With QBs that have retired in the last 5 years, there are some interesting HOF debates that I see coming up. Right now the sure-fire HOF guys are Brady, Brees, and Rodgers when he retires. The next tier, however, is a lot more interesting. You have Matt Ryan, Big Ben, and Rivers who are all very close. What’s interesting is that according to Pro Football Reference’s HOF Monitor, they all have fairly similar scores even though they have different resumes. Ryan has the MVP/All-Pro 1 season which is pretty much required unless you have 2 Super Bowls. Ben doesn’t have a crazy MVP season, but he does have those 2 Super Bowls and 17 good years. Then Rivers has some crazy counting stats. I think that Ryan and Roethlisberger have a slight edge over Rivers but it is very hard to separate the 3. So my question is do we think any of them make it? If they do it opens up the debate for a lot of players in the future. Also, how do we think the HOF committee weighs Rings/MVPS/All-Pro teams? The media is always so focused on the rings but looking at the resumes of HOF QBs there are a lot more without rings than there are without All-Pro seasons.
Edit: Here is the PFR Monitor. The average HOF QB has a score of 108. Ryan has a score of 106, Ben has a score of 100, and Rivers is at 98.
I’m fine if people don’t think Ryan will get in, just always blows my mind if that same person thinks rivers is more likely. His career is really close to just “matt Ryan with no Super Bowl appearance, one less championship appearance, and no mvp or all pro”.
Matt Ryan is the Hall of fame line.
If you had a career better than Matt Ryan you are a Hall of famer
If you had a caree worse than Matt Ryan you are not a Hall of Famer
Rivers and Ryan aren’t in the convo.
Brees is on the bubble, but I think he’ll get in.
Big Ben and Eli are locks, though Eli is only getting in on narrative.
You all better keep that same energy for Ben Roethlesberger that your keeping for Deshaun Watson
Strange that you put Big Ben as a potential borderline case but not Eli Manning, because Roethlisberger was a better QB at every stage of his career than Manning was
Can’t believe Ben is even being considered his, let’s just say shady past.
Obviously some bias, but I think Ben makes it in and the other two don’t. The two rings ALONG with the 17 years of good to great play I think puts him over the other two, and even then Ben isn’t a lock like the players above him.
It wouldn’t be CRAZY if one of the other two made it in, but I wouldn’t place any bets on it.
Brady - yes
Rodgers - yes
Brees - yes
Roethlisberger - yes
Manning #3 - yes
Rivers - 50/50, but probably eventually yes
Ryan - no
Mcnabb - no
Romo - no
Smith - no
Wilson - 50/50, but probably eventually yes
Luck - no
Cousins - no
Stafford - unlikely but plausible
I love Philip Rivers. No way he gets in.
Once Eli Manning gets inducted into the Hall of Fame that’s when it’ll become the Hall of Very Good
Eli beat the GOAT twice when it mattered the most. If that’s not HOF worthy I’m not sure what is
Eli manning is a hall of famer. Ya I said it
I think all 3 make it, but Ryan is clearly the worst of the 3. Eli Manning should be the line. Average starting QB who happened to win 2 SB. He’s on Joe flacco level. If he makes it, I get it. It would be more for his resume than his play.
Phillip Rivers is NOT even in the HOF conversation. It’s laughable. He didn’t do shit.
Regarding Ben Roethlisberger, name me one eligible NFL QB who has started in three Super Bowls but is not in the Hall of Fame.
Also, I think it’s fair to say that playing QB in the AFC North is more difficult than playing QB in the AFC West or NFC South. There’s no climate-controlled indoor stadium or sunny southern California in the AFC North. Instead, some QBs get their brains bashed in by the Ravens and Bengals defenses, often in poor weather conditions. It’s hard for a QB to keep his numbers pretty in a situation like that.
Overall, this is how I see the pre-2016 era of NFL QBs, listed in chronological order by entry into the league:
In on the first ballot
- Peyton Manning
- Tom Brady
- Drew Brees
- Aaron Rodgers
In, but not on the first ballot
- Kurt Warner
- Eli Manning
- Ben Roethlisberger
Probably in
- Russell Wilson
Borderline
- Philip Rivers
- Matt Ryan
Hall of Very Good
- Donovan McNabb
- Carson Palmer
- Tony Romo
- Alex Smith
- Matthew Stafford
- Cam Newton
As for the QBs who have entered the NFL since 2016, Patrick Mahomes is the only one with a clear path to the Hall of Fame. The rest of them still have a lot to prove, but also a lot of time to prove it.