Few things start an argument in a New York bar faster than asking,
“Who’s the best Giants quarterback of all time?” Before you’ve finished the question,
someone’s already yelling “Eli!” another person is muttering “It’s Phil Simms and it’s not close,”
and the oldest fan in the room is calmly sipping a drink and saying, “Kids, you clearly never watched Y.A. Tittle.”

Over the years, fans have turned that debate into full-blown rankings, polls, and vote-based lists,
including massive fan-voted rundowns of every New York Giants quarterback ever to start a game.
These lists mix cold, hard stats with warm, fuzzy memories:
Super Bowls, clutch drives, broken hearts, and the occasional backup who somehow becomes a cult hero.

This guide pulls together those fan rankings, franchise records, and historical stats to walk through
the 50+ best NFL NY Giants quarterbacks, seen through the eyes of the people who care most:
the fans. We will highlight the clear legends, the almost-greats, the one-season wonders,
and the delightful “oh wow, I forgot he played for the Giants” names that long-time fans love to bring up.

How Fans Actually Rank New York Giants Quarterbacks

When you look at fan-driven lists of Giants quarterbacks (especially massive fan-vote rankings),
a clear pattern appears. At the top, you almost always see Super Bowl winners Eli Manning and Phil Simms,
joined by old-school Hall of Fame-level stars like Y.A. Tittle and Fran Tarkenton.
Behind them, there’s a deep stack of starters, backups, and brief experiments who made their mark in different eras.

Fans don’t just look at passing yards. They weigh:

• Rings and big-game moments – Super Bowls, playoff runs, and signature games.
• Longevity – how long a QB carried the franchise.
• Stats – passing yards, touchdowns, passer rating, and efficiency.
• Era – what the league looked like when they played (run-heavy 1950s vs pass-happy 2000s).
• Vibes – leadership, toughness, personality, and overall “Giants-ness.”

With that in mind, let’s break the all-time Giants QB conversation into tiers that reflect how fans generally see them,
while sprinkling in enough names to remind you just how long this franchise has been lining up under center.

Tier 1: The Franchise Legends

Eli Manning – The Icy Giant Slayer

On almost any fan ranking, Eli Manning sits at the top of the Giants quarterback mountain.
He holds practically every major franchise passing record:
over 57,000 passing yards, nearly 5,000 completions, and 366 touchdown passes with Big Blue.
More importantly, he delivered two of the most iconic playoff runs in modern NFL history,
taking down the 18–0 Patriots and then beating them again four years later.

Fans love Eli not because he was perfect, but because he was unshakable.
He could throw three interceptions one week and then come back the next Sunday and surgically carve up a defense.
The Helmet Catch, the sideline rope to Mario Manningham, and all those fourth-quarter comebacks
made him the ultimate “big moment” quarterback in Giants lore.

In fan polls and franchise rankings from national outlets, Eli is almost universally listed as the
No. 1 quarterback in Giants history.

Phil Simms – The Tough-as-Nails Field General

Before Eli, Phil Simms was the gold standard.
From the late 1970s through the early 1990s, Simms was the face of the franchise and the on-field partner
of Bill Parcells and Lawrence Taylor’s brutal, championship defense.
He piled up more than 33,000 passing yards with the Giants and helped deliver a dominant win in Super Bowl XXI,
famously going 22-of-25 in one of the most efficient big-game performances ever.

Fans who grew up in the ’80s remember Simms for his toughness:
playing through pain, taking huge hits in a more physical era, and still attacking downfield.
Even when injuries opened the door for Jeff Hostetler in the second Super Bowl run,
Simms’ legacy as a franchise great was already locked in.

Y.A. Tittle – The Old-School Assassin

For older generations and history buffs, Y.A. Tittle is the definition of old-school Giants greatness.
Though he joined the team late in his career, he put together a remarkable run in the early 1960s,
winning MVP honors and leading the Giants to three straight NFL Championship Games.
Statistically, he finished his Giants tenure with over 10,000 passing yards and one of the best passer ratings
the franchise has ever seen for a high-volume starter.

