The New England Patriots have had plenty of great players in their franchise history. However, who are the greatest quarterbacks of all-time?
With five Super Bowls in their franchise’s history, the New England Patriots have become one of the best organizations in the NFL. With five Super Bowl wins has come a lot of great players on both sides of the ball.
In the NFL, the quarterback position has become by far the most important on the field. While running the football was more predominant in the early days of the NFL, it is all about throwing now. Having a great quarterback has become a necessity to win in the NFL now. Luckily for the Patriots, they have benefited from having one of the greatest of all-time.
While most of their success has come recently, there have still been other great players in the history of the franchise. As expected, Tom Brady has set the bar very high for all of the other quarterbacks to be compared to. Since becoming the starting quarterback, Brady has been able to claim almost every franchise passing record for himself.
Brady has been the starting quarterback for all five Super Bowls and he also has accumulated a lot of individual accolades. As arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history, it is going to be tough for another quarterback to top Brady on this list.
With a predictable choice for No.1, here’s is a list of the 10 greatest quarterbacks to ever play for the Patriots.
10.) Matt Cavanaugh 1979-1982
Coming in at 10th on the list is Matt Cavanaugh. Drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1979 NFL Draft, Cavanaugh went on to play four seasons in New England. Mostly as a backup, Cavanaugh made 15 starts during his time with the Patriots.
In the 1980 season, Cavanaugh was given his first chance to be a starter. That season, he totaled a 3-1 record in four starts. Also, he totaled nine touchdown passes and five interceptions. For the second round pick, the 1980 season was a pretty good one.
The following season, Cavanaugh regressed with the additional starts. In eight starts, Cavanaugh and the Patriots had a poor 1-7 record. For the season, Cavanaugh totaled five touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. In addition to the poor touchdown to interception ratio, Cavanaugh also saw his completion percentage drop nearly eight percent.
After the poor season in 1981, Cavanaugh went on to start in three more games for the Patriots in the 1982 season. He totaled a 1-2 record with five touchdown passes and five interceptions in what would be his last season in New England. Overall, Cavanaugh ranks 10th in franchise history in touchdown passes, and 11th in passing yards.
9.) Butch Songin 1960-1961
Coming in ninth on our list is Butch Songin. From 1960-1961, Songin played quarterback for the then Boston Patriots. Even though he played just two seasons for the Patriots, Songin was able to be in the top 10 in passing yards and passing touchdowns for the Patriots all-time.
In 1960, the Patriots may not have a good record, but Songin certainly played well for them. That season, he was able to total 2,476 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. One of the issues with Songin that season was that his completion percentage was below 50 percent. That, of course, is something we never see nowadays.
1961 would end up being Songin’s final season with the Patriots. That season, he totaled a 3-2-1 record in six starts, with 14 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. After his time with the Patriots came to an end, Songin went on to play one season for the New York Titans before his career came to an end. The 36 touchdown passes that Songin was able to total with New England ranks him seventh in franchise history. Even though he only started in 18 games, it was pretty impressive to see Songin average two touchdown passes per game.
8.) Jim Plunkett 1971-1975
Coming in eighth in the greatest quarterbacks in Patriots history is Jim Plunkett. As a former first overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft, seeing Plunkett eighth on this list is somewhat disappointing.
Plunkett started right away for Patriots in his first season out of Stanford. To start his career, things looked like they were going to be alright for Plunkett. The Patriots were able to go 6-8 in 1971 with Plunkett under center. He played pretty well for a rookie, as he totaled 19 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions. However, things fell apart in his second season.
In his second season as a starter, Plunkett really regressed for the Patriots. He totaled eight touchdown passes and 25 interceptions, as the Patriots had a 3-11 record that season. For the next three seasons, Plunkett threw more interceptions than touchdown passes in New England.
After leaving New England, Plunkett went on to live up to some of his potential with the Oakland Raiders. In 1980, he was named Super Bowl MVP, as he had one of the best seasons of his career in Oakland. With Oakland, Plunkett had a 38-19 record as a starter, which was far better than his 23-38 record as a starter in New England.
7.) Hugh Millen 1991-1992
As with many of the Patriots quarterbacks, Hugh Millen didn’t play long for New England. After being on both the Rams and Atlanta Falcons for a few years prior to joining New England, Millen got his chance to start in 1991, but the results weren’t great.
In 13 games, Millen totaled a 5-8 record, nine touchdown passes, 18 interceptions, and 3,073 passing yards. While it wasn’t a great showing from Millen, the 5-8 record wasn’t awful. The following season, things got bad for New England. In seven starts, Millen didn’t win a game for the Patriots. However, his touchdown to interception ratio did improve. That season, he threw eight touchdown passes to just 10 interceptions.
Overall, Millen’s impact wasn’t very good. He totaled a 5-15 record while starting for parts of two seasons. After his career in New England came to an end, Millen went on to play for the Broncos for two seasons. He only made two starts in Denver, losing both of them.
Despite being in New England for only two seasons, Millen ranked seventh in total passing yards in franchise history. However, the 17 touchdown passes Millen threw in New England ranked him 11th in franchise history.
6.) Matt Cassel 2005-2008
Even though Tom Brady played in this era, Matt Cassel was asked to step in and help when Brady went down in 2008. After a leg injury forced Brady to miss nearly the entire season, the Patriots called upon Matt Cassel to save the day. After being the backup for Brady for three seasons prior, Cassel had a strong understanding of how to win in New England.
In 2008, Cassel came on and led the Patriots to a 10-5 record as a starter. Despite getting to the magical 10-win mark, the Patriots actually missed the playoffs that season. Cassel went on to have an excellent season, as he totaled 21 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and 3,693 passing yards.
