Worst Passer Ratings In Every Year Since the Merger

by Chase Stuart on July 20, 2014

in History, Passing, Quarterbacks

Smith struggled as a rookie; then again, so did many greats.

In 2013, Geno Smith had the worst passer rating (66.5) in the NFL. The year before, Mark Sanchez had a passer rating of 66.9, which was very nearly the lowest in the league (Matt Cassel had a rating of 66.7). But while the Jets didn’t quite do it, a couple of teams have managed to have different quarterbacks in consecutive seasons finish with the lowest passer ratings in the NFL (minimum 14 attempts per game).

In 2000, a second-year Akili Smith was given the starting job and posted a miserable 52.8 passer rating. A year later, Jon Kitna took over for the Bengals, and his 61.1 rating was the worst among qualifying passers.

In 1993, Mark Rypien finished with the worst passer rating in the league two years after winning the Super Bowl. Washington drafted Heath Shuler the following year, and as a rookie, Shuler finished with the worst passer rating in the NFL.

The Seahawks almost pulled off this feat in the prior two years. In 1992, Stan Gelbaugh had the worst passer rating as part of the historically inept Seattle passing attack. In 1991, Jeff Kemp finished with the worst passer rating in the league. Kemp, the son of Jack , started the year with Seattle but finished it with Philadelphia. He didn’t have enough attempts with the Seahawks to qualify, so I probably wouldn’t include the ’91-’92 Seahawks in this category, although that may be pickin’ nits.

The table below shows the quarterbacks to finish with the lowest passer rating in the NFL in each year since the merger. For each passer, I’ve included his age as of September 1st of that season, his traditional metrics, and his passer rating.

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Year	Player	Team	Age	Att	Cmp	PassYd	PTD	INT	PassRt
2013	Geno Smith	NYJ	22.9	443	247	3046	12	21	66.5
2012	Matt Cassel	KAN	30.3	277	161	1796	6	12	66.7
2011	Blaine Gabbert	JAX	21.9	413	210	2214	12	11	65.4
2010	Jimmy Clausen	CAR	22.9	299	157	1558	3	9	58.4
2009	JaMarcus Russell	OAK	24.1	246	120	1287	3	11	50
2008	Derek Anderson	CLE	25.2	283	142	1615	9	8	66.5
2007	Kellen Clemens	NYJ	24.2	250	130	1529	5	10	60.9
2006	Andrew Walter	OAK	24.3	276	147	1677	3	13	55.8
2005	Kyle Orton	CHI	22.8	368	190	1869	9	13	59.7
2004	A.J. Feeley	MIA	27.3	356	191	1893	11	15	61.7
2003	Kordell Stewart	CHI	30.9	251	126	1418	7	12	56.8
2002	Joey Harrington	DET	23.9	429	215	2294	12	16	59.9
2001	Jon Kitna	CIN	28.9	581	313	3216	12	22	61.1
2000	Akili Smith	CIN	25	267	118	1253	3	6	52.8
1999	Jake Plummer	ARI	24.7	381	201	2111	9	24	50.8
1998	Ryan Leaf	SDG	22.3	245	111	1289	2	15	39
1997	Kerry Collins	CAR	24.7	381	200	2124	11	21	55.7
1996	Rick Mirer	SEA	26.5	265	136	1546	5	12	56.6
1995	Trent Dilfer	TAM	23.5	415	224	2774	4	18	60.1
1994	Heath Shuler	WAS	22.7	265	120	1658	10	12	59.6
1993	Mark Rypien	WAS	30.9	319	166	1514	4	10	56.3
1992	Stan Gelbaugh	SEA	29.7	255	121	1307	6	11	52.9
1991	Jeff Kemp	2TM	32.1	295	151	1753	9	17	55.7
1990	Marc Wilson	NWE	33.5	265	139	1625	6	11	61.6
1989	Troy Aikman	DAL	22.8	293	155	1749	9	18	55.7
1988	Vinny Testaverde	TAM	24.8	466	222	3240	13	35	48.8
1987	Mark Malone	PIT	28.8	336	156	1896	6	19	46.7
1986	Jack Trudeau	IND	24	417	204	2225	8	18	53.5
1985	Vince Ferragamo	BUF	31.4	287	149	1677	5	17	50.8
1984	Todd Blackledge	KAN	23.5	294	147	1707	6	11	59.2
1983	Scott Brunner	NYG	26.4	386	190	2516	9	22	54.3
1982	Joe Ferguson	BUF	32.4	264	144	1597	7	16	56.3
1981	Vince Evans	CHI	26.2	436	195	2354	11	20	51.1
1980	Phil Simms	NYG	24.8	402	193	2321	15	19	58.9
1979	Doug Williams	TAM	24.1	397	166	2448	18	24	52.5
1978	Steve DeBerg	SFO	24.6	302	137	1570	8	22	40
1977	Joe Pisarcik	NYG	25.2	241	103	1346	4	14	42.3
1976	Gary Marangi	BUF	24.1	232	82	998	7	16	30.8
1975	Archie Manning	NOR	26.3	338	159	1683	7	20	44.3
1974	Mike Phipps	CLE	26.8	256	117	1384	9	17	46.7
1973	Norm Snead	NYG	34.1	235	131	1483	7	22	45.8
1972	Jim Plunkett	NWE	24.7	355	169	2196	8	25	45.7
1971	Bobby Douglass	CHI	24.2	225	91	1164	5	15	37
1970	Terry Bradshaw	PIT	22	218	83	1410	6	24	30.4

Incredibly, six different quarterbacks finished with the lowest passer rating in the NFL one year and wound up winning a Super Bowl later in their careers: Trent Dilfer, Troy Aikman, Phil Simms, Doug Williams, Jim Plunkett, and Terry Bradshaw. John Elway came close, with the 2nd lowest passer rating in the NFL during his rookie year (and he was less than one point from finishing in the basement). It was before the merger, but we also know that Bart Starr had a miserable start to his career.

Rypien is the only quarterback to finish with the lowest passer rating after winning a Super Bowl. Joe Namath had the 2nd lowest rating in the NFL in ’76; Eli Manning had the 3rd lowest in 2013, although a few other quarterbacks have done that, too.

Two franchises have had four quarterbacks finish with the lowest rating in a season. You probably won’t be surprised to see the Bears are one of them. But the Giants are the other, with all four quarterbacks coming between the years of 1973 and 1983.

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