5 most successful NFL journeyman quarterbacks of all-time
There are plenty of players across the NFL who spend their entire careers on one team and become legends with that franchise. However, there are just as many players around the league who jump from team to team, never spending more than a couple of seasons in each city.
Quarterbacks especially seem to jump around teams, as the position is a premium many teams are willing to take a chance on, usually on short-term contracts. Here are five examples of the most successful journeyman quarterbacks in NFL history.
#5 - Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie found success both in the CFL and the NFL, and it was in the latter where he spent time on five teams across a 19-year span. Flutie played for the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots twice, Buffalo Bills, and San Diego Chargers.
Flutie made the Pro Bowl in 1998 after leading the Bills to a 10-6 record. He was also named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in the same year, after Flutie had an eight-year hiatus from the league, spending time in the Canadian Football League. He would play until the age of 43, retiring after the 2005 NFL season.
#4 - Vinny Testaverde
It’s not often that we see a former number one overall pick become a journeyman, but that’s exactly what happened to Vinny Testaverde. Testaverde was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1987 NFL Draft, and would spend the next 20 years bouncing the league.
The Miami product would play for the Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets twice, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Carolina Panthers.
Testaverde ended his career with two Pro Bowls, as well as leading the AFC in passing touchdowns twice. He does, however, hold the record of most losses as a starting quarterback in NFL history with 134, which, if anything, proves his longevity, despite being discovered as colourblind.