Oh, football! There are few things better than turning on the television, turning off the world around you, and gluing yourself to a world of NFL. The sport is filled with players who make lasting impressions, but even then we still forget about some of them. Here is a list of some of the most influential quarterbacks of all-time. See where each quarterback is now.
Michael Vick
Do you remember that once, Michael Vick was actually the face of NFL? Vick brought life to the pitch as the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback, but he ran into trouble with the police later on with his involvement in illegal dogfighting. Rumors now have it that this star wants to get back on the field.
Michael Vick
Matt Hasselbeck
Hasselbeck was drafted to the Green Bay Packers in 1998 after paying football for Boston College. His career continued with the Seattle Seahawks and later he moved to the Tennessee Seahawks and eventually got traded by the Indiana Colts. When he was 40 years old he was still playing but had to be pulled out after a kidney injury. Currently his is working as an analyst for Sunday NFL Countdown.
Matt Hasselbeck
Robert Griffin III
He’s actually better known as RG3, and he got his football career kicked off at Baylor in 2012. When he suffered a concussion against the Detroit Lions he was let go from the team. His days of injury weren’t over when in 2016 he hurt his shoulder while playing for the Cleveland Browns. Today this quarterback is married to Grete Šadeiko, an Estonian heptathlete and together they have one daughter.
Robert Griffin III
Daunte Culpepper
It almost happened that Culpepper didn’t go to college but with the help of the University of Central Florida, he made it in. Thereafter he was drafter to play for the Minnesota Vikings. His long string of trade-offs moved him between many teams like the Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders and Detroit Lions. He suffered a knee injury and then a shoulder injury before he fully retired from playing.
Daunte Culpepper
Donavan McNabb
McNabb was lucky enough to get a scholarship at Syracuse University, and then it was the school that was lucky to have such a skilled quarterback. He was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1999 NFL draft and played for them for 10 years. Today he is an analyst on ESPN radio but he has been suspended due to a harassment investigation.
Donavan McNabb
Rex Grossman
Quarterback Rex Grossman drafted to the Chicago Bears in 2003 and he spent the next five years with the team. Despite being a role model, many Bears fans didn’t like him. He eventually turned himself into a free agent and the Houston Texans picked him up, but only for one game. Today he and his wife are living up in northern Florida and they manage a company that provides nurses for the elderly.
Rex Grossman
Vince Young
It’s devastating to know that from being an elite college quarterback, Vince Young lost it all. Today his career is far behind him and apparently he has filed for bankruptcy.
Vince Young
Chad Pennington
Chad Pennington faced a conundrum when he wasn’t sure whether to finish his degree or pursue entering into the NFL. It took some encouragement from his mother and from his pastor before he made the call to follow football. After playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, Pennington went to play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League. Today he works at the University of Texas at their alumni outreach department.
Chad Pennington
Jared Lorenzen
Jared Lorenzen started his football career in high school, but only on the school’s practice squad. His big break wasn’t for the New York Giants but rather for the Indianapolis Colts but only until they let him go. He then made the move back to his former high school where he worked as a quarterback coach. Later he would break his tibia and fully end his career. Today he hosts a radio show and he’s working on a documentary that focuses on his battle with obesity.
Jared Lorenzen
Brett Favre
Favre actually didn’t reach his full potential when he played for the University of Southern Mississippi or for the Atlanta Falcons. Thank goodness he was given a second chance, because he proved that he was worth his salt when he moved to the Green Bay Packers where he played for 15 years. He has been retired since 2010 and will always be remembered as one the best quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen.
Brett Favre
Doug Flutie
“Flutie” is a name that will always be remembered among college football starters. At the get-go he was told that he was too short to play, but he pushed on and made it onto the Chicago Bears, the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills, and the San Diego Chargers. After his retirement he went on to play in a band with his brother which is famously called “The Flutie Brother Band”.
