The 7 most tragic NFL rookie quarterback debuts

Some rookie NFL debuts are seamless. Take for example Panthers quarterback Cam Newton who debuted in Week 1 of the 2011 season and completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 422 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception; good for a 110.4 passer rating. The Panthers lost, but Newton showed he was ready for the pros.

Baker Mayfield had an impressive debut just last week as he unexpectedly entered the Browns’ Thursday night game against the Jets.

After Tyrod Taylor exited the game with a concussion in the second quarter, Mayfield entered right after the two minute warning and completed his first two passes (14 yards and 17 yards) as part of a drive that ended with a 45-yard field goal, the Browns’ first points of the game. The score was then 14-3.

Mayfield took the field again in the second half and led the Browns to their first victory in 635 days. Heck, Mayfield even caught a pass himself on a two-point conversion. Now, Mayfield will take over as starting quarterback for a team that won one game in its 34 attempts prior to him taking the field in Cleveland.

But rookie debuts don’t always go well. Sometimes, they happen in strange situations that make no sense and simply force you to shake your head wondering, “why” and “what were the coaches thinking?”

Josh Rosen, Week 3, 2018

That was the case on Sunday when another rookie quarterback made his NFL debut — No. 10 overall pick Josh Rosen. After starting the season 0-2, the Cardinals were finally leading 14-13 in the fourth quarter against the Bears. Sam Bradford started the game for Arizona and wasn’t playing well. With 11 minutes and 33 seconds remaining in the game, Bradford was sacked by Bears defensive monster lineman Khalil Mack and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan.

Then, Rosen entered the game with four minutes and 31 seconds to steer the game back in the Cardinals’ direction. He didn’t. Rosen went 4 of 7 for 36 yards and an interception. He nearly was intercepted a second time (and it would have been a pick six) but the defense was penalized for being offsides so the play didn’t count. It’s almost like the Cardinals coaches wanted to lose the game when they decided to put Rosen in. That’s exactly what happened as Arizona fell to 0-3 and Chicago won, 16-14.

That got us thinking, what other rookie quarterbacks were thrown into terrible or inexplicable situations when making their NFL debut?

Nathan Peterman, Week 11, 2017

At 5-4 (yes, with a winning record), the Bills decided it was time to bench starter Tyrod Taylor and start a rookie sixth-round pick. The Bills were alive in the playoff hunt, but promoted Peterman, a guy with zero NFL experience, to start against the Chargers. Prior to the Week 11 game, Taylor had a 63.7 completion percentage, 10 touchdowns, three interceptions, an 80.85 passer rating, and had led the Bills to five wins in nine games. The result with Peterman in at quarterback was a five interception first half in which he went 6 of 14 for 66 yards and finished with a 17.9 passer rating before the Bills realized they needed Taylor to play the second half. The Bills lost, 52-24, in an embarrassing showing. Regardless, the Bills snuck into the playoffs with Taylor at quarterback and then traded away the veteran to the Browns in March.

Johnny Manziel, Week 15, 2014

When the Browns drafted Johnny Manziel in the 2014 NFL Draft, they smartly (yeah, the Browns did something smart!) didn’t start him in Week 1. It took a terrible showing in the end of November from veteran starter Josh McCown for Manziel to see the field in a loss to the Bills. He then was named starter the following week, facing the Bengals at home in Cleveland on Thursday Night Football. What did Manziel do in his first start? He went 10 of 18 for 80 yards, two interceptions, was sacked three times, and got shutout 30-0 by the Bengals. Cincinnati flashed Manziel’s signature money hand signs in his face all. game. long.

Brandon Weeden, Week 1, 2012

In 2012, the Browns named rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden their starter before he even made his preseason debut. He won that designation over Colt McCoy who went 6-15 in the two prior seasons with the Browns. Hey, all things considered, going 6-15 as a starter isn’t all that bad for the Browns. Things didn’t go well for the rookie. He had a 34.29 completion percentage in the game and threw four interceptions. His 5.1 passer rating is hopefully something he’s forgotten at this point, but we’re not too confident in that. Weeden hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2015.

Curtis Painter, Week 15, 2009

The Peyton Manning-led Colts were 14-0 heading into a Week 16, 2009 matchup with the New York Jets. With their top playoff seeding all locked up, head coach Jim Caldwell decided to rest Manning and the starters, putting the team’s undefeated streak at risk. Painter threw just 11 passes, four of which were completions in a 29-15 loss that ruined the Colts’ perfect season. Zero touchdowns, one interception, and two sacks equated to a 11.2 passer rating for the first-time starter. He followed that up with an almost equally bad showing in Week 17, going four of 17 for 39 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception, one sack, and a 15.1 passer rating. Colts fans were surely happy to get Manning back in the playoffs, but Indianapolis ultimately lost in the Super Bowl to the Saints, 31-17.

Keith Null, Week 14, 2009

Null was a sixth-round pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2009 and was forced into the starting lineup in Week 14 when both of the Rams’ other two quarterbacks — Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller — got injured. Null went 28 of 44 for 154 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions. Indeed Peterman wasn’t the first rookie to throw five interceptions in his NFL debut! Null only played three other games in the NFL, all that season for the Rams.

Troy Aikman, Week 1, 1989

Aikman started right away for the Cowboys after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 draft. Like Manziel many years after him, Aikman led his team in a shutout in which he went 17 of 35 (48.6 completion percentage) for 180 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, two sacks, and a 40.2 passer rating. But, Aikman is a great example that it doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how you finish your career. He played 12 seasons in the NFL and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 after winning three Super Bowls, going to six Pro Bowls, being named First Team All-Pro in 1993, and having many other awards and honors to his name.