Joe Montana seems to keep most of his magic for some of his biggest games, as he managed to win four different Super Bowls throughout his career and has never thrown an interception during any one of them. Montana is known for being one of the most accurate passers of all time. His incredible skills, patience, and talents allowed him to also win seven Pro Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and become the NFL’s MVP twice.
Listed as ESPN’s 25th greatest athlete of the 20th century and Sports Illustrated’s number-one clutch quarterback of all time, Montana will always be remembered for his game-winning touchdown pass against Dallas in the 1981 NFC Championship Game. Montana eventually announced his retirement in mid-1995 and was replaced by his former backup, Steve Bono.
Otto Graham
Otto Graham was, without a doubt, the most successful and accomplished NFL quarterback during the '50s. During his nine years with the Cleveland Browns, the fierce quarterback had the highest winning percentage out of every NFL player to date, with more than 80% of his games ending in victory.
Despite being the son of two music teachers and being involved in World War II, Graham managed to get himself into the NFL in 1950 and cement his place as one of the sport's true legends. He was inducted into both the College Football and the NFL Hall of Fame and remained one of the best players to ever grace the NFL field to date.
Brett Favre
There is no better offensive player in the entire NFL than the Green Bay Packers Brett Favre. He led his team to win the XXXI Super Bowl championship, as well as eleven different Pro Bowl championships. This NFL Hall of Famer has been honored with three MVPs and currently holds the record for most pass attempts, most pass interceptions, and most starts.
He was the first NFL quarterback to ever pass for 500 touchdowns, throw for 70,000 yards, complete 6,000 passes, and attempt 10,000 passes. Favre eventually retired in early 2010. Although some of his records have since been broken by Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, his legacy remains as a dominating force in the NFL
Aaron Rodgers
It's not easy to follow the footsteps of Brett Favre for three years and somehow manage to shine yourself, but that's exactly what Aaron Rodgers did when he became the lead quarterback of the Green Bay Packers in 2005. Since then, the talented quarterback has led his team to a Super Bowl championship and was named Associated Press Athlete of the Year in 2011.
Rodgers holds a leading career passer rating of 104.93 and reached as high as 122.5 in the 2011 season. Rodgers also holds the record for most consecutive passes without an interception, which currently stands at a whopping 402 passes. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, with still some record-breaking time to go before the end of his career.
Steve Young
Starting off our top 5 pick list, we have Steve Young. Young was one of the NFL's best passers of all time. With a passer rating of 96.8 and a high amount of pass attempts, Young is the second-best passer amongst retired players, falling just short of Tony Romo. He is a three-time Super Bowl champion and won seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 1992 to 1998.
Despite going through a rough start. Young found his place as Montana's backup with the San Francisco 49ers in 1987 before becoming their main quarterback in 1990. Young eventually became a two-time Hall of Famer after 12 seasons with the team. He is currently both an ESPN broadcaster and a business owner. As an avid philanthropist, Young continues his incredible legacy by inspiring younger generations.