Doug Flutie
Trent Green
From football to broadcast television, to starting his own company that helps the needy, quarterback Trent Green has had an eventful life. He originally went to play for the British Columbia Lions in Canada and then came back to U.S. soil where he played for the St. Louis Rams and then for the Kansas City Chiefs. From there he got traded to the Miami Dolphins but retired in 2009. Today he is the CEO of his very own “Trent Green Family Foundation” which aids families in need in Kansas City.
Trent Green
Jeff Garcia
Garcia made his football presence known at San Jose State University and then with the San Jose State Spartans. He had his go with the San Francisco 49ers, the Cleveland Browns, the Detroit Lions, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After his retirement, Garcia was offered to coach the Montreal Alouettes, but only days after signing the paperwork, he changed his mind. He’s married to 2004 Playboy Playmate of the Year, Carmella DeCesare and they have four children together.
Jeff Garcia
Brad Johnson
Johnson was actually first a basketball player before he realized his passion lay in football. During the 1992 NFL Draft, he earned his spot on the Minnesota Viking’s bench. We will always associate Johnson with a man throwing and receiving his own pass. In 2009 he decided to retire from football and he now lives with his wife Nikki and two kids in Athens, Georgia.
Brad Johnson
Josh Freeman
The Kansas State Wildcats were lucky enough to have Josh Freeman for some time during his college career. During the 2009 NFL Draft, Freeman was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he played for four years with them. Although he also played for the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins and the Indianapolis Colts, his Buccaneer fans loved him most deeply. His aim now is to find a way into the Canadian Football League.
Josh Freeman
Peyton Manning
Not everyone will agree, but Peyton Manning could easily have been the best quarterback of all time. He made himself known at the 1998 NFL Draft and the Indianapolis Colts picked him up. He brought the team honor for 13 years and broke the pass record on a number of occasions. Manning took it upon himself to erect a children’s hospital in Indianapolis and even encouraged the construction of a new stadium in the city. This famous quarterback hosted the 201 ESPY Awards and manages 21 Papa John’s restaurants across Colorado.
Peyton Manning
John Elway
John Elway did the responsible thing and invested the money that he had earned while playing football. He put that money into car dealerships and other businesses and even raked in something like $145 million. In 2010 though, his luck ran out when he fell victim to a Ponzi scheme and lost $7 million.
John Elway
Dan Marino
We have no doubt that Dan Marino was one of the greatest football players of all time. Marino invested $14 million into Digital Domain, an entertainment company that went bankrupt shortly after his investment. Today most people are commenting on his weight gain, but we hope he’s doing well.
Dan Marino
Troy Aikman
This Hall of Famer was the number one pick in the 1998 NFL Draft and made his mark for 12 years as the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback. After he retired from playing , Aikman became a pro sportscaster for Fox. Did you know that he was nominated for an Emmy Award based on his sports broadcasting skills? Troy Aikman also shares ownership of the MLB team, the San Diego Padres.
Troy Aikman
Steve Young
Steve Young is best known for his 13 years that he played for the San Francisco 49ers. At the time of his retirement from football, he had the highest passing rate of all time. Since his football days, he tried out acting, but he does a whole lot more as an activist, and as an advisor for ASCEND. The organization sends aid like, basic technology, and health and educational products to poor countries in Africa and South America.
Steve Young
Warren Moon
Most of Moon’s football career was spent as a quarterback for the Houston Oilers. In 2006 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame making him the first undrafted African-America quarterback to achieve this. Currently he is working for the Seahawks network radio where he has partnered up with Steve Raible.
Warren Moon
Joe Montana
We definitely couldn’t have put up a list without Joe “The Comeback Kid” Montana. Nowadays this retired quarterback unfortunately has been suffering from the years of football he played. Since his retirement in 1994, he has complained that he “can’t really run or do much.”
Joe Montana
Drew Bledsoe
Before any of us knew about Tom Brady, we knew about Drew Bledsoe as the Patriots’ favorite quarterback. After he joined New England, he brought the team to six playoffs – something that hadn’t achieved for eight seasons in a row. He called it a day in April 2007 and today he is ranked as the 30th greatest quarterback of all time.
