Best Quarterbacks in Pittsburgh Steelers History

Since their inception in 1933 as the Pirates (sound familiar?), the Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the most successful teams in the NFL.

The seventh-oldest franchise in football has been around long before the AFL/NFL merger, experiencing player shortages during World War II and even merging with their now-rival Eagles to form the Phil-Pitt Eagles and become known as the "Steagles."

Despite the trials and tribulations, the Steelers are tied with the Patriots for the most Super Bowl titles in history with six in the trophy case, along with eight conference championships and 25 division titles.

With all of that success comes several iconic and tremendously gifted quarterbacks.

Pittsburgh has drafted four legends at the position, but not all have made a direct impact on the franchise. With that, here is our list of the five best quarterbacks in Steelers history.

Honorable mentions: Bubby Brister (1986-1992), Tommy Maddox (2001-2005)

5. Kordell Stewart (1995-2002)

Stewart, known as "Slash" because of his prolific work at both quarterback and wide receiver under coach Bill Cowher, became an incredible two-way player out of college in 1995.

Stewart caught 14 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown in his rookie year, but got his chance as a full-time quarterback in 1997, where he led the Steelers to the AFC Championship Game, losing to John Elway and Shannon Sharpe's Broncos.

From 1995 to 2002, Stewart went 46-29 as a starter, threw for 13,328 passing yards, 70 touchdowns, 2,561 rushing yards, and 35 rushing touchdowns, making one Pro Bowl in the process.

4. Bobby Layne (1958-1962)

Layne made his legacy mostly with the Detroit Lions, where he spent over eight seasons, making five Pro Bowls and winning three NFL championships.

Layne was dealt to the Steelers in 1958, a trade that lives in urban legend as the source of the Lions' now-60 year stretch of Super Bowl-less seasons.

In his five years with the Steelers at the tail end of his career, Layne etched his name onto the Steelers' all-time leaderboard, currently ranking sixth all-time in passing yards and fifth in touchdown passes.

3. Neil O'Donnell (1991-1995)

O'Donnell was the gunslinger for the Steelers in a transitional period in the 1990s between coaches Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, and from 1991 to 1995, O'Donnell led the Steelers to the AFC Championship and Super Bowl in back-to-back years.

O'Donnell's calculated style worked well in the Steelers' system, even as a predominantly run-heavy offense. O'Donnell posted an impressive 81.8 quarterback rating over his Steelers career before departing for the Jets, only throwing 39 interceptions in 66 games.

2. Ben Roethlisberger (2004-2021)