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The quarterback spot in the NFL is arguably the toughest position in all of sports, meaning first-year players often struggle mightily. Even some of the greatest players at the position were downright putrid or failed to see the field as rookies. Players like Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford turned the ball over in bunches in their inaugural season in the NFL, while Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Patrick Mahomes didn't even get a real chance to play in their rookie campaigns.
That said, it's impressive when a rookie QB flashes excellence. It's often a sign that they'll be a bonafide franchise player for years to come. In this article, we'll dive into the top rookie QB seasons since the year 2000. Some of these players have gone on to have Hall of Fame careers, while others never lived up to the year-one upside flash.
This list will balance raw statistics and team success to form an overall power ranking. Without further ado, let's get into it!
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Honorable Mention: Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans (2017)
Watson played in just seven games before tearing his ACL during his rookie season. However, he threw for 1,699 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight picks to go along with 269 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.
That pace would've yielded just under 4,500 total yards, 40 total touchdowns, and 18 interceptions across 16 games. Had he been able to finish his rookie campaign, he'd likely be high on this list.
10.) Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (2008)
After the Atlanta Falcons went 4-12 in 2007 and selected Ryan with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, he rewarded them with an 11-5 season and a trip to the playoffs. Ryan's final numbers (3,440 pass yards, 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) weren't all that impressive, but he immediately changed the direction of the franchise and was serviceable.
He led the Falcons to their first playoff appearance since 2004 and won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award for his efforts.
9.) Mac Jones, New England Patriots (2021)
Jones was selected No. 15 overall in 2021 and was tasked with getting the Patriots back to playoffs after the franchise missed the postseason for the first time since 2008 the year prior. Cam Newton was on the roster and rumored to be the Week 1 starter but Jones beat him out in the preseason.
The Alabama product started all 17 games, completing 67.6% of his 521 pass attempts for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. New England finished the season with the seventh-best scoring offense (26.6 PPG) and clinched a playoff berth with a 10-7 record. Jones outshined all-world prospect Trevor Lawrence in his rookie class and exceeded all expectations.
8.) Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns (2018)
The 2018 No. 1 overall pick provided the Browns with a spark as soon as he entered the lineup, posting a 6-7 record as a starter. Cleveland lost 31 of its 32 games in the two seasons prior, so this was a significant development for the struggling franchise.
Mayfield broke the rookie record for passing touchdowns in a season with 27, which was later broken while throwing for 3,725 yards and 14 interceptions. After his rookie campaign, it looked like Cleveland had finally found its long-awaited answer at QB.
7.) Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts (2012)
The Colts earned the No. 1 overall pick (2-14 record) in the 2012 NFL Draft after Peyton Manning sat out the entire 2011 season with a neck injury. Needless to say, Luck had big shoes to fill. In his first season, he brought the Colts back to the playoffs with an 11-5 record, throwing for 4,374 yards, 23 touchdown passes, and 18 interceptions. He added five more touchdowns on the ground.
The Colts would go on to lose to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round but the Colts knew they had their next franchise guy after the 2012 season.
6.) Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins (2012)
RG3 was a tantalizing prospect and would've been the No. 1 overall pick if it weren't for Andrew Luck being in the same draft class. However, he would win the Offensive Player of the Year Award and bring the Redskins back to the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Griffin III passed for 3,200 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five picks and rushed for 815 yards and seven touchdowns. He looked like the best athlete on the field in every game he played and brought life to a mediocre offensive roster in Washington. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL in the Wild Card loss to the Seattle Seahawks and was seemingly never the same player. However, his electric rookie campaign can never be forgotten.
5.) Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (2016)
Selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Prescott was never supposed to start in his rookie campaign. However, backup Kellen Moore broke his leg in training camp, and longtime starter Tony Romo suffered a vertebral compression fracture in Week 3 of the preseason. All of a sudden, Prescott was the starting quarterback for America's Team -- and boy, did he deliver.
The former Mississippi State Bulldog completed 67.8% of his passes for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. On the ground, he totaled 282 yards and six touchdowns. Prescott's ball security was rare for a rookie, especially one selected on day three of the draft. He and fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott led the Cowboys to the No. 1 seed in the NFC but fell to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional round in Dallas. Still, he cemented himself as the future of the franchise.
4.) Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (2012)
Like Prescott, Wilson wasn't expected to be the team's starter as a rookie. Seattle just signed Matt Flynn to a lucrative contract but Wilson beat him out in the preseason and was named the Week 1 starter. The Seahawks built a dominant defense that helped the team reach the playoffs, but despite many viewing Wilson as a game manager in his rookie campaign, he totaled 3,607 yards and 30 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions.
Wilson is one of just two players on this list to actually win a playoff game as a rookie, so he deserves a top-five spot.
3.) Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (2020)
The Chargers decided to ease Herbert into a starting role after selecting him with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. However, a medical accident that left Tyrod Taylor with a punctured lung sprung the former Oregon gun-slinger into action in Week 2. In his first game, Herbert flashed against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, tossing for 311 yards, one passing touchdown, and one interception while adding a rushing touchdown.
It was evident right away that Herbert had what it took to be an electric passer in the NFL and he finished his rookie campaign with an NFL rookie record 31 passing touchdowns. He also set rookie records for most total touchdowns (36), 300-yard passing games (8), completions (396), and games with at least three touchdowns (six).
2.) Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (2011)
Newton took the league by storm in his first NFL start, passing for 422 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while rushing for 18 yards and another touchdown. Newton was viewed as a flawed passer coming out of Auburn so it was an impressive showing in his debut game.
He ended the season with 4,051 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 706 rushing yards, and 14 rushing touchdowns (NFL record by QB). It wasn't always pretty for the 6-10 Panthers, but he immediately established himself as a dominant rusher and capable passer -- running away with the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
1.) Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh Steelers (2004)
Roethlisberger didn't post ridiculous stats, throwing for just 2,621 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, but since he went 13-0 as a starter in his rookie season, he earns the top spot in the rankings. It's almost unbelievable that a first-year signal-caller didn't lose a game in the regular season and then followed it up with an AFC Divisional Round win.
He's the only player on this list to reach a conference championship game in his rookie season. But he ultimately fell to Tom Brady and the eventual Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots.
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