Even with the seemingly endless library of statistics and decades of film, some sports debates will continue to remain unsettled for as long as humanity exists. So when Nick Wright and Colin Cowherd debated the best NFL quarterbacks of all time, recently, there were inevitably some disagreements.
One of the most notable disagreements arose when Wright assumed that it was a consensus belief that Aaron Rodgers was a top-10 quarterback of all time. Cowherd revealed that he disagreed with that take, naming several names he’d place ahead of the four-time league MVP.

Colin Cowherd States that Aaron Rodgers Doesn’t Belong in the Top-10 Quarterbacks of All Time
The conversation took place during an episode of Cowherd’s show, “The Herd,” on Fox Sports. Wright, who also works for Fox, was asked by his host where he believes Rodgers ranks among the best quarterbacks ever to play the game. Wright answered, voicing his assumption that he and Cowherd could agree that Rodgers belongs in the top 10.
“I think we’ll agree on this,” he said. “Outside of the top five, inside of the top 10.”
As Wright began to elaborate on his take, he was stopped in his tracks by Cowherd’s revelation that the two were in disagreement. Taken aback by his host’s stance, Wright managed a stunned “Wow.”
Cowherd listed Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman ahead of Rodgers, as well as former Green Bay Packers star Brett Favre. In the host’s opinion, Super Bowl victories have to carry more weight than regular-season heroics.
If Aaron Rodgers decides to retire, is he currently one of the Top 10 NFL QBs of all-time?@GetNickWright and @ColinCowherd debated Rodgers’ place among the all-time greats on #TheHerd. pic.twitter.com/W601DPbBTi
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 27, 2025
“Terry Bradshaw. I mean, how many times do you have to win the Super Bowl? How about Aikman’s got three Super Bowls. I mean, that has to matter more than regular-season stuff.”
Cowherd drew another “Wow” from his guest when he then stated that he also didn’t consider New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees a top-10 all-time quarterback.
Cowherd Accuses Rodgers of Playing It Safe
Keen to explain his reasons for pushing Rodgers down his rankings, Cowherd explained that he believed Rodgers started playing within himself to avoid turnovers later in his career. The host accused the quarterback of trying to “protect his passer rating,” rather than being aggressive in order to win games.
“When (Tom) Brady and (Peyton) Manning started compiling trophies, Aaron got overly protective of his passer rating and became a much more, a safer player in big games. He started playing to protect his passer rating, and that, to me, started the downward trend in big games. If he had a pick, if he had two, he just wouldn’t make certain throws.”
With Rodgers looking more and more likely to be wearing black and gold in 2025, perhaps there’s a chance that he could add another Lombardi Trophy to his resume before his time’s up.