The Worst NFL Quarterback Every Season Of The 2000s
The 2000s saw many memorable things happen in the NFL, especially when it comes to quarterbacks, as we witnessed the rise of the legendary Tom Brady, brothers Peyton and Eli Manning winning back-to-back Super Bowls, Ben Roethlisberger earning two rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers and so on.
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People always remember the all-time greats, and rightfully so, but not all quarterbacks of the 2000s were phenoms. Every season there were players who performed terribly, and it was hard to even understand how they made it to the NFL. Without further ado, let's take a look at the worst NFL quarterbacks every season of the 2000s.
10 2000: Akili Smith
© Gary Landers, Cincinnati Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC<\/p>\n"">© Gary Landers, Cincinnati Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC
In the 1999 draft the Cincinnati Bengals selected Akili Smith in the first round (third overall pick), but unfortunately, he turned out to be undoubtedly the worst pick in franchise history. In 2000, at age 25, Akili Smith had an extremely poor season, with a 44.2 completion percentage (worst in the league), 1,253 passing yards, 4.7 yards per attempt (worst), 14 fumbles and 52.8 passer rating (worst) in 12 games. Akili Smith was a total fiasco, and that’s why he only played 22 games in the NFL.
9 2001: Chris Weinke
Chris Weinke's story is quite unusual, as he made his NFL debut at 29 years old as the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers after being the 106th overall pick in the 2001 draft. That said, it's no wonder the Panthers finished the season with a 1-15 record. Chris Weinke had the third-worst pass completion percentage (54.3%), had the worst yards per attempt ratio (5.4) and the second-worst quarterback rating (62). In addition, Weinke completed only 11 touchdown passes and was intercepted 19 times.
8 2002: David Carr
David Carr made history in the 2002 season, only in an unwanted way, as the Houston Texans quarterback was sacked 76 times, the most in NFL history. The 23-year-old rookie had a dismal 52.5 pass completion percentage, with only nine touchdown passes in 16 games.
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To make matters worse, David Carr gained just 162 yards per game, the lowest among starting quarterbacks, and he had a 62.8 passer rating, the second-lowest in the entire league.
7 2003: Joey Harrington
Had it not been for David Carr, Joey Harrington would have been the worst quarterback of the 2002 season, but the following year Carr improved slightly, unlike Harrington. The Detroit Lions' player completed 309 of 554 passes (55.8%, fifth worst in the league), with only 5.2 yards per attempt (worst) and was intercepted 22 times, the most in the NFL. The 25-year-old had a dismal 63.9 rating and completed just 17 touchdown passes in 16 games.
6 2004: Mark Brunell
In 2004, Peyton Manning had a masterful season, taking AP MVP honors, but who was on the other side of the coin? The answer is Mark Brunell, the left-handed quarterback for the Washington Redskins. Brunell was coming off several solid seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but his first year in Washington was a nightmare. Brunell played nine games as a starter, and posted the worst pass completion percentage in the NFL (49.8%), was the worst in yards per attempt (5.0), had only 1,194 passing yards and only delivered seven touchdown passes.
5 2005: Kyle Orton
The Chicago Bears had an 11-5 record in the 2005 season, but not thanks to Kyle Orton. The 23-year-old rookie had a 59.7 rating, 5.1 yards per attempt and 124.6 yards per game, the worst in the league among qualified quarterbacks in each of those departments.
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"Uncle Rico" completed only nine touchdown passes, while suffering 13 interceptions and 30 sacks. Usually, the quarterback is the backbone of a team, but in this case, the Bears defense did most of the work during the regular season.
4 2006: Andrew Walter
Andrew Walter played 12 games with the Oakland Raiders, eight of them as a starter. He completed only 147 of 276 passes (53.3%, third worst in the league), with only three touchdown passes and 13 interceptions, being sacked 46 times and fumbling the ball 13 times. The rookie had a terrible season, and unfortunately, he did not improve his game, which led him to be without a team three years later.
3 2007: Marc Bulger
Marc Bulger was coming off five pretty good seasons with the St. Louis Rams, including two appearances in the Pro Bowl. However, the 2007 season was absolutely lackluster for him. In 12 games, Bulger completed 221 of 378 passes for 2,392 yards, delivering just 11 touchdown passes, being intercepted 15 times and suffering 37 sacks. Not surprisingly, the Rams won only two games with Bulger commanding the offense. This was the beginning of the end for Marc Bulger, who would only play in the NFL for a couple more years.
2 2008: Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Fitzpatrick's first season as a starting quarterback was a disaster. He played 12 games as a starter with the Cincinnati Bengals, recording just 146.5 yards per game and 5.1 yards per attempt, both the worst among starting quarterbacks. The Amish Rifle only threw eight touchdown passes, was sacked 38 times and fumbled the ball 11 times, the most in his 17-year career.
1 2009: JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Russell is considered one of the worst first overall draft picks in NFL history, as he was one of the biggest disappointments in Raiders history. Russell only played three seasons, the last being 2009. In 12 appearances, Russell completed 120 of 246 passes (48.8%, worst in the NFL), with only three touchdown passes and a dismal 50.0 rating. No one could believe that JaMarcus Russell had such a terrible performance, as it was one of the worst seasons ever for a first-round pick.
