Consecutive Week 1 Starting Quarterbacks

by Chase Stuart on September 1, 2015

There are 12 starting quarterbacks in week 1 that were not week 1 starters last year. We can group them into a few buckets:

The Rookies: Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota will be the week 1 starters for the two teams that went 2-14 last year.
The Returning Starters: Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater, rookies last year, were not week 1 starters but the main quarterbacks for Jacksonville and Minnesota last year. Cam Newton missed week 1 due to injury, but is obviously returning as Carolina’s franchise quarterback. And in the continuing tire fire that is Washington football (both in general and as it specifically relates to RG3), Kirk Cousins will be the new starter in Washington over RG3.
The New Starters: Buffalo will have a new starter, with Tyrod Taylor beating out both Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel. Philadelphia and St. Louis traded quarterbacks, so Sam Bradford and Nick Foles will be new faces. In addition, the Browns (Josh McCown), Houston (Brian Hoyer), and the Jets (Ryan Fitzpatrick) added veteran quarterbacks in the offseason.

Let’s take a look at each team’s opening day quarterback in each season since 2002:

Tm	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
ARI	Plummer	Blake	McCown	Warner	Warner	Leinart	Warner	Warner	Anderson	Kolb	Skelton	Palmer	Palmer	Palmer
ATL	Vick	Johnson	Vick	Vick	Vick	Harrington	Ryan	Ryan	Ryan	Ryan	Ryan	Ryan	Ryan	Ryan
BAL	Redman	Boller	Boller	Boller	McNair	McNair	Flacco	Flacco	Flacco	Flacco	Flacco	Flacco	Flacco	Flacco
BUF	Bledsoe	Bledsoe	Bledsoe	Losman	Losman	Losman	Edwards	Edwards	Edwards	Fitzpatrick	Fitzpatrick	Manuel	Manuel	Taylor
CAR	Peete	Peete	Delhomme	Delhomme	Delhomme	Delhomme	Delhomme	Delhomme	Moore	Newton	Newton	Newton	Anderson	Newton
CHI	Miller	Stewart	Grossman	Orton	Grossman	Grossman	Orton	Cutler	Cutler	Cutler	Cutler	Cutler	Cutler	Cutler
CIN	Frerotte	Kitna	Palmer	Palmer	Palmer	Palmer	Palmer	Palmer	Palmer	Dalton	Dalton	Dalton	Dalton	Dalton
CLE	Holcomb	Holcomb	Garcia	Dilfer	Frye	Frye	Anderson	Quinn	Delhomme	McCoy	Weeden	Weeden	Hoyer	McCown
DAL	Carter	Carter	Testaverde	Bledsoe	Bledsoe	Romo	Romo	Romo	Romo	Romo	Romo	Romo	Romo	Romo
DEN	Griese	Plummer	Plummer	Plummer	Plummer	Cutler	Cutler	Orton	Orton	Orton	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning
DET	McMahon	Harrington	Harrington	Harrington	Kitna	Kitna	Kitna	Stafford	Stafford	Stafford	Stafford	Stafford	Stafford	Stafford
GNB	Favre	Favre	Favre	Favre	Favre	Favre	Rodgers	Rodgers	Rodgers	Rodgers	Rodgers	Rodgers	Rodgers	Rodgers
HOU	Carr	Carr	Carr	Carr	Carr	Schaub	Schaub	Schaub	Schaub	Schaub	Schaub	Schaub	Fitzpatrick	Hoyer
IND	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Collins	Luck	Luck	Luck	Luck
JAX	Brunell	Brunell	Leftwich	Leftwich	Leftwich	Garrard	Garrard	Garrard	Garrard	McCown	Gabbert	Gabbert	Henne	Bortles
KAN	Green	Green	Green	Green	Green	Huard	Croyle	Croyle	Cassel	Cassel	Cassel	Smith	Smith	Smith
MIA	Fiedler	Fiedler	Fiedler	Frerotte	Culpepper	Green	Pennington	Pennington	Henne	Henne	Tannehill	Tannehill	Tannehill	Tannehill
MIN	Culpepper	Culpepper	Culpepper	Culpepper	Johnson	Jackson	Jackson	Favre	Favre	McNabb	Ponder	Ponder	Cassel	Bridgewater
NOR	Brooks	Brooks	Brooks	Brooks	Brees	Brees	Brees	Brees	Brees	Brees	Brees	Brees	Brees	Brees
NWE	Brady	Brady	Brady	Brady	Brady	Brady	Brady	Brady	Brady	Brady	Brady	Brady	Brady	Brady
NYG	Collins	Collins	Warner	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning	Manning
NYJ	Testaverde	Testaverde	Pennington	Pennington	Pennington	Pennington	Favre	Sanchez	Sanchez	Sanchez	Sanchez	Smith	Smith	Fitzpatrick
OAK	Gannon	Gannon	Gannon	Collins	Brooks	McCown	Russell	Russell	Campbell	Campbell	Palmer	Pryor	Carr	Carr
PHI	McNabb	McNabb	McNabb	McNabb	McNabb	McNabb	McNabb	McNabb	Kolb	Vick	Vick	Vick	Foles	Bradford
PIT	Stewart	Maddox	Maddox	Roethl.	Batch	Roethl.	Roethl.	Roethl.	Dixon	Roethl.	Roethl.	Roethl.	Roethl.	Roethl.
SDG	Brees	Brees	Brees	Brees	Rivers	Rivers	Rivers	Rivers	Rivers	Rivers	Rivers	Rivers	Rivers	Rivers
SEA	Hasselbeck	Hasselbeck	Hasselbeck	Hasselbeck	Hasselbeck	Hasselbeck	Hasselbeck	Hasselbeck	Hasselbeck	Jackson	Wilson	Wilson	Wilson	Wilson
SFO	Garcia	Garcia	Rattay	Rattay	Smith	Smith	O'Sullivan	Hill	Smith	Smith	Smith	Kaepernick	Kaepernick	Kaepernick
STL	Warner	Warner	Bulger	Bulger	Bulger	Bulger	Bulger	Bulger	Bradford	Bradford	Bradford	Bradford	Hill	Foles
TAM	Johnson	Johnson	Johnson	Griese	Simms	Garcia	Garcia	Leftwich	Freeman	Freeman	Freeman	Freeman	McCown	Winston
TEN	McNair	McNair	McNair	McNair	Collins	Young	Young	Collins	Young	Hasselbeck	Locker	Locker	Locker	Mariota
WAS	Matthews	Ramsey	Brunell	Ramsey	Brunell	Campbell	Campbell	Campbell	McNabb	Grossman	Griffin	Griffin	Griffin	Cousins

