Star QBs with Mid-Career Team Changes

SI Staff | Apr 4, 2010

Star QBs with Mid-Career Team Changes /

Star QBs with Mid-Career Team Changes

Fran Tarkenton

Scramblin' Fran's return to Minnesota after five seasons with the Giants sparked a run of three Super Bowl appearances and six consecutive NFC Central titles. Tarkenton was the 1975 NFL MVP with the Vikings.

Y.A. Tittle

Though Tittle never won a title with the Giants, he did come close, guiding New York to the top of the Eastern Conference from 1961 to 1963 before losing three NFL Championship Games. He was named the league's MVP in 1963.

Norm Van Brocklin

The "Dutchman" led the Eagles to their most recent NFL championship when his 1960 club defeated Green Bay, 17-13, in the only postseason loss of Vince Lombardi's NFL coaching career.

Sonny Jurgensen

A prolific quarterback in Washington for 10 years, Jurgensen threw for more than 3,000 yards three times as a Redskin, leading the NFL in TD passes with 31 in 1967. That same year, he set league single-season records for completions (288) and attempts (508).

Bobby Layne

Layne cursed Detroit upon his deal to Pittsburgh in 1958 (said to be the reason why the Lions have not won a championship since he left). With the Steelers, he returned the franchise to respectability, but was bitterly disappointed by his failure to win an NFL crown.

Craig Morton

A Super Bowl starter in Dallas, Morton became little more than a tackling dummy during his two-and-a-half seasons with the awful Giants. He later emerged in Denver, where he led the 1977 Broncos to the Super Bowl only to lose to the Cowboys.

Kenny Stabler

"The Snake" was brought in from Oakland to help Houston get past the Steelers in the AFC title game, which they had lost twice to their nemesis. Alas, he took the Oilers to the playoffs only to fall in the wild card round...to the Raiders.

Drew Bledsoe

A franchise and Super Bowl quarterback in New England, Bledsoe's career was derailed by injury and the sudden rise of Tom Brady. In Buffalo, he achieved little with mediocre teams.

Archie Manning

After suffering through a deluge of losing in New Orleans, Manning was dealt to the Oilers, who promptly went 1-8 during the strike-shortened 1982 season. Things did not get much better as Manning's teams (including the Vikings) were a combined 6-35 during his final three seasons.

Dan Pastorini

A solid performer for Houston, Pastorini was expected to be the answer in Oakland, but a broken leg opened the door for Jim Plunkett to take over and become a Super Bowl hero for the Raiders.

Published Apr 4, 2010

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