Power Ranking: The greatest quarterback rookie seasons in NFL history

Back in the day, NFL rookie quarterbacks had the cushion of taking a couple of years to develop. However, that luxury has all but disappeared today, as fans want to see immediate return on investment at the game’s most important position. We’ve ranked the greatest seasons from rookie quarterbacks in NFL history. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

The 2004 NFL Draft yielded a strong crop of quarterbacks, including Philip Rivers, Eli Manning and Roethlisberger. While we can debate which of the trio had the best career, Roethlisberger got off to the strongest start. The Steelers did not lose a single regular season game with the rookie under center in 2004.

Pittsburgh went 15-1 en route to an AFC championship game appearance. While they ended up losing to the New England Patriots, the franchise knew it was in good hands with the former Miami of Ohio signal caller. As covered by Steelers Depot, CBS’ Gus Johnson exclaimed during a Week 5 game that year “there’s magic in that right arm,” and it sure seemed like there was.

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The Cowboys seemed like they were in a lot of trouble heading into the 2016 campaign. Veteran passer Tony Romo was injured in the preseason, and Dallas was forced to turn to fourth-round rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Prescott emerged as the franchise’s new leader.

The Cowboys went 13-3 under Prescott, and the rookie threw 23 touchdowns to just four interceptions. Dallas appeared primed to reach the NFC title game, but heroics from Aaron Rodgers in the Divisional Round kept them from advancing. Still, Prescott deserves a ton of credit for stepping in, contrary to what the plan was supposed to be that year.

Former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told CBS Sports during the summer of 2012, “Russell has shown nothing but that he is a quarterback. He is so prepared, he does not seem like he is a first-year quarterback.” Somewhat improbably, Wilson beat out Tavaris Jackson and Matt Flynn for the starting job out of the training camp.

It turned out to be a smart move. Wilson was under center for all 16 regular season games, leading the team to an 11-5 record. Seattle won their Wild Card round game, and nearly knocked off the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round. Former Seattle teammate Cliff Avril told The Florida Times-Union, “It took me three years, I would say, to become a pro. He picked up on it right away, so that’s pretty impressive.”

The Ravens were known as a defensive team in the 2000s, led by Hall of Famers Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs. In theory, all Baltimore needed was a quarterback who wouldn’t mess things up for them, but Flacco did more than that. Although his numbers didn’t jump off the page, Flacco showed a poise about him that brought Baltimore to the AFC title game in his first year.

He made a huge difference, as the Ravens went from a 5-11 team in 2007 to an 11-5 team the following year. Andrew Kneeland of Bleacher Report wrote about head coach John Harbaugh’s desire to select Flacco during the 2008 draft, which involved convincing general manager Ozzie Newsome to do whatever it took to land him. The decision certainly paid off.

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Although Newton’s 2011 Panthers didn’t have the same level of team success as some of the other names on this list, his play helped revolutionize the sport in ways that are still being felt today. Newton threw for over 4,000 yards as a rookie, and ran for 706 yards with an astonishing 14 touchdowns.

Former Green Bay Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji told the Panthers’ website, “I knew he would be good. But if I told you I knew he’d be this good this early, I’d be lying to you. He doesn’t get frustrated. We threw a lot of stuff at him, and he was able to sit back there and make some of the plays they needed.”

During his sensational rookie year, Griffin felt like a legitimate threat to take the ball the distance with his legs on any given play. Griffin didn’t have the power that Newton possessed, but he had lightning quick speed that left defenders staring at the back of his jersey. Griffin ran for 815 yards as a rookie, while also throwing for 20 touchdowns.

Former Washington teammate DeAngelo Hall told Andscape, “RG in Washington D.C. that first year… He was like President Barack Obama. Man, he was big.” Although Griffin was never able to recapture the form of his first NFL season, his efforts during it remain one of the most scintillating debuts in NFL history.

Rookie quarterbacks are expected to make mistakes and give their opponents multiple chances to beat them. Stroud didn’t do that in his first year with the Texans. He played in 15 games, and tossed just five picks in that time frame. Stroud helped lead Houston to the AFC Divisional round in his first campaign.

Teammate Nico Collins told ESPN, “The way Stroud first walked in the building, you could tell he had that ‘it’ factor. You could just feel it… The sky’s the limit for him. I can’t wait to see it.” Stroud also helped shed the narrative that Ohio State quarterbacks can’t cut it in the pros, as ESPN noted he was the first quarterback Buckeye alum to make the Pro Bowl.

While all of the quarterbacks on this list had stellar starts to their career, perhaps no one has had a better one than Daniels. Recency bias might play a part in the ranking, but Daniels’ play helped lift a moribund Washington franchise out of the doldrums and into the spotlight. CBS 42 wrote that Commanders coach Dan Quinn compared Daniels to the famous movie character, the 'Terminator'.

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Daniels took the Commanders all the way to the NFC championship game in year one, and he wasn’t just along for the ride. He was the catalyst who got the most out of the weapons around him, which is something that passers in Washington have failed to do for a little while. Daniels brings physical talent as well as emotional stability to an organization that badly needed it.