5 Best Quarterbacks in Atlanta Falcons History

Miller is the poster-boy for Atlanta’s difficulties. Thrust into a starting role as a rookie and handed the keys full-time as a second-year player on a bad team, Miller was quickly put behind the proverbial eight-ball in 1987 when he threw one touchdown and nine interceptions.

When Doug Glanville took over in the late 80s, Atlanta’s offense opened up and some talent around Miller in the early 90s helped take the Falcons to the playoffs in 1991, just their fourth appearance ever. Miller made the Pro Bowl that season with 26 touchdowns and 3,103 yards. 

Things were looking up for him and the franchise before an ACL tear basically limited him for the rest of his career. Still, Miller spent seven years with the Falcons and ranks third in team history in yards passing and tied for third in touchdown throws.

4. Chris Chandler (1997-2001)

A journeyman quarterback who didn’t become a consistent starter until he was 30, Chandler joined the Falcons in 1997 at age 32 and immediately made back-to-back Pro Bowls.

His 1998 was absolutely special. Chandler went 13-1 as a starter that year and led Atlanta to its first and first Super Bowl appearance, throwing for a career-high 3,154 yards and a career-high 25 touchdowns.

He spent three more years as the Falcons starter before finishing his career with three seasons as a back-up in St. Louis and Chicago, playing to the age of 39.

Chandler ranks fourth in Falcons history in yards passing, tied for third with Miller in touchdown tosses and his touchdown-to-interception ratio ranks second, only behind the No. 1 player on this list.

3. Steve Bartkowski (1975-1985)

Bartkowski is a Falcons legend, simply put. He was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in its inaugural class in 2004 and the former No. 1 pick spent 11 of his 12 seasons in Atlanta.

Regularly, they were strong seasons. Statistically, anyway. Bartkowski finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1975 and led the franchise to its first-ever playoff appearance in 1978.

He made the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons in 1980 and 1981, even finishing third in Most Valuable Player voting in the former season after leading the NFL with 31 touchdown passes. 

2. Michael Vick (2001-2008)

What might have been. But instead of a legendary career, fans are left with legendary play haunted by hideous crimes. 

The Falcons took Vick with the No. 1 overall pick in 2001 and he made his first Pro Bowl in 2002, finishing fourth in MVP voting. The league had seen running quarterbacks before, but none as special as Vick and teams struggled to contain the Falcons offense despite Vick’s mediocre passing talent.

In 2004, he finished second in the MVP race and led the team to the NFC title game.

Two more strong individual seasons followed, though Atlanta fell off a bit as a team. Then the dog-fighting scandal struck, and Vick spent two years away from the NFL, suspended.

He never played for the Falcons again, though he did play another seven seasons, mostly with Philadelphia, where he made one final Pro Bowl in 2010.

1. Matt Ryan (2008-2021)

The gap between a team’s No. 1 quarterback and its No. 2 quarterback likely isn’t wider for any other team than the Falcons. Ryan is the easiest of easy choices to take the top spot here.

He was a star from the start, winning Rookie of the Year in 2008 and leading the team to the playoffs in four of his first five seasons.

His best year came in 2016 after three straight down seasons that saw Atlanta miss the playoffs. It was vengeful. Ryan threw for 4,944 yards with 38 touchdowns and just seven interceptions as the Falcons made it to the Super Bowl. 

The Falcons faltered again a bit after that, though Ryan remained a strong player who spent the next five seasons as the team’s starter, ultimately compiling 14 years in Atlanta, all the team’s No. 1.

More Atlanta Falcons Essentials

• 5 Best Quarterbacks in Falcons History
• 5 Best Running Backs in Falcons History
• 5 Best Wide Receivers in Falcons History
• Richest NFL Owners: What Is Arthur Blank’s Net Worth?