Evaluating a quarterback is not an easy thing to do as sometimes you can’t tell whether they are a star or another member in the quarterback carousel. Sometimes, it’s the situation of eventually becoming a star NFL player.
Let’s look at 10 quarterbacks who looked like duds but then were able to flip the switch and turn into a star.
Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning’s rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts was tough as he led the 1998 season with 28 interceptions. However, he would immediately turn it around after people thought maybe the game was too quick for the 3-13 Manning.
Manning would bounce back, have a legendary career with the Indianapolis Colts for the next 12 years, and then go to the Denver Broncos. Winning five MVPs, two Super Bowls, seven All-Pros and a Hall of Fame inductee, things couldn’t turn out better for Mr. Omaha.
Steve Young
Coming out of BYU as the first overall pick in the 1984 Supplemental Draft, Steve Young had a lot of promise. However, he struggled in his first six years in the league. He would be with the terrible Buccaneers and then the backup to Joe Montana.
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Then, from 1992-1998 with the 49ers, he would showcase his talents with 178 touchdown passes and a 102.5 rating. He would win a pair of MVPs and become a three-time Super Bowl Champion and All-Pro.
Drew Brees
Drew Brees was an undersized quarterback out of Purdue and struggled a bit with the then-San Diego Chargers. He would go to the New Orleans Saints; the rest is history. He would be the runner-up to four MVP Awards and win a Super Bowl while being one of the most deadly, accurate quarterbacks in the league’s history. Things turned up roses for him to the point he is known as just a member of the Saints.
Alex Smith
To call Alex Smith a star does not feel like too much of a stretch, as he had some quality years. In his first three seasons, he struggled with 19 touchdowns to 31 interceptions. However, he would miss the 2008 season with a shoulder injury, and things turned around.
From 2009-2018, he had a 174:70 TD-to-INT ratio and a 91.9 quarterback rating while boasting an 83-47-1 record. It’s hard not to call Alex Smith a star in that career stretch before the foot injury.
John Elway
John Elway had a very interesting start to his career as he demanded not to be drafted by the Baltimore Colts first overall and threatened to join MLB instead. However, the start of his NFL was not grand, with his first three years having a 53.4 completion percentage with 47 touchdowns and 52 interceptions.
Things changed in the next two years. He was fifth and then won the 1986 NFL MVP Award. He would fix his woes, and instead of being a passenger, Elway would become a star.
Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman has sown the ability to rise and become a Pro Football Hall of Famer, but it didn’t look that way early on. His first two seasons saw him going 7-19 as a starter with 20 touchdowns to 38 interceptions. The Cowboys did not give up on him, and he clicked as from 1991-1996, he made the Pro Bowl every year and was fifth in the 1993 NFL MVP Award race.
That stretch also saw him have a 78:49 touchdown-to-interception and win three Super Bowls. It would not have happened without the patience that coach Jimmy Johnson had for sticking with him.
Rich Gannon
Rich Gannon may not be considered a star quarterback, but the considerable difference shows a big step up after his shoulder injury that cost him the 1994 season. He had 43 touchdowns and interceptions in his first seven years in the league. After the shoulder injury, he won the 2002 NFL MVP and made a pair of All-Pros. The numbers make it look like he was a star, whether you want to admit it.
Eli Manning
Eli Manning had trouble throwing the ball to the right team to begin his career, as he would throw 64 interceptions in his first 57 games (55 starts). With the pressure of his brother doing well, it felt like maybe it was too much for him. However, something changed in that postseason run in 2007 as the Giants won the Super Bowl against the 18-0 New England Patriots.
It remains unknown if he will be a Hall of Famer, but he became the best quarterback in the history of the New York Giants.
Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger looked decent at best in his first three seasons after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, as he had 52 touchdowns to 43 interceptions. Being the 11th overall draft pick and starting immediately made it seem like a bust.
However, he won the 2007 Comeback Player of the Year and would win a pair of Super Bowls and make six Pro Bowls in his career. With over 400 touchdowns and almost a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio throughout his career, things ended up alright at the end of the day.
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw is a Hall of Fame quarterback, but the beginning looked anything but that. It took until his sixth season to have a positive touchdown-to-interception ratio. In the first five years, he had a 48.0 completion percentage with 48 touchdown passes to 81 interceptions and a 53.2 quarterback rating.
However, things would turn around as he made the Pro Bowl in 1975 and won the 1978 NFL MVP and four Super Bowls under center. While being the first overall pick looked like a bust, Bradshaw ended up being exactly what people believed he would be.
