Former Green Bay Packers quarterback reveals his current top eight NFL quarterbacks

For a long time, the Green Bay Packers have been the model team for top-tier quarterback play.

Green Bay has always had a penchant for identifying the best signal callers available and keeping them with the team for many years after landing them, from Bart Starr to Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers and now Jordan Love.

From 1956 until 1971, Starr led the Packers, completing over 1,800 passes for 24, 718 yards and 152 touchdowns.

He led the Green Bay Packers to two Super Bowl triumphs (1966, 1968), earning MVP honors in both.

During his career in Green Bay, the Hall of Famer was selected to four Pro Bowls and was chosen first-team All-Pro once, as well as second-team All-Pro three times.

After Starr retired in 1971, the Pack tried to identify its next franchise quarterback. For over two decades, signal callers came and went, until the Packers selected Brett Favre with the 33rd overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft.

For three years in a row, Favre and the Green Bay Packers seemed unbeatable. They finished the 1995 season with a trip to Super Bowl XXXI, where Favre completed 14-of-27 throws for 246 yards and two touchdowns against the New England Patriots.

Brett Favre ushers in a new era for Green Bay Packers quarterbacks.

Favre was selected NFL MVP three times in a row (1995, 1996, and 1997). Favre was one of the most productive starting quarterbacks in the NFL for nearly two decades (1992-2007). He concluded his career in Green Bay with 11 Pro Bowl choices, three first-team All-Pro awards, and the NFL record for most consecutive starts (321 including playoffs): 297 (321 including playoffs).

And, with Favre remaining as the starter, the Green Bay Packers selected Aaron Rodgers in 2005. Rodgers took over as the full-time starting quarterback in 2008, after patiently waiting behind Favre, and a new era of magic was about to begin.

In 2010, the Packers were invited to Super Bowl XLV, which they won 31-25 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodgers completed 24 of 39 ball attempts for 304 yards and three touchdowns in the win, earning him the title of Super Bowl MVP.

Rodgers led the Packers to winning seasons in all but three of his 15 seasons as the team’s starting quarterback.

He was named to ten Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pro teams, and was named NFL MVP four times (2011, 2014, 2020, 2021). From his stint in Green Bay, he holds three NFL records: Passer rating in a single season: 122.5 (2011), interception percentage in a season: 0.3% (2018), and consecutive throws without an interception: 402.

In terms of statistics, Rodgers was superior to Favre and Starr. He concluded his Green Bay career with nearly 5,000 completions for just under 60,000 passing yards, 475 touchdowns, and only 105 interceptions. With the Packers, he had a completion percentage of 65.3 percent and a passer rating of 103.6.

When it comes to outstanding quarterback play, it’s safe to say Green Bay knows what it’s talking about.

While Kurt Benkert saw minimal action as a backup behind Aaron Rodgers for the Packers, the former Green Bay quarterback studied under one of the greatest signal callers of all time. Benkert released his current NFL Quarterback Power Rankings earlier this week, with only a few games remaining in the regular season.

Kurt Benkert’s NFL Quarterback Power Ratings as a former Green Bay Packers quarterback

With the NFL Playoffs approaching, Benkert released a list titled “QB Power Rankings,” and while there’s space for argument, he believes he’s relatively accurate.

At this time, the number one position is unquestionable. Despite relentless criticism and derision, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, or “Mr. Irrelevant,” is in a league of his own. Purdy is the clear favorite to win NFL Offensive MVP after his performance last weekend.

Purdy has thrown for 3,795 yards, which is second in the NFL, 29 touchdowns, which ranks first in the NFL, and only seven interceptions. His QBR of 76.0 ranks first among all NFL quarterbacks.

Everyone behind Purdy can be argued for in the order that the former Green Bay Packers quarterback has them listed. Benkert ranks Josh Allen second, despite the fact that Dak Prescott leads the Bills’ quarterback in every statistical category.

Lamar Jackson is ranked third, but his 3,105 throwing yards and 17 touchdowns rank 15th and 17th, respectively.

However, the Bills and Ravens are both hot and winning, which Benkert certainly considers when rating the league’s top signal callers.

Patrick Mahomes may be having a “down year” in comparison to what NFL fans have come to expect from the Chiefs quarterback, but placing him at No. 6 and behind Matthew Stanford is a bit perplexing.

Mahomes ranks fourth in the NFL in passing yards (3,703) and touchdowns (25), and his QBR of 66.2 ranks fourth among all quarterbacks.

Stafford, on the other hand, has 3,320 passing yards (12th), 21 touchdowns (10th), and a QBR of 62.8 (7th).

The Green Bay Packers have had some terrific quarterbacks throughout the years, but some of their judgment can be questioned when rating the top NFL quarterbacks right now.