Image via Getty/David Madison
It’s said that the quarterback is the toughest position to play in sports—and the guys on this list give you a good idea why. Most of them had the tools to succeed in the NFL: height, cannon arms, even speed, but something—bad coaching, contract holdouts, just being dumb as a bag of rocks—held them back. A football team is usually only as good as its quarterback, and, with a few notable exceptions, these quarterbacks' teams weren't very good. If you're a longtime NFL fan, chances are a few of these guys have broken your heart already. So, in light of a number of quarterbacks who will likely get benched in the coming weeks (we see you Mr. 5.1 QB rating Brandon Weeden), check out the 50 Worst Quarterbacks* in NFL History.
*Minimum 8 starts. So Andre Ware, Dan McGwire, and Kim McQuilken can rest easy. You were such failures they wouldn't even let you fail any more!
50. Trent Dilfer
Years: 1994-2005, 2007
Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers
Drafted: 1st round, 6th overall (1994)
Career Games Started: 113
No quarterback is safe, even if they've won the Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer played on some pretty bad teams—he only had two winning seasons as the starter of the Bucs. Dilfer went into Baltimore with one of the best defenses of all time behind him, and was asked to simply make few mistakes—he threw 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in eight games. In the four seasons where Dilfer started all 16 games, he only threw more touchdowns than interceptions twice.
49. Cade McNown
Years: 1999-2000
Teams: Chicago Bears
Drafted: 1st round, 12th overall (1999)
Career Games Started: 15
Lack of arm strength and accuracy were two words that described McNown for his two short years in the league. Couple this with Bears fans chanting the name of your backup every time you step out on the field, you know your career is going to be short. Yeah, he had a a bad shoulder injury that he had surgery on in his second, and final season, but throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in both seasons will do it to you, too.
48. Marc Bulger
Years: 2000-2010
Teams: New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens
Drafted: 6th round, 168th overall (2000)
Career Games Started: 95
Marc Bulger is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of NFL QBs. Between 2004-06, he was one of the best quarterbacks in the league, posting 90+ QB ratings. Between 2007-2009, the Rams went 2-10, 2-13, and 1-7 with him as a starter and he threw more interceptions than TDs in addition to sporting 70 QB rating.
47. Kordell Stewart
Years: 1995-2005
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens
Drafted: 2nd round, 60th overall (1995)
Career Games Started: 87
Kordell Stewart a.k.a. “Slash” is hard to gauge when it comes to stats and his record. At times Stewart looked like the most poised quarterback sitting in the pocket, and other times he would try and trust his legs to get outside of the pocket and throw a pass that would make any fan question his decision making. Stewart had two good seasons as a Steeler, throwing for over 3,000 yards in 1997 and 2001, and leading his team to the playoffs. Every other year he was mediocre at best, averaging a sub-70 QB rating and finishing under .500.
46. Bubby Brister
Years: 1986-1995, 1997-2001
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs
Drafted: 3rd round, 67th overall (1986)
Career Games Started: 75
With a name like Bubby you knew he'd be an NFL fail. Only once in his career did he start all 16 games and never truly developed into a leader on the Steelers team and didn't bond well with the loyal Steeler fans. No coincidence here, but Brister was eventually benched for Neil O'Donnell. That's a diss!
45. Charlie Batch
Years: 1998-present
Teams: Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers
Drafted: 2nd round, 60th overall (1998)
Career Games Started: 53
For fans outside of the Detroit market, watching Charlie Batch every Thanksgiving was a pure struggle. Batch's worst season came in 2001 when he couldn't win a game for the Lions, got hurt, and was later released to make room for Joey Harrington. There have been a few Batch sightings in Pittsburgh whenever Big Ben gets too touchy or hurts his foot and can't play, and it's still a struggle to watch Batch play.
