GGOATRANK
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American Football · Quarterback · United States

Jim Kelly

1986–1996 · Led Buffalo to four straight Super Bowls with the K-Gun offence.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
84.8
Cultural & brand footprint 52/100 · total legacy 74.6
Super Bowl appearances
4
Pro Bowls
5
Career passing yards
35,467
Career touchdown passes
237
Career wins as starter
101

Category profile

Dominance
82
Peak
90
Longevity
80
Honours
84
Statistics
90

Career timeline · Touchdowns per season

SeasonTouchdowns per seasonShare of career
198622
198719
198815
198925
199024
199133
199223
199318
199422
199522
199614

Data sources

  • NFL
  • Pro Football Reference
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Jim Kelly ranks #106 in American Football

Jim Kelly ranks 106th among American Football athletes on GOAT Rank and 1389th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 84.8 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 82, Peak 90, Longevity 80, Honours 84, Statistics 90. Those categories are normalised against the full American Football reference universe of 381 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1986–1996 with 11 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1991, which sets the Peak component at 90. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 90 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes super bowl appearances 4, pro bowls 5, career passing yards 35467, career touchdown passes 237.

Immediately ahead sits Marshall Faulk on 84.8, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Dan Dierdorf on 84.8. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Jim Kelly GOAT Score explained

Dominance82/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Kelly stood above the field while competing. Scored 82/100 against the full American Football cohort.
Peak90/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1991. Scored 90/100.
Longevity80/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 10 years of competition and 11 recorded seasons. Scored 80/100.
Honours84/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 84/100.
Statistics90/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 90/100.

Jim Kelly — frequently asked

Is Jim Kelly the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Jim Kelly ranks 106th in American Football with a GOAT Score of 84.8, behind Tom Brady on 97.2.
What is Jim Kelly's GOAT Score?
84.8 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 82 (25%), Peak 90 (20%), Longevity 80 (20%), Honours 84 (20%), Statistics 90 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Jim Kelly rank all time?
1389th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 106th within American Football.
Jim Kelly vs Marshall Faulk: who ranks higher?
Jim Kelly, on 84.8 against Marshall Faulk's 84.8 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Brady