Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #28 - Troy Aikman

Troy Aikman

Troy Aikman is the first quarterback to appear on this list who won at least 3 Super Bowls, so it seems a little strange to see him ranked this low. The truth is, apart from those 3 championship seasons, he didn't do that much, and he had a rather short career, so he doesn't even get the benefit of longevity.

Aikman was the #1 overall pick in the 1989 draft, but his rookie season was a disaster. His record as a starter was 0-11, and he threw twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. In all, over his first three years, he threw for 31 touchdowns and 46 interceptions, and the Cowboys were 14-24 when he started.

Everything turned around very quickly. Aikman was finally fully healthy in 1992, and Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith had blossomed into star players. That year, Dallas finished with a 13-3 record and upset MVP Steve Young and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game to get to the Super Bowl. He was also named the MVP of the Super Bowl after throwing 273 yards and 4 touchdowns without an interception in the 52-17 blowout.

The next season he led the league with a 69.1% completion percentage, but he threw only 15 touchdowns over a full season. Dallas did earn the best record in the league at 12-4, but it was Emmitt Smith who was named the league MVP. They returned to the Super Bowl by running through San Francisco again, then beat Buffalo again in the Super Bowl, but this time Aikman did not throw a touchdown pass, as Emmitt Smith ran the Bills into the ground en route to his first Super Bowl MVP.

He was even less effective the next season, throwing only 13 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, and he was unable to get past San Francisco in the NFC Championship, so they failed to three-peat. In 1995 he managed to get his interceptions back down, and the Cowboys returned to the Super Bowl, where they beat the Steelers, though Aikman only threw 1 TD.

He played 5 more seasons, but was not too effective, winning only one more playoff game for the remainder of his career. In all, he reached 20 touchdowns only once in his career and never reached 3500 yards in a season. He was only a top quarterback for 4 seasons, but he won 3 titles during that time, which is why he is here on this list of the best quarterbacks of all time.