Browns News: Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes Lose Out to Cleveland Legend in NFL’s Underrated QB Record

The names of Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady have become synonymous with the idea of winning throughout the past several years. One of them holds the most Super Bowl wins of all time, and the other holds the record for the most starting-QB wins throughout the first eight years of any career in NFL history, so the majority of records figures to reside between those two. 

Rather surprisingly, however, neither one of them has the best career QB-win percentage in NFL history. Ironically enough, that honor belongs to the former signal caller of what many believe to be the lowliest franchise in the history of football. 

Believe it or not, the best win percentage for quarterbacks who have played in 60 or more NFL games belongs to Otto Graham of the Cleveland Browns. The three-time NFL Champion and NFL Hall of Famer may have only competed in 72 officially recognized contests, but he still managed to produce a career win percentage of 81.3%.

The former face of the New England Patriots ultimately competed in 335 NFL games while winning at a 74.9% rate. When it comes to the current most-premier passer in the league today, Mahomes has managed to compete in 112 contests throughout his seven years as a starter.

The pride and joy of the Kansas City Chiefs currently boasts an unprecedented career win percentage of 79.5%, placing him just behind Graham for the second-best win percentage of all time. Nevertheless, he’ll need a quality finish to the upcoming 2025 regular season should he hope to outdo the likes of the often-forgotten legend. 

Throughout the mid-1940s and 1950s, Graham was best known for his thrilling passing ability. Throughout his 10-year reign in Cleveland, he managed to lead the league in passing yards on five separate occasions. 

Even though his highest passing yard total of any season was 2,816 yards, it was more than enough to dazzle both the league and its fans alike back in the day. Graham also managed to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns in three separate seasons as well. 

He first did so as a rookie by recording 17 passing touchdowns throughout the regular season. He then managed to lead the league for a second consecutive time in 1947, where he would manage to produce an improved total of 25 passing touchdowns. 

Mix in three NFL Championships, five Pro Bowl nominations, and seven All-Pro honors, and it seems as if Graham was, in many ways, the Patrick Mahomes of the 1940s. His career as a starter immediately yielded league-leading metrics, AFC Championships, and league titles, making him one of the most exciting players in the history of the Browns’ franchise. 

Even though he comes from a different era, Graham’s presence in the record books is just another reminder of the fact that what we do echoes in eternity. Even now, today, in the year of 2025, his name is still able to bring some honor to what has otherwise been the most downtrodden sporting franchise of the modern era. 

His level of competition may have been different, and the game may not have been as complex back then as it is today, but it’s an all-time record nevertheless, and fans will have to respect that right up until it is broken.