There is no position in sports that is more important than the American football quarterback. Goalies can win hockey games by standing on their head, a starting pitcher can put his team over the top, and literally any position in the NBA could dominate on any given night, but nobody impacts the record of a team more than a QB. Teams will tank an entire season when a good quarterback is coming in the NFL Draft. Arch Manning is possibly coming up in 2026, and teams are preparing for him to be their starter before training camp the season before he's available.
People anticipate great talents to put in amazing rookie seasons. It's not like it used to be when quarterbacks were expected to sit or an entire year or more before they got a chance to take the reins. Situations like Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love are few and far between.
When looking at the greatest quarterbacks of all time, some had great rookie seasons, and others didn't even play in their first year. When looking at the seasons on their own, there are a few who wildly beat expectations right off the bat.
Honorable Mention: Bo Nix
2024 Denver Broncos
We quickly wanted to mention Bo Nix, who led all rookies in passing yards in a really good class. However, he was dreadful in the first half of the year, which kept him off the list. He turned it up in the second half, and finished with 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns. It was a great season that ended with the Broncos surprisingly in the playoffs. Nix was considered an overdraft when the Broncos took him 12th overall when most expected him to go in the second round. It's a great story that at least deserves its flowers.
10. Justin Herbert
2020 Los Angeles Chargers
Like many on this list, there was a gap between a superstar franchise quarterback and the rookie quarterback on this list. The San Diego, and eventually, Los Angeles Chargers had their guy for more than a decade in Philip Rivers, but his career ended without that elusive Super Bowl appearance. He unfortunately played in the same conference as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. So while he watched players like Rex Grossman and Eli Manning represent the NFC, Rivers was left knocked out in the earlier rounds.
So Chargers fans must be thrilled that they only had to wait one offseason before they were right back on the horse with Justin Herbert.
If you don’t know how Herbert became the Chargers’ starter, it's a wild one. Tyrod Taylor was supposed to bridge the gap to allow Herbert to learn, but the Chargers' doctor messed up when giving him a needle near his rib cage. The doctor ended up puncturing Taylor’s lung, knocking him out, and giving Herbert an opportunity.
Luckily, Taylor ended up okay, but that became a litigious process. Meanwhile, Herbert showed a superstar arm and an ability to put the team on his back. He won the Offensive Rookie of the Year thanks to his 4,336 and 31 touchdowns. That put him just 38 yards behind the rookie passing yards record in just 15 games.
9. Matt Ryan
2008 Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons were reeling from the Michael Vick scandal. They thought they had their top quarterback for another decade, but in a flash, the former superstar was in jail, and the Falcons were forced to start Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich, and Chris Redman. That led to a paltry four-win season and the third-overall pick.
Luckily for the Falcons, Ryan didn’t go first overall, and the Falcons were able to take him with the third-overall pick. He immediately became the fourth-highest-paid quarterback in the league because rookie contracts weren’t scaled at that point. He hit the ground running. The Falcons immediately made him the starter, and his first pass was a 62-yard touchdown to Michael Jenkins.
Ryan didn’t really slow down from there. He had an instant connection with wide receiver Roddy White, who went for more than 1,300 yards that season while scoring seven touchdowns. Ryan helped White make it to his first Pro Bowl team.
Meanwhile, Ryan finished the season with 3,400 yards and 16 touchdowns. More importantly, he led the Falcons to an 11-5 record, showing the fanbase that good times were ahead. Ryan would become the franchise’s best ever quarterback, taking them to the Super Bowl after an MVP season in 2016-17, but it all started with his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2008.
8. Dak Prescott
2016 Dallas Cowboys
The story of Dak Prescott to the Dallas Cowboys is crazy. Jerry Jones and Co. tried multiple times to trade up to select Paxton Lynch or Connor Cook. Lynch lasted five games in the league during his entire career. Cook played one. Neither lasted more than a few years, and the Cowboys would have been directed into a rebuild if they took either one. The Cowboys are the epitome of “better lucky than good.”
Prescott came into training camp as the third-string quarterback, but that quickly changed. Kellen Moore broke his tibia early in camp, immediately thrusting Prescott into the backup position. Then, as the coaching staff started to gain more trust in Prescott, Tony Romo broke his back. He was expected to miss at least two weeks, so Prescott got the job as starter.
