New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones made his first career start Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the results were spectacular. Jones led the Giants to victory after they trailed by 18 points.
He completed 22 of 36 passes for 336 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Jones also ran for two touchdowns, including the game-winner. What does that say about Jones’ future? Well, it certainly indicates a ton of promise. But one game doesn’t make a career.
A quick look at some of history’s most prominent quarterbacks, shows that their first start didn’t always indicate how the rest of their careers went. Here’s a look at how eight big-name quarterbacks fared in their first start.
John Elway, Denver Broncos
People tend to forget that Elway was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1983. But he refused to play for the Colts and was traded to Denver. Elway was terrible in his first start. Although the Broncos ended up defeating the Steelers, that came only after Elway was yanked from the game. He completed just one of eight passes for 14 yards. But Elway figured things out quickly and went on to have a Hall of Fame career.
Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys
Aikman was the top overall pick in 1989 by Dallas and he didn’t look very promising as a rookie. His first start came in a 28-0 loss to New Orleans as Aikman threw for 180 yards with two interceptions. Aikman was 0-11 as a starter that year and the Cowboys were 1-15. Trivia question: Who was the starter in the only game Dallas won? Steve Walsh. Aikman went on to lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles.
Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers
The top overall pick in 1970, Bradshaw opened the season as the starter and things didn’t go well at all. In a game against the Houston Oilers, Bradshaw completed four of 16 passes in a 19-7 loss. Bradshaw had a horrible rookie season completing just 38.1 percent of his passes and led the league with 24 interceptions. Of course, he eventually found his footing and led the Steelers to four Super Bowl championships.
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Newton, the top pick in the 2011 draft, had one of the most memorable first starts ever. He threw for 422 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a touchdown. The only problem was the Panthers suffered a 28-21 loss to Arizona. But Newton has gone on to win a lot of games for Carolina. In 2015, he was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player as he led the Panthers to the Super Bowl.
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
A sixth-round pick in 2000, Brady barely played as a rookie. In 2001, he again began the season as the backup to Drew Bledsoe. But Bledsoe was injured in Week 2 and Brady got his first start against Indianapolis in Week 3. This would be the first game of the legendary rivalry between Brady and Peyton Manning. The game went well for the Patriots as they won 44-13. But Brady didn’t look like anything special, throwing for just 168 yards. But he started looking special soon after that and has led the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships.
Drew Brees, San Diego Chargers
Brees was a second-round draft pick by San Diego in 2001 and spent that season as Doug Flutie’s backup. Brees beat out Flutie in the 2002 preseason and started his first game against Cincinnati. The Chargers defeated the Bengals 34-10 and Brees threw for two touchdowns. But he only passed for 160 yards. Brees was solid in San Diego. But it wasn’t until he arrived in New Orleans in 2006 that he started putting up the kind of numbers that eventually will land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
Manning was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 draft and he was Indianapolis’ No. 1 quarterback from the beginning. His first start was filled with ups and downs. He did pass for 302 yards, but he was intercepted three times in a 24-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Of course, Manning went on to put up huge numbers and win a lot of games for the Colts and, later, the Denver Broncos.
Eli Manning, New York Giants
Manning is the guy Daniel Jones started ahead of for the New York Giants. Manning is 38 and at the end of what has been a wonderful career. He led the Giants to two Super Bowls. But a look into history shows that Manning’s first start didn’t go as well as Jones’. On Nov. 21, 2004, Manning started in place of Kurt Warner. He threw for only 162 yards with two interceptions in a 14-10 loss to Atlanta.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