After the 2008 season, the Patriots ended up trading Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs for a second-round pick. The Patriots certainly sold high on Cassel, as he only had one good season with the Chiefs in 2010. Cassel looked like he was going to be the real deal after leaving New England, however, he never found the same success after leaving. Even though it was for just one season, Cassel performed really well for the Patriots. However, the rest of his career didn’t pan out like he would have liked.
5.) Tony Eason 1983-1989
The fifth greatest quarterback to ever play for the Patriots didn’t suit up for New England too long ago. From 1983 to 1989, Tony Eason was the quarterback for the Patriots. Even though Eason wasn’t a starter in New England for long, he was pretty successful.
Starting during the 1984 season, Eason began to leave his mark in New England, as he totaled a 7-6 record in 13 starts. That season, Eason totaled 21 touchdown passes to just eight interceptions. This was certainly a solid ratio, and Eason did a good job in his second season.
The following season, the numbers dropped a bit for Eason. In 1985, Eason totaled 10 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions. However, he did have a 6-4 record in 10 starts that season.
Also, in 1985, the Patriots were able to reach the playoffs that season. Despite the poor regular season, Eason had a very good postseason for New England. In four games, Eason totaled five touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Unfortunately, New England came up short in the Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears.
In 1986, the Patriots made the playoffs with Eason yet again, however, they were defeated in their first game. After that season, Eason only started a handful of games before he ended his career with the Jets.
4.) Babe Parilli 1961-1967
Back before they were called the New England Patriots, we find the fourth-best quarterback in franchise history. When they were still the Boston Patriots, quarterback Babe Parilli was one of the signal callers for the Patriots.
From 1961 to 1967, Parilli was the quarterback for the Patriots. Parilli came over from the Oakland Raiders after the 1960 season. In his first season with the Patriots, Parilli started in eight games and totaled a solid 6-2 record. He was able to total 13 touchdown passes, eight interceptions, and 1,314 passing yards.
Parilli’s best season with the Patriots came in the 1964 season. That season, he was able to total 31 touchdown passes and 3,465 passing yards. Seeing passing stats like this were uncommon during this time in NFL history.
For the Patriots, Parilli was able to make the Pro Bowl three times in 1963, 1964, and 1966. In the regular season for the Patriots, Parilli finished with a 44-32-7 record. The 44 wins were the fourth-most of any starting quarterback in franchise history. Even though Parilli had some success, he was only able to make the playoffs once with the Patriots. After his career in Boston came to an end, Parilli went on to play for the Jets for two seasons to end his career.
3.) Steve Grogan 1975-1990
For the third greatest quarterback on the list, we are going to have to turn the clocks back a bit. Steve Grogan was a member of the Patriots from 1975-1990. During that span, Grogan totaled a record of 75-60 as the starting quarterback. The 75 wins Grogan was able to win as a starter is the second-most in franchise history behind only Tom Brady.
While the statistics for Grogan weren’t always the greatest, he was able to win games for New England. In both 1976 and 1978, Grogan was able to win 11 games as the starting quarterback. Arguably his best season came in 1979, as he was able to total a career-high of 28 passing touchdowns.
For his career, Grogan totaled 26,886 passing yards, 182 passing touchdowns, and 208 interceptions. Seeing more interceptions than touchdowns isn’t the greatest thing, but being 15 games over .500 helps his case.
In the playoffs, Grogan didn’t have much success. He was winless in three games as a starter, and he also totaled just three touchdown passes and seven interceptions. With the second-most wins and the second-most touchdown passes in Patriots history, Grogan lands the No.3 spot on the list.
2.) Drew Bledsoe 1993-2001
The second greatest quarterback to ever play for the Patriots is a pretty simple choice. The Patriots have been fortunate to have some good quarterbacks in the history of their franchise, and drew Bledsoe is one of them.
Bledsoe played with the Patriots from 1993-2001. However, he saw his career in New England end a bit earlier than he would have like. As the starting quarterback, Bledsoe totaled a 63-60 record as a starter. Also, he totaled 166 passing touchdowns, which was second-most in franchise history.
On some talented Patriots teams in the mid-to-late 90s, Bledsoe had some very good seasons. In 1996, Bledsoe totaled 4.086 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes. The following year, he totaled 3.708 passing yards with a career-high 28 passing touchdowns.
While Bledsoe was a good regular season quarterback, he didn’t get the job done in the playoffs for New England. In seven career playoff games, Bledsoe totaled a 3-3 record with six touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. If Bledsoe was able to perform better in the playoffs, the Patriots might have a few more Super Bowls. Despite the struggles in the playoffs, Bledsoe was certainly a great quarterback for the Patriots.
1.) Tom Brady 2000-Present
The easy choice for the greatest quarterback in Patriots history is No.12, Tom Brady. Brady’s road to the NFL was not an easy one. He wasn’t a touted prospect out of Michigan, but he was able to become arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time. However, if it wasn’t for a hit on Drew Bledsoe by Mo Lewis of the New York Jets, Brady’s career may have never started.
As the greatest quarterback of the Patriots, Brady is basically the franchise leader in all major categories. Brady has totaled five Super Bowl wins as a starting quarterback and he will be seeking his sixth entering 2017.
While Brady has had a ton of success with the Patriots, his individual accolades are extremely impressive as well. Brady has totaled four Super Bowl MVPs, two regular season MVPs, and 12 Pro Bowl selections.
At the age of 39-years-old, Brady might have had his best season in 2016. He was able to total 28 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions. The 14-1 ratio set a new NFL record, as Brady was extremely efficient in 2016. If not for being suspended for the first four games of the season, Brady might have won a third regular season MVP.
Brady is going to be considered as the greatest quarterback in the history of the Patriots for the foreseeable future. As on of the greatest players in NFL history, it will be hard to dethrone Brady.