Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #7 - Kurt Warner

Kurt Warner

Kurt Warner is probably the biggest surprise of any player to be included in my top 10, especially considering that he only had 6 seasons as a great quarterback in the NFL, but when he was at his best, there weren't many who could match his performance.

Warner went undrafted in 1994, and ended up spending 4 years playing in the Arena Football League, setting tons of league records along the way. It finally earned him a contract with the Saint Louis Rams in 1998, but he spent the entire season as a 3rd-string quarterback, throwing only 11 passes all season.

Everything changed for Warner in 1999, and it was immediate. He was promoted to second string in the preseason, then became the starter before game 1 when Trent Green went down with a broken leg. He stepped in and immediately became the top passer in the league, throwing for 3 touchdowns in each of his first three games, becoming the first starter in league history to achieve that feat. He followed that up with 5 touchdowns in game 4, which extended his record.

He would finish the season with 4353 passing yards, a league-leading 41 touchdowns, and only 13 interceptions, and St. Louis finished first in the NFC with a 13-3 record while Warner won the MVP in his first full season. His dominance continued in the postseason with 391 yards and 5 touchdowns in his first ever playoff game, and after a hard-fought win over Tampa Bay in the NFC title game, he led the Rams to the Super Bowl. He threw a Super Bowl record 414 yards along with 2 touchdowns, which earned him the Super Bowl MVP in his first season as well.

He missed 5 games the next season due to a broken hand, but still led the Rams to the playoffs after throwing 3429 yards in just 11 games. He threw 365 yards and 3 touchdowns in their first playoff game, but his 3 picks lost the game for them.

He came back at full strength in 2001, throwing a career-high and league-high 4830 yards and 36 touchdowns, also tops in the league. Saint Louis finished at 14-2, best in the entire league, and Warner took home his second MVP award. They were able to make it back to the Super Bowl, where Warner threw 365 yards, the second-highest total in Super Bowl history at the time, although they lost to New England on a last-second field goal.

A broken throwing hand during the offseason was nearly the end of him. He was unable to fully grip the ball, causing him to throw 11 interceptions in just 6 starts in 2002, and to fumble 6 times in the first game of 2003. He was released after the season and signed by the New York Giants, but was replaced by Eli Manning halfway through the season.

He signed with Arizona in 2005, but was unable to hold onto the starting job for his first three seasons with the Cardinals, although he finally started to show signs of his former greatness after Matt Leinart went down with an injury early in 2007.

He took the starting job back at the beginning of 2008, and rocketed right back to the top of the league, throwing 4583 yards, #2 in the league, along with 30 touchdowns. Arizona sneaked into the playoffs with a 9-7 record, then went on to upset three straight teams with better records on their way to the first Super Bowl appearance in Cardinals history. In his third Super Bowl appearance, he threw 377 yards and 3 touchdowns, but the Cardinals lost on a last-second touchdown to Pittsburgh.

He decided to come back for one final season, and was solid during the regular season, helping Arizona to improve to 10-6, and was amazing in the wild card game, with 379 yards and 5 touchdowns as he outdueled Aaron Rodgers in the highest scoring game in playoff history 51-45. The following week he was injured making a tackle after an interception, and he was unable to finish the game as the season and his career ended.

While his career lacks the longevity of the rest of the top 10, he has a lot going for him. His 1999 season was one of the most dominant in league history, and he always came played well in the playoffs. In case you missed it above, there have been 49 Super Bowls, meaning a total of 98 starting quarterbacks, and the top 3 passing games in Super Bowl history all belong to Kurt Warner. He won 2 MVP's and could have had another, and he also won a Super Bowl MVP. It may have been the oddest career of any of the greats, but he has earned this ranking.