Ryan Fitzpatrick

They called him “FitzMagic”.  Perfect nickname.  His football journey took him from the desert (Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona), to one of the world’s foremost institutions of higher learning (Harvard University), and then to nine NFL franchises over 17 seasons, making double-digit regular season starts at six of those stops.  He even looked the part.  Most guys taken sixth-from-last in the NFL Draft (2005) aren’t supposed to have a long NFL career.  In fact, most taken that late in the draft rarely, if ever, earn a regular spot on their team’s active roster.  But Ryan Fitzpatrick combined a hard work ethic with his gifts of talent and intelligence to persevere through an NFL quest unlike any other.

Kerry Collins

If you’re a quarterback taken in the Top 5 of the NFL Draft, you’re probably going to a team rebuilding around you.  When you’re the fifth pick taken in 1995 for an expansion team, then you’re going to a team building around you from the ground up.  No pressure.  Following a strong senior season at Penn State (eventually earning him a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame), the recently christened Carolina Panthers entrusted him to be their quarterback into the new millennium.

Matt Cassel

Matt Cassel’s career has to be one of the most improbable in football history. As a USC Trojan from 2001-2004, he threw a TOTAL of 33 passes, and not a single one for a touchdown. That’s because he was stuck behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart during his college days. But his talent was hard to ignore, and the New England Patriots drafted Cassel in the seventh round of the 2005 Draft. His reward for making it to the NFL: getting to ride the bench… again… this time behind Tom Brady. Ooof. Unsurprisingly, Matt Cassel was used sparingly for his first three seasons, making zero starts and throwing only 39 passes. At least it was more than in college.

2002 MVP Race: Favre vs. Gannon vs. McNair

After toiling for over a decade serving primarily as back-up in Minnesota, Washington, and Kansas City, Rich Gannon finally got the opportunity to solidify the role of starting quarterback in 1999 with Oakland. After three really impressive years with the Raiders, Gannon would finally reach his apex, at the ripe age of 37, in 2002. He would win the Associated Press MVP award, taking 19 of 48 votes, eventually taking the 11-5 Raiders to the Super Bowl. But the award wasn’t a slam dunk. Two other quarterbacks also received double-digit votes: three-time MVP Brett Favre was close behind with 15, and future MVP Steve McNair with 11. All three signal callers had outstanding seasons, and the voting shows that Gannon’s accolade was not a given. So which QB was the real MVP in 2002?

Ryan Tannehill

Looking for their first star quarterback since Dan Marino, the Miami Dolphins selected Ryan Tannehill with the 8th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Tannehill was the third signal caller taken in the draft, trailing the top two picks, Andrew Luck (Indianapolis) and Robert Griffin III (Washington). From 2012-2018, the Dolphins were mired in mediocrity, going 42-46 in Tannehill’s starts. In terms of lack of success, where the fault lies, whether with the franchise or the man under Center, is debatable. What isn’t debatable is that, when given an opportunity to redeem his career in 2019, Ryan Tannehill jumped on the opportunity like few (if any) before him.

Neil O’Donnell

Look, the guy almost won a Super Bowl, ok? And he had a beard before they were cool again. Think of Neil O’Donnell as the first hipster quarterback. That’s gotta count for something, right? In all seriousness though, the former third-round pick out of Maryland is the classic example of success through limited mistakes. The man started double-digit games in six seasons. Yet he never once threw double-digit interceptions in a season. That’s pretty remarkable no matter what era you played in. And while his career began to wind down once he hit his 30s, if there’s something he should be remembered for, it’s that he always gave his team a chance to win by not putting them in a position to lose.

Steve McNair

Alcorn State is a historically black university of 3,700 students in Lorman, Mississippi. Being a small school playing in a Division I-AA conference, it’s not often that one of their players is considered a highly-prized target in an NFL Draft. That said, the Houston Oilers and Head Coach Jeff Fisher absolutely could not ignore the absolutely insane senior season that Alcorn State QB Steve “Air” McNair put up ’94. In 11 games, McNair would throw for 4,863 yards and 44 touchdowns, while running for an additional 936 yards. That means that, an average game for McNair was 527 total yards and four passing touchdowns alone. Rewarding him for that success, the Oilers took McNair 3rd overall in the draft.

Matt Hasselbeck

It’s amazing to look back and realize that Matt Hasselbeck took snaps in 17 different seasons. But would you be surprised? Didn’t he seem like the guy who just kinda managed to hang around all these nears? Never particularly flashy, never a highlight reel guy, the former 6th round draft pick who learned the NFL ropes playing behind Brett Favre had an unquestionably productive career.