Teams
- New England Patriots (1971-1975)
- San Francisco 49ers (1976-1977)
- Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (1978-1986)
Accolades
- 2x Super Bowl Champion (XV, XVIII)
- 1x Super Bowl MVP (XV)
- NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1980)
- UPI AFC Rookie of the Year (1971)
“He has to be one of the great comeback stories of our time.”
—Al Davis, former owner, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (source)
The career of Jim Plunkett is infinitely fascinating. So much so, he’s one of the most hotly-debated Hall of Fame candidates of all time. Many point to overall statistical mediocrity and inability to live up to his hype, while others point to the two Super Bowls and longevity. This much is clear, Hall of Famer or not, the story of the pro football Quarterbacking cannot be told without Jim Plunkett.
Coming out of Stanford, Jim Plunkett was one of the most-hyped quarterbacking prospects in NFL history. He had beaten future rivals Joe Theismann (Notre Dame) and Archie Manning (Ole Miss) to win the 1970 Heisman Trophy. The Boston Patriots took him #1 overall in a legendary quarterback draft that also featured Theismann, Manning, Dan Pastorini, Lynn Dickey, and Ken Anderson. The previous season the Pats had signed Joe Kapp, previously the starter for defending NFC champs the Minnesota Vikings. The signing was a debacle as Kapp went 1-9 in starting for Boston, with a 3:17 travesty of a TD:INT ratio and a passer rating of 32.6.
In recognition of their regional fan base, the Patriots would not only trot out a new signal caller, Plunkett, in ’71, but a new moniker. They were now the “New England Patriots”. Sporting the infinitely-awesome Pat Patriot on his helmet, Plunkett would have a solid rookie campaign. He would throw for 2,158 yards, good for tenth-best in the NFL, and his 19 TD passes was tied for second in the entire league. More importantly, the Pats improved to 6-8 as Plunkett would earn the title “AFC Rookie of the Year” by Union Press International.
As history shows though, immediate success does not guarantee long-term success. Plunkett’s sophomore campaign would be a disaster as he threw a dismal eight TDs to 25 INTs. The Pats would regress significantly as well, finishing 3-11. While New England would improve marginally over the next two seasons, Plunkett was in a similar boat. Despite again starting all 14 games in both seasons, Plunkett would throw for 17 and 22 picks respectively, the latter effort being a league-worst. The Patriots would go 12-16 over these two years. In 1975, after going an unimpressive 2-3 in his starts, Plunkett would get plucked for Steve Grogan who would go on to continue playing for the Patriots through the ‘80s, including an appearance in Super Bowl XX. In the offseason, Plunkett would be traded to San Francisco.
Plunkett’s new beginning in the Bay Area would start swimmingly, leading the Niners to a 6-1 start. But after a 23-20 overtime loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Week 8, the 49ers would fall apart, finishing 8-6 and two games out of the Wild Card spot. Despite starting all 14 games in ’77, Plunket’s performance would again be subpar. His 120.9 passing yards per game were his career-worst for a full season, and he threw a meager nine touchdowns to 14 picks. Following the 1977 season, Plunkett could only find a spot on the bench for a new club, the Oakland Raiders, while not starting a single game. Meanwhile, the New England Patriots would have consecutive winning seasons under Steve Grogan, including a playoff appearance. As for the 49ers, another disastrous season in ’78 (in which they signed an aging O.J. Simpson) would lead them to draft a QB out of Notre Dame before the ’79 season named Joe Montana.
In 1980, the Oakland Raiders acquired Plunkett’s draft classmate Dan Pastorini, who had notable recent success with the Houston Oilers, to replace Kenny “The Snake” Stabler. However, Pastorini and the Raiders struggled to a 2-3 start before an injury sat down their new gunslinger. Willingly or not, Oakland turned to 33-year old Plunkett, who had not started a game in three seasons, to try and salvage this one. Perhaps motivated out of joy at getting one last opportunity, or possibly rage for being passed over for Pastorini to start the season, Plunkett engineered a career year. Despite only starting 11 games, he would throw for 18 touchdowns and nearly 2,300 yards, as he led the Raiders to a 9-2 finish and a Wild Card spot (a mere one game ahead of the Patriots). For his efforts, Plunkett would be named NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
In the Wild Card round, Jim Plunkett would face his Raiders predecessor, Ken Stabler, now with the Oilers. The Raiders would dominate in a 27-7 win. Despite only eight completions, Plunkett would throw for 168 yards and two touchdowns, leading his team to a Divisional Round date with NFL MVP Brian Sipe and the Cleveland Browns. On a cold day in the “Mistake by the Lake”, the Raiders defense would shut down the Browns 14-12, salvaging a poor performance by Plunkett (149 yards and two picks). But in the AFC Championship game, Jim Plunkett would make it up to his team against the high-scoring San Diego Chargers. He was a brilliant 14-for-18 for 261 yards, two passing TDs and a rushing score. This would make the Oakland Raiders only the second Wild Card team ever to make the Big Game.