44. Jeff Komlo
Years: 1979-1981,1983
Teams: Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Drafted: 9th round, 231st overall (1979)
Career Games Started: 16
There's no question why the Detroit Lions were so bad for so many years: The people calling the shots in the front office desperately needed to take a closer look at the talent they were evaluating. Due to injury, Komlo was rushed into the starting role where he went 2-12 and didn't make another start until 1981 where he went 0-2. He finished his career with a 50.9 quarterback rating and threw 28 interceptions.
43. Danny Kanell
Years: 1996-2000, 2003
Teams: New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos
Drafted: 4th round, 130th overall (1996)
Career Games Started: 24
Danny Kanell really brought some hope to the Giants organization after taking over the starting job in 1997. He led his team to the NFC Wild Card game and things could only get better—only they didn't. The next year Kanell threw for 11 touchdowns and and 10 interceptions, disappointing the Giants with a 3-7 record. Kent Graham took over the starting duties in New York and Kanell never saw a meaningful snap again as a starter and finished his career with an overall record of 10-13-1.
42. Steve Walsh
Years: 1989-1999
Teams: Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts
Drafted: 1st round, 1st overall (1989) Supplemental draft
Career Games Started: 38
Cowboy fans figured the addition of Steve Walsh would be a match made in heaven, joining his old coach Jimmy Johnson from the U in the 1989 supplemental draft. The relationship would never blossom—consider yourself lucky Cowboy fans—the Cowboys stuck with Troy Aikman and Walsh was traded away to the Saints. Walsh would later move on to the Bears, Cardinals, Buccaneers and Colts before retiring with 40 touchdowns and 50 interceptions.
41. Bob Avellini
Years: 1975-1984
Teams: Chicago Bears, New York Jets
Drafted: 6th round, 135th overall (1975)
Career Games Started: 50
It's quite common for quarterbacks to make this list with a sub-55 quarterback rating, a shocking number considering these guys are full-time starters and supposed to come in to their respective franchise and turn it around. Bob Avellini is subject to a poor quarterback rating of 54.8, he only posted one season of over a .500 winning percentage and more than doubled his interception to touchdown numbers.
40. Kent Nix
Years: 1967-1972
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Houston Oilers
Drafted: Undrafted
Career Games Started: 18
Tom Landry was a great coach, but when he said Kent Nix was the best rookie quarterback that he'd seen in ten years, the AFL must have been very down or he was blind. Nix never had a winning record as a starter and more than doubled his interceptions to touchdowns throwing 23 touchdowns and 49 interceptions.
39. John Reaves
Years: 1972-1978, 1981, 1987
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Oilers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Drafted: 1st round, 14th overall (1972)
Career Games Started: 17
John Reaves was a first team All-American as a Florida Gator and the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him 14th overall in the 1972 draft. With his great arm and a growing drug problem, Reaves went 0-7 as a rookie with the Eagles before flaming out not very spectacularly in the '70s. His best football moments occurred when he played for Steve Spurrier in the USFL, he's also the father-in-law of USC coach Lane Kiffin.
38. Joe Pisarcik
Years: 1977-1984
Teams: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles
Drafted: Undrafted
Career Games Started: 30
Most Giants fans remember Joe Pisarcik not for his multiple touchdown passes or his ability to lead his team to victory, but as the quarterback who fumbled the snap in the “Miracle at the Meadowlands” game (a "miracle" depending on who you root for). To go with this epic fail Pisarcik's lifetime quarterback rating is 53.9.
37. Marc Wilson
Years: 1980-1991
Teams: Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Raiders
Drafted: 1st round, 15th overall (1980)
Career Games Started: 60
The Raiders haven't been known for having great drafts in the past (a kicker in the first round and Jamarcus Russell come to mind). The Raiders took Marc Wilson in the middle of the first round in 1980 and hoped for a successor to Jim Plunkett once Plunkett decided to hang it up. Wilson never had time to establish himself as the quarterback the Raiders wanted him to be—he was never the starting quarterback for an entire season, and finished his career with a sub-70 quarterback rating.
