The Worst Quarterback of All Time on Every NFL Team

Quarterbacks are one of the toughest but most vital positions in all of football. They act as a leader on the field, and if they are good at their job, they end up being the face of the franchise. Every team has gone through the ups and downs of finding a franchise quarterback, even those who seem to have it all figured out.

The hunt for a successful quarterback is a mixed bag. Some QBs are wildly successful and transform an ordinary team into a championship-caliber one. Others end up being disgraceful, acting as franchise killers. People always talk about the QBs that rise to success, but how about those that don’t? With that in mind, here is a list of the worst quarterbacks of all time for every NFL team.

Arizona Cardinals, Ryan Lindley

Ryan Lindley is a quarterback that Arizona Cardinals fans would rather not remember. Lindley had two stints with the team, and both went south. In his first season with the team after being drafted by them in 2012, he threw seven interceptions and no touchdowns.

Lindley joined the San Diego Chargers and spent a year on their practice squad. Then, he returned to Arizona for the 2014 season and threw the first touchdown pass of his NFL career. In total, he threw four touchdowns and 14 interceptions in his entire NFL career, and those numbers speak for themselves.

Atlanta Falcons, Randy Johnson

Commonly confused with the baseball player Randy Johnson, we have a different Randy Johnson who took a stab at football. However, while the baseball star succeeded at his craft, the football player did not do nearly as well. Though there were high expectations of the Texas A&M product, he proved not to be an NFL-caliber player.

His first year in the NFL was 1966, and in his rookie season, he only won three games out of the eleven he started. However, in the next four years he spent with Atlanta, he won a mere five games out of 26 he started. As a result of his horrific starts, Atlanta cut him in 1971, and rightfully so.

Baltimore Ravens, Kyle Boller

Kyle Boller was the 19th overall pick of the 2003 draft out of the University of California, Berkeley. The big-armed quarterback graduated with several career and single-season records in college, but he did not meet up to expectations for the Baltimore Ravens.

Boller started 42 games and finished with a 20-22 record across five seasons. Boller lacked accuracy and could not support the championship-caliber defense the Ravens had throughout his tenure. After having little success, Boller was replaced with Steve McNair in 2006 before the team drafted Joe Flacco in 2008.

Buffalo Bills, J.P. Losman

J.P. Losman was the Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback between 2004 and 2008. Losman was drafted out of Tulane University 22nd overall in the 2004 draft. While he was intended to replace Drew Bledsoe as the team’s franchise quarterback, he fell short and was plagued with inconsistency and injuries.

Losman had one kind of decent season with the team in 2006 and flamed out. He went 10-23 with 33 touchdowns and 34 interceptions with the Bills. These are not good quarterback numbers by any means. Eventually, Losman was replaced by Trent Edwards.

Carolina Panthers, Jimmy Clausen

Jimmy Clausen was one of the most overhyped players to play the game. His player career at the University of Notre Dame did not meet expectations, and he was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.

Since Clausen had high expectations, the Panthers did not hesitate to get him out on the field. However, the team ended up being disappointed with this decision. He threw three touchdowns and nine interceptions in 20 games as a starter. That season, the Panthers finished with a 2-14 record and Clausen was replaced by Cam Newton the following year.

Chicago Bears, Mike Tomczak

While the Chicago Bears have struggled in the quarterback department, Mike Tomczak might be one of the worst they’ve put out on the field. Tomczak went undrafted out of college but signed with the Bears as a free agent. In his first season, he didn’t start any games. However, he did win a Super Bowl ring and played in Super Bowl XX. Tomczak himself wasn’t a good QB.

However, he was carried to success by the Bears defense, which was stellar during his tenure with the team. He won every game he started in 1986, but he only threw two touchdowns and ten interceptions during this time. Tomczak was lucky to play with the squad he did because he would not have won nearly as much if not for them.

Cincinnati Bengals, Akili Smith

Akili Smith might be one of the biggest busts not just in Cincinnati Bengals history but in all of NFL history. Considered a one-year wonder, Smith was drafted third overall in the 1999 NFL Draft out of Oregon. Smith missed a large portion of the team’s training camp before his first season with the Bengals. Many believe this stunted his development and led to his downfall.

Smith went 3-14 in four seasons with the Bengals, throwing five touchdowns and 13 interceptions during that time. While his on-the-field play did not meet expectations, his off-field behavior only worsened matters. As a result, he was released after the 2002 season and never played another NFL game.

Cleveland Browns, Johnny Manziel

Here we have Johnny Manziel, also known as Johnny Football. Manziel was drafted as the 22nd overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. The Texas A&M product spent two seasons as the Brown’s starting quarterback but was plagued with inconsistency. His downfall could also be attributed to his love of partying and other off-the-field antics.

Manziel started eight games in his two seasons with the team and owned a record of 2-6. Not only did he struggle to make plays downfield, but he only made seven touchdowns and seven interceptions across his entire NFL career. Besides his statistics, the league and the sport’s fans widely disliked him, which did not help his case.

Dallas Cowboys, Chad Hutchinson

The Dallas Cowboys are known for having good quarterbacks. However, while they have had some gems like Troy Aikman and Tony Romo, they had some busts, including Chad Hutchinson. Hutchinson was a multi-sport athlete. However, after struggling through a minor league baseball stint, he focused on football.

After hosting an open workout, Hutchinson signed with the Cowboys in 2002. He finished with a record of 2-7 across nine games and only threw seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in that time. After Dallas hired Bill Parcells as coach the following season, Hutchinson was benched and replaced by Quincy Carter. Two years later, he was out of the league.

Denver Broncos, Steve Ramsey

Steve Ramsey started 31 games across six seasons for the Denver Broncos. While the New Orleans Saints drafted him in the fifth round of the 1970 NFL Draft, he only played a single game with the team before finding himself with Denver.

Ramsey heavily struggled in the 31 games he started with the Broncos across six seasons. He had a total of 35 touchdowns and 58 interceptions during this time. Denver ended up trading Ramsey to the New York Giants, which paid off. This is because the return from the trade was Craig Morton, who led Denver to the Super Bowl in 1997.