The Detroit Lions haven’t done a lot of winning in their franchise history, but they have had a handful of the greatest QBs in NFL history: Bobby Layne is a Hall of Famer, and Matthew Stafford will be.

Who are some of the other best Lions quarterbacks? Keep reading this Betway Insider top 10 to find out. As usual, all stats are courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and updated through the end of the 2023 regular season.

Who is the Detroit Lions Starting Quarterback?

The 2023 Detroit Lions starting quarterback is Jared Goff, who has been the starter since his 2021 trade from the Los Angeles Rams.

Who is the Detroit Lions backup Quarterback?

The 2023 Detroit Lions backup quarterback is Teddy Bridgewater, who has been in the NFL since 2014.

Detroit Lions Quarterbacks History

Lions’ quarterback history can be described as polar opposites: the winning precedent of Bobby Layne, and the tremendous stats but unfortunate luck of Matthew Stafford.

Famous Detroit Lions Quarterbacks

Other famous quarterbacks for the Lions include Scott Mitchell and Gary Danielson, both of whom led the team to scattered playoff appearances across the 80s and 90s.

Ranking the Top 10 Best Detroit Lions Quarterbacks of all time

  1. Rodney Peete, 1989=1993

Former Lions QB Rodney Peete looked like he was going to be the franchise quarterback in Detroit. He passed for 1874 yards with a 13-8 TD-INT in 11 starts during his sophomore NFL season. Alongside RB Barry Sanders, the future looked bright in Detroit.

Peete tore his ACL midway through the 1991 season and missed the team’s playoff run -- he guided the Lions to a 5-2 record before then. He never quite recaptured his mojo and Detroit cycled through a rotating cast of QBs for the next few seasons.

Peete ranks 13th in franchise history for passing yards.

  1. Eric Hipple. 1980-1986, 1988-1989

Former Lions starting QB Eric Hipple was a solid but unremarkable caretaker under center for the franchise in the 1980s. The former fourth-round pick vaulted into the starting role in 1981 and performed well, going 6-4 in 10 starts while throwing for 2358 yards.

Hipple never put up a positive touchdown-interception ratio in his entire career. The team went 28-29 in his starts and he led the Lions to playoffs once, falling to the Redskins in the 1982 Wild Card round. Hipple has the seventh-most passing yards in franchise history. He does have the fourth most QB wins in franchise history.

  1. Gary Danielson, 1976-1984

Former Detroit quarterback Gary Danielson had an eerily similar career to Eric Hipple. Danielson was drafted in 1876 and had some success early in his career, going 9-7 as a starter in 1980 with 3223 passing yards.

Danielson was benched for Hipple but got his job back in time for the 1983 playoffs, nearly leading the Lions to a stunning road victory over the 49ers -- he threw for 236 yards but five interceptions in the contest.

Danielson ranks sixth in franchise history for both passing yards and passing touchdowns with the eighth-most wins. 

  1. Earl Morrall, 1958-1964

Former NFL MVP Earl Morrall might not be remembered the most for his stay in Detroit -- he was rarely the team’s full-time starter. Morrall started just 26 total games in Detroit over bits of seven seasons, going a strong 15-10-1 in those contests.

Were Lions fans ever truly enamored with Morrall? Probably not; after all, the franchise traded icon QB Bobby Layne to acquire him. On his way out, Layne famously put a curse on the franchise, saying the Lions “would not win for 50 years.”

While Morrall was solid in Detroit, the Layne curse loomed larger.

  1. Dutch Clark, 1931-1932, 1934-1938

Former Detroit Lions and Portsmouth Spiders (the former name of the Lions) QB/TB Dutch Clark was a QB in name only. The NFL was a different sport in his era -- Clark never threw for more than 500 yards a season and effectively ran a wildcat offense.

Either way, the Pro Football Hall of Famer was great. The 1x NFl Champion was a 6x First-team All-Pro and 3x rushing touchdowns leader. He was a member of the NFL’s 1930s All-Decade team and is only not higher on this list for one reason: should he really be counted as a QB?

  1. Greg Landry, 1968-1978

Former Lions QB Greg Landry had an up-and-down decade as the Detroit starter. The first-round pick experienced some winning during his first few campaigns in the league, leading the Lions to playoffs in 1970 and never having a record of under .500 (minimum three starts) until 1973. Along the way, he was a Pro Bowler and a First-team All-Pro selection for his outstanding 1971 season.

Landry regressed in the years following and was even benched at times. He rebounded in 1976 to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, but he was shipped to the Baltimore Colts ahead of the 1979 season.

Landry ranks fourth in franchise history for passing yards.

  1. Scott Mitchell, 1994-1998

Former Lions QB Scott Mitchell had one of the best QB seasons of the 1990s. In 1995, Mitchell threw for a then-Lions record of 4338 yards and 32 touchdowns as the team went 10-6 and marched back to the postseason.

Mitchell had a fantastic connection with WRs Herman Moore and Brett Perriman in 1995, though the trio never reached the same, electric heights, Mitchell did throw for 3484 yards again to lead Detroit back to the playoffs in 1997, but that was as good as it got.

  1. Jared Goff, 2021-Present

Yes, current Lions starter Jared Goff is already the third-best quarterback in franchise history. Acquired the league-altering trade for former Lions starting QB Matthew Stafford, Goff has improved each season in Detroit:

            2021: 3-10-1, 3245 yards, 19-8 TD-INT

            2022: 9-8, 4438 yards, 29-7 TD-INT

            2023: 12-5, 4575 yards, 30-12 TD-INT

Goff also has the Lions in the NFC Championship Game for the first time in a generation.

  1. Bobby Layne, 1950-1958

Who’s arguably the biggest legend of all past Lions quarterbacks? The answer is likely Bobby Layne, who famously put a curse on the franchise when they traded him to Pittsburgh,

Layne was the ultimate winner in Detroit: he guided the franchise to 3x NFL Championships. The 2x First-team All-Pro and 6x Pro Bowler was the quarterback of his generation, landing a spot on the NFL’s 1950s All-Decade team. The Pro Football Hall of Famer ranks second in franchise history for both passing yards and passing touchdowns.

  1. Matthew Stafford, 2009-2020

Why is former Detroit QB Matthew Stafford the best quarterback in Lions history? In Detroit, Stafford:

  • Is the franchise record holder in passing yards and passing touchdowns
  • Topped 4000+ passing yards eight times
  • Threw for 5038 yards in 2011, the 14th most in a single season in NFL history
  • End the Lions 21st-century playoff drought in 2011

Stafford ranks 11th in passing yards, mainly thanks to his Detroit tenure. He finally got a ring once he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams.

Parameters of Rankings

Rankings are made based on a combination of 1) 2023 success, 2) past pedigree, 3) positional value, and 4) impact on team culture.

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