36. Carl "Richard" Todd
Years: 1976-1985
Teams: New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets
Drafted: 1st round, 6th overall (1976)
Career Games Started: 108
With the hopes of replacing legendary Jets quarterback Joe Namath, the New York Jets drafted Rich Todd sixth overall in the 1976 draft. Todd never started an entire season until 1980 when he led the Jets to a stunning 4-12 record, throwing 30 interceptions and 17 touchdowns. Todd was later traded to the Saints where he was 6-8 in two seasons.
35. Jake Plummer
Years: 1997-2006
Teams: Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Drafted: 2nd round, 42nd overall (1997)
Career Games Started: 136
Jake Plummer left the NFL and $3.5 million to play handball, and that about sums up his career as the quarterback of three different NFL teams. Plummer had an even 161 touchdowns to 161 interceptions for his career, but his average career didn't sit well with fans wherever he traveled. In his last season as Cardinals quarterback he finished with a 53.6% completion percentage.
34. Bobby Hoying
Years: 1996-2000
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders
Drafted: 3rd round, 85th overall (1996)
Career Games Started: 13
Andy Reid can thank Bobby Hoying for his head coaching position. Hoying was seen as the next big thing in Philadelphia and he proved to have upside during his first season. However, his second season didn't go as planned, he didn't win a game, and was benched midway through the season. Donovan McNabb was drafted the next year and Hoying never had the chance to redeem himself.
33. Vince Evans
Years: 1977-1983, 1987-1995
Teams: Chicago Bears, Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders
Drafted: 6th round, 140th overall (1977)
Career Games Started: 39
Vince Evans played for two teams that are the most represented on this list—the Bears and the Raiders. Evans was drafted in the sixth round and had a football career that spanned nearly two decades splitting time between the NFL and the USFL. While in the NFL, Evans never had a winning record as a starter and threw 52 touchdowns to his 74 interceptions; he must have been really good holding a clipboard to be floating around the NFL for so long.
32. Zeke Bratkowski
Years: 1954-1971
Teams: Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears
Drafted: 2nd round, 17th overall (1953)
Career Games Started: 50
It's hard to throw 122 interceptions in 50 career starts. Zeke Bratkowski managed to throw that unthinkable amount of interceptions over his career, but maybe he was concentrating on his punting form as he was the punter for the Bears in the 1954 season. Shockingly enough, “Uncle Zeke” managed to make his way into the Packers hallowed Hall of Fame having only made 13 career starts.
31. Todd Marinovich
Years: 1991-1992
Teams: Los Angeles Raiders
Drafted: 1st round, 24th overall (1991)
Career Games Started: 8
So, you know the plan that some parents have to breed and raise a super athlete? Well, Todd Marinovich's parents were really 'bout that life. When his mother was pregnant she tried to abstain from foods with too much salt or sugar and before Todd could even crawl his father, who was a conditioning coach for the Raiders at one point, began using athletic training on his son.
Well, all that led to a lot of hype, an article in SI, a short but solid stint at USC, a terrible NFL career, and horrible drug addiction. Marinovich threw 8 TDs and 9 interceptions during his stint in the NFL and became more known for failing three drug tests than anything else. His failed tests brought his career to an end in 1993. Overbearing parents are a helluva drug.
30. Randy Wright
Years: Green Bay Packers
Teams: Green Bay Packers
Drafted: 6th round, 153rd overall (1984)
Career Games Started: 32
As a sixth round pick, Randy Wright wasn't supposed to do much for the Packers. You could say he didn't disappoint! Given the ball to start the entire 1986 season, Wright threw 23 interceptions and "led" his team to only four wins. After his 16-start season Wright started 14 more games in his career, only winning two of them.
