25 NFL quarterbacks from the 2000s who you already forgot about

Any New York Jets fan will remember this gunslinger, but the casual fan may have forgotten just how good Pennington was when healthy. The two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year led the league in completion percentage multiple times, and he took both the Jets and Miami Dolphins to AFC East titles. The 2000 NFL Draft first-round pick had plenty of shining moments.

This former fourth-round pick in 2003 spent his entire career as a backup, largely with the Seattle Seahawks, before spending his final few years in Cleveland and Green Bay. His most predominant trait was his rushing ability, which he showed in his 64 career games played.

Before he became the face of The Bachelor franchise, this Florida product was a fourth-round draft pick by the New York Giants. He only made three starts as a pro, going winless in all.

Smith famously went No. 3 overall in the 1999 NFL Draft, just ahead of picks Nos. 4-7 that included Edgerrin James, Ricky Williams, Torry Holt, and Champ Bailey. Smith’s career paled in comparison to the multiple Hall of Famers who went behind him, starting just 17 games in a four-year span.

Culpepper enjoyed a stellar career that was highlighted by three Pro Bowl selections and a 2004 season that saw him lead the league in passing yards. He also won a playoff game in both the 2000 and 2004 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

This sixth-round pick surprised NFL fans with the career he put together. After leaving the team that drafted him in New Orleans, Bulger found success with St. Louis, leading the Rams to multiple postseasons. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection, including the honor of being named Pro Bowl MVP in 2004.

It is hard to find undrafted passers who not only climb the ladder to become a starting quarterback, but also to become an actual good field general like Delhomme. He guided Carolina to a Super Bowl in 2003, also earning his only Pro Bowl nod that same season.

Fiedler had been in the league for a few years before eventually finding his footing in the early 2000s with the Miami Dolphins. He started 60 games for them between 2000 and 2004 with a handful of playoff games before retiring in 2006.

King came out of the gates hot in Tampa Bay, leading his new team to the NFC Championship game as a rookie. The former second-round pick could never reach the next level, however, only staying with the Bucs until 2003 before calling it a career seven years after being drafted.

A seventh-round pick in 1994, Frerotte lasted seemingly forever in the league as a backup and occasional starter all the way through 2008. The Tulsa product started 46 games with Washington over his first five years. He led Miami with 15 starts in 2005, going 9-6 in that span.

After being drafted in the fifth round out of Oregon, Feeley spent his whole career as a reliable backup, starting just 18 games between 2001 and 2011. He is best remembered for his 4-1 run with the Eagles in 2002 after replacing the injured Donovan McNabb.

Batch appeared in more than 80 games with 55 starts over his 12-year career. The bulk of his action came over four years in Detroit, where he started 46 of the 48 games he appeared in. He never threw more than 13 touchdowns in any season.

Jacksonville’s No. 7 overall pick in 2003, Leftwich enjoyed four seasons as the team’s starting quarterback before settling into a role as backup with various teams, like Tampa Bay, an organization he later joined as a coach.

Harrington was the starter for a handful of years in the early 2000s in Detroit. His time, though, saw him throw more interceptions than touchdowns, along with far more losses than wins. His 22 picks in 2003 led the league.

The former Heisman out of Florida State could never put it all together at the next level. Weinke’s rookie season saw him go 1-14. He only made five more starts between 2002 and 2007 before retiring, finishing with a 2-18 career record.

Chosen with a first-round pick in 2004, Losman could never get the Buffalo Bills to the postseason in his first five seasons, going 10-23 in that span. His most productive year came in 2006, throwing 19 touchdowns and surpassing 3,000 yards before eventually losing the job the following season.

The Purdue product was a fourth-round pick by Chicago. He quickly went 10-5 as a rookie and would go on to enjoy multiple seasons with 20 or more touchdown passes. He was a reliable backup and spot starter over his final five seasons in Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, and Buffalo.

The Stanford alum started 15 games over his first two seasons. He had a five-year career in which he never appeared in a playoff game nor threw more than 11 touchdowns in any single year.

Campbell was under center in Washington for much of his first five seasons. That stretch included a pair of 3,000-yard seasons. The first-round pick wound down his career as a steady backup with stops in Oakland, Chicago, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.

Anderson entered the league with low expectations as a sixth round pick, but he wound up securing a Pro Bowl nod in 2007 with Cleveland. That year he impressively had 29 touchdowns and 3,787 yards in the air as the Browns went 10-5 in his starts.

The Iowa native never was a true starter in the league, but he started five games in his final two seasons with Houston in 2007 and 2008. He retired in 2012 with a 6-6 record, the bulk of that coming during a 4-1 run in 2007.

Another quarterback who received a shot in Cleveland, Frye started 23 of the 26 games he appeared in during his five-year career. He had a forgetful 2006 campaign that saw him throw just 10 touchdowns with 17 picks.

A late-round pick out of Toledo, Gradkowski stepped into a starting role as a rookie but struggled with Tampa. He went 3-8 in 2006. He never started more than four games in a season after that debut, finishing out his career as a backup in Cincinnati.

As a second-round pick in Minnesota, Jackson saw multiple seasons as “the guy” but with minimal luck. He found far more luck as a backup, namely to Russell Wilson in Seattle where he was a member of the 2013 Super Bowl team.

Hutchinson is most famously remembered for having played professional baseball before signing with the Dallas Cowboys in 2002. He went 2-7 as a starter in Dallas over two seasons. He played just one more year in Chicago, going 1-4.