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RotoBaller digs into every NFL team's worst starting quarterback since 2000. Which NFL QBs had the worst starts since 2000? Analyzing horrible QB starts in the NFL.
Every NFL Team's Worst Starting Quarterback Since 2000
The quarterback position is unquestionably the most important position on the field. While a great starting QB can lift a team to tremendous heights, a bad one can produce disastrous results. Here are the worst starting QBs for every NFL team since 2000…
Arizona Cardinals - Josh Rosen (2018)
The 10th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Rosen stumbled out of the gates and his career never recovered. The former UCLA signal caller went 3-10 as the Cardinals starter during his rookie season. He posted an abysmal Passer Rating of 66.7, while tossing 14 interceptions to just 11 TDs. Arizona was so bad during Rosen’s tenure that they earned the top overall pick in the following year’s draft, a pick which they used to select Kyler Murray.
Atlanta Falcons - Desmond Ridder (2022-23)
While Ridder’s overall record of 6-7 as Atlanta’s starting QB doesn’t look that bad, it does little justice to just how atrocious he was during the 2023 season. Despite have a roster with explosive players such as Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts surrounding him, Ridder could never get the Falcons offense in gear. He struggled with turnovers, throwing 12 interceptions and losing seven fumbles during the course of the season. Ridder was benched twice during the ’23 campaign and ultimately released by Atlanta.
Baltimore Ravens - Elvis Grbac (2001)
Just a year removed from winning the Super Bowl thanks to a dominant defense and Trent Dilfer’s game management under center, the Ravens elected to let Dilfer walk and signed Elvis Grbac to a five-year, $30 million contract. To say it was a bad decision would be a huge understatement. Grbac threw more interceptions (18) than TDs (15) in his 14 games as Baltimore’s starter. Quickly realizing their mistake, the Ravens moved on from him after one season.
Buffalo Bills - Nathan Peterman (2017-18)
Nathan Peterman wasn’t just bad in his four career starts for the Bills, he was a certified disaster. Peterman notoriously logged what might be the worst start in NFL history in his first game under center for Buffalo. He tossed five interceptions in the first half before being benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor. How he ever got another start for the Bills is anyone guess, but he ultimately finished with a record of 0-4 as the starter with a TD-to-INT ratio of 3:12 and a putrid 32.5 Passer Rating.
Carolina Panthers - Jimmy Clausen (2010)
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. declared he’d retire if Jimmy Clausen wasn’t a successful NFL QB. How is Mel still working? In his lone season as the Panthers starter, Clausen was atrocious, posting a 1-9 record across 10 starts in the 2010 season. Sacked 33 times, he tossed only three TDs while helming the Panthers offense. On the bright side, Clausen’s abysmal record helped Carolina to land the top pick in the 2011 NFL Draft which they would use to select Cam Newton.
Chicago Bears - Jonathan Quinn (2004)
The QB carousel in Chicago has largely been churning for decades with brief stops of stability along the way. The 2004 season was an especially bleak time for the Bears under center, as evidenced by the fact that the team was forced to turn to journeyman backup Jonathan Quinn for three games. Quinn was, unsurprisingly, awful in his limited time at the helm, going 0-3 with a 53.7 Passer Rating.
Cincinnati Bengals - Akili Smith (2000-02)
Smith’s time under center for the Bengals wasn’t simply bad, as the fact that he was the third overall pick of the 1999 NFL Draft made his horrible play much, much worse. Though Smith saw some action as a rookie, his 2000 campaign is when Cincinnati likely knew they had made a huge mistake. He went 2-9 in 11 starts in 2000 and finished his Bengals career with a completion percentage under 50%.
Cleveland Browns - DeShone Kizer (2017)
This was perhaps the toughest call on the list due to high competition, i.e., Cleveland has had so many terrible starting QBs that it was difficult to narrow it down. Despite names such as Wynn, Kessler, and Manziel; the title has to go to DeShone Kizer, a QB who went an almost unfathomable 0-15 in his 15 starts of the 2017. While the Browns were a historically bad 0-16 in ’17, Kizer’s play did nothing to help the cause, as he tossed a league-leading 22 interceptions during his time under center.
Dallas Cowboys - Ryan Leaf (2001)
The Cowboys have been rather blessed with QB stability over the past three decades, with Troy Aikman, Tony Romo, and Dak Prescott starting the vast majority of games in Dallas. However, there have been some lean times in Big D, and the failed Ryan Leaf experiment of 2001 sticks out.
An infamous bust with the Chargers, the Cowboys tried to rehabilitate Leaf’s career to no avail. Following his flame out in San Diego, he didn’t fare any better in Dallas, going 0-3 as the Cowboys starter while confirming he didn’t have the ability to compete as an NFL starting QB.