29. Kelly Stouffer
Years: 1988-1992
Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers
Drafted: 1st round, 6th overall (1987)
Career Games Started: 16
We've identified that most of the rookies on this list that failed to land a contract immediately struggled their first year and were out of the league after their fifth or sixth season. Well, Kelly Stouffer is the poster boy for failed contract talks. Originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, Stouffer failed to negotiate a contract and had his rights traded to the Seahawks the following season. Stouffer ended up playing a season's worth of games over his four-year career as a Seahawk, throwing a whopping 7 TDs for a QB rating of 54.5. Note to strong-armed kids: Sign the damn rookie contract!
28. Tim Rattay
Years: 2000-2007
Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals
Drafted: 7th round, 212th overall (2000)
Career Games Started: 18
Tim Rattay's career numbers are laughable. He threw one pass his rookie season for -4 yards. He didn't start a game until his third year in the league when he went 2-1; his next three seasons he was 3-12 as a starter and slowly faded out of the league, finishing up his career with the Arizona Cardinals in 2007. He does hold some strange records though, such as most completions in a game for a 49ers QB (38); he's also the only QB in NFL history to throw three consecutive passes for touchdowns.
27. Kyle Boller
Years: 2003-2011
Teams: Baltimore Ravens, St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders
Drafted: 1st round, 19th overall (2003)
Career Games Started: 47
Another first-rounder, another failure. Kyle Boller was taken as the 19th overall pick in the 2003 draft, and with a solid defense on the other side of the ball he could still never deliver for the Ravens. In Boller's rookie season he went 5-4 as a starter, followed by a respectable 9-7 season. In 2005 he began his downward spiral, starting just nine games and going 4-5. The next season Steve McNair was brought in and Boller lost his starting spot; Boller came in the 2007 season as a back-up then McNair got hurt and still did not deliver.
26. Mike Phipps
Years: 1970-1981
Teams: Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears
Drafted: 1st round, 3rd overall (1970)
Career Games Started: 72
Upon Phipps' entry into the NFL, he was forced to put the entire Cleveland Brown's organization on his back after they traded one of their top receivers in Paul Warfield to obtain his draft rights. As Mike Ditka and Ricky Williams found out, no rookie player is worth that much. In his third season as the official starter, Phipps played well, throwing for nearly 2,000 yards. However the next three seasons he went 12-20, playing himself out of the starting role. Phipps was later traded to the Bears, who much like the Raiders have had a history of bad quarterbacks in their organization.
25. Gary Huff
Years: 1973-1978
Teams: Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Bucanneers
Drafted: 2nd round, 33rd overall (1973)
Career Games Started: 18
Another #ChicagoBearsQBFail, Huff was taken 33rd overall out of Florida State in 1973. His NFL career consisted of a 7-21 career record and a completion percentage of 49.7. He did pilot the Bucs to their first ever win (quite an accomplishment, no joking). And while a little context is necessary when talking about historical NFL TD-INT ratios (the league had a negative ratio every year until the early '80s), a career line of 16 TDs and 50 picks translates to "suck" no matter the era.
24. Bobby Douglass
Years: 1969-1979
Teams: Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers
Drafted: 2nd round, 41st overall (1969)
Career Games Started: 53
Bobby Douglass was a great runner; problem is, the NFL calls for a quarterback to pass on occasion. Douglass ran for over 2,000 yards in his career, however his passing numbers were less than stellar. He has one of the worst quarterback rankings on this list at 48.5, he also threw nearly twice as many picks as scores, with a lifetime TD-INT ratio of 36-64.
23. Dan Pastorini
Years: 1971-1983
Teams: Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles
Drafted: 1st round, 3rd overall (1971)
Career Games Started: 122
Dan Pastorini's career didn't start off how he expected—in his first three seasons he was a combined 5-25. You've got to be good or durable to start 122 games in the NFL, and Pastorini was more the latter than the former (although he did make the Pro Bowl in '75). You've definitely got to be durable to finish your career with 58 more interceptions than touchdowns. After his sub-par career with the Oilers he was traded to—wait for it—the Oakland Raiders where he played for five weeks until he broke his leg and future Super Bowl winner Jim Plunkett took over. Not the career a third-overall draft pick would have in mind.