Drew Bledsoe
Randall Cunningham
Cunningham started by playing football at the University of Nevada until 1985 when he drafted to the Philadelphia Eagles. He remained there for 11 years and then he made a short retirement which lasted until he signed up with the Vikings. After his actual retirement he returned to college to get his degree in leisure studies. and due to the fact that Cunningham is a Protestant minister, he has started to produce Christian worship music.
Randall Cunningham
Vinny Testaverde
Let’s not forget that Vinny Testaverde played 21 seasons in the NFL! This quarterback’s passion for football continued for years after his retirement, which would explain why he pursued becoming a high school football coach. Jesuit High School is where his son, Vincent Jr. attends.
Vinny Testaverde
Ryan Leaf
For four seasons, Leaf graced the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys. If injury wasn’t bad enough for this quarterback, poor play and bad behavior also had an influence on his early retirement. Following his retirement he has run into some trouble with the law which made him lose a lot of fans.
Ryan Leaf
Art Schlichter
In the 1982 NFL Draft, Schlichter was picked fourth by the Colts. Schlichter’s weakness came in the form of gambling, and he blew a fortune of money on the bad habit. Some scandalous bets drew the FBI’s attention towards him, and after the noise quietened down, he was left with a quarterback rating of 42.6.
Art Schlichter
Bernie Kosar
From 1985 to 1993, Kosar played for the Cleveland Browns, and then he went on to Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins. Bernie Kosar earned himself a fortune during his career, but lost it all eventually. Today he still suffers from some of the concussions he experienced during his football days.
Bernie Kosar
Johnny Unitas
Also known as “Johnny U” and “Golden Arm”, this football legend made his name one to remember. He was actually the NFL’s most valuable player in 1959, 1964, and 1967. He held the record for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass for 52 years. Unitas passed away in 2002 at the age of 69.
Johnny Unitas
Charlie Batch
Charlie Batch played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but actually first started with the Detroit Lions. Despite facing some serious financial troubles, he is still working and making television appearances. He now works for KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh.
Charlie Batch
Mark Brunell
Mark Brunell earned himself a fortune over his successful NFL career, raking in over $50 million. He retired and decided to invest his money in certain real estate projects. To his dismay they feel through and he ended up losing a lot of money.
Mark Brunnel
JaMarcus Russell
Even though there are many people who really love JaMarcus Russel, it’s true to say that he was one of the worst draft picks in NFL history. He was supposed to be the LA Raiders’ prized quarterback of the future, but that didn’t happen. The retired quarterback has virtually fallen off the map these days.
JaMarcus Russell
Jake Plummer
Mr. Plummer has his hand in more than one sport. He started out as a football player and was drafted in the 1997 NFL Draft. Following his retirement, he started competing as a professional handball player and even made his way to the semi-finals of the Idaho State Singles Championships of Handball.
Jake Plummer
Byron Leftwich
This quarterback made a massive impression at Marshall University and then went on to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2012 his career came to an end, but since he has become the quarterback coach in Pittsburgh.
Byron Leftwich
Rich Gannon
Gannon spent 12 years of his football career as a backup quarterback for the Oakland Raiders. He was part of the team that took the Raiders to the Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002. After his retirement he became an NFL game analyst on CBS Sports and currently co-hosts the Sirius Blitz show on Sirius XM NFL Radio.
Rich Gannon
Kordell Stewart
There’s a very good reason Stewart was called “Slash”. He wasn’t just a quarterback, he was also a running back, a wider receiver and a kick returner. Today, following his retirement, he has made several appearances on ESPN’s College Football Live, NFL Live, and Mike and Mike In the Morning.
