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We don’t spend a lot of time looking at the bottom of leaderboard. When it comes to efficiency stats, you need to have a minimum threshold of quantity to qualify for such title. When it comes to passer rating, that minimum is 14 attempts per team game. Last year, DeShone Kizer had the worst passer rating in the NFL. In the last 11 years, the Jets have had three different quarterbacks with the worst passer rating in the NFL (Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith, and Kellen Clemens), while the entire NFC has just one (Jimmy Clausen).

The table below shows the quarterback with the worst passer rating in every year since the merger (along with their era-adjusted passer ratings), an update of this post from three years ago.

YearQuarterbackTeamEra-Adj PRAct PR
2017DeShone KizerCLE40.260.5
2016Ryan FitzpatrickNYJ47.069.6
2015Peyton ManningDEN44.467.9
2014Blake BortlesJAX47.369.5
2013Geno SmithNYJ47.166.5
2012Matt CasselKAN47.866.7
2011Blaine GabbertJAX47.765.4
2010Jimmy ClausenCAR41.058.4
2009JaMarcus RussellOAK33.750.0
2008Derek AndersonCLE50.066.5
2007Kellen ClemensNYJ44.960.9
2006Andrew WalterOAK42.155.8
2005Kyle OrtonCHI46.259.7
2004A.J. FeeleyMIA45.561.7
2003Kordell StewartCHI45.156.8
2002Joey HarringtonDET46.159.9
2001Jon KitnaCIN49.361.1
2000Akili SmithCIN41.452.8
1999Jake PlummerARI40.450.8
1998Ryan LeafSDG27.439.0
1997Kerry CollinsCAR45.255.7
1996Rick MirerSEA46.456.6
1995Trent DilferTAM47.560.1
1994Heath ShulerWAS47.859.6
1993Mark RypienWAS46.456.3
1992Stan GelbaughSEA44.352.9
1991Jeff Kemp2TM46.155.7
1990Marc WilsonNWE50.961.6
1989Troy AikmanDAL46.755.7
1988Vinny TestaverdeTAM42.548.8
1987Mark MalonePIT38.246.7
1986Jack TrudeauIND46.053.5
1985Vince FerragamoBUF43.950.8
1984Todd BlackledgeKAN49.759.2
1983Scott BrunnerNYG45.154.3
1982Joe FergusonBUF49.656.3
1981Vince EvansCHI44.951.1
1980Phil SimmsNYG51.858.9
1979Doug WilliamsTAM48.852.5
1978Steve DeBergSFO41.740.0
1977Joe PisarcikNYG47.842.3
1976Gary MarangiBUF30.430.8
1975Archie ManningNOR45.144.3
1974Mike PhippsCLE49.246.7
1973Norm SneadNYG47.745.8
1972Jim PlunkettNWE46.045.7
1971Bobby DouglassCHI41.537.0
1970Terry BradshawPIT32.730.4

What you might notice in addition to a few Super Bowl winning quarterbacks on the list, is that Vinny Testaverde is the only one on there twice. [Editor’s note: Jeff Kemp actually finished with the worst passer rating of any QB in 1991.] Testaverde has 38 points of bad Gray Ink — i.e., if you assign 10 points to a last-place finish, 9 points to a second-to-last place finish, 8 points to a third-from-the-bottom spot, and so on. He ranked last in ’88 (10 points), second-to-last in ’91 (9 points), 5th-from-the-bottom in ’89 (+6), 7th from last in ’00 (+4), 8th from the bottom in ’04 and ’94 (+6), 9th from the bottom in ’92 (+2), and 10th from last in ’01 (+1), for a total of 39 points.

That’s the most of any quarterback since 1970, narrowly edging out well, a few other names that I doubt will surprise you.

QuarterbackGray Ink
Vinny Testaverde38
Jake Plummer33
Dan Pastorini32
Archie Manning32
Marc Wilson31
Mike Phipps31
Kerry Collins29
Jim Hart28
Joey Harrington28
Mark Malone27
Joe Ferguson27
Jay Schroeder26
Troy Aikman26
Richard Todd25
Rick Mirer25
Jim Everett25
Ryan Fitzpatrick24
Kordell Stewart24
Kyle Boller22
Billy Joe Tolliver22
Matt Hasselbeck21
Mark Sanchez21
Randy Wright21
Jim Zorn21
Bobby Douglass21
Boomer Esiason20
Jim Plunkett20
Drew Bledsoe19
Trent Dilfer19
Derek Anderson19
Ryan Leaf19
Joe Pisarcik19
Joe Flacco18
Brett Favre18
Tony Banks17
Warren Moon17
Chad Henne17
Marc Bulger17
Steve DeBerg17
Terry Bradshaw17
Bob Avellini17
Craig Whelihan17
Joe Namath17
Eli Manning16
Gus Frerotte16
Blaine Gabbert16
Rex Grossman16
Blake Bortles16
Geno Smith16
Vince Evans16
Josh McCown15
Lynn Dickey15
Paul McDonald15

What stands out to you?

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