NFL All-Time Passer Rating Leaders - time adjusted

[buybuydandavis]

Great ideas
So many ways to do it.

I wanted to remove any picking and choosing for this particular one though.

But just choosing the best years would be interesting. That would make Joe Flacco or Nick Foles the best ever, I guess.
lol
j/k

I hear you on Graham.
Then again, since I stopped my data search at 1970 and used those numbers for guys who played before then, he and guys like Tittle got hit hard....unless average numbers were not lower than 1970s back in their day.

I did run these numbers using only top 10 as well.
Extremely close to using top 15 but the top 15 data was much smoother after using the standard deviations.

Holy cow! I've never looked at Graham's numbers before.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrahOt00.htm

It's just crazy. His first full season, his passer rating is 35 points higher than the next closest QB.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1947_AAFC/index.htm

 

[buybuydandavis]

It wasn't just a single game. He's got considerably more interceptions than TD passes

Stabler had about period of about 5 good years and then stunk it up for another 5.

 

[BigD_95]

As we all know, NFL Passer ratings have been steadily drifting up for several decades now.
For example, the average of the top 15 passer ratings was:
76 in 1970
90 in 2000
103 in 2019

It's a big reason why the current leaderboard for career passer rating is so skewed to active players.

You can take the average rating of any year vs the current rating and come up with a real adjustment to these numbers.

Here is a TIME-ADJUSTED list of the NFL's Career Passer Rating leaders.
You'll find it makes much more sense if you want to measure players across eras.

Top 20 (of 100)

1. Graham
2. Young
3. Montana
4. Mahomes
5. Dawson
6. Jorgenson
7. Anderson
8. Rodgers
9. Staubach
10. Starr
11. Tarkenton
12. P Manning
13. Warner
14. Wilson
15. Romo
16. Brady
17. Brees
18. Unitas
19. Fouts
20. Marino

What is so amazing is how Aikman sacrifice his stats for the betterment of the team. He isnt on the top 20 list here but he should be

 

[DFWJC]

It wasn't just a single game. He's got considerably more interceptions than TD passes

Yeah, after he left Oakland, he should've just retired
35 more picks than TDs after that

 

[DFWJC]

What is so amazing is how Aikman sacrifice his stats for the betterment of the team. He isnt on the top 20 list here but he should be

I think he does make the top 20 playoff list.
And this is just QB passer ratings not actual QB rankings
Aikman makes most all lists if ranking actual top 20 QBs. Usually in the 10-15 range.

Concussions hurt him too. He just really had some bad seasons outside of those SB years.
A few in the 60s.

But that was run first team and he ran it to perfection

 

[DFWJC]

Holy cow! I've never looked at Graham's numbers before.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrahOt00.htm

It's just crazy. His first full season, his passer rating is 35 points higher than the next closest QB.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1947_AAFC/index.htm

Yeah. When a guy played that long ago and still makes pretty much every best all-time list, you know he was a beast.
Those guys got beat to a pulp every game too. As did their WRs.
Looked like hockey players with the missing teeth...lol

I stopped the rolling averages that I used to make the adjustments at 1970. If I'd used his era, the adjustment would've so absurdly high that I would've been overly abused here

 

[AbeBeta]

Yeah, after he left Oakland, he should've just retired
35 more picks than TDs after that

He woulda been about at break even for his career if he stopped then

 

[erod]

Statistics don't play actual games. One day we'll learn that.

Oh, and Otto Graham played against our dads.

I already knew Romo was better than Aikman. I didn't need stats to tell me that. I also know that Aikman is eons better than Dak. So the stats lie.

 

[Afigueroa22]

Young's 1994 season, in my humble opinion, is the greatest season a QB has had in NFL history. I think he was the perfect QB outside of the injuries.

Never saw it because I'm only 27 but for me it was probably Rodgers in 14 or Manning the year he broke the TD record.

 

[DFWJC]

Never saw it because I'm only 27 but for me it was probably Rodgers in 14 or Manning the year he broke the TD record.

Rodgers was great in 2014
But remember Romo became the first b in NFL history that year to lead the league in QB rating in bith regular season nd playoffs.
So Rodgers may've been better, but not by a giant margin.

 

[DFWJC]

Top 20 (of 100)

1. Graham --HOF
2. Young --HOF
3. Montana --HOF
4. Mahomes -Super Bowl MVP
5. Dawson --HOF
6. Jorgenson --HOF
7. Anderson --crickets
8. Rodgers --future HOF
9. Staubach --HOF
10. Starr --HOF
11. Tarkenton --HOF
12. P Manning --future HOF
13. Warner --HOF
14. Wilson --Super Bowl MVP
15. Romo --broadcaster dude
16. Brady --future HOF
17. Brees --future HOF
18. Unitas --HOF
19. Fouts --HOF
20. Marino --HOF

Just a note. Other than Mahomes, I left out everyone with 3 years or less.
Watson would squeeze into the top 25 (not top 20) if he was included.