Kordell Stewart
Christian Ponder
Between 2011 and 2013, Christian Ponder started most of the Minnesota Vikings’ games as a quarterback. He retired from professional football in 2016 while playing for the San Francisco 49ers. It’s funny how things turn out – the football star has now taken a step out of the limelight as his wife, ESPN personality Samantha Ponder, gets all the publicity now.
Christian Ponder
Joey Harrington
In 2002, the Detroit Lions were thrilled to pick up Joey Harrington as their third pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, their time together would not be as productive as they would have wished. He eventually retired from football in 2007, when he was just 29 years old. After football, he has been involved in charity work and is now a college football analyst for NBC Sports.
Joey Harrington
Kerry Collins
Everyone was impatiently waiting to see where Kerry Collins would be drafted to in 1995. He eventually would be the Panthers’ fifth pick. After he retired in 2011 he followed his dream of becoming a songwriter and actually had some of his work recorded by some country singers.
Kerry Collins
Quincy Carter
Originally Carter was meant to be Troy Aikman’s replacement, but that didn’t work out quite like they wanted it to. You would think it wasn’t possible, but Carter found time to be a football player and a football coach.
Quincy Carter
Aaron Brooks
Brooks played for the University of Virginia before he headed to the big time. According to statistics, his most successful year was back in 2003. But since Brooks’ retirement from football in 2007, he has put his energy towards property development.
Aaron Brooks
Babe Parilli
For anyone who doesn’t know who Babe Parilli was, I highly recommend taking a Google search on this one. The all-decade team player from the 60’s gave his best to a number of teams, like the New York Jets, Boston Patriots and the Oakland Raiders. Sadly he passed away in 2017 at the age of 87.
Babe Parilli
Don Meredith
You have to admit that very often Don Meredith disappears from the list of the Cowboys best quarterbacks. Another thing we forget about this 60’s star is that after his time as a player and as a color commentator, he also had a go on the acting scene. Did anybody watch Police Story? Meredith passed away on December 5th, 2010.
Don Meredith
Jeff Hostetler
Back when he just started his career, Hostetler was only a back up for Phil Simms on the New York Giants’ side. But that all changed when Simms got injured in December 1990, pushing “Hoss” from the bench and onto the field. After he moved to the Oakland Raiders and then the Washington Redskins, he retired in 1998 and created his own construction company.
Jeff Hostetler
Jake Delhomme
Panther fans won’t forget the dreaded day they lost to the New England Patriots at the Superbowl in 2004. It was basically Delhomme who took them that far, and even though he had a two-year stint in NFL Europe, he finsihed off his career playing for the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans. After his retirement from football, Delhomme became interested in horses and began breeding, buying and selling them.
Jake Delhomme
Jim McMahon
Chicago Bears haven’t seen a quarterback like Jim McMahon since Sid Luckman was around. McMahon’s best season was back in 1985, and the tea actually made NFL history with a defense that was virtually impregnable. After he had his go with San Diego, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Arizona and Green Bay, he called it quits. He took to becoming a restaurant owner and a motivational speaker.
Jim McMahon
Steve Beuerlein
Beuerlein was one of those “one-hit wonder” types with some remarkable single-season franchise records being broken by the stat. One example was his 4,400 passing yard record in 1999. After he decided to retire from professional football, he went on to become a football commentator and game analyst.
Steve Beuerlein
Charley Johnson
Oh yes, Charley Johnson. His 15-year career in the NFL had him become a member of the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. It also saw him playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers and Denver Broncos. When he finished his time on the pitch he took to something completely and became a professor of chemical engineering.
Charley Johnson
Carson Palmer
One of the issues with being a player of a full-contact sport, is the result of bad injuries. Palmer suffered his fair share of injuries and decided to retire from professional football in early 2018. The Heisman Trophy winner leaves behind a number of records and impressive statistics that many others will want to live up to.
Carson Palmer
Marc Bulger
On August 2nd, 2011, when Bulger called the end of his career, recruiters were bummed as they were still interested in taking him on. Although he considers himself a city boy, he has taken a new interest in farming and agriculture. He said, “I’m not much of a farmer, but I do like to go out — I’ve learned a lot over the last eight years about farming. It’s an interesting business.”