Prescott went on an insane win streak after a Week 1 loss to the New York Giants. He got better and better each week, and he didn’t lose his second game until Week 14, also against the Giants. Prescott was accurate, but he could also get the ball to stars like Dez Bryant and Ezekiel Elliott.
At the end of the season, Prescott’s statline read as 3,667 passing yards, 282 rushing yards, 29 total touchdowns, and only four interceptions. He dominated under center. It’s not bad for the first rookie starting quarterback since Quincy Carter in 2001.
7. Warren Moon
1984 Houston Oilers
Warren Moon was a different kind of rookie. Out of college, he went to play for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He was able to grind his style north of the border where he would have likely been sitting if he started his career in the NFL. When he finally came to the NFL in 1984, it started a massive bidding war.
He chose to go to the Houston Oilers, partially because his head coach with the Eskimos took a job there. While the record wasn’t great, the stats were good for the era. He had more than 3,300 yards, good for 10th in the league. This was the year of the 5,000-yard season from Dan Marino, but that was literally the only time that happened until this era.
Moon’s 3,338 yards in his rookie year were actually an Oilers’ franchise record. Right off the top, Moon was making waves.
We wanted to showcase the era prior to this one, and Moon was one of the few rookies to do anything under center. Teams prioritized veterans over talent. And that’s how we only had one quarterback win Offensive Rookie of the Year from the award’s inception in 1967 until Ben Roethlisberger won it in 2004.
6. C.J. Stroud
2023 Houston Texans
There were three quarterbacks at the top of the 2023 NFL Draft. Bryce Young was the supremely talented thrower out of Alabama who had eye-popping statistics and the offensive firepower. Anthony Richardson was unlimited potential and possibility. He could easily be one of the top quarterbacks in the league with that talent. Then, there was C.J. Stroud. He wasn't talked about as much as Young and Richardson, but he ended up being by far the top quarterback of his class.
The Texans took Stroud second overall, which many questions because of the curse of the Ohio State quarterback. However, Stroud is showing himself to be curse proof, and he showed that right off the bat. He was efficient right off the bat, could make the explosive play, and he made the receivers in the room so much better on the field.
Stroud finished his rookie season with north of 4,100 yards and 23 touchdowns. What was most impressive was his five interceptions. His one percent interception rate on his throws was the best in the league. The Texans appreciated his accuracy, which helped them go from bottom of the league to playoff contender overnight.
The Texans took the right guy at the top, and they have their quarterback of the future. The Texans are now building around Stroud, and they can quickly have one of the best offenses in the game surrounding Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Joe Mixon.
5. Andrew Luck
2012 Indianapolis Colts
The what ifs that come from the 2012 NFL Draft are endless. It should be the greatest quarterback class of all time. Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles coming in the middle rounds is just the start. They also boasted Ryan Tannehill and the short peak of Brock Osweiler. Brandon Weeden is the blemish, well, besides what happened at the top.
Andrew Luck was considered the best quarterback prospect since John Elway. He came into the league NFL ready. The Colts lost Peyton Manning to a neck injury the year before, and they showed him the door the second they saw that Andrew Luck was coming. The son of NFL quarterback Oliver Luck, Andrew Luck was a top-10 starter on Day 1 of mini-camp.
Luck threw for more than 4,374 yards in his first season, which is a record for rookies in the NFL. Nobody, even today, has thrown for more yards in their inaugural season. He added 23 touchdowns and brought the Colts immediately back to the playoffs, showing the transition from Manning to Luck would be a quick one.
Of course, the ending did not match the glorious beginnings. Luck continued to dominate the league statistically, but injuries were piling up, and he retired at just 30 years old. Luck should have been one of the league’s best, but he remains an afterthought now six years since that surprise retirement. And he’s not the only sad case from the 2012 draft… more on that in a moment.
4. Cam Newton
2011 Carolina Panthers
Andrew Luck had big shoes to fill as a college quarterback. See, the year before, Cam Newton took the league by storm. He was coming off one of the greatest quarterback seasons we’ve ever seen in college, taking the Auburn Tigers to the National Championship in 2010-11. His talent seamlessly transitioned to the NFL.
Newton was drafted into an interesting situation, with veteran Derek Anderson and former Notre Dame great Jimmy Clausen in the building. Newton beat them both in training camp and the preseason.
