30 greatest NFL QBs of all time: Where does Patrick Mahomes rank now?

This one is a hard one, but Joe Theismann took time to hit his stride. Then, he became one of the best in the league and sometimes the best at his position. He won the 1983 NFL MVP with 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. It was at that moment he finally found his greatness. The only problem was he was already 34 years old. QBs still made it work until they were close to 40 back then, but we all remember how Theismann lost those last few years of his career.

Before we get into all that, let’s go back to the beginning. Theismann came to Washington after the Miami Dolphins traded his rights for a first-round pick. He spent most of his first season as a kick returner since Washington was using Billy Kilmer as the starting QB (and Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen). It took five seasons, but Theismann finally took the starting role from Kilmer and never gave it back.

With such a slow start to his career, the Notre Dame star looked like it would be impossible to make a long-term impact on the sport. However, in the strike-shortened 1982-83 season, Theismann finally brought Washington its first Super Bowl championship. Coming off the momentum of a championship, Theismann had his best season in 1983, winning the MVP.

Of course, Theismann is most known for the hit by Lawrence Taylor that shattered his leg and ended his career. The game was on national television, so all eyes were on this devastating hit. If Theismann just played his career with the Dolphins, he probably would have started earlier, lasted longer, and would have made it much higher on this list.