🏈 MY FAVORITE QUARTERBACKS OF ALL TIME (THE DEFINITIVE, RAIDERS-BIASED, NOSTALGIA-SOAKED EDITION)
By Robo | www.roboaces.com

The Jerseys Of The LEGENDS!  

Alright folks, before we start any fights in the comments, let’s get something straight:

👉 This is MY list.
Not the NFL’s. Not Madden’s. And absolutely not your fantasy league’s waiver-wire nightmare.

I’m a RAIDERS FAN through and through — silver and black ‘til the wheels fall off — so if you came here looking for Brady worship or Mahomes love, you might wanna take a detour.

This list is about heart. Swagger. Storytelling. These are the QBs who made me and my crew rush out to the yard, scratch up our knees, and holler “I’M STABLER!” as we tried to throw a spiral that didn’t spin like a dying duck.

Now let’s fire this cannon. 🔥

🐍 1. Ken “The Snake” Stabler

#JustWinBaby #LeftyLegend #OGSwagger

• College: Alabama
• Drafted: 1968, Round 2, Pick 52
• Teams: Raiders, Oilers, Saints
• Stats: 27,938 yards | 194 TDs | 4× Pro Bowl
• Accolades: Super Bowl XI Champion | 1974 NFL MVP
• Post-Football: Radio commentator, personality, HOF 2016 (posthumous)
• Fun Fact: Rumored to scribble plays on bar napkins after late nights out — as true Raiders do.
• Legacy: Stabler wasn’t just cool, he redefined cool. Left-handed, fearless, and unpredictable. The kind of guy who’d throw a TD into triple coverage just to see if it’d work — and it usually did.

Watching him was like witnessing a rockstar command a huddle. He played with flair, broke rules, and won anyway. He was the Raiders.

🐐 2. Joe Montana

#CoolJoe #GoldenBoy #ClutchKing

• College: Notre Dame
• Drafted: 1979, Round 3, Pick 82
• Teams: 49ers, Chiefs
• Stats: 40,551 yards | 273 TDs | 8× Pro Bowl
• Accolades: 4× Super Bowl Champ | 3× Super Bowl MVP | 2× NFL MVP
• Post-Football: Wine entrepreneur, investor, all-around legend
• Fun Fact: Full name: Joseph Clifford Montana Jr. Straight outta football destiny.
• Legacy: Smooth as jazz, clutch as caffeine. He played like time slowed down when he was under center. The QB you'd trust to babysit your kids and lead a 2-minute drill.

☄️ 3. Jim Plunkett

#UnderdogGOAT #2xChamp #GritOverGlitz

• College: Stanford
• Drafted: 1971, 1st overall
• Teams: Patriots, 49ers, Raiders
• Stats: 25,882 yards | 164 TDs
• Accolades: 2× Super Bowl Champion | Super Bowl XV MVP
• Post-Football: Battled chronic injuries but remains a Raiders icon
• Fun Fact: First Latino QB to win a Super Bowl
• Legacy: If comebacks had a face, it’d be Jim Plunkett’s. Bruised, benched, counted out — then BAM, two rings. His career was the NFL version of a redemption arc.

💥 4. Rich Gannon

#LateBloomerLegend #MVP2002 #RaiderResurgence

• College: Delaware
• Drafted: 1987, Round 4, Pick 98
• Teams: Vikings, Chiefs, Redskins, Raiders
• Stats: 28,743 yards | 180 TDs
• Accolades: 2002 NFL MVP | 4× Pro Bowl
• Post-Football: CBS Analyst, motivational speaker
• Fun Fact: Took the Raiders to a Super Bowl at 37. Some guys peak at 27 — Gannon was just getting started.
• Legacy: Gannon was the heart of the last truly feared Raiders team. He was smart, mobile, pissed off, and ready to prove people wrong. Every. Damn. Snap.

