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Some say the quarterback position is the toughest position in any sport. However, sometimes great quarterbacks can fly under the radar for a multitude of reasons. Some reasons could include Super Bowl wins, longevity and attitude on and off the field. In this article, we’ll break down the top five most underrated NFL quarterbacks of all time.
Steve McNair cracks into this list at number five for many different reasons. McNair was drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1995 out of the small college of Alcorn State. He did not become the team’s starting quarterback until the 1997 season.
The Oilers then relocated to Tennessee and became the Titans in 1999. McNair remained the starting quarterback for the Titans until the 2006 season. During that time he was voted to the Pro Bowl three times and was an All-Pro and Co-MVP winner in the 2003 season. McNair had a great combination of size, mobility and arm strength.
Unfortunately for McNair, he only played in one Super Bowl and that was Super Bowl XXXIV. The Titans were inches away from being able to send the game into overtime but Kevin Dyson was tackled at the one-yard line as time expired. If Dyson found his way into the end zone, it’s likely that “Air McNair’s” career would be looked at differently.
It was just a few years ago when we were unsure if Matthew Stafford could lead a winning team. Stafford was drafted with the first overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft out of the University of Georgia by the Detroit Lions. Stafford played 10 years in Detroit, where unfortunately it felt like the Lions wasted the first 10 seasons of his career. Stafford was only able to play in one playoff game with the Lions in that period.
However, Stafford was able to break some records with the Lions. In 2011, became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards. He was also the fastest player in the NFL to throw for over 30,000 career yards. He even owns the record for the most comeback wins in a single season with eight, which he did in 2016.
Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 which was the best thing to happen to his career. Stafford led the Rams to victory over the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bow LVI that season. Even though he is now a Super Bowl Champion, Stafford does not get talked about enough among the best in NFL history.
Randall Cunningham was a terrific NFL quarterback for both the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings. He wasn’t drafted until the second round of the NFL Draft by the Eagles out of UNLV.
Some would say Cunningham was the first dual-threat quarterback in NFL history, rushing for over 4,000 yards during his career. He had an interesting career, playing 11 seasons with the Eagles and then announced his retirement in 1996. Cunningham came back just a year later to play for the Minnesota Vikings. He wound up leading them to the NFC Championship game and had the best year of his career, leading the Vikings offense to the most points in a regular season at the time.
Cunningham was a 4x Pro Bowler, 2x second-team All-Pro, and won the NFL MVP award in 1990. Never winning a Super Bowl has hurt Cunningham’s legacy, but he was still a trailblazer at the position and should be looked at as one of the top quarterbacks throughout the 90s.
Warren Moon had the most interesting career of all the quarterbacks on this list. Moon never won a Super Bowl, but he is considered to be the greatest quarterback of all time in the CFL, where he won a whopping five Grey Cups.
Moon went undrafted in the NFL, which led him to begin his career with the Eskimos in 1978. He played six seasons in the CFL and all of his success over there led the Houston Oilers to come calling. Moon played 17 seasons in the NFL and was voted to nine Pro Bowls while also winning the Offensive Player of the Year award in 1990.
Unfortunately for Moon’s legacy, he never advanced past the Divisional Round of the playoffs in the NFL. However, that should not stop him from being talked about as one of the better quarterbacks of all time. He played a whopping 23 seasons of professional football, winning multiple awards.
Kurt Warner comes in at number one on this list of underrated quarterbacks of all time. He had multiple chapters in his career, which began in 1994 when he signed as an undrafted free agent out of Northern Iowa with the Green Bay Packers. Warner is considered one of the best undrafted players in NFL history. However, he should also be talked about as one of the better quarterbacks of all-time. Warner had his best run with any team from 1998 to 2003 with the Rams.
Warner was the catalyst to the “Greatest Show on Turf”, winning two MVP awards in 1999 and 2001. During that span, he won Super Bowl XXXIV and the Super Bowl MVP award that year. He is one of two quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl in their first year as a starter, the other being Tom Brady.
Warner was not done just yet in his career after having a tough three-year span from 2004-2006. He was able to write a second chapter of his career in his late 30s with the Arizona Cardinals.
Warner took the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII, which is the only Super Bowl Arizona has ever been to. They weren’t able to pull off the victory over the Steelers, but that Super Bowl is considered one of the better games of all time.
Warner currently ranks in the top 10 in multiple quarterback statistics, making him widely underrated when people talk about the greatest quarterbacks of all time. His story is truly one of the greatest in NFL history.
Dylan has had a love for sports since he was a kid. Four years ago, he decided to dive into the sports content-creating industry specializing in Fantasy Football, NFL and NBA. He has since had his work published on sites that include Fantasy Alarm, Fansided, and Fantasy Six Pack.