Ranking the Seven Greatest Quarterbacks in New York Giants Franchise History

Site historian John Gidley offers his take on the greatest Giants to ever don the uniform at each position, starting with the quarterback position.

It is my pleasure to announce that we’re going to be ranking the greatest Giants of all time by starting position over the next few weeks. I hope you’ll enjoy reading this as much as I’ll enjoy writing it.

Without further ado, let’s begin by ranking the seven greatest quarterbacks in franchise history:

7. Fran Tarkenton, 1967-71

If we were ranking the top seven quarterbacks based on their overall careers, Tarkenton’s spot would be much higher. However, in his five seasons with the Giants (in between two stints with Minnesota), Tark led some unimpressive offenses. His record with New York was 33-36, and he never reached the playoffs during his time with the Giants.

Perhaps his signature win for Big Blue came at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day 1969 against his former - and future - team. Two touchdown passes to rookie Don Herrmann overcame a 23-10 fourth-quarter deficit and led the Giants to a stunning 24-23 upset victory over a Vikings team that went on to win 12 games.

6. Kerry Collins, 1999-2003

In the period between Phil Simms’ retirement and Eli Manning's drafting, the Giants struggled to find a consistent quarterback - Dave Brown, Danny Kanell, and Kent Graham, to name a few. New York finally found a steady hand in the 1999 offseason when they signed Kerry Collins, formerly of Carolina and New Orleans.

After a rocky first season with Big Blue, Collins became much more dependable in the Giants’ NFC championship season of 2000. While most of the credit went to the defense that year, Collins was still a solid leader of the offense. Following three additional seasons at the helm for New York, he was released in the 2004 offseason to make room for Manning and Kurt Warner.

5. Jeff Hostetler, 1985-91

On paper, Hostetler’s statistics in his seven seasons with the Giants are rather pedestrian: a 16-9 record in 25 starts, 20 touchdown passes, and 12 interceptions. Hos cracks this list, however, because of his role as the savior of the 1990 season. In week 15, Phil Simms broke his foot in a loss to the Bills.

After a bumpy end to the regular season, there was skepticism about whether the Giants’ offense could contribute their fair share in the playoffs. Those doubts were erased with a 31-3 drubbing of Chicago in the Divisional Round, in which Hostetler threw two touchdown passes.

He then turned in a very steady Super Bowl performance against Buffalo, throwing for 222 yards and a touchdown in the Giants’ eventual 20-19 victory.

4. Charlie Conerly, 1948-61

Time has gradually erased the memories of "Chuckin’ Charlie" Conerly, as each year, there are fewer Giant fans that remember seeing him play. After serving in the Marines and fighting in the Battle of Guam in 1944, Conerly played his college ball at Ole Miss and entered pro football with a bang.

His 2,175 passing yards and 22 touchdown passes were each second-best in the NFL in his rookie season of 1948. Despite playing in an era where interceptions came far more frequently than touchdown passes, Conerly still finished his career with six more scoring passes than picks.

3. Y.A. Tittle, 1961-64

Following Conerly’s retirement, the Giants turned to another SEC alum, Yelberton Abraham Tittle of LSU. Tittle was already an established quarterback when he came to New York in 1961.

Even though the Giants lost three straight NFL championship games from 1961-63, followed by a dismal 2-10-1 ‘64 season, Tittle is fondly remembered for tallying numbers that still hold up today. His 36 touchdown passes in 1963 remain a single-season Giants record.

2. Phil Simms, 1979-93

After five very forgettable seasons--two of which he didn’t even play--everything clicked for Phil Simms beginning in 1984. 

Over the next seven years, he compiled a 68-33 record as a starter, most notably leading the Giants to their first Super Bowl victory. Simms’ three touchdown passes matched his number of incompletions in their 39-20 win over Denver.

1. Eli Manning, 2004-19

His overall record is mediocre: 117 wins, 117 losses. His last few years are best left forgotten. But the stats speak for themselves: the most passing yards and passing touchdowns in Giants history, by far. 210 consecutive starts. 

Most importantly, two Super Bowl victories, both coming against perhaps the greatest quarterback and head coach of all time. He may not wind up in Canton, but Eli Manning is undoubtedly the greatest quarterback the Giants have ever had.

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