Top 10 quarterbacks of the decade

[Steely McBeam]

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There’s been plenty of talk lately about the Top 10 quarterbacks of all time. But who are the Top 10 quarterbacks of the last 10 years? That’s the subject of the latest installment of the best players at each position from 2010 to 2019.

1. Tom Brady. The best quarterback over the past 20 years (and ever) is good enough to earn a separate Hall of Fame spot for each decade. Over the past 10 years, Brady has been phenomenal, with five Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl wins. Even as he seemingly limps to the finish line, he has enough left to make it six and four.

2. Aaron Rodgers. He started the decade with a Super Bowl season the hard way, taking his team from the No. 6 seed to the championship. He continued to dominate as a quarterback, even if his team has underachieved. He could still end the decade where he started it: With a Super Bowl appearance, and win.

3. Russell Wilson. A Super Bowl champion in only his second season, Wilson has become one of the most dangerous quarterbacks, with his underrated passing skills and uncanny mobility. The highest-paid player in league history, the Seahawks wisely have built the team around a guy who is destined to be one of the Top 10 quarterbacks of the next decade, too.

4. Drew Brees. Four times this decade, Brees has thrown for more than 5,000 yards. He continues to be one of the best passers of all time, and he has led the Saints back to the top of the league in recent years, after several seasons lost to the bounty scandal and its aftermath. The only knock? No Super Bowl appearances since 2009.

5. Peyton Manning. He played only five seasons this decade, but one of them included record passing yardage and passing touchdowns, marks that stand six years later. He made it to the Super Bowl twice with the Broncos, and he exited the game in a way that so many would love to do it: With a championship trophy under his arm.

6. Ben Roethlisberger. Underappreciated for much of his career, Roethlisberger helped unleash an offense with unprecedented production, culminating in m

ore than 5,100 passing yards in 2018. He took the Steelers to a Super Bowl this decade, and the team is a perennial playoff contender, with six playoff berths since 2010 and not a single losing record.

7. Cam Newton. The first pick of the 2011 draft, Newton became the league’s MVP four years later, nearly winning a Super Bowl in the process. Injuries have kept him from climbing higher on the list, and the decade ends with his career at a crossroads. But he’s still clearly one of the best to play the position in the past 10 years, given his blend of passing and running skills.

8. Matt Ryan. He’s steadily working his way up the various all-time passing lists, racking up stats for a team that has underachieved of late. In 2016, the Falcons made it to the Super Bowl, with Ryan winning the league MVP award and helping Atlanta build a 28-3 lead in the league championship — until the wheels came off. At some point in the next decade, Ryan could end up claiming the all-time passing yardage record.

9. Andrew Luck. When considering his career, it’s easy to regard Luck as a disappointment. But he played incredibly well during his time in the league, authoring in his second season one of the best playoff comebacks of all time. And, in theory, the now-retired Luck still has a chance to become one of the best quarterbacks in the new decade that begins next week.

10. Philip Rivers. As his time with the Chargers likely ends, Rivers exits as an accomplished regular-season quarterback, with an average of 4,400 passing yards per year (more than 5,000 yards more than Matthew Stafford for the decade). But he has only two trips to the postseason. Rivers started every game over the past 10 years, and he’ll make it a perfect 160-of-160 on Sunday at Kansas City. The future is murky for Rivers, but the past 10 years justify his placement on the list.