5 Greatest Quarterbacks in Bears History

The Chicago Bears are one of the most historic, successful franchises in NFL history. However, they have never been known to be a quarterback-led team, often finding greatness on the defensive side of the ball.

Still, with 101 seasons of existence, they have had plenty of passers come through their doors. These are the five greatest quarterbacks in Bears history.

5. Jim Harbaugh (19871993)

The Bears traded away Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jim McMahon after the 1988 season, which opened the door for Jim Harbaugh, who was a first-round selection by the team. In four seasons as the true starter, he led the team to the playoffs twice and to a 33-25 record, passing for 9,787 yards in these years.

4. Jim McMahon (1982-1988)

The Bears of the mid-1980's were known for defense, highlighted of course by the legendary 1985 defense. The Monsters of the Midway on D and Walter Payton in the backfield made McMahon's life a lot easier, but his strong play shouldn't be discounted, either. His passer rating of 80.4 ranks fourth all-time among Bears passers with at least 1,000 attempts, and he led 7 game-winning drives in his 66 starts.

3. Erik Kramer (1994-1998)

Erik Kramer is not as big a name as some other son the list, but he has had some of the best performances of any quarterback to play for the Bears. His best season came in 1995, when he passed for 3,838 yards and 29 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions, leading his team to a 9-7 record. Those remain the records for single-season passing yards and touchdowns in franchise history.

2. Jay Cutler (2009-2016)

Say what you want about Jay Cutler, but he was a tremendous quarterback talent, at least when he wanted to be. His effort, motivation and mental strength were often criticized, yet he still put on some incredible performances in Chicago. Cutler is by far the franchise's all-time passing leader (23,443 yards), also throwing a franchise-high 154 touchdowns. He is also second among all Bears QBs (minimum 10 starts) in completion percentage.

1. Sid Luckman (1939-1950)

It can be tough to compare players across eras, but any list of all-time Bears greats would be remiss to leave out Sid Luckman. No QB has played more games in Chicago than Luckman's 128, and his 14,686 passing yards and 137 touchdowns still hold up as the second most in franchise history. A four-time first-team All-Pro from 1941 to 1944, Luckman also led the NFL in passing yards three times as well as passing touchdowns three times. The Bears won four NFL Championships under Luckman in the '40s.

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