How would star quarterbacks from the past fare in the modern-day NFL?

While the question will never get a true answer, it's interesting to take a look at how the best quarterbacks would do in today's NFL where rules protect the quarterback and support passing league. Hall of Fame Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino spoke on how these newer rules favor the quarterback.

“You can’t hit the quarterback the way you used to. You can’t get a shot in the head, you can’t go on your knees. And that’s a good thing I think because when I played you were allowed to do that and players could take shots at you,” via ESPN's Kevin Clark.

Dan Marino jokingly suggests he could even throw for 6,000 yards if he played in the NFL today. “The best part about this is I’m retired and I don’t have to prove it. So, yes, we’d throw for 6,000 yards.”

Despite playing in an era when the numbers for most quarterbacks looked pedestrian compared to what average QBs put up today, Marino often put up stats that would still be considered prolific today. Marino threw for a total of 61,361 passing yards during his 17-year career, which still ranks 8th on the career passing yards list. When he retired, he was the all-time passing leader and threw for almost 10,000 more yards than the next player from his era, John Elway, who threw for 51,475 yards.

Marino's best shot at throwing for 6,000 yards in today's NFL would be if he had a similar season to his 1984 sophomore year when he threw for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns, both records at the time. These numbers were so astonishing and ahead of their time that his single-season passing record was not passed until 2011 when Drew Brees threw for 5,476 yards, and his single-season touchdown record was not broken until 2004 when Peyton Manning threw 49 touchdowns.

As Dan Marino says, the best part of his claim is he doesn't have to prove it. But if Marino played in Mike McDaniels' offense with Tyreek Hill on the outside, a 6,000 yard passing season might not be so far-fetched.