8 NFL QBs Who Staged A Massive Comeback After Reviving A Career That Was On Life Support

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and that can certainly be the case for NFL quarterbacks. A second chance can be the best thing that ever happens to a QB; not everyone gets one, but these guys did.

These NFL quarterbacks had an impressive second act after seemingly flaming out

The NFL is a quarterback league; it’s almost impossible to win without good quarterback play. That is why teams move on quickly and try to find a franchise QB.

Sometimes, however, the answer was in front of them all along, as many teams have cast aside a QB who went on to shine for another team.

For these quarterbacks, it may never have worked out with the team that gave up on them. A fresh start, new coaches, and new players can make a ton of difference.

Whatever the reason, these guys all started slow but made the most of their new homes and never looked back.

Sam Darnold

Sam Darnold went from seeing ghosts to seeing a championship parade. The former third overall pick spent his first three years with the Jets and threw double-digit interceptions every year.

After going 2-10 as a starter in his third year, New York decided they had seen enough and traded him to the Panthers. After a slight improvement there, the 49ers signed him in free agency, and he served as a backup.

He then signed with the Vikings, and an injury to first-round pick JJ McCarthy allowed Darnold to step into the starting role, one last chance to prove he belonged.

Darnold went 14-3 as a starter for the Vikings and made the Pro Bowl. That was good enough for a 3-year, $100 million contract with the Seahawks, where he went 14-3 again in the regular season, but this time capped it off with a Super Bowl championship.

Geno Smith

Staying on theme, here’s another New York Jets quarterback who found success elsewhere: Geno Smith. In Geno’s second year, he went 3-10 before being benched.

Smith then spent 2015-2021 as a backup for the Jets, Giants, Chargers, and Seahawks before the 2022 season, when the Seahawks traded away Russell Wilson and made Smith their starter.

No one expected much of Geno in his first year back as a starter, but as he famously said, they wrote him off, but he didn’t write back. The QB fully revived his career that season, throwing for over 4000 yards and 30 touchdowns.

He made back-to-back Pro Bowls as a starter in Seattle and signed a lucrative deal with the Raiders after being traded there. He never reached Darnold-level success, but he changed his reputation from a bust to a solid veteran NFL QB.

Carson Palmer

Unlike the previous two guys, Carson Palmer wasn’t immediately turned away by the team that drafted him. Palmer played his first seven seasons with the Bengals and was a very solid QB.

After frustrating contract disputes with the Bengals, Palmer held out at the start of the 2010 season. Then, when the Raiders lost their starting QB, they traded for Palmer.

This marked the low point of Palmer’s career; he went 8-16 as a starter there and threw 30 interceptions. At 34, it seemed like that would be it for Carson Palmer, as the Raiders gave up and traded him to Arizona.

But in 2015, at age 36, Palmer threw for 4,600 yards and 35 touchdowns. He went 13-3 in the regular season, won the NFC West, made the NFC Championship Game, and had by far the best season of his career.

Nick Foles

Nick Foles was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, and early on he performed well and looked like a potential long-term answer at quarterback.

But after a disappointing third year, the Eagles traded him to the Rams. Foles’s career would spiral from there; in one year, he went 4-7 and threw ten interceptions with only seven touchdowns.

The Rams would release Foles, and he contemplated retirement, but he decided to take a role as a backup QB for his former coach, Andy Reid, who was now with the Chiefs. Foles credits this year with bringing back his love for the game; he would go on to sign back with the Eagles as a backup for Carson Wentz

Wentz was having an MVP year in 2017, leading the Eagles to an 11-2 record. But an ACL tear ended his season, forcing Foles to step in. He would go on to finish the job for Philly and win Super Bowl 52 and Super Bowl MVP, a true full-circle underdog story.

Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield faced a tough task after being selected first overall; he had to quarterback the Cleveland Browns. The Browns had not won a playoff game since 1994, when they took Mayfield.

But Mayfield ended that streak in 2020, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round. The following year was disappointing, however, and Cleveland decided to turnt heir back on the only QB to win them a playoff game in over 20 years.

They brought in Deshaun Watson, and Mayfield requested a trade. The Browns did him no favors, sending him to the Panthers, where he went 1-5 as a starter, and it seemed like the end of the road. Then, in a quarterback emergency situation, the Rams traded for Mayfield, and he went 1-3 in four games as a starter.

Luckily for Mayfield, Tom Brady retired from the Buccaneers, and he was a free agent. The Bucs took a chance on him, and it completely saved his career. Mayfield rattled off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons and, in 2024, threw for 4500 yards and 41 touchdowns.

Rich Gannon

Rich Gannon was drafted 98th overall by the Patriots, and they wanted to convert him to a skill position, but ultimately traded him before he ever played a game for the team, already a slow start to his career.

Gannon would go on to be a journeyman backup QB, playing games for the Vikings, Chiefs, and Redskins. Ahead of the 1999 season, Gannon would sign with the Raiders under head coach Jon Gruden and was given the starting job.

In four seasons, Gannon made four Pro Bowls with the Raiders, and in 2002 he won NFL MVP at 37 after being a backup for most of his career.

That year, Gannon led the Raiders to the Super Bowl, but they lost to his former coach, Jon Gruden, whom the team traded away the season before. Regardless, it was still a miraculous resurgence for Gannon, proving it’s never too late to make a name for yourself.

Steve Young

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Steve Young, and he started his career 3-16 as a starter, throwing more picks than touchdowns each season.

Young was then traded to the San Fransico 49ers, who already had the quarterback position covered. He spent four seasons as Joe Montana’s backup.

But when Montana suffered a devastating elbow injury, Young took the job and never gave it back. Young would go on to make seven Pro Bowls as the starter for the 49ers. He also tacked on two MVPs.

In 1995, Young finally got his chance to win a Super Bowl as a starter, not a backup, and he threw a record six touchdown passes, won the Super Bowl, and earned Super Bowl MVP.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Ryan Fitzpatrick played for nine teams over his career; he rarely played a full season as a starter and never made a Pro Bowl.

However, late into his career, he went from Fitztragic to Fitzmagic as the Harvard grad strung together three consecutive 400-yard passing games with the Buccaneers, and he remains the only QB in NFL history to accomplish the feat.

Fitzmagic took on a life of its own when he wore receiver DeSean Jackson’s chains in a post-game press conference, leaving a lasting image far more positive than your typical 17-year backup QB’s outlook.