Ranked: The worst quarterbacks in NFL history

Being an NFL quarterback is an almost impossible task, with only 32 people in the world considered good enough to be a starter at any one moment. Even within those 32, a lot aren’t considered very good, so it’s no surprise that there have been many whose careers didn’t meet expectations. Let’s take a look at those quarterbacks who stand out for all the wrong reasons!

Tim Tebow had one incredible moment as a quarterback in the NFL: His 80-yard TD to Demaryius Thomas in OT to beat the Steelers in the playoffs. Even in that game, Tebow completed just 10/21 passes, roughly in line with his career completion rate. When a first round QB attempts a comeback as a tight end, you know things haven’t quite worked out.

Danny Kanell had a great career at Florida State, helping the Seminoles win a National Championship in 1993. His NFL career wasn’t quite as successful, with the former Giant, Falcon and Bronco throwing for more interceptions than touchdowns in his career, per ESPN.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Andrew Walter was drafted in the third round of the 2005 draft by the then-Oakland Raiders, which is a franchise we will be hearing from a few times in this list. Walter wasn’t expected to be a star in the NFL, but his TD-INT ratio of 3-16 is just too bad to ignore.

Perhaps Jimmy Clausen’s greatest gift to the Carolina Panthers was being so bad it allowed them to draft Cam Newton. Outside of that, the former Notre Dame signal caller failed to live up to his draft hype, starting just 10 games in three seasons for Carolina. Three TDs and nine picks with a 52.5% completion rate, per Pro Football Reference, is truly awful.

Carter didn’t have an easy job when he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, with the Georgia Bulldog expected to replace franchise legend Troy Aikman. That didn’t quite work out, with Carter struggling with accuracy issues at the pro level. Carter was given plenty of chances, but it just never worked out.

A Heisman Trophy and a National Championship while playing for the USC Trojans suggested Matt Leinart had the talent and temperament to succeed in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, their 10th overall selection in 2005 proved to be one of the biggest busts in franchise history, starting just 17 games in four seasons before being released. His time at the Jets wasn’t any better.

Peterman had maybe the worst quarterback performance we have ever seen in 2017 when he threw five picks in a half. However, given his fifth-round draft selection, and that he is still bouncing around the NFL to this day, we have him a little higher on this list than expected. Still, his 4 picks and 13 interceptions don’t make for happy reading.

Not a name or player we are especially familiar with, but statistically, he’s hard to ignore for this list. Kim McQuilken has the worst passer rating for any quarterback in NFL history, with over 200 completions at 17.9. It’s no surprise when you realize he completed just 39.7% of his passes with three 29 interceptions to just four (4!) touchdowns during his career.

Tim Couch was a first overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 1999 and is generally considered one of the biggest busts in NFL history. Couch struggled with injuries during his NFL career, which didn’t help, but he just couldn’t find his feet at the professional level.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

There aren’t too many good things to be said about Johnny Football from his time in the NFL. He was renowned for not having the right attitude and not trying to improve himself. A lot of that is his fault, but it’s fair to suggest the Cleveland Browns didn’t set him up for success either (they rarely do, it seems). Manziel was always going to struggle in the NFL, we just didn’t expect it to be that bad.

The current representative for North Carolina’s 11th District was once a talented college QB during his time at Tennessee. That talent didn’t translate to the NFL, despite being taken with the third overall selection by Washington. 15 touchdowns and 33 interceptions followed, with a meager 49.2% completion rate to boot.

Jack Trudeau made his first NFL start in 1986, so we’ve gone a long way back in the archives for this one. Like many on this list, Trudeau finished his career with more interceptions than TDs (69 picks, 42 TDs), but unlike many, he was given opportunities time and time again, starting 49 games across a 10-year career.

Akili Smith was a fearsome athlete, with an Adonis-like physique and incredible testing numbers. What he didn’t seem to have, was a willingness to study the Bengals playbook. He was drafted third overall in 1999, but only lasted four years in the NFL.

JaMarcus Russell struggled almost as soon as he got to the NFL, with Complex writing, “Russell was lazy and uncommitted to football… showing up for camp a few times overweight.” In comparison to some on this list, his numbers don’t look too bad, but his overall attitude means he deserves to be on this list.

At one point in time, it was thought the Indianapolis Colts would select Ryan Leaf ahead of Peyton Manning in the 1998 draft. It turns out the Colts made the correct decision, with Leaf turning out to be the biggest bust, and worst QB, of all time. He struggled on and off the field while in the NFL and was out of the league in four years.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!