[Note: This has been updated following the reversal of the suspension of Tom Brady.]

As regular readers may recall, the Browns are about to set a record: either McCown or Manziel (or who else knows) will become the 12th different quarterback to lead the team in passing yards in 14 years, the highest number in any such period in NFL history. Well, this year, Cleveland will also have its 11th different starting quarterback since 2002, the most in the NFL.

Only two other teams have had more than eight different week 1 starters: the Cardinals and Raiders. It seems as though Oakland may have found its answer, at least in the medium term, at quarterback. For Arizona, Palmer will be the week 1 starter for the 4th year in a row, but it’s anyone’s guess how much longer the Cardinals will be able to count on him.

On the other side, there are four teams that have started just one or two quarterbacks since 2002: the Patriots, of course, are one. The Chargers and Packers have been fortunate enough to limit their week 1 starts to Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers, respectively. Obviously when it comes to Green Bay, it’s been Favre or Rodgers for (as of 2015) twenty-two consecutive week 1 games. Meanwhile, the Saints have started only Brees or Aaron Brooks in every opener starting in 2001.

But the honor for longest active streak of consecutive week 1 starts? That belongs to Tom Brady, who has started every Patriots opener since 2002. After Brady comes Eli Manning: 2015 marks his 11th straight season as the Giants opening day quarterback.

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