25 Heisman Trophy winners with the best NFL careers
By John Buhler
Vinny Testaverde
Quarterback, Miami Hurricanes (1986)
The 1986 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes in Vinny Testaverde had an outstanding college career and one of the most interesting careers of an NFL quarterback taken No. 1 overall. He would go No. 1 to the awful Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he would struggle primarily for six seasons.
Then his career would begin to improve once he signed with the Cleveland Browns in 1992 NFL free agency. Testaverde would be one of the players that would be transferred over to the Baltimore Ravens in 1996 when the team was relocated. He had a fantastic passing season that first season in Baltimore.
Testaverde would turn that into his greatest stretch of his career when he played for the New York Jets from 1998 to 2003. He would make his second of two trips to the Pro Bowl and lead the Jets to the AFC Championship game.
Overall, Testaverde was best known for his longevity at the quarterback position. While he only had a 90-123-1 career record as a starter. He ranks among some of the best quarterbacks in NFL history with 46,233 passing yards, 275 touchdowns and 267 interceptions. Though not a Hall of Famer, Testaverde was able to carve out a solid career for him in the 1990s as a starter before retiring in 2007 in his mid-40s with the Carolina Panthers.