10 QBs Who Fooled The Entire NFL

During the 2015 season, Peyton Manning’s age caught up to the soon-to-be Hall of Famer, as he struggled in key games but was bailed out by the “No Fly Zone” defense.

Manning threw more interceptions than touchdowns in his final regular season, with nine touchdowns against 17 interceptions.

Manning was briefly benched for Brock Osweiler, who went 5-2 as a starter, completed 170 passes for 1,967 yards, threw 10 touchdowns against six interceptions during his time as the Broncos’ starter.

One of his best games came in week 12 against the New England Patriots, when he led the team to a 30-24 overtime win in the snow. 

After helping the Broncos win Super Bowl 50, Osweiler signed a massive four-year, $72 million deal with the Houston Texans, hoping he would bring his magic to their misfortunes.

Unfortunately, Osweiler had a high turnover rate, had poor accuracy, and couldn’t adapt to the team’s offense.

Sure, he helped the Texans reach the playoffs and beat the Oakland Raiders, but he struggled against the New England Patriots the following week.

Osweiler was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2017, was released by the Browns without playing a regular-season game for them, had one more stint with the Broncos, where he was a shell of his former self as an NFL QB, and signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins in 2018 before he retired in 2019 and moved into a broadcasting career.

Tommy Maddox

Maddox looked like a lost cause in the NFL in the 1990s, as he had a very high turnover rate, struggled to adjust to offensive schemes, and was traded five times as a result. He would be out of the NFL after the 1997 season

Then, in 2001, Maddox was in the XFL playing for the Los Angeles Xtreme, and helped them win the “Million Dollar Game” (also called the XFL Championship) in a 38-6 victory over the San Francisco Demons.

Maddox completed 196 passes for 2,186 yards and threw 18 touchdowns against nine interceptions during the XFL’s lone season.

Impressed by Maddox’s stats, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Maddox, where he was a backup to Kordell Stewart.

Then, in 2002, Maddox replaced Stewart and led the Steelers to a come-from-behind victory over the Cleveland Browns, putting together his best season in the NFL by completing 234 passes for 2,836 yards, throwing 20 touchdowns against 16 interceptions, and rushing for 43 yards on 19 carries.

Maddox helped lead the Steelers to the playoffs and defeated the Browns in the Wildcard Round, but the Steelers were knocked out of the Divisional Round by the Tennessee Titans in a 34-31 overtime loss.

The following season, Maddox didn’t repeat his 2002 success, and the Steelers finished 6-10.

Then Ben Roethlisberger was drafted by the team in 2004, and Maddox was his backup for his final two seasons in the league. He did earn a Super Bowl XL ring from the Steelers when they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10. 

Derek Anderson

The Browns have been a mess since their return to the NFL in 1999. This NFL team shuffled through multiple QBs throughout the years and found no success with any of them for most of the 21st century.

Then in 2007, Derek Anderson took over for Charlie Frye, and lightning struck a bottle in his play, as he led the Browns to a 10-6 record, their best at the time, but narrowly missed the playoffs.

Anderson completed 298 passes for 3,787 yards, threw 29 touchdowns against 19 interceptions, rushed for 70 yards on 32 carries, and scored three rushing touchdowns.

Anderson also made the Pro Bowl that season, as it looked like the Browns had found their long-term solution at quarterback.

Then, Anderson signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Browns to keep him with the team for the 2010 season, and the struggles began:

Anderson went 3-6 as a starter, threw nine touchdowns against eight interceptions that season. The Browns finished the year with a 4-12 record.

Then, in 2009, Anderson went 3-4 as a starter and threw three touchdowns against 10 interceptions. The Browns finished the year with a 5-11 record.

Anderson had a brief season with the Arizona Cardinals in 2010 and spent the rest of his career backing up Cam Newton on the Carolina Panthers from 2011 to 2017, and one season with the Buffalo Bills in 2018.

Nick Foles

Foles was originally the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback back in 2013, when he helped the team finish the year with a 10-6 record, win the NFC East, and reach the playoffs before they were knocked out by the New Orleans Saints in the Wildcard Round.

Foles had stints with the St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs before he returned to the Eagles for the 2017 season, stepped in for an injured Carson Wentz, and led the Eagles to a dominating Super Bowl LII victory over the New England Patriots.

By 2019, the Jacksonville Jaguars were desperate for a new quarterback, so they signed Foles to a four-year, $88 million deal, hoping he would get them past the hump.

Unfortunately, Foles suffered a shoulder injury in week one of the 2019 season, as the team had to rely on Gardner Minshew for a while.

Foles eventually returned to action, but finished 0-4 as a starter for the Jags, while the team finished the year with a 6-10 record and in last place of the AFC South. 

Foles would get traded to the Chicago Bears in the 2020 season, and spent the 2022 season with the Indianapolis Colts. 

He would end up retiring in the 2023 offseason by signing a one-day contract with the Eagles.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick has had one of the most interesting careers in the NFL, as he was a journeyman QB backup for most of his time in the league.

However, he’s shown flashes of brilliance throughout his wild career, as he did during the 2015 season with the New York Jets, when he completed 335 passes for 3,905 yards, threw 31 touchdowns against 15 interceptions, and unveiled his “Fitzmagic” and no-look pass prowess.

