’ career stacks up against anyone in football history. Like many on this list, he should probably have won more Super Bowls and who knows, maybe if he comes back healthy next year, he could.

Mahomes’ career has barely reached the halfway point having only recently turned 28, yet he’s played quarterback at levels previously never seen. He’s accurate, cerebral, and has more arm talent than most guys on this list put together. He has two Super Bowls to his name already, expect that number to rise over the next few years.

89,214 passing yards, 649 TDs to only 212 INTs, and seven (yes seven) Super Bowl wins. He has more Super Bowls personally, than any franchise in the NFL. He’s currently the Greatest of All Time and unless Mahomes does some extraordinary things, he may well stay there for eternity.