💣 5. Daryle Lamonica

#TheMadBomber #DeepBallGod #Pre-MaddenHero

• College: Notre Dame
• Drafted: 1963
• Teams: Bills, Raiders
• Stats: 19,154 yards | 164 TDs
• Accolades: 2× AFL MVP | AFL Champion
• Post-Football: Devoted to youth coaching, fishing, and Raiders community
• Fun Fact: He made the phrase “air it out” mainstream. Dude had no chill — only cannons.
• Legacy: Lamonica made the Raiders vertical offense legendary. He was throwing 50-yard bombs when everyone else was running sweeps.

🌬️ 6. Drew Brees

#HeartOfNOLA #ShortButDeadly #PrecisionPasser

• College: Purdue
• Drafted: 2001, Round 2
• Teams: Chargers, Saints
• Stats: 80,358 yards | 571 TDs
• Accolades: Super Bowl XLIV MVP | 13× Pro Bowl | NFL all-time leader in completions
• Post-Football: NBC Analyst, philanthropist, community hero
• Fun Fact: Completed 96.7% of his passes in a game once. The matrix glitched.
• Legacy: He gave New Orleans hope, a championship, and a quarterback who defied every “you’re too small” critique.

🔥 7. Steve Young

#LeftyLightning #DualThreatBeforeItWasCool

• College: BYU
• Drafted: 1984, Supplemental Draft
• Teams: Buccaneers, 49ers
• Stats: 33,124 yards | 232 TDs | 43 rushing TDs
• Accolades: 2× NFL MVP | 3× Super Bowl Champ
• Post-Football: Private equity boss, charity king, commentator
• Fun Fact: Great-great-grandson of the Brigham Young.
• Legacy: He broke molds, ankles, and scoreboards. The lefty who made every throw and every run look like poetry in motion.

🌀 8. Dan Marino

#NoRingNeeded #FastestReleaseInFootball

• College: Pittsburgh
• Drafted: 1983, Round 1, Pick 27
• Teams: Dolphins
• Stats: 61,361 yards | 420 TDs
• Accolades: 1984 MVP | 9× Pro Bowl
• Post-Football: Analyst, front office, Marino Foundation founder
• Fun Fact: Co-starred in Ace Ventura. Yes, seriously.
• Legacy: You didn’t need a ring to fear Marino. He made defenses look stupid with just a flick of the wrist.

🚀 9. Warren Moon

#CFLKing #NFLTrailblazer #SilkySpiral

• College: Washington
• Drafted: Undrafted (CFL first)
• Teams: Oilers, Vikings, Seahawks, Chiefs
• Stats: 49,325 yards | 291 TDs (NFL only)
• Accolades: 9× Pro Bowl | First Black QB in Hall of Fame
• Post-Football: Broadcaster, youth mentor, diversity advocate
• Fun Fact: Had a cannon for an arm and the accuracy of a sniper.
• Legacy: Broke barriers and records. If you saw Moon throw live, you never forgot it.

🪓 10. Terry Bradshaw

#CountryGrit #SteelCurtainQB #ClutchClown

• College: Louisiana Tech
• Drafted: 1970, Round 1
• Teams: Steelers
• Stats: 27,989 yards | 212 TDs
• Accolades: 4× Super Bowl Champ | 2× Super Bowl MVP
• Post-Football: TV personality, actor, chicken farmer (?)
• Fun Fact: Released multiple country albums and still managed to win 4 rings.
• Legacy: You may laugh with him, but never at his résumé. He won when it mattered.
  

⚡️ 11. Philip Rivers

#TrashTalkMaestro #IronmanQB #FamilyManGunslinger

• College: NC State
• Drafted: 2004, Round 1, Pick 4
• Teams: Chargers, Colts
• Stats: 63,440 yards | 421 TDs | 8× Pro Bowl
• Accomplishments: 5th all-time in career passing yards, 6th in passing TDs
• Post-Football: Became a high school football coach in Alabama and is raising 9 kids. Yes, nine.
• Fun Fact: He never cursed. Like... never. Just “dadgum it” while throwing 50-yard bombs.
• Legacy: Rivers never won a Super Bowl — but if you judged QBs by grit, passion, and sidearm wizardry, he’s a Hall of Famer in our hearts. Played like every game was his last.