22. Patrick Ramsey
Years: 2002-current
Teams: Washington Redskins, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings
Drafted: 1st round, 32nd overall (2002)
Career Games Started: 24
Strong-armed quarterback, meet strong-willed ball coach. What could possibly go wrong? Bwahahahaha. Who knows what might've happened to Patrick Ramsey had he not been paired with Steve Spurrier to begin his career, but he was, and the result was "No fun, hide the gun" than fun 'n gun. Ramsey was drafted in the first round of the 2002 draft and was immediately called upon to fill the shoes of Tony Banks; the one thing standing in his way was the two quarterback fun and gun system that Spurrier ran that was so successful for him at the college level. Ramsey never adapted to the two quarterback system that Spurrier ran and was eventually run out of town and traded for a sixth-round draft pick. He's actually one of the few quarterbacks on this list with a positive TD-INT ratio.
21. Todd Blackledge
Years: 1983-1989
Teams: Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers
Drafted: 1st round, 7th overall (1983)
Career Games Started: 29
Some teams like to ease their rookie quarterback into their system to help them learn the offense piece by piece rather than throwing them into the fire. The Kansas City Chiefs attempted to do this with Todd Blackledge but it didn't work out like they would have hoped. Blackledge only attempted thirty four passes his rookie season; then went 4-4 the next year. He never won more than five games during any season in the NFL and after joining the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1988 season, his career fizzled out.
20. Rick Norton
Years: 1966-1970
Teams: Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers
Drafted: 1st round, 2nd overall (1966, AFL); 2nd round, 29th overall (1966, NFL)
Career Games Started: 11
Unless you were a Miami fan back in the late '60s, or you're familiar with terrible quarterbacks, you've probably never heard of Rick Norton. Rick was drafted in both the AFL and NFL drafts; the AFL had the misfortune of seeing the most of his absolutely atrocious career. He threw 7 touchdowns to 30 interceptions and finished with a career quarterback rating of an even 30.
19. Jack Thompson
Years: 1979-1984
Teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Drafted: 1st round, 3rd overall (1979)
Career Games Started: 21
It's a bad sign when you're better known for your racist nickname than your quarterback play; such is the case with Jack Thompson a.k.a. “The Throwin' Samoan.” Another college quarterback who put up all types of school records, Thompson never won more than one game as a starting quarterback for the Bengals, and never won more than two games during his entire NFL career. Just a guess, but that 33-45 TD-INT ratio might have something to do with that.
18. Dave Klingler
Years: 1992-1998
Teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers
Drafted: 1st round, 6th overall (1992)
Career Games Started: 24
The Bengals have a history of drafting poorly, especially at the quarterback position, falling in love with big time college stats. Dave Klingler threw the ball all over the yard as a Houston Cougar and unfortunately that skill set didn't transfer over to the then run first, pass second NFL style of play. Klingler's best season as a Bengal he went 3-10 as a starter and the following year his team didn't win a game while he was a starter. He would later become an Oakland Raider (don't act surprised) and eventually faded out of the league.
17. Karl Sweetan
Years: 1966-1970
Teams: Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams
Drafted: 18th round, 249th (1965)
Career Games Started: 18
Maybe the biggest accomplishment of Karl Sweetan's career is his lifetime ties in the NFL. Ties don't occur very often in the NFL (don't tell that to Donovan McNabb) but when teams do tie they're few and far between. Sweetan led teams to ties three times in his career, never had a winning record, and threw 34 interceptions in his short career. As the 249th pick in the 18th round what else would you expect?
