About This Quiz
What's the hardest position in all of sports? When you ask that question to the average sports fan, they're likely to say, "NFL quarterback." It doesn't take a long look to see why the position is so difficult.Â
Quarterbacks must memorize hundreds of X's and O's and know every play in the playbook. They have to pass an IQ test and run a 40-yard dash just to get an interview. They have to know how to run, when to throw, where to look and how to call plays all while 300-pound tanks from the opposing team try to rip their heads off.
And if that's not enough, they have to be the face of the franchise. After Auburn phenom Cam Newton set a multitude of records and led the university to its first-ever BCS National Championship, he was expected to go No. 1 overall in the NFL draft. He did, but not before the owner of the team asked whether Newton had any tattoos. Being an NFL quarterback isn't just about being a good athlete or having good stats; it's about being a good person, player, role model and anything else that comes to mind. There are only 32 teams in the NFL, so you'd think it'd be pretty easy to find 32 good quarterbacks in the entire world, but that's far from the truth.
Take a look at these quarterbacks and try to match them to the team they play for.
Drew Brees is one of the shortest Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks in the league's history, standing just six feet tall. Brees was drafted in the 2001 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers during the second round and sent to the Saints a few years later.
Dak Prescott appeared on the NFL radar when he led the Mississippi State Bulldogs to the school's first-ever No. 1 ranking in 2014. It was his first year as a starter for the team. He returned for the 2015 season where he set numerous school records.
Cam Newton famously matched up against Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 50 when the Carolina Panthers lost to the Denver Broncos. It was Manning's last season and Newton's first Super Bowl appearance. Newton has played in Carolina his entire career.
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Aaron Rodgers won his first Super Bowl in 2011 when the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers were led by head coach Mike Tomlin. Rodgers played college ball at UC Berkeley and was drafted in the first round of the 2005 draft.
Matthew Stafford rose to fame as quarterback for the University of Georgia Bulldogs. He led his team to a bowl game in 2014 and won the MVP award that game. He decided to skip his senior year and was selected No. 1 overall by the Detroit Lions in the draft.
Andy Dalton has been selected to three Pro Bowls since his career began in 2011. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals and has played with the franchise his entire career. He led his college team to a Rose Bowl victory in 2011.
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Eli Manning and the New York Giants shocked the universe when they beat the undefeated, record-breaking, greatest team in the history of the world New England Patriots in 2008 and then again in 2012. The 2008 Super Bowl is most remembered for "the scramble" and "the catch."
Ben Roethlisberger led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a SB victory over the Seattle Seahawks in 2006 under head coach Bill Cowher. He won another Super Bowl a few years later against the Arizona Cardinals, this time under head coach Mike Tomlin.
Both Derek and his older brother David played college football at Fresno State University and went on to play professionally in the NFL. David Carr was drafted No. 1 overall by the Houston Texans in 2002. Derek was selected by the Raiders in the second round of the 2014 draft.
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The Atlanta Falcons fell victim to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 51 when they blew the biggest lead in SB history and lost the game. The Pats trailed 3 - 28 late in the third quarter and ultimately won 34 - 28 in overtime.
Marcus Mariotta was drafted No. 2 behind Jameis Winston, who won the Heisman award the year before Mariotta. Winston went to the Bucs and Mariotta went to the Titans. He's spent his entire career with the franchise.
The New England Patriots selected Tom Brady from Michigan as the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady has since won six Super Bowl titles and is widely considered the greatest NFL player of all time.
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Jimmy G shot to NFL fame when he backed up Tom Brady in a few games and did exceptionally well. He quickly became a hot commodity and eventually ended up all the way in San Francisco. He's only lost a few games as starting QB for the 49ers in three seasons.
Kirk Cousins was drafted in 2012 in the fourth round by the Washington Redskins, but he eventually had a falling out with the franchise. He entered free agency in 2018 and signed a three-year, $84-million-dollar deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
Lamar Jackson is widely considered to be the most electrifying NFL quarterback since Michael Vick. He was drafted at the end of the first round in the 2018 draft and made his first start during his rookie season.
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The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos in 2014 and were set to be the next NFL dynasty. The team returned to the Super Bowl the next year but tragically lost to the New England Patriots.
Deshaun Watson won a national championship with Clemson University in 2016 and declared for the draft that offseason. Head coach Dabo Swinny said if Watson didn't get selected No. 1 overall, it'd be like passing on Michael Jordan. Watson was selected 12th overall.
Carson Wentz and Jared Goff were both potential No. 1 selections in the 2015 draft, but Goff was ultimately selected first. Wentz went on to lead the Eagles to an amazing season in 2017, but back-up Nick Foles took over the starting position after Went tore his ACL. Foles and the Eagles won the Super Bowl that season.
