Ranking the 10 best Denver Broncos quarterbacks in franchise history
• Jake Plummer was underrated his whole career
• The Sheriff rode off in style
• John Elway is still the GOAT
By Randy Gurzi
The Denver Broncos made a huge trade in 2022 for Russell Wilson, hoping to find another veteran quarterback who could lead them to a title — the way John Elway and Peyton Manning did late in their careers.
Year one with Wilson was a bust but now, Denver added Sean Payton as the head coach. He could help Wilson turn it around and if so, the former Seattle Seahawk could wind up being one of the best quarterbacks to ever play for the Broncos.
Here, let's take a look at who he needs to surpass with the 10 greatest Denver Broncos quarterbacks of all time.
Top 10 QBs in Denver Broncos history ranked worst to best
Honorable mention: Tim Tebow, Russell Wilson
Wilson gets an honorable mention since he has the talent to get into the top 10 — and likely will. There's also Tim Tebow, who might not have been a great passer but he led the Broncos to an 8-6 record in his two seasons and won a playoff game over Pittsburgh (making him the only player the franchise has drafted that won a playoff game). That was exciting, even if he never turned into a great player.
10. Trevor Siemian (2015-2017)
Regular season record: 13-11
Playoff Record: NA
No. 11 All-Time Broncos passing yardage: 5,686
Tim Tebow was replaced by Peyton Manning, who wound up leading the Broncos to the Super Bowl twice. When he retired, Brock Osweiler was supposed to be the heir but he joined the Houston Texans — and became a massive flop.
Denver wound up winning that deal since they allowed Osweiler to leave and started Trevor Siemian. A seventh-round pick in 2015, Siemian went from third string as a rookie to the starter in 2016. He wasn't spectacular but he proved to be a solid game manager.
He started 14 games that year and led the Broncos to an 8-6 record. The following year, they were 5-5 with Siemian under center. In all, he started 24 games for Denver and they were 13-11. He finished with 5,686 yards and a 30-to-24 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Since leaving Denver, Siemian has continued to be a trusted backup — but he's yet to win another game, going 0-6 for the Jets, Saints, and Bears combined.