Unfortunately, the Jets missed a chance to get into the playoffs in a tough week 17 loss against the Buffalo Bills, even though they finished the year with a 10-6 record.

Fitzpatrick struggled in the 2016 season, as he went 3-8 as a starter and threw 12 touchdowns against 17 interceptions, as teams cracked down on his weaknesses and the “Fitzmagic” ran out.

Fitzpatrick would also see some of his “Fitzmagic” return during the 2018 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the inconsistent plays quickly returned after a hot 3-0 start, and throwing for over 400 yards in those three straight games.

He finished the 2018 season with 17 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, and was known for the outfit he wore to the post-game press conference in week two after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-21. 

Despite that, Fitzpatrick is still beloved by NFL fans and is a great commentator with the NFL Amazon Prime team, where he’s been ever since. 

Matt Flynn

Like Fitzpatrick, Flynn spent the majority of his NFL career as a backup QB and saw limited action during his playing career with the Green Bay Packers.

Then, in 2011, in a meaningless Week 17 game against the Detroit Lions, he completed 33 passes for 519 yards, threw 6 touchdowns against 2 interceptions, rushed for -6 yards on 13 carries, and scored a rushing touchdown. 

Because of that performance, the Seattle Seahawks decided to sign Flynn to a three-year, $20.5 million deal, but he played in three games with the franchise while rookie Russell Wilson had the starting job. 

Flynn was able to land the contract after he played against a weak defense in that week 17 game in the 2011 season.

Flynn also had stints with the Oakland Raiders, where he lost the starting job to Terrelle Pryor; the Buffalo Bills, where he didn’t even play; and the Packers, where he finished his career with the New Orleans Saints, where he was the backup to Drew Brees. 

Mitch Trubisky

The Chicago Bears stunned the NFL world by trading up in the 2017 NFL Draft to get Mitch Trubisky off the board, hoping he would become their next franchise savior after one good season with the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Despite an inconsistent rookie season, he rebounded in 2018, completing 326 passes for 3,223 yards, throwing 24 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, rushing for 421 yards on 68 attempts, and scoring three rushing touchdowns. 

He also led the Bears to the playoffs, where they lost in an infamous double-doink missed field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

After that 2018 season, Trubisky had more inconsistent seasons, as he dealt with injuries, struggled to read more complex defenses, and had poor coaching during his tenure with the Bears.

Trubisky has had stints with the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans in the 2026 offseason as a journeyman backup.

To add insult to injury, the Bears also missed out on drafting some guy named Patrick Mahomes, as he went eight spots after Trubisky. 

Mark Sanchez

When Sanchez began his NFL career with the Jets, he looked like the franchise QB they’ve been yearning for, as he led the team to back-to-back AFC Championship game appearances in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, respectively.

Sanchez did have his rookie mistakes, but they were mostly ignored, as the Jets’ defense played lights out, and he had a strong ground game led by talented running backs like Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and a young Danny Woodhead.

Sanchez had a very good statistical season in 2011, completing 308 passes for 3,474 yards, throwing 26 touchdowns against 18 interceptions, rushing for 103 yards on 37 attempts, and scoring 6 rushing touchdowns. However, the Jets finished the year 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

Then everything came crashing down for Sanchez, as he became a meme because of the “Butt Fumble” during the team’s week 12 Thanksgiving game against the New England Patriots, in a 49-19 loss in primetime. 

Sanchez then had brief stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, and Washington, where he served as a journeyman backup.

Sanchez went on to have a good career in the NFL Broadcast Booth, but was fired after he was arrested for assaulting a truck driver in Indianapolis in the wee hours of the morning in October 2025. 

Blake Bortles

Bortles was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars to be their savior at quarterback after a disastrous 4-12 season, but he didn’t have a good rookie season, as he dealt with a weak offense, a defense that struggled, and couldn’t win on the road.

Bortles stepped things up statistically in 2015, completing 355 yards for 4,428 yards, throwing 35 touchdowns against 18 interceptions, rushing for 310 yards on 52 carries, and scoring two rushing touchdowns. However, most of Bortles’ scoring came during garbage time in games, and the Jaguars finished the year with a 5-11 record.

He led the Jaguars to a 10-6 record in the 2017 season and guided them to the AFC Championship game, where they unfortunately blew a 10-point lead against the New England Patriots and missed out on a chance to reach the Super Bowl.

Bortles signed a three-year, $54 million extension with the Jaguars during the 2018 offseason, but he struggled during the regular season, going 3-9 as a starter, and threw 13 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.

Bortles had brief stints with the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, and New Orleans Saints as a backup before he retired in October of 2022. 

Carson Wentz

When Wentz was drafted out of North Dakota State, the hype was real as he looked to be the team’s next franchise quarterback.

He had an okay rookie season, completing 379 passes for 3,782 yards, throwing 16 touchdowns against 14 interceptions in 2016.

Wentz began to step it up in the 2017 season, completing 265 passes for 3,296 yards, throwing 33 touchdowns against seven interceptions, as he looked like he was going to walk away with the league MVP at the time.

Unfortunately for Wentz, he dealt with a brutal ACL injury during the team’s week 14 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

Luckily for the Eagles, Nick Foles was on the roster and guided them to a Super Bowl LII victory over the New England Patriots.

After that season, Wentz regressed throughout his NFL career as a QB, lost trust in his Eagles teammates, and became a journeyman backup after being released in 2021.