In Week 1, Newton went off. He threw for 421 yards, an NFL record for a debuting quarterback, two passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown. He was a one-man wrecking crew. Newton did literally everything he could to get his team the win, but the Panthers still lost to Arizona. In Week 2, against the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, Newton threw for 432 yards.
He had an amazing arm, but Newton is here because of his legs. Newton rushed for a then-NFL record 14 touchdowns that season. Only LeSean McCoy had more than Newton on the ground that season. That would be a theme for Newton’s career. His two-way ability made him one of the best quarterbacks in league history, but it also shortened his career because of the extra hits he was taking. In his rookie season, we thought we were seeing a revelation.
3. Ben Roethlisberger
2004 Pittsburgh Steelers
How does one rank the quarterback who didn’t lose a game in his rookie season as a part of one of the greatest QB draft classes of all time? Ben Roethlisberger was the guy staying out of drama at the 2004 NFL Draft, simply being drafted to the Pittsburgh Steelers while Eli Manning and Philip Rivers were being traded for each other on draft night. When it was time to play football, many would argue that Roethlisberger should have been the pick of the Giants and the Chargers.
He was on the Pittsburgh Steelers, so Roethlisberger wasn’t asked to do much. With a backfield of Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley, Roethlisberger just needed to avoid mistakes. That’s why his statline is the least impressive one on the list. He didn’t break 3,000 yards passing, and he had 17 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, but he lost zero games.
The Steelers had a dominant defense, and the talent around him was amazing, but Roethlisberger got the starting job from former XFL champion Tommy Maddox for a reason. He was the best quarterback to keep this engine going.
Roethlisberger didn’t lose his first game until he met the dynasty New England Patriots on their way to their third Super Bowl in four years. He and Tom Brady would have quite the rivalry over the years, all starting in his rookie season.
2. Jayden Daniels
2024 Washington Commanders
Yes, we just saw the second-best rookie quarterback season of all time. What Jayden Daniels did all season last year was amazing. He took a Washington Commanders team that was supposed to have no expectations and took them to the NFC Championship Game against the eventual Super Bowl champs. His dynamic ability was only overshadowed by the most clutch performances you have ever seen.
Daniels' legacy is already building, starting with his Hail Mary against the Chicago Bears and fellow rookie Caleb Williams. Trailing 15-12 with time about to expire, Daniels bought some time for himself, heaved a pass more than 50 yards down the field, and hit Noah Brown for a walkoff touchdown. It was one of the most incredible throws in years.
The rookie sensation only grew from there. Daniels continued winning and eventually helped the Commanders clinch a playoff spot. Not only did he set the Commanders franchise record for passing yards by a rookie, but he set NFL records for the most rushing yards by a rookie QB (891), highest points per game (28.5), and highest completion percentage (69%).
In the playoffs, Daniels continued to play like he had been there before. The Washington franchise hadn’t won a playoff game since Joe Gibbs was the head coach. Daniels ended that streak, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round, and then they upset the Super Bowl favorite Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round. Daniels was incredible in the playoffs, and the Commanders are a team to watch for a long time because of him.
1. Robert Griffin III
2012 Washington Football Team
If you don’t understand why Robert Griffin III is at the top of this list, you just had to be there. What he was able to do to the league in that rookie campaign was lightning in a bottle. He exploded onto the scene after winning the Heisman Trophy as the quarterback of Baylor. It was an incredible lead up to the NFL Draft, with the prim and proper Andrew Luck, a traditional pocket passer who comes from a legacy family, against this beacon of athleticism in RGIII.
Griffin looked like the better player in his rookie season, and he had everything going against him. Mike Shanahan might have been the worst-possible coach for him, trying to stop what he did best at every turn.
In game one of his career, Griffin pulled off a massive upset of the New Orleans Saints, throwing for 320 yards and two touchdowns. He added 42 rushing yards and another score for good measure. He became the first player in history to win NFC Offensive Player of the Week as a debuting quarterback.
Griffin’s season continued building, as his dynamic two-way game was impossible for other teams to adjust to. He made incredible plays, like his 76-yard touchdown run against the Minnesota Vikings or his four-touchdown performance against the Eagles. He broke multiple records during the season, including quarterback rating and touchdown-to-interception ratio (both have since been broken again). The season will have a cloud over it because of how Mike Shanahan dealt with Griffin’s late-season knee injury, one that would derail the rest of his career, but there’s no denying how great he was during this campaign.