Not every quarterback gets the fairytale career they dreamed of on draft night. Some get thrown into chaos, surrounded by bad coaching, awful rosters, and front-office disasters. These teams took promising young quarterbacks and sent them straight into football purgatory.
Here are 10 teams that took a QB with high hopes—only to ruin him.
10. Arizona Cardinals – Josh Rosen
Josh Rosen walked into a disaster zone in Arizona. One year, a bad offensive line, and a coaching change later, he was traded away before he even had a chance to prove himself.
9. New York Jets – Sam Darnold
The Jets promised to develop Sam Darnold, then proceeded to give him no weapons, no protection, and Adam Gase as a head coach. By the time he left New York, he had seen more ghosts than touchdowns.
8. Cleveland Browns – Tim Couch
Tim Couch was supposed to be the savior of the newly resurrected Browns, but instead, he was sacked 166 times in five seasons. With no offensive line and no real help, his career was doomed before it ever really started.
7. Washington Commanders – Robert Griffin III
RGIII had one of the most electric rookie seasons ever, but Washington mishandled his knee injury so badly that it derailed his career. What could have been a decade of dominance turned into a cautionary tale of bad coaching and worse medical decisions.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars – Blaine Gabbert
Blaine Gabbert was thrown into the fire in Jacksonville behind a horrible offensive line with zero offensive weapons. He never stood a chance, and by the time he got to better teams, his confidence was already shattered.
5. Chicago Bears – Mitch Trubisky
The Bears skipped over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson to draft Mitch Trubisky, then spent years failing to develop him. A revolving door of bad coaches and worse play-calling made sure he never lived up to his draft spot.
4. Houston Texans – David Carr
David Carr was the first draft pick in Texans history, but Houston did nothing to protect him. He was sacked 76 times in his rookie season alone, setting the tone for a career spent running for his life.
3. Detroit Lions – Joey Harrington
Joey Harrington had the tools to be a solid NFL quarterback, but the Lions surrounded him with dysfunction from day one. With bad coaching and a terrible supporting cast, his confidence was shattered, and his career faded fast.
2. New York Jets – Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez had early success, but the Jets quickly unraveled around him, giving him no real support. By the time he left New York, he was more famous for the butt fumble than for the two AFC Championship appearances he led them to.
Read More: 10 Reasons Seattle Seahawks Fans Should Be Excited About Sam Darnold
1. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck had all the talent in the world, but the Colts let him get beaten into retirement. With little to no offensive line for most of his career, he took so many hits that he walked away from the game before his prime was even over.
Read More: The 10 Worst Number 1 Draft Picks in NFL History