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Patrick Mahomes became famous as a starting quarterback at Texas Tech University, but he didn't get enough hype to be selected No. 1 overall. He wasn't even the first quarterback drafted that year and ultimately dropped to the No. 10 overall pick.
Phillip Rivers was selected No. 4 overall by the Giants in the 2004 draft but was traded to the San Diego Chargers for No. 1 overall draft pick Eli Manning. Manning refused to play in San Diego and threatened to sit out if he wasn't traded. Today, the San Diego Chargers are known as the LA Chargers.
Josh Allen plays quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. He didn't have to adjust to the cold weather since he played his college ball at the University of Wyoming. The Bills selected him No. 7 overall in the 2018 draft.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most legendary NFL franchises and have been owned by the same family (the Rooneys) since the team's inception in 1933. Rudolph took over the starting quarterback job from Ben Roethlisberger in the 2019 season.
In the 2017 Draft, the Chicago Bears selected Mitchell Trubisky. Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes went 10th overall, and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, fresh off an NCAA championship, went 12th overall.
Joe Flacco started his career in Baltimore but lost the starting job to Lamar Jackson in 2018 after a hip injury. Flacco was traded to the Broncos in the 2019 off season. He started the season as the starting quarterback for the Broncos, but injury ended his season early.
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Jared Goff and Carson Wentz were both speculated to go No. 1 overall in the 2016 draft, and Goff eventually won the contest. Goff is a California native and has played in the state his entire life. He played college ball at UC Berkeley.
Jameis Winston famously got in trouble while quarterback at Florida State University for stealing crab legs from a supermarket, but he still went No. 1 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was drafted by the Bucs and has played for the franchise his entire career.
Jacoby Brissett shot to fame after he backed up Brady's backup, Jimmy Garrappolo, for the New England Patriots. Brissett became a hot commodity in the league and was eventually traded to the Indianapolis Colts, where he now starts.
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Nick Foles took over the starting role at quarterback really late in the regular season. The Eagles beat the Pats and Foles went on to win the MVP award, making him the first backup quarterback to win the award since Tom Brady, his opponent.
Sam Darnold was selected by the Jets No. 3 overall in the 2018 draft. He was selected behind Heisman winner Baker Mayfield and phenom running back Saquon Barkley. He's had a rocky start to his career in New York.
Kyler Murray was able to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to the college playoffs in 2019 and was drafted No. 1 in that year's NFL draft. It was widely speculated he'd prefer to play in the MLB instead, but he ultimately chose to play NFL football.
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Case Keenum had one of the greatest collegiate careers of any quarterback and holds the record for most touchdowns, passing yards and completions in NCAA history. He went undrafted in 2012 but has played in the NFL ever since.
Baker Mayfield was a relatively unknown football talent back in 2013 when he walked on to the Texas Tech football team. He eventually won the starting job, transferred to Oklahoma, won the Heisman Award and then got selected No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Ryan Fitzpatrick signed with the Miami Dolphins for the 2019 season, but he has played for several teams in his career. He's known for having scored the highest Wonderlic test score in the history of the NFL. Legend has it he finished the test in just nine minutes.
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Legend has it Gardner Minshew once smashed his own hand with a hammer in an attempt to get injured and receive an extra year of playing eligibility in college. It didn't work, and he ended up playing that season with an injured hand. He now starts for Jacksonville.
Duke University isn't known for its football team, but in 2018, Daniel Jones led the Blue Devils to a bowl game victory over Temple University. He was drafted No. 6 overall by the New York Giants and has since taken over the starting job from Eli Manning.
The Carolina Panthers drafted quarterback Will Grier in the 2018 draft, but after poor performance in the pre-season, the team signed undrafted quarterback Kyle Allen. Allen is currently the starting quarterback as Cam Newton is injured and Grier has been demoted.
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Alex Smith was selected No. 1 overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 draft, but he didn't live up to the hype. He was traded to the Chiefs and then the Redskins, where he was placed on the "physically unable to perform" injury list.
Atlanta Falcons backup Matt Schaub became the starting quarterback in the middle of the 2019 season after starter Matt Ryan suffered an ankle injury. Schaub was originally drafted by the Falcons in 2006, bounced around three different teams and is now back on the Falcons.
Ryan Tannehill actually started his collegiate career as a wide receiver at Texas A&M University but soon transitioned into the team's starting quarterback. He was drafted by the Dolphins No. 8 overall but today plays for the Titans.
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Brandon Allen got his first-ever NFL start in 2019 when Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco suffered an injury. Allen won his first start when the Broncos beat Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns. Allen was drafted in 2016 and has played for three different teams since.