Denver Broncos - Paxton Lynch (2016-17)
A first-round pick in 2016, Lynch was Denver’s attempt at replacing a retired Peyton Manning. Needless to say, it didn’t work out, as Lynch showed very little development or promise during his brief stay in the Mile High City. When given the chance to start, he owned a 1-3 record for the Broncos before the team quickly decided to move on from him.
Detroit Lions - Dan Orlovsky (2008)
While most football fans now know Orlovsky for his work on ESPN, he did once get a shot at being a starting QB in the NFL. It did not go well. Orlovsky posted an 0-7 record as Detroit’s starter in 2008 – a season in which the Lions went a ridiculously bad 0-16. Best known for the notorious safety where he ran out of the back of his own end zone, Orlovsky struggled in most other areas as well.
Green Bay Packers - Scott Tolzien (2013)
Green Bay has been perhaps the most fortunate organization in recent memory when it comes to QB lineage, as the torch has been passed from Favre to Rodgers to Love. However, due to injuries, Packer fans have briefly tasted what bad quarterback play is like on occasion. One such period was in 2013, when former Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien was pressed into duty in relief of an injured Rodgers. The results weren’t pretty, as Tolzien tossed five INTs to just a lone TD across his two starts while consistently struggling to move the ball.
Houston Texans - Brock Osweiler (2016)
Brock Osweiler’s 8-6 record as the Texans starter in 2016 doesn’t look all that bad, but when put in the context of his extremely large contract and Houston’s reliance on an excellent defense, it was all the organization needed to see. Osweiler was wildly inaccurate and a turnover machine while at the helm. His play was so bad that the Texans essentially gave the Cleveland Browns a second-round draft pick to take Osweiler and his massive contract off their hands following just one year as the team’s starter.
Indianapolis Colts - Curtis Painter (2011)
The 2011 season was a tough one for the Colts, as Peyton Manning missed the entire year due to a serious neck injury. Painter, a former Purdue quarterback, was given an extensive opportunity to start in Manning’s absence, but struggled mightily. Indy went 0-8 with Painter at the helm, as he struggled with decision-making and turnover issues. The bright side of Painter’s struggles with the Colts is that it allowed the team to land the top overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, a selection they used on Andrew Luck.
Jacksonville Jaguars - Blaine Gabbert (2011-13)
The 10th overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, Gabbert was perhaps rushed into action by the Jags in his rookie season. He took an excessive number of sacks and was highly prone to bad decision-making, which led to a high number of turnovers. Gabbert never really recovered from the failures of his initial NFL action, finishing his time in Jacksonville with a 5-22 record as the team’s starting QB.
Kansas City Chiefs - Brody Croyle (2006-10)
Before Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs went through a period of uncertainty at the quarterback position. KC selected Alabama’s Brody Croyle in the third round of the draft, but despite being groomed for multiple years to be the Chiefs QB, Croyle was never up to the task. He has the dubious honor of never winning a game he started for the Chiefs, as the squad went 0-10 in Croyle’s 10 career starts for KC.
Las Vegas Raiders - JaMarcus Russell (2007-09)
Arguably the biggest draft bust in NFL history, Russell’s time with the Raiders was marked by a terrible work ethic, weight issues, and an inability to process the speed of the professional game. The first overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft logged a 5-18 record as the Raiders starting QB, tossing 23 INTs to 18 TDs while completing barely over half of his pass attempts.
Los Angeles Chargers - Ryan Leaf (2000)
With QBs like Brees, Rivers, and now, Justin Herbert, the Chargers have been fortunate to have a strong lineage of signal callers. However, the organization’s selection of Ryan Leaf with the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft will go down as one of the biggest misses in NFL history.
Leaf struggled while starting nine games as a rookie in 1998, but missed the ’99 season due to injury. During the make-or-break 2000 campaign, the Washington State product promptly went 1-10 in 11 starts for the Chargers, tossing 18 interceptions with a 50% completion rate.
Los Angeles Rams - Keith Null (2009)
A sixth-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, Null was tossed into the fire during his rookie season thanks to multiple injuries to the Rams QB corps. Unfortunately, he was not up to the task. Null consistently looked overwhelmed in his four starts, throwing nine INTs to just three TDs with the Rams failing to win any of his four games at the helm.
Miami Dolphins - John Beck (2007)
En route to a miserable 1-15 record in 2007, the Dolphins turned to their rookie second-round QB John Beck for help. The former BYU signal caller made little impact, going 0-4 under center for Miami. Beck failed to generate much offense through the air, throwing for just 559 yards and a single TD in his four starts for the ‘Fins. He was released by Miami in 2009.
Minnesota Vikings - Josh Freeman (2013)
We’ve tried to shy away from picking on QBs that just made one start with a team, but it’s impossible to avoid Josh Freeman’s Monday Night Football disaster with the Vikings. In all fairness to Freeman, he had been with Minnesota for less than two weeks and had a limited knowledge of the playbook, but his 2013 outing against the Giants was about as ugly as it gets. He completed just 20 of 53 passes for 190 yards and a pick, while being wildly inaccurate and failing to put any points on the board. Needless to say, it was his first and last start for Minnesota.