16. J.P. Losman
Years: 2004-2010
Teams: Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks
Drafted: 1st round, 22nd overall (2004)
Career Games Started: 33
Sometimes you have to look at how these quarterbacks played in college and wonder what exactly NFL general managers are thinking. Granted, Losman passed for a ton of yards at Tulane, but we're guessing Justin Bieber might be able to put up some gaudy numbers playing against Rice. Losman was injured for most of his 2004 rookie season in Buffalo with a broken leg, and was benched during the 5th game the next year. He had a decent campaign in 2006, so of course the Bills drafted another crappy QB (Trent Edwards) to back him up. Edwards would replace the injured Losman the next season and keep the job; Losman would eventually land in—you guessed it—Oakland.
15. Andrew Walter
Years: 2006-2008
Teams: Oakland Raiders
Drafted: 3rd round, 69th overall (2005)
Career Games Started: 9
Walter barely makes our 8-games-started cut-off, but he ranks high on the list nonetheless for one glaring statistic: a career 3-16 touchdown to interception ratio. He was a tall quarterback with a rifle for an arm who just never panned out (see just about every other entry on this list). He was immobile in the pocket, couldn't find Randy Moss on the field, and struggled to read complicated defenses. If given the opportunity, we're confident that Walter could've sucked even worse and placed higher on this list. Put me in coach!
14. Derek Anderson
Years: 2005-Current
Teams: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers
Drafted: 6th round, 213th overall (2005)
Career Games Started: 43
Browns fans remember Anderson throwing for 3700+ yards in 2007, and leading the team to their best record since returning to Cleveland in 1999. They also might remember him throwing four picks against the Bengals late in the season in a game that could've actually gotten the Browns to the playoffs. Aside from that season Anderson never had a winning season where he was the starting quarterback, and never threw for more than 10 scores in a season. You may remember Derek from such shows as Laughing on the Sidelines, 2010. He's now backing up the back up to Cam Newton in Carolina with his next projected regular season snap occurring in Nevuary 2065.
13. Quincy Carter
Years: 2001-2005
Teams: Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets
Drafted: 2nd round, 53rd overall (2001)
Career Games Started: 34
Like Chris Weinke, Quincy Carter was a baseball player first and a football player second. After playing baseball for a few years Carter went on to the University of Georgia, then was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft.
Carter never threw for more touchdowns than interceptions in his career even when the Cowboys went 10-6. After the 10-6 season Carter was cut from the team for “undisclosed reasons” which in Bill Parcells terms meant he didn't like him and saw no future (or he didn't share his pot). Carter then signed a one-year deal with the Jets where he finished out his NFL career, before bouncing around the Canadian Football League, the Arena Football League, and the Arena Football League's developmental league. Yes, the Arena Football League had a developmental league.
12. Heath Shuler
Years: 1994-1998
Teams: Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders
Drafted: 1st round, 3rd overall (1994)
Career Games Started: 22
Hey Redskins fans: Can't blame this one on Dan Snyder! Heath Shuler finished second in the 1993 Heisman Trophy race, and as such, he wanted to get paid. He held out of training camp until he got his 7-year, $19.25 million contract (sidebar: That's peanuts today!). In his first season he saw action in 11 out of 16 games and won only one; he also managed to throw five interceptions in a loss to the Cardinals. For his career he finished with a shiny 54.3 quarterback rating. Today Shuler's a congressman representing the 11th district of North Carolina. Not sure if that's failing up or down, but it's definitely still failing.
11. Dave Brown
Years: 1992-2001
Teams: New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals
Drafted: 1st round, 1st overall (1992) Supplemental Draft
Career Games Started: 60
There haven't been many quarterbacks taken in the supplemental draft who succeeded (sorry Terrelle Pryor fans) in the NFL. There have been even fewer quarterbacks from Duke to succeed in the NFL (bad news for fans of whoever Duke's QB is now). Dave Brown was taken by the Giants as the top pick in the '92 supplemental draft, and his first start came unexpectedly in his rookie year when the Giants' three other quarterbacks were injured.