Tittle’s imagebloodied, helmet off, kneeling after a brutal hithas become one of the most famous NFL photos of all time.
For many fans, he represents the grit and heartbreak of being a Giants fan: incredibly good, often tough as nails,
sometimes just short of the ultimate prize.

Tier 2: Almost-Mount-Rushmore Giants QBs

Charlie Conerly – The Steady ’50s Star

Long before the modern passing era, Charlie Conerly quietly built a resume that still shows up near the top
of the Giants’ record books. He threw for almost 19,500 yards and guided the team through multiple playoff runs
in the 1950s, including a championship in 1956.

Fans who dig into franchise history often bump Conerly higher on their all-time lists once they realize
how strong his numbers were for that era and how consistently he kept the Giants competitive.

Fran Tarkenton – Brief but Brilliant

Most NFL fans think “Vikings” when they hear Fran Tarkenton’s name, but Giants fans know he had a very productive
stretch in New York. In just five seasons with the team, Tarkenton threw for nearly 14,000 yards and over 100
touchdown passes, bringing a scramble-heavy, backyard-football style that was decades ahead of its time.

Because his peak fame is associated with Minnesota, Tarkenton usually lands in the middle of fan rankings
of Giants quarterbacksrespected, sometimes underrated, but rarely placed above Simms or Eli.

Kerry Collins – The Cannon-Arm Comeback Story

Kerry Collins arrived in New York with a big arm and a complicated backstory,
but for a few years he helped push the Giants’ offense into high gear.
He threw for nearly 17,000 yards with the team and led them to a lopsided NFC Championship win over the Vikings
in the 2000 season, earning a Super Bowl appearance.

In fan rankings, Collins usually lands somewhere in the top 10–12 Giants QBs:
not a ring-winner, but a key piece in a memorable era who left a lasting impression.

Jeff Hostetler – The Ultimate Backup Hero

If you want to understand why fans get irrationally attached to backup quarterbacks,
just say the name Jeff Hostetler.
Pressed into duty when Phil Simms went down late in the 1990 season,
Hostetler steadied the offense and helped the Giants beat the Bills in one of the tightest Super Bowls ever.

On pure stats, Hostetler’s Giants career does not match the big-name starters.
But in fan-driven rankings, clutch playoff heroics can outweigh yardage totals.
That’s why he consistently lands in the top half of any “best Giants QBs” list.

Daniel Jones – The Modern Roller Coaster

Few Giants quarterbacks have been as polarizing among fans as Daniel Jones.
By his fifth season, he had already climbed into the franchise’s top tier for passing yards and maintained
one of the best career passer ratings in team history, thanks in part to his mobility and improved completion rate.

However, injuries, fumbles, and inconsistent supporting casts have made his legacy complicated.
Some fans remember him as the tough, athletic QB who powered a surprise playoff win;
others see him as the symbol of a stalled rebuild.
On fan lists, he usually lands just outside the “legend” tier but ahead of many short-term starters.

Tier 3: Cult Heroes, One-Season Wonders, and Deep-Cut Favorites

Once you get past the top 10 or so names, the “50+ best Giants quarterbacks” list becomes a fun tour
through decades of football trivia. If you’ve watched this team long enough,
all of these names trigger oddly specific memories:

• Dave Brown – Starter in the mid-1990s, logging nearly 9,000 passing yards in blue.
• Scott Brunner – Early ’80s starter who helped bridge eras for the franchise.
• Craig Morton – Better known with the Cowboys and Broncos, but his stint with the Giants still pops up in deep-dive rankings.
• Geno Smith – Briefly started in 2017 and infamously ended Eli’s long consecutive-start streak.
• Colt McCoy – Veteran backup who delivered a surprise win in 2020 and earned “steady hand” respect from fans.
• Tommy DeVito – Undrafted hometown hero who turned a desperation 2023 season into a feel-good, meme-fueled run, complete with Italian hand gestures and viral celebrations.

