Chicago Bears Quarterbacks: Top 10 All-Time

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

A rich one their QB history is not.  In contrast to the storied and revered football lineage of this NFL-founding franchise, the position of quarterback for the Chicago Bears has frequently been occupied by names easily forgotten.  Since 1919 and the days of the Decatur Staleys until now, the team has largely endured the struggle of finding or cultivating a transcendent talent to play under center for them.

What does this mean for us, as Bears fans?  First of all, there’s plenty to be proud of so it’s not like the dearth of all-timers at QB is going to take away everything else this franchise has given the NFL.  It is a wart — wait, lets call it a beauty mark — on an otherwise beautiful 96 years of existence.  Think Cindy Crawford.  Just not a 96-year-old version.

Since the whole of Bears history stands favorably against that of any other team, this blemish that I suggest their list of quarterbacks amounts to really isn’t all that bad.  And actually, it oddly accentuates the rest of the picture.  For the Bears fans among us, this crew of lovable almost-greats is one we somehow find a way to cherish.  They might not be your quarterbacks, but they’re ours.

I managed to clip the late 70s with my birth year which means I was fully conscious as a fan to witness 21 different signal callers start for the Bears from 1992 thru 2007 while Brett Favre held court in Green Bay.  That experience brought the Chicago Bears quarterback quandary into focus for me and in turn had me on the lookout for saviors.  Maybe that’s why I tend to swoon for any half-decent QB the Chicago Bears have, because I’m desperate for that next guy to be THE guy and I’m hoping he’ll pull it off.

Included in this list are a fair share of the quarterbacks on whose performance my hopes at one time rested and were eventually dashed.  Also some who played before my fandom was realized.

Here we go, the Top 10 Bears Quarterbacks of All Time.

Next: #10: Worst of the Best