Marc Bulger
Steve Bartkowski
Bartkowski had himself 11 years in the NFL before he hung up his boots. He spent an incredible 10 of those years playing for the Atlanta Falcons, and he ended it off with the Los Angeles Rams. Today he is on the Falcons Board of Directors.
Steve Bartkowski
Steve DeBerg
Perhaps it’s fair to say that Steve DeBerg spent a lot of his time only as a backup quarterback. Let’s give credit where it’s due though, and acknowledge that he was backing up figures like Joe Montana, John Elway, and Steve Young. After his time as a player ended, he went down the road of coaching, for the Indiana Firebirds and Tampa Bay Storm.
Steve DeBerg
Tony Romo
Are there any Cowboys fans out there willing to let Romo off the hook for his performance against the Seahawks? Now the 38-year-old American television analyst has even pursued somewhat of a career in golf.
Tony Romo
Chris Chandler
Talk about a long career in the NFL – 17 years to be exact, and all as a quarterback. Chandler didn’t ring up the greatest memories of a successful quarterback, but he did make his mark when the Falcons won the Super Bowl. After his retirement, Chandler took up an interest in golf and even made some impressive marks there. He regularly competes at the American Century Championship, winning once and coming in the top 10 on a number of occasions.
Chris Chandler
Jim Harbaugh
Nowadays most people know Jim Harbaugh as the head coach of the Stanford Cardinal, but let’s not forget what he was before he became “Captain Comeback”. He played all over the show, for the Chicago Bears, The Indianapolis Colts, the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, Detroit Lions, and Carolina Panthers.
Jim Harbaugh
Danny White
Is White really the “Forgotten Cowboy quarterback”? Can we really blame that on Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman? His career was a solid one, and he did earn himself a Super Bowl ring, and 1983 would be hist best season. Aside from doing motivational speeches, he has also recently been seen promoting ADT security through infomercials.
Danny White
Greg Landry
He was the 11th overall pick during the draft in 1968. His career started (and ran most of the time) with the Detroit Lions, then he went onto the Baltimore Colts and finally the Chicago Bears. Post-retirement he pursued a career in coaching for the Cleveland Browns, and the Detroit Lions.
Greg Landry
Steve Grogan
Between 1975 and 1990, Steve Grogan gave his best to the New England Patriots – an entire 15 seasons. In 1978, he was part of the team that made a record for total team rushing yardage – 3,156 yards, and that record still stands today. His legacy lives on, and he has even had a stadium named after him at Ottawa High School in Ottawa, Kansas – the high school he went to.
Steve Grogan
Billy Kilmer
Funnily enough, Billy Kilmer would not be considered so good these days. But back then his figures were of high standards. The San Francisco 49ers were lucky to have him when he started, but then he moved to the New Orleans Saints, and finally finished off with the Washington Redskins. Like many other players, he took to coaching after his playing days were over.
Billy Kilmer
Joe Ferguson
Some might claim that Joe Ferguson was the Buffalo Bills’ best quarterback ever, and I’d get behind that claim. 17 years he dedicated to the NFL with the first 11 of them for the Buffalo Bills. In 2005, doctors discovered that he had cancer. He battled for many years with the disease, but in July 2009 reports spread that he had overcome the disease.
Joe Ferguson
Jim Everett
There are those who believe that Jim Everett wasn’t one who voluntarily went in for too much contact, and maybe that’s why some saw him as a “softy”. But his career was enough to prove that he was a strong and valuable player. After his tenure in NFL he pursued a business career by starting his own asset management business after obtaining an MBA degree from Pepperdine University.
Jim Everett
Jeff Blake
His long passes to players like Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott was part of the reason we remember Jeff Blake. Blake had his fair share of changing teams, but he retired from playing with the Chicago Bears. He is divorced now and has two boys and two girls.
Jeff Blake