Brown himself was injured in that game (not a great era for Giants offensive line play), but as the full-time starter in '94, he led the G-Men to a respectable 9-7 record. The next two years the Giants won 11 games combined, and Brown lost his job to Danny Kanell. You know you're bad when you lose your job to Danny Kanell.
10. Matt Leinart
Years: 2006-current
Teams: Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders
Drafted: 1st round, 10th overall (2006)
Career Games Started: 18
Most quarterbacks on this list have one thing in common, they held out for a considerable amount of time before training camp and were forced to learn their new offense on the fly. The same goes for Matt Leinart who held out on the Cardinals and was the last player of the '06 draft to sign a contract. Another "highlight" of Leinart's career was "guiding" the Cardinals to the 20-point collapse against the Bears that sparked the Dennis Green's epic rant.
9. Tim Couch
Years: 1999-2004, 2007
Teams: Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars
Drafted: 1st round, 1st overall (1999)
Career Games Started: 59
Just because a player becomes a Heisman finalist doesn't guarantee them success at the next level word to Joey Harrington. Tim Couch is another player that falls into the Heisman hype then doesn't deliver in the NFL. In Couch's rookie year he led his team to a stellar 2-12 record after sitting out his first game to Ty Detmer. Couch had a breakout season his second to last year leading his Browns to a 9-7 record, only to break his leg in the last game of the season, have his team lose in the first round of the playoffs and never regain the starting spot.
Butch Davis made it clear after juggling through quarterbacks that he didn't trust Couch with the ball and after Couch's 3-5 record as a starter his last year in Cleveland he wasn't picked up by any other teams after that, making him not only one of the biggest draft busts in the history of the NFL, but one of the worst quarterbacks as well.
8. Chris Weinke
Years: 2001-2007
Teams: Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers
Drafted: 4th round, 106th overall (2001)
Career Games Started: 20
The Carolina Panthers didn't expect much when they drafted Chris Weinke in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL draft, and they probably would've been better off selecting skinny tie wearing, Bachelor Jesse Palmer. Regardless, Weinke threw the ball all over the place his rookie season both to his teammates and the other team. He finished the year with almost 3,000 yards passing but that's all Weinke can say for his football career. After the 15-loss 2001 season Weinke didn't see the field, losing his starting spot to Jake Delhomme. Weinke ended his career in San Francisco in 2007 in a game the 49ers lost 20-7. Still got that Heisman though!
7. Rick Mirer
Years: 1993-2004
Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions
Drafted: 1st round, 2nd overall (1993)
Career Games Started: 68
Rick Mirer never had a season record better than 7-6 during his career, which was probably not something the Seattle Seahawks were hoping for when they drafted him second overall in the 1993 NFL draft. Mirer finished his career as a Seahawk with a 20-31 record, then was traded to the Bears with a fourth round pick in '97 for the Bears' first round pick.
As a member of the Bears, Mirer continued to struggle throwing for no touchdowns and six interceptions in the three games that he started. Mirer's last stop was in Oakland (where quarterbacks go to die), where he threw for three touchdowns and five interceptions. Not much to brag about for a highly touted quarterback out of Notre Dame. He probably slayed the ladies with his dreamy eyes, but technically the NFL is a men only league.
6. Joey Harrington
Years: 2002-2008
Teams: Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints
Drafted: 1st round, 3rd overall (2002)
Career Games Started: 76
Joey Harrington finished fourth in the Heisman trophy race, in 2002, had a billboard in Times Square promoting him and his Ducks, and was drafted 3rd overall. And that's about it. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions, where wide receiver happy CEO Matt Millen surrounded him with a bunch of bust receivers and a shaky offensive line. Harrington doesn't have truly awful career numbers (how's that for faint praise?), throwing "just" six more interceptions than touchdowns. But his draft position and the general stink of the Lions' Matt Millen years put him high on this list.