Super Bowl XV. New Orleans, Louisiana. Pro Bowler Ron Jaworski would lead the favored Philadelphia Eagles, but it was Jim Plunkett would steal the show. While Jaworski struggled against a taut Raiders D, Plunkett would throw two first quarter TDs, putting the game out of reach early. By the time the clock had expired, Plunkett had gone 13-for-21 for 261 yards, three touchdowns, and no turnovers. For his efforts, Plunkett was named MVP. But this is more than just a story of redemption. Jim Plunkett, a Latino, would become the first minority QB to win a Super Bowl. And he did it under Raiders Head Coach Tom Flores, also Hispanic, who not only became the first minority Head Coach to lead a team to an NFL title, but had previously been the first minority to start as quarterback for a pro team (not coincidentally, the Raiders) 20 years prior.
The 1981 season was a struggle for the defending champs though. Plunkett would not inspire, and ended up sharing signal calling duties with the recently-drafted Marc Wilson. The team would relocate to Los Angeles after the season. In the strike-shortened ’82 season, Plunkett would regain full-time starting duties and lead the now-L.A. Raiders to an AFC-best 8-1 record in the strike-shortened nine-game season. Plunkett would lead the Raiders to a 27-10 victory over the Browns in the first round of the playoffs, throwing for 386 yards. But one week later, the New York Jets would come to town and upset Los Angeles 17-14. While Plunkett would pass for 266 yards and a TD, his three interceptions would contribute to a defeat that was the first in his postseason career.
Despite only starting 13 games in 1983, 36-year old Jim Plunkett would throw for 2,935 yards and 20 touchdowns, both career highs. In the playoffs, Plunkett was again solid. Against Pittsburgh, he would pass for 232 yards in a 38-10 victory. And in the AFC Championship, against surprising Seattle, Plunkett’s two picks would be offset by 214 yards and a touchdown as the Raiders went back to the Super Bowl via a 30-14 win. L.A. went into Super Bowl XVIII as two-point underdogs to defending NFL champs Washington and Plunkett’s main rival for the 1970 Heisman Trophy, Joe Theismann. The game was a rout as Plunkett would win his second Super Bowl championship 38-9. For his part, he would contribute 172 yards and a TD with no turnovers. But the story of the game was a young future Hall-of-Famer named Marcus Allen who would run for a then-record 191 yards and two touchdowns.
Jim Plunkett would play another three years for the L.A. Raiders as the wear-and-tear of playing pro football for 15 seasons would finally catch up with him. One more playoff appearance, in ’84, would see Seattle avenge their previous season’s playoff loss to L.A. by a 13-7 score. Plunkett would throw for 184 yards and a TD, but also throw two INTs. He would retire at the end of the 1986 season with a career regular season record as a starter of 72-72, but a playoff record of 8-2.
Again, the great Plunkett debate: Hall-of-Famer or not-a-Hall-of-Famer? Statistically, no, not even close. Never mind the .500 record as a starter. He threw 34 more INTs than TDs in the regular season. Even in the playoffs, his total touchdowns (12) equaled his interceptions. Despite starting double-digit games eight times in his career, he only threw more than 2,500 yards twice, and never surpassed 3,000 yards in the air. The only positive category he ever led the league in was yards/completion in 1986, with 14.9, but in only eight starts. Yet in terms of impact, he helped make the Raiders one of the teams of the ‘80s, along with the 49ers and Redskins. In his two Super Bowl appearances, he put aside a career of underachievement and played nearly perfect football for eight quarters. And it cannot be understated that he helped pave the way for minority quarterbacks, being the first to win a Super Bowl. And his story is one of redemption. Being considered one of the NFL’s great disappointments for nearly a decade, he seized the day and went on to earn two rings. While Plunkett’s overall career numbers may not get him his bust in Canton, as I said before, you cannot tell the story of the pro quarterback without the story of Jim Plunkett.
Deviation Chart
| Season | W-L% | Tot Y/G | Tot TD/G | Tot TO/G | Y/C/Y/A | Cmp % | TD% | Int% |
| Reg Season | 0.000 | -0.046 | -0.021 | 0.025 | 0.044 | -0.024 | 0.021 | -0.038 |
| Playoffs | 0.168 | 0.106 | -0.028 | 0.088 | 0.141 | 0.116 | -0.028 | 0.066 |
Longevity Bonus = 1.1 Title Bonus = 1.9
Index Score = 2.982 (average QB = 0.0)
Deviation Rank (out of 155)
| Season | W-L% | Tot Y/G | Tot TD/G | Tot TO/G | Y/C/Y/A | Cmp % | TD% | Int% |
| Reg Season | T-94th | 119th | 97th | 98th | 32nd | 122nd | 71st | 130th |
| Playoffs | T-5th | 13th | 77th | 44th | 21st | 20th | 87th | 47th |
Why is he on the Top 50 list?
The fact of the matter is that Jim Plunkett’s two Super Bowl wins, and his longevity (together which bump up his index score by three points), is the primary reason he’s this high. That said, he did also shine at average of yards/completion + yards/attempt. Also, a career 8-2 postseason record is a big help regarding his playoff numbers. His postseason numbers in total yards per game, completion percentage, and yards/completion + yards/attempt average rank really high and bump him up a bit.
Why isn’t he higher on the list?
Overall, Plunkett’s regular season numbers are pretty shrug-worthy. During the regular season, he falls outside the Top 100 in total yards per game, completion percentage, and especially interception percentage (thanks mainly to incredibly difficult runs in New England and San Francisco). He’s only in the Top 70, for the regular season, in YCYA.
The Quarterback Project 