The NFL quarterback doesn't just carry a playbook. He carries the hopes of entire regions, sometimes more. He's the guy who wears the crown when things go right and has it knocked askew in the morning-after headlines when they don't.
That kind of spotlight turns the great ones into something bigger than athletes. It turns them into folk heroes.
That's why the debate over who's the best to ever do it never cools. But how do you decide who belongs above who when you're stacking legends like Manning, Mahomes, Brees and Montana against one another?
That's the bear B/R's NFL staff wrestled with.
Our panel of writers and editors weighed a player's peak, longevity, career statistics, accolades, playoff success and more when submitting their vote for the 99 greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time.
If it was measurable, we considered it. If it happened between the ears, we baked that in too. Bonus points for trend-setters and mold-breakers. Because while stats and awards matter, sometimes sheer talent transcends all that.
To keep us honest, we enlisted help from the B/R community with a run-off among our top five, the results of which we'll list alongside our own rankings.
After plenty of note taking and agonizing, here's what shook out.
Statistics and accolades courtesy of Pro Football Reference. QB records reflect post-1950 play only. When applicable, numbers are combined AFL and NFL totals.
Fixed, pleihboi 
