Top ten quarterbacks in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles

Ask Peyton Manning, John Elway, or Tom Brady. They'll probably tell you. The quarterback position is the hardest to play in all of sports. They own some of the most iconic names we have seen while nurturing our love affair with the game, but while that sparks discussions, this take will birth others. How cool would it have been to see one of those guys pilot the Philadelphia Eagles as the City of Brotherly Love's QB1?

How might things have worked out had that occurred? Then again, arguments can be made that things worked out how they were supposed to. Philly has seen some good signal-callers come and go through nine decades of play. We've seen redemptive tales. We have witnessed top-five choices. We have even seen one leave and return to lead our Birds to glory.

What defines greatness? Is it talent, fulfilled or otherwise? Do we count titles or measure stats? Do we measure impact or count touchdowns thrown?

Truthfully, it's all of those things. So, while measuring someone's legend is sometimes an apples-to-oranges comparison, we tried to do so anyway. Here are the top ten quarterbacks in Philadelphia Eagles history.

10. Michael Vick

Tenure: 2009-13

Some of you may have Michael Vick higher on your lists, and that's fine. We could make an argument to do the same. He was more accurate than he gets credit for being. Few signal-callers had a bigger cannon for an arm. One of the many stars who have worn the Number 7 jersey for Philly, the former Virginia Tech Hokie assisted in the evolution and revolution at the quarterback position.

There are many people walking the planet who had more natural physical talent than this man. He's a redemptive tale in every sense of the word (which is also worth noting). His journey here began after replacing Kevin Kolb.

Vick led the Birds to an 8-3 record and helped Philly to a playoff appearance while earning a Pro Bowl nod, but he notched a 12-18 record the rest of his Eagles career. It's for that reason that we can't slot him higher than ten.

9. Carson Wentz

Tenure: 2016-20

Say what you will about Carson Wentz. He was never built to play in a city like Philadelphia. He simply wasn't tough enough.

He was spoiled and entitled. We know at least two of his wide receivers wanted him excommunicated, but the Eagles also don't own a Vince Lombardi Trophy had he not played here. He set the table for the eventual Super Bowl run, but would the Birds have won it all had he been at the helm? That's a question that we could debate for a lifetime.

The numbers are probably better than you'd expect them to be. He ranks fourth in passing yards (16,811) and TDs thrown (113). Like Vick, few had more physical talent.

Maybe you're a fan. Maybe you aren't. He also never won a playoff game. He never became we we hoped, but leaving him off this list would be an injustice.

8. Sonny Jurgensen

Tenure: 1957-63

We know... We know... Most of you associate him with Washington, a rival. Truthfully, his best years were there, but his best season came as a member of our Birds in 1961. This came after he served as the backup on a team that won an NFL Championship the previous season.

Jurgensen passed for 3,723 yards and 32 TDs in 14 games during the '61 campaign. Sure, he also led the league in interceptions (24), but his 235 completions and 265.9 yards per game placed him at the top of those lists. He earned a First-Team All-Pro mention for his efforts. Currently, he's the last Eagle to earn that distinction.

He's a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Eagles Hall of Fame. He set a record that can never be broken (a 99-yard TD pass). The aura still surrounding his name is well-deserved as he still ranks ninth in passing yards (9,639) and seventh in TD passes (76).

7. Jalen Hurts

Tenure: 2020 to present

Jalen Hurts can't read defenses... He can't throw... How many times have you heard that? Someone seems to be missing something. Something with this Hurts fellow seems to be working.

By the time he was introduced to Kellen Moore, he had already had two offensive coordinators during three full seasons as the Eagles' starter, and before working with Shane Steichen in consecutive seasons (2021 and 2022), he had worked with a different OC every season since high school. Let's not act like that has nothing to do with his development.

Something comes to the surface when we go stat diving. Jalen already ranks sixth in career Eagles passing yards and eighth in career passing TDs. If you expand the window of your search past Philly to the NFL at large, during his first three years as a starter, he notched 33 wins in 47 games played. Only Patrick Mahomes (36 wins in 50 game played) and Josh Allen (35 wins in 50 games) claimed more over that same span.

Hurts' 25 wins as a starter during the 2022 and 2023 NFL seasons rank first over that span. He ranks first in Eagles history in rushing TDs. He is the first NFL QB to run for ten TDs or more during his first three seasons. He is outside of our top five currently, but barring injury, he is probably going to climb on this list.

6. Norm Van Brocklin

Tenure: 1958-60

How do we stack Norm Van Brocklin ahead of so many other Eagles QBs on this list? That's a doggone good and fair question. We remember him more for being a Ram. He was a six-time Pro Bowler while playing in Los Angeles. He only notched a record barely above .500 in Philly (19-16-1).

Our honest answer is he's hard to encapsulate, but the 1960 NFL Championship Game win matters. Heck, it matters a whole heck of a lot. What can be said about the only starting QB to beat Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr's Packers in the postseason? We can say a lot, but we'll leave it at a spot in the top six. He's deserving.