Fan-vote lists often stretch deep enough to include virtually every QB who has ever logged a start:
names like Mike Glennon, Jake Fromm, Ryan Nassib, Kyle Lauletta, and a rotating carousel of short-term backups
over the past decade.
These players rarely rank high, but they give fans a way to remember specific seasons,
weird games, and “I can’t believe we started that guy” moments.

The New Era: Wilson, Dart, and the Ever-Spinning QB Carousel

Recent seasons have turned Giants quarterback discourse into a full-time job.
After Eli’s retirement, the team cycled through Daniel Jones, surprise contributors like DeVito,
and a wave of veteran signings and rookies designed to stabilize the position.

A late-career deal for Russell Wilson brought a veteran presence and a potential Hall of Famer to New York,
with the idea that he could both compete and mentor a young first-round pick.
Around him, the Giants added prospects like Jaxson Dart, hoping to finally secure the “quarterback of the future.”

How fans will eventually rank these modern QBs depends heavily on what happens next:
playoff wins, signature drives, and whether any of them can deliver the kind of sustained success
that Eli and Simms achieved.
For now, they hover in the lower half of future all-time listsbig-name, high-upside question marks.

What Actually Matters Most to Fans in QB Rankings

When you read through comments, fan polls, and social media debates about Giants quarterbacks,
certain themes show up again and again:

• Championship Equity: Super Bowl rings and deep playoff runs are like rocket fuel in fan rankings.
• Big-Game Moments: A single legendary drive or upset win can lift a QB above someone with better stats.
• Consistency and Durability: Fans respect quarterbacks who show up every week for years,
  especially behind shaky offensive lines.
• Fit with Giants Identity: Toughness, humility, and poise under pressure feel “on brand”
  for this franchise.
• Storytelling Value: The more stories fans can tell about a QBgood or badthe higher that player tends to rank.

That’s why a player like Hostetler, with relatively modest stats, can outrank others who threw for more yards.
And it’s why Eli Manning sits in a special category: his career is basically made of fan stories.

Filling Out the 50+ Best Giants QBs List

If you tried to build a “50+ Best NFL NY Giants Quarterbacks” list at home, you would likely:

1. Start with a top tier of Eli Manning, Phil Simms, Y.A. Tittle, Charlie Conerly, and Fran Tarkenton.
2. Add strong contributors like Kerry Collins, Jeff Hostetler, Daniel Jones, Dave Brown, and Scott Brunner.
3. Sprinkle in memorable modern names: Geno Smith, Colt McCoy, Tommy DeVito, Mike Glennon, Jake Fromm,
   Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Jaxson Dart.
4. Round out the list with historical starters and spot-duty QBs who each made at least one start,
   going all the way back to the 1920s.

When all is said and done, you end up with more than 50 namessome stars, some placeholders,
all part of the long, occasionally chaotic story of Giants football.

Fan Experiences: Living Through Every Giants Quarterback Era

Rankings are fun, but what really sticks with Giants fans is how each quarterback felt to watch in real time.
From radio broadcasts and black-and-white TV to 4K streams and social media memes, each QB era has its own flavor.

The Old-School Radio Days

Ask an older fan about Y.A. Tittle or Charlie Conerly, and you usually won’t get statsyou’ll get scenes.
They describe huddling around a radio on cold Sundays, listening to the play-by-play while someone tries to adjust the antenna.
You hear about muddy fields, low-scoring slugfests, and quarterbacks who were expected to stand tall in the pocket
while defenses practically tried to remove their heads.

Those eras gave fans a sense of toughness and resilience that still shapes how they view the Giants today.
To them, QBs are judged as much on grit and courage as on passing yards.