5. David Carr
Years: 2002-present
Teams: Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants
Drafted: 1st round, 1st overall (2002)
Career Games Started: 79
David Carr is still icing his injuries from his rookie season where he was sacked every other play (not literally, but the fact we had to actually tell you that let's you know how often he was on the turf that year). Pair that with an awkward sidearm release that the Texans went to great lengths to improve (setting up ladders for him to throw over) and you have a recipe for some bad quarterback play.
As a first overall pick you would think a team would evaluate their soon to be franchise quarterback a little better (such as, "Are we gonna have to go to Home Depot to buy training tools for this kid?") but that's beside the point. Carr lost 14 times as the starter in 2005 and 12 times during his rookie season. Today he's sitting comfortably on the sideline for the New York Giants, paranoid to ever step into the pocket in a meaningful situation again.
4. Akili Smith
Years: 1999-2002
Teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Drafted: 1st round, 3rd overall (1999)
Career Games Started: 17
The Bengals have been a mess for years, in no small part because once an organization drafts a quarterback, and that signal caller is a bust, it will set a team back three or four years. Akili Smith was drafted third overall and was known as a “combine guy” – great numbers, an exceptional forty time, and a huge arm. Akili Smith didn't amount to his numbers and he was out of the league by 2002. To add insult to injury, the Bengals could've turned his pick into as many as nine picks if they'd partnered with the Saints' Mike Ditka in his "Trade the Draft for Ricky Williams" gambit.
3. Jack Trudeau
Years: 1986-1995
Teams: Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers
Drafted: 2nd round, 47th overall (1986)
Career Games Started: 49
The Colts were pretty bad back in the day to have to announce Trudeau as their offensive MVP in 1989 for throwing for 15 touchdowns at a thoroughly pedestrian quarterback rating of 71.3 (hey, it beat the 19.0 he'd put up in two starts the year before).
Trudeau's rookie career he started off 0-11, throwing 18 interceptions and 8 TDs. He was able to hang around the league for 9 years but never had the success the Colts were hoping for when they drafted him. He did get arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor in 2007 after hosting a high school graduation party for his daughter. Cool dad, bad quarterback.
2. Ryan Leaf
Years: 1998-2002
Teams: San Diego Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks
Drafted: 1st round, 2nd overall (1998)
Career Games Started: 21
Everybody knows the story of Ryan Leaf blowing up on reporters, most notably in the locker room when he told a reporter to “Knock it off” among other choice words. Leaf was a lock to become an NFL star according to draft analysts and the separation between him and Peyton Manning was thought to be small, so choosing a quarterback in the '98 draft was simple: If a team didn't take Manning they would take Leaf and vice versa.
Well the Chargers chose Leaf with their pick and the rest is history. In the third game of the season against the Chiefs, Leaf completed just one pass for four yards with a completion percentage of 6.7%, he also threw two picks and fumbled three times. Ryan Leaf off the field wasn't much better, most recently getting into trouble asking players that he was coaching at West Texas A&M for painkillers.
1. JaMarcus Russell
Years: 2007-2009
Teams: Oakland Raiders
Drafted: 1st round, 1st overall (2007)
Career Games Started: 25
He was supposed to be the savior of the struggling Raiders, who had seen the likes of Aaron Brooks, Daunte Culpepper and Andrew Walter try to return them to excellence—an excellence that fans hadn't seen since the Rich Gannon days. Instead Jamarcus Russell accomplished something that many pigskin sages thought would not be possible: He became a bigger draft bust than Ryan Leaf.
Turns out Russell was lazy and uncommitted to football (and maybe addicted to lean), showing up for camp a few times overweight. He was probably doomed from the start, holding out into Week 1 of the regular season his rookie year. Jamarcus started a total of 25 games, putting up 18 touchdowns to 23 interceptions, "good" for a 7-18 record.