5. Ron Jaworski

Tenure: 1977-86

Ron Jaworski, had he done nothing else, would earn favorable mention for simply being part of a collective that resurrected the Eagles from being an NFL laughingstock. Philly had spent two decades at the bottom of pro football's pecking order from 1962 to 1976. The only thing worth mentioning was a 9-5 run in 1966. Jaws joined the franchise in 1977 after spending his first three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams.

After finishing with a 5-9 record as a starter in '77, he crafted a 42-22 record as a starter from 1978 through 1981. Philly even appeared in a Super Bowl. How might he be viewed if the good guys had won? Still, a top-five finish feels as though it does him justice.

He'd never lead the Birds to a record above .500 after '81. And, though, he'd land at a mark of 6-6 in '85, a 22-36 is nothing to write home about. Still, Jaws ranks second in career passing yards (26.963) and career passing TDs (175), and like Sonny Jurgensen, his resume includes a 99-yard TD pass, a record, by current NFL standards, can only be tied and never broken.

4. Randall Cunningham

Tenure: 1985-95

This one is an emotional and deserving selection. If you're like many of us (and a little older), Randall Cunningham is one of those reasons why you became a Philadelphia Eagles fan in the first place. We can't help but think he was ahead of his time and that he'd be unstoppable with these new league rules that favor offenses.

Seriously, picture Randall in some of these wide-open schemes and in a world where you can be arrested for contacting the quarterback, but even though that's a fantasy we will never see materialize, Cunningham was as an exciting player as any sport has ever seen.

He could throw the ball a mile. He ran like a deer, and he could even punt if asked to do so. His 91-yarder in 1989 ranks third behind Steve O’Neal's 98-yarder in 1969 and Shawn McCarthy's 93-yarder in 1991. Oh and by the way, he ranks third in franchise history in passing yards (22,877) and TD passes (150). He ranks sixth all-time in rushing yards (4,482) and rushing TDs (32).

3. Tommy Thompson

Tenure: 1941-42, 1945-50

Some may rank Tommy Thompson outside their top ten, but that just feels wrong. He's a two-time NFL Champion for Heaven's sake, so here's the introduction of a phrase that you may see on this ranking more than once.

This list is subject to change.

In 1948, Tommy Thompson threw a league-leading 25 TD passes in 12 games. Here we are, many moons later. The league has expanded its season several times. 14-game seasons... 16-game seasons... 17-game seasons... Yet, Tommy's 25-TD campaign still ties him for ninth most in Eagles single-season history.

Let that sink in for a second.

Thompson is only one of seven Eagles to eclipse 10,000 career passing yards. He ranks seventh in that category (10,240) and sixth in career passing TDs, He also led the NFL in passer rating in 1948 and 1949. He earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 1948.

Being a starter on two championship-winning teams earns him a huge nod here (1948, 1949). That's pretty good for a former undrafted rookie free agent.

2. Nick Foles

Tenure: 2012-14, 2017-18

He's called 'Saint Nick' for a reason. There's a statue of him and Doug Pederson outside Lincoln Financial Field for a reason. Nick Foles was so beloved by his Eagles teammates that he had to leave the organization or Carson Wentz was going to remain a starting quarterback living in his backup's shadow.

Even still, once he left Philly for good, his teammates, rather than clean his locker out, elected instead to transform it into a shrine. We have absolutely no issue with the thinking.

He's one of the nicest and most respected guys to ever come through the organization. He'll always be the first Eagles QB to win a Super Bowl and the game's MVP trophy, and even if someone else does the same, our guy Nick will always be the first.

Oh, and by the way, during two stints in Philly, he racked up the tenth-highest passing yards total (8,703) and the ninth-most TD passes (58) while starting 32 regular-season games and notching a 21-11 record.

His seven TD passes in a 2013 outing versus the Oakland Raiders ties an NFL single-game record that Sid Luckman, Adrian Burk, George Blanda, Y.A. Title, Joe Kapp, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees also share.

1. Donovan McNabb

Tenure: 1999-2009

Love him... Hate him... And, there are plenty of people who feel both emotions, Donovan McNabb tops our list. He's deserving. The numbers speak for themselves, and quite frankly, he'll be hard to knock from his perch.

'5', during 11 seasons, shattered just about every individual QB record in franchise history that most fans would agree they care about. When he left town, he left some pretty huge cleats to fill. He is atop the Eagles record book for passing yards (32,873), TD passes (216), career wins (92), games played at the position (148), and games started (142).

Like Wentz, Vick, and Randall, he was also dangerous with his legs. He ranks 11th in franchise history in rushing yards and ninth in rushing TDs.

McNabb is a six-time Pro Bowler and a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Philadelphia Eagles 75th anniversary team, the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame, and his Number 5 jersey has been retired.

It's probably about time to make that call Canton! Why in the heck hasn't he been enshrined yet?