There are two main contenders for the title of greatest Detroit Lions quarterback of all time. It’s been a long road from Bobby Layne winning the NFL title in the 1950s to Matthew Stafford shattering every single Lions record.

The history of the Detroit Lions is extensive. The Lions are one of the NFL’s oldest teams, and they’ve had championship seasons and middling to bad seasons like the late 60s. Although this team has a poor record when it comes to winning, it has nearly always had some of the best players in the history of the sport.

In terms of continuous quarterback excellence, the Detroit Lions aren’t exactly known as one of the best in the league. The Detroit Lions haven’t won a playoff game since 1991.

Since the 1950s, the Detroit Lions have only had one postseason victory, although they’ve had a few good quarterbacks come close to elevating them to the next level. From Bobby Layne, who led the Lions to the NFL title in the 1950s, to Matthew Stafford, who broke every Lions record known to man, the quarterbacks in Detroit have always been able to throw the ball.

The Detroit Lions have had some of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, and we’re here to rank the top five.

Player                                                 Season

No. 1 Matthew Stafford                      2009-

No. 2 Bobby Layne                           1950-1958

No. 3 Greg Landry                            1968-1978

No. 4 Erik Kramer                             1991-1993

No. 5 ​Scott Mitchell                          1994-1998