In American football, the starting quarterback is considered to be among the most important positions in sports. [1] [2] [3] They are among the most high-profile athletes in North America and are typically viewed as the team's leader. [4] The success of a National Football League (NFL) franchise often rests on the quarterback; thus, teams will go to great lengths to find a franchise quarterback to build around. [5]
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually considered the leader of the offense, and is often responsible for calling the play in the huddle. The quarterback also touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and is almost always the offensive player that throws forward passes. When the QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, it is called a sack. The position is also colloquially known as the "signal caller" and "field general".
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team plays its home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, which it shares with the Los Angeles Rams.
Jon Steven Young is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the San Francisco 49ers. He was drafted by and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prior to his NFL career, Young was a member of the Los Angeles Express in the United States Football League (USFL) for two seasons. He played college football for the BYU Cougars, setting school and NCAA records en route to being runner-up for the 1983 Heisman Trophy.
James William Plunkett is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He achieved his greatest success during his final eight seasons with the Raiders franchise, whom he led to two Super Bowl wins.
Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Heisman Trophy in 1986.
James Samuel Everett III, is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected third overall in the 1986 NFL draft by the Houston Oilers. Unable to work out a contract agreement with Everett, the Oilers traded his rights to the Rams, with whom Everett played from 1986 to 1993. Everett then played with the New Orleans Saints from 1994 to 1996 and ended his career with a stint with the San Diego Chargers in 1997.
Philip Michael Rivers is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack and was selected fourth overall in the 2004 NFL draft by the New York Giants, who traded him to the San Diego Chargers during the draft. Rivers was a member of the Chargers for 16 seasons and played his final season for the Indianapolis Colts. Since 2021, he has served as the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama.
John Matthew Stafford is an American professional football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected first overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL draft. Ranking in the top ten of all time in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns, Stafford is currently sixth all-time in passing yards per game and is the fastest player in NFL history to have reached 40,000 career passing yards.
Samuel Jacob Bradford is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The team plays its home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, which it shares with the Los Angeles Chargers. They are headquartered at the Kroenke Warner Center complex in Woodland Hills, California.
Vonnie B'VSean Miller is an American professional football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Miller played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, where he earned consensus All-American honors and the Butkus Award. He was selected by the Denver Broncos second overall in the 2011 NFL draft.
Jared Thomas Goff is an American professional football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, setting Pac-12 Conference single-season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. Goff was selected with the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2016 NFL draft. He had a breakout season in 2017, leading the Rams to their first playoff appearance since 2004. The following year, Goff led the Rams to Super Bowl LIII. He received Pro Bowl honors in both seasons.
Cooper Douglas Kupp is an American professional football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Washington, where he won the Walter Payton Award as a junior, and was selected by the Rams in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. Kupp had a breakout season in 2021 when he became the fourth player since the AFL-NFL Merger to lead the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Kupp received the Offensive Player of the Year Award and was the MVP of Super Bowl LVI; Jerry Rice is the only other wide receiver to accomplish those feats in a career.
Joshua Ballinger Lippincott Rosen is an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. Rosen played college football for the UCLA Bruins, receiving Freshman All-American and Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2015. During his junior year, Rosen set the school's record for single-season passing yards.
Patrick Lavon Mahomes II is an American professional football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Mahomes has led the Chiefs to seven consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances and five Super Bowl appearances since becoming their starting quarterback in 2018. He is one of five quarterbacks in NFL history to win three or more Super Bowls as a starter. Mahomes is widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. is an American professional football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2016, and was selected by the Ravens with the final pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. A two-time recipient of the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and the all-time leader in quarterback rushing yards, Jackson is regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of his generation, and the greatest dual-threat quarterback of all-time.
Samuel Richard Darnold is an American professional football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans, winning the Archie Griffin award in 2016, and was selected third overall by the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL draft.
Justin Patrick Herbert is an American professional football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, where he won the 2019 Pac-12 Championship, and was selected by the Chargers as the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
In American football, the starting quarterback is typically viewed as the leader of a team. The quarterback is considered the most important position on the field and among the most important positions in team sports. They are among the most high-profile athletes in North America and have been described as akin to A-list celebrities; in the United Football League, such quarterbacks benefit from national television exposure and in-game action that they may not get as backup or practice squad quarterbacks in the National Football League; former New York Guardians starter Matt McGloin, former Dallas Renegades starting quarterback Landry Jones and current St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron all cited the ability to have their friends and family see them play professional football as reasons why they chose to play in the league. The success of an American football team often rests on the quarterback; thus, teams will go to great lengths to find a franchise quarterback to build around for the long-term goals of the team. This page contains the lists of starting quarterbacks for the eight teams that played in the XFL, a league that operated for 1½ seasons as a standalone league in 2020 and 2023. This page also contains the lists of starting quarterbacks for the nine teams that played in the United States Football League (USFL), a league that operated for 2 seasons as a standalone league in 2022 and 2023. Four teams from each league now constitute the XFL and USFL conferences respectively of the UFL.