🧠 12. Peyton Manning

#OmahaOmaha #SheriffOfSundays #NeckOfSteel

• College: Tennessee
• Drafted: 1998, 1st overall
• Teams: Colts, Broncos
• Stats: 71,940 yards | 539 TDs | 5× MVP
• Accomplishments: 2× Super Bowl champ | 14× Pro Bowl
• Post-Football: Comedy king with his bro Eli, head of Omaha Productions, Hall of Fame class of 2021
• Fun Fact: Famous for his obsessive film study. Like… rainman of coverages obsessed.
• Legacy: Revolutionized QB IQ. He could read defenses before the snap like a hacker reading code. Peyton didn’t just play chess — he WAS the chessboard.

🐎 13. John Elway

#ComebackKing #HelicopterDiveHero #BroncoLifer

• College: Stanford
• Drafted: 1983, 1st overall
• Teams: Broncos
• Stats: 51,475 yards | 300 TDs | 9× Pro Bowl
• Accomplishments: 2× Super Bowl champ | Super Bowl XXXIII MVP
• Post-Football: Executive VP of Football Ops with the Broncos, built their second SB-winning team
• Fun Fact: Was also drafted by the New York Yankees. Dude had choices.
• Legacy: Elway was raw power mixed with stubborn heart. Lost Super Bowls, took heat, then walked off into the sunset with two Lombardis in hand.

🧊 14. Johnny Unitas

#FlatTopIcon #ColtsCommander #FootballBeforeGlory

• College: Louisville
• Drafted: 1955, Round 9
• Teams: Colts (Baltimore), Chargers
• Stats: 40,239 yards | 290 TDs | 10× Pro Bowl
• Accomplishments: 3× NFL MVP | 1× Super Bowl Champion
• Post-Football: Business ventures, public speaker, and a living legend until his passing in 2002
• Fun Fact: Was cut by the Steelers before landing with the Colts. Talk about fate.
• Legacy: The blueprint. The original. The one who made QB a position of grace and guts. He looked like a mechanic and threw like a god.

⚓ 15. Roger Staubach

#CaptainAmerica #TwoMinuteMaster #MilitaryManTurnedIcon

• College: Navy
• Drafted: 1964, Round 10
• Teams: Cowboys
• Stats: 22,700 yards | 153 TDs | 6× Pro Bowl
• Accomplishments: 2× Super Bowl Champion | 1971 MVP
• Post-Football: Real estate mogul, devout philanthropist
• Fun Fact: Delayed his career to serve in the U.S. Navy. Football could wait — duty called.
• Legacy: Pure class. He was the guy your parents wished you’d grow up to be — while still scrambling for touchdowns like a man possessed.

🟡 16. Bart Starr

#LombardiLoyalist #IceInHisVeins #QuietAssassin

• College: Alabama
• Drafted: 1956, Round 17
• Teams: Packers
• Stats: 24,718 yards | 152 TDs
• Accomplishments: 5× NFL Champion | 2× Super Bowl MVP
• Post-Football: Packers head coach, humanitarian, sports ambassador
• Fun Fact: Called his own plays in the huddle. Didn’t need a headset — just guts.
• Legacy: Cool as the tundra he conquered. The man behind the “Ice Bowl” sneak. Starr was soft-spoken, but when it came time to win, his voice echoed through history.

