Which quarterback has the longest active regular-season starting streak in NFL? Examining top 5 QBs who have been available most
Being a quarterback in the NFL involves a lot of responsibility, and the best ones are incredibly valued by their franchises. The quarterback is the highest-paid position in American Football, and every team wishes to have one that is good and durable.
It's impossible to talk about the durability of NFL quarterbacks and not mention Tom Brady, who played until he was 45 years of age. But since he retired in February, many sequences involving active players have changed, especially involving quarterbacks.
One could think that veteran quarterbacks such as Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson would dominate the list of players with the longest regular-season starting streaks. However, the reality is that younger quarterbacks dominate, as the top 5 shows:
- Josh Allen - 71 - Week 12 2018
- Justin Herbert - 49 - Week 2 2020
- Trevor Lawrence - 34 - Week 1 2021
- Patrick Mahomes - 34 - Week 1 2021
- Aaron Rodgers - 25 - Week 10 2021
Josh Allen has the longest starting streak of regular season games in the NFL
Of the five quarterbacks with the longest active regular-season starting streak, only Aaron Rodgers has been in the league for longer than since 2017. Mahomes started his first game in Week 17 of that year, Allen was a 2018 draft pick, Herbert was drafted in 2020, and finally, Lawrence is from a year later.
The Buffalo Bills quarterback was set to enter the fray midway through his first season in 2018 but his number was called right in his first-ever game. Starting quarterback Nathan Peterman performed poorly to start the game. Allen was turned into the starter at halftime. He became the official starter for Week 2 and never looked back.
Herbert became the starter in a different manner. Hours before Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season, starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor was shot down. The Chargers' team doctor accidentally punctured Taylor's lung while administering a painkiller injection prior to the game. Herbert played well and kept the job ever since.
Trevor Lawrence has played in all 34 games since he was drafted by the Jaguars. Mahomes, meanwhile, has played all 34 games from the previous two seasons - he was rested in Week 17 of the 2020 season.
Aaron Rodgers missed games in the 2021 season due to contracting COVID-19 and not being vaccinated.