5 most surprising NFL passing leaders in history

4. Don Majkowski, 1989 Green Bay Packers

Did you know that Wally Pipp led the American League in home runs in 1916 and 1917? He helped the New York Yankees win the 1923 World Series alongside Babe Ruth. He was who the Yankees chose to bat cleanup behind Ruth after he was purchased from the Boston Red Sox. Pipp had a great career with the Yankees. Yet, we only know his name because of who replaced him. Lou Gehrig took his job at first base in 1925, and he never gave it back.

The reason we bring this up is to show certain players are known for being replaced, but that doesn't mean they weren't good before that. That brings us to the Packers' Don Majkowski. He's most known for being replaced by a 22-year-old Brett Favre in 1992. This started a streak of 321 games started that would last until 2007.

However, before the Favre nonsense, Majkowski was a quarterback trying to hold onto his spot. He's a former 10th-round pick in the 1987 NFL Draft. He worked his way onto the roster, took some starter reps as early as his rookie season, and finally broke out in 1989. He threw for 4,318 yards and 27 touchdowns. Unlike Ferguson, Majkowski led the Packers to a decent season, recording 10 wins. He led several come-from-behind wins that made them the "Cardiac Pack." Despite their record, they just missed out on the playoffs.

The Packers have a surprising history of quarterback prowess. It's not just Favre, Rodgers, and Bart Starr. Seven different QBs have led the league in passing while playing in Green Bay, and Bart Starr and Aaron Rodgers never even did it. Majkowski was a special player at a transitional time for the Packers. Now, he's known as just the replacement.