🧊 17. Randall Cunningham

#HighlightReelBeforeYouTube #EaglesElectric #VikingsRevival

• College: UNLV
• Drafted: 1985, Round 2
• Teams: Eagles, Vikings, Cowboys, Ravens
• Stats: 29,979 passing yards | 207 passing TDs | 4,928 rushing yards
• Accomplishments: 4× Pro Bowl | 1998 Player of the Year
• Post-Football: Became a pastor, coach, and motivational leader
• Fun Fact: Once kicked a 91-yard punt. Yes, a quarterback.
• Legacy: He was Vick before Vick. Madden glitch in real life. He made football feel like backyard chaos — and we loved him for it.

🔴 18. Matt Ryan

#MattyIce #NearGreatness #SteadyFlame

• College: Boston College
• Drafted: 2008, Round 1, Pick 3
• Teams: Falcons, Colts
• Stats: 62,792 yards | 381 TDs
• Accomplishments: 2016 NFL MVP | Offensive Player of the Year
• Post-Football: TBD, but coaching and broadcasting are on the radar
• Fun Fact: Known for being unshakable under pressure — except when his defense disappears at halftime (sorry, 28–3 fans).
• Legacy: Ryan’s career has “almost” written all over it, but you can’t deny his consistency, toughness, and class. Guy deserved more.

💿 19. Dan Fouts

#BeardGoals #AirCoryellCommander #ChargerChucker

• College: Oregon
• Drafted: 1973, Round 3
• Teams: Chargers
• Stats: 43,040 yards | 254 TDs
• Accomplishments: 6× Pro Bowl | HOF 1993
• Post-Football: Beloved broadcaster, CBS analyst
• Fun Fact: Was part of the first offense to consistently throw 40+ times a game
• Legacy: Fouts made the air game fun. Before Mahomes, before Manning — there was Dan, slinging it like a mad scientist.

🧭 20. Fran Tarkenton

#ScrambleKing #AdLibArchitect #GeorgiaGrit

• College: Georgia
• Drafted: 1961, Round 3
• Teams: Vikings, Giants
• Stats: 47,003 yards | 342 TDs
• Accomplishments: 9× Pro Bowl | 1975 MVP
• Post-Football: Entrepreneur, author, motivational speaker
• Fun Fact: Ran more in the backfield than some RBs did forward
• Legacy: Fran paved the road for mobile QBs. He didn’t just avoid sacks — he turned broken plays into touchdowns.

🧠 FINAL WHISTLE – THE LAST SNAP

Closing Thought: The Giants of Our Youth

Looking back at these quarterbacks — these legends, these outlaws, these Sunday gods — it’s not just about stats or trophies. It never was.

As kids, we saw them as giants. Heroes who could command an army of 10 with just a football and a flick of the wrist. They weren't just athletes on TV — they were us, in the yard, wearing oversized jerseys, calling out imaginary audibles and dodging laundry baskets like defensive ends. We mimicked their moves, their swagger, their victory dances.

We believed we could be them. And in that belief — in that pure, unfiltered joy of playing pretend under the open sky — we found something real.

But time has a way of sneaking up on us. The games ended. The jerseys got packed away. We got older. So did they. Some faded quietly, others walked off into the sunset with rings on their fingers. And we realized something — something that hits deeper than any sack ever could:

Life, like football, moves fast.
One moment you're scrambling for the win in the backyard, the next you're sitting in silence remembering how good it felt to believe in something so simple.

These weren’t just players.
They were our myths.
The reason Sundays felt sacred.
The spark behind every backyard game that turned neighbors into teammates and friends into foes.

They showed us greatness wasn't about being perfect. It was about being bold. About trying. Failing. Rising. And delivering when the world said you couldn’t.

So here's to the quarterbacks who raised us — whether they wore silver and black, black and gold, or teal and orange.
To those who rewrote history…
And to those who rewrote our story.

They made us feel like giants once.
And maybe that’s why they’ll never stop living in our hearts.

#RoboAceRemembers #TheLastSnap #BackyardLegends #QuarterbackKings #GridironGiants #RaidersSoul 🖤🏈

📣 Got a different Top 20? Bring it. Let’s hash it out like it’s 4th & goal at www.roboaces.com.