New England Patriots - Cam Newton (2020)
Newton had the unenviable task of being New England’s first starting QB of the post-Tom Brady era. Unfortunately, the former NFL MVP was past his prime when he landed with the Patriots, as his arm strength and accuracy were noticeably diminished due to years worth of injuries. Newton remained an effective rusher, but his upside was gone when opposing defenses figured out he could no longer sling it as he had in the past.
New Orleans Saints - Ian Book (2021)
Another single-game starter who was, admittedly, placed in a tough spot. Forced into a start on Monday Night Football due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the Saints that left them significantly shorthanded, Book looked overwhelmed by the speed of the game in every way imaginable, which was understandable for a rookie who was fourth on the depth chart.
He posted an anemic passer rating of 26.4 while completing less than half of his attempts and throwing two picks. It was Book’s only career start in the NFL and he was waived by New Orleans ahead of the 2022 season.
New York Giants - Mike Glennon (2021)
The veteran backup made four starts for the G-Men in 2021 following an injury to Daniel Jones. The results weren’t pretty. Glennon looked completely lost, tossing 10 picks and amassing a laughable 49.7 passer rating over his four winless starts.
New York Jets - Zach Wilson (2021-23)
Ok… Zach Wilson isn’t the “worst” QB that’s started for the Jets since 2000. I mean, we’re talking Brooks Bollinger, Greg McElroy, and Bryce Petty (among others) here. But, when considering the draft capital used on him and the high hopes that Wilson represented, he has to be considered the biggest disappointment. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft ended his Jets tenure with a record of 8-18 as the team’s starter and a TD:INT ratio of 23:25.
Philadelphia Eagles - Mike McMahon (2005)
Philly has been fairly stable at the QB position in the 21st century with players like McNabb, Vick, Wentz, and Hurts getting the majority of the starts this side of 2000. However, Mike McMahon was forced into action in relief of Donovan McNabb for a seven-game stretch in 2005. Accuracy was his biggest issue, as his 45.4% completion rate was remarkably low for a modern-day NFL quarterback. The Eagles went 2-5 with McMahon at the helm and he was released shortly after the season ended.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Devlin "Duck" Hodges (2019)
Sporting a Hall of Fame-level nickname and scrappy small-school backstory, “Duck” was the perfect backup QB to root for. When pressed into action as an undrafted rookie free agent following injuries to both Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph, Hodges came out hot, as “Duck Mania” swept Pittsburgh.
However, his limitations were quickly exposed, as he struggled to read defenses and committed turnovers in bunches. While things might not have worked out for Hodges as an NFL quarterback, he is winning the game of life, as he’s currently engaged to country music star and Yellowstone actress Lainey Wilson.
San Francisco 49ers - Cody Pickett (2004)
The name Ken Dorsey immediately came to mind, but after doing a little digging, Cody Pickett takes the (dis)honor here. A seventh-round draft pick in 2004, Pickett started the ’05 season as the Niners fourth-string QB – and actually played on special teams – but was pressed into action following injuries to Alex Smith and the aforementioned Dorsey.
Pickett’s time under center went about like you would expect for a player that had been previously utilized as a special teamer. He completed a hard-to-fathom 38.2% of his pass attempts while throwing for a total of 130 yards across his two winless starts for San Francisco.
Seattle Seahawks - Brock Huard (2000)
The Seahawks selected hometown hero Brock Huard in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the former Washington Husky star and Seattle native failed to adapt to the pro game. Given an opportunity to start in 2000, Huard went winless over four games while passing for just 540 total yards.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Josh McCown (2014)
Following a strong 2013 season with the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay signed McCown to a two-year, $10 million contract with the hopes that he could stabilize their QB situation. However, his time with the Bucs was a disaster. McCown went 1-10 in 11 2014 starts, tossing 15 INTs to just 11 TDs. He was released following the season due to his underwhelming performance while under center for the Bucs.
Tennessee Titans - Rusty Smith (2010)
Lots of juicy options to choose from here, as Jake Locker, Zach Mettenberger, Malik Willis, and most recently, Will Levis, all deserved serious consideration. Instead, we’ll go with a deep dive and Rusty Smith, a Titans benchwarmer who made one spectacularly-bad start for the team in 2010. Smith threw for just 138 yards with zero TDs and 3 INTs in a 20-0 shutout loss to the Houston Texans. Unsurprisingly, it was the only NFL start of Smith’s brief career.
Washington Commanders - John Beck (2011)
Beck shares the dubious honor of being on this list twice with only Ryan Leaf. What esteemed company! After going winless in four starts for Miami as a rookie and serving a backup stint in Baltimore, Beck was given another chance as a starter with a scuffling Washington squad in 2011. Once again, Beck failed to notch a win in his three starts, throwing twice as many interceptions (four) and touchdowns (two). He was out of the NFL by the following season.