The Parcells–Simms Era in Living Color

For fans who came of age in the 1980s, Phil Simms is the emotional center of Giants quarterback history.
They remember the smell of game-day snacks, the booming voice of TV announcers, and the way Giants games felt like battles.
Simms wasn’t flashy, but he was intense. When you watched him line up behind center,
you felt like the team was ready for a fistfight and a chess match at the same time.

Fans from this era often tell stories of watching Super Bowl XXI with family:
parents who never sit down during a third down, kids wearing oversized Giants jerseys,
and everyone in the room losing their minds as Simms carved up the Broncos defense.
For those fans, any modern QB has to measure up against that feeling of dominance and reliability.

The Eli Manning Roller Coaster

If you’re a younger fan, there is a good chance your entire football life has been defined by Eli Manning’s facial expressions.
You remember the weekly emotional whiplash: one game he’s shredded by a top defense,
the next game he’s calmly ruining a 16–0 season for the Patriots on national television.

Watching Eli was an exercise in belief.
You learned that a season could look dead in November and somehow end in a parade.
You learned that a quarterback doesn’t need to be the best in the league to be a legend in his city.
And you learned that no matter how shaky things look in the first three quarters,
you always give No. 10 one more drive to figure it out.

The Post-Eli Search for “The Guy”

The post-Eli years have been more chaotic. Fans have flipped between hope and frustration as new quarterbacks
cycle in and out of the huddle. One season, it is Daniel Jones sprinting 80 yards before tripping over his own feet.
Another, it is Tommy DeVito becoming a viral sensation, turning a lost season into appointment television
for a few magical weeks.

Russell Wilson arrives with a Hall of Fame résumé, but in New York everything has to be earned again.
Fans watch every throw like it might decide his legacy.
A rookie like Jaxson Dart steps onto the field and instantly becomes the center of a thousand debates:
“Is he the future?” “Should they sit him another year?” “Are we finally done wandering the QB desert?”

Through it all, Giants fans keep doing what they always do:
arguing about rankings, defending their favorites, and sharing the tiny, human moments
that make football more than just numbers.
A quarterback is not just a passer; he is a chapter in a family’s Sunday routine,
a reason to wear a jersey on the subway, and an excuse to text friends “WE’RE BACK” after one good drive.

That’s why a “50+ best Giants quarterbacks” list is really a map of fan experience.
Every name on it marks a season of hope, heartbreak, or both.

Conclusion: The Giants QB Legacy, Seen Through Fans’ Eyes

The New York Giants have had Hall of Famers, Super Bowl MVPs, forgotten stopgaps, beloved backups,
and everything in between. When fans rank the 50+ best Giants quarterbacks,
they’re not just stacking stats; they are telling the story of nearly a century of football in New York.

Eli Manning, Phil Simms, and Y.A. Tittle give the franchise its championship backbone.
Fran Tarkenton, Charlie Conerly, Kerry Collins, and Jeff Hostetler add layers of brilliance, grit, and surprise.
Daniel Jones and the new wave of quarterbacks carry the heavy task of writing the next chapter.

No matter how you arrange your list, one thing is certain:
Giants fans will never stop debating itand that ongoing argument is part of what makes this franchise so much fun to follow.

sapo:
From Eli Manning’s miracle Super Bowl runs to Phil Simms’ precision and Y.A. Tittle’s old-school toughness,
New York Giants quarterbacks have defined every era of Giants football. This in-depth guide breaks down
the 50+ best NFL NY Giants quarterbacks as ranked by fanshighlighting the legends, cult heroes,
and modern wild cards who’ve taken snaps under center. Whether you grew up in the Simms era,
rode the emotional roller coaster with Eli, or are still waiting for the next great franchise QB,
this ranking gives you the history, context, and fan perspective you need to relive every chapter.

The post The 50+ Best NFL NY Giants Quarterbacks, Ranked By Fans appeared first on Global Travel Notes.