Every Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback ever: Full list
The Philadelphia Eagles entered the football scene in 1933 and since then have been fortunate to have a plethora of talented quarterbacks at their disposal. The biggest names at the quarterback position for the Eagles are Donovan McNabb, Randall Cunningham, Ron Jaworski, Jalen Hurts, and Nick Foles.
While the Eagles have had plenty of great signal-callers, they've also had their fair share of bad quarterbacks as well. Let's take a trip down memory lane and explore every Eagles starting quarterback from each decade.
Before we begin, I will note that since the quarterback position wasn't what it is now in the older seasons, it was more difficult to track down quarterback starts so keep that in mind when looking at this list.
Eagles starting quarterbacks from 1930 to 1939
Name (Time spent with PHI) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Eagles) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Eagles) |
|---|---|---|
Red Kirkman (1933-1935) | 16 (16) | 0 (0) |
Dick Thornton (1933) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Jim Leonard (1934-1937) | 14 (14) | 0 (0) |
Stumpy Thomason (1935-1936) | 7 (7) | 0 (0) |
Irv Kupcinet (1935) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Glenn Frey (1936-1937) | 7 (7) | 0 (0) |
Woody Dow (1938-1940) | 12 (12) | 0 (0) |
Davey O'Brien (1939-1940) | 8 (19) | 0 (0) |
The Eagles had eight different guys throw passes for them in the 1930s, with Red Kirkman getting the most quarterback starts in the franchise's first decade. Jim Leonard and Woody Dow also had double-digit starts in the passer spot.
Eagles starting quarterbacks from 1940 to 1949
Name (Time spent with PHI) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Eagles) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Eagles) |
|---|---|---|
Davey O'Brien (1939-1940) | 11 (19) | 0 (0) |
Len Barnum (1941-1942) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
Tommy Thompson (1941-1950) | 32 (44) | 3 (3) |
Foster Watkins (1940-1941) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Roy Zimmerman (1943-1946) | 34 (34) | 0 (0) |
Allie Sherman (1943-1947) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Jack Myers (1948-1950) | 7 (7) | 0 (0) |
Bill Mackrides (1947-1951) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Eight different guys started games at the traditional quarterback spot in the 1940s but two different players had over 30 starts. Tommy Thompson started 32 games and three playoff games for the Eagles in the 40s while Roy Zimmerman started 34 total games.
Eagles starting quarterbacks from 1950 to 1959
Name (Time spent with PHI) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Eagles) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Eagles) |
|---|---|---|
Tommy Thompson (1941-1950) | 12 (44) | 0 (3) |
Adrian Burk (1951-1956) | 37 (37) | 0 (0) |
Bobby Thomason (1952-1957) | 43 (43) | 0 (0) |
Sonny Jurgensen (1957-1963) | 4 (39) | 0 (0) |
Norm Van Brocklin (1958-1960) | 24 (36) | 0 (1) |
Only five guys started games at quarterback for the Eagles in the 1950s and all but one started double-digit games. Bobby Thomason led the way with 43 starts but Adrian Burk wasn't far behind with 37 starts under his belt.
Eagles starting quarterbacks from 1960 to 1969
Name (Time spent with PHI) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Eagles) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Eagles) |
|---|---|---|
Norm Van Brocklin (1958-1960) | 12 (36) | 1 (1) |
Sonny Jurgensen (1957-1963) | 35 (39) | 0 (0) |
King Hill (1961-1968) | 18 (18) | 0 (0) |
Norm Snead (1964-1970) | 68 (81) | 0 (0) |
Jack Concannon (1964-1966) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
John Huarte (1968) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
George Mira (1969) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
The Eagles had seven different starting quarterbacks in the 1960s but no one came close to Norm Snead's 68 regular-season starts. Norm Van Brocklin had the only playoff start of the decade.
Eagles starting quarterbacks from 1970 to 1979
Name (Time spent with PHI) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Eagles) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Eagles) |
|---|---|---|
Norm Snead (1964-1970) | 13 (81) | 0 (0) |
Rick Arrington (1970-1972) | 5 (5) | 0 (0) |
Pete Liske (1971-1972) | 17 (17) | 0 (0) |
John Reaves (1972-1974) | 7 (7) | 0 (0) |
Roman Gabriel (1973-1977) | 38 (38) | 0 (0) |
Mike Boryla (1974-1976) | 18 (18) | 0 (0) |
Ron Jaworski (1977-1986) | 46 (137) | 3 (7) |
Seven guys started games at quarterback for the Eagles in the 1970s with the most notable name in this decade being Ron Jaworski. Jaws started 46 regular-season games and three playoff games in the 70s.
Eagles starting quarterbacks from 1980 to 1989
Name (Time spent with PHI) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Eagles) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Eagles) |
|---|---|---|
Ron Jaworski (1977-1986) | 91 (137) | 4 (7) |
Joe Pisarcik (1980-1984) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
Randall Cunningham (1985-1995) | 53 (107) | 2 (5) |
Matt Cavanaugh (1986-1989) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
Scott Tinsley (1987) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
The Eagles had two very good signal-callers start for them in the 1980s. We talked about Ron Jaworski in the previous section and he continued to be the Eagles starting quarterback in the 1980s as well, making 91 regular-season starts and starting four playoff games. Randall Cunningham took over after Jaws' time in Philly was over with, starting 53 regular-season games and two playoff games.
Eagles starting quarterbacks from 1990 to 1999
Name (Time spent with PHI) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Eagles) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Eagles) |
|---|---|---|
Randall Cunningham (1985-1995) | 54 (107) | 3 (5) |
Jim McMahon (1990-1992) | 12 (12) | 0 (0) |
Jeff Kemp (1991) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
Brad Goebel (1991) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
Bubby Brister (1993-1994) | 10 (10) | 0 (0) |
Ken O'Brien (1993) | 4 (4) | 0 (0) |
Rodney Peete (1995-1998) | 24 (24) | 2 (2) |
Ty Detmer (1996-1997) | 18 (18) | 1 (1) |
Bobby Hoying (1996-1998) | 13 (13) | 0 (0) |
Koy Detmer (1998-2006) | 6 (8) | 0 (0) |
Doug Pederson (1999) | 9 (9) | 0 (0) |
Donovan McNabb (1999-2009) | 6 (142) | 0 (16) |
While the Eagles had 12 different starting quarterbacks in the 1990s, they had some darn good ones suiting up for them. Randall Cunningham started 54 regular-season games and made three postseason starts before the Eagles went through a slew of different starters trying to find the next big thing.
In the final year of the 1990s (and the century), they found their guy in Donovan McNabb. He only made six starts in 1999 but would become arguably the best quarterback in Eagles history.
Eagles starting quarterbacks from 2000 to 2009
Name (Time spent with PHI) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Eagles) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Eagles) |
|---|---|---|
Donovan McNabb (1999-2009) | 136 (142) | 16 (16) |
A.J. Feeley (2001-2002, 2006-2007) | 7 (7) | 0 (0) |
Koy Detmer (1998-2006) | 2 (8) | 0 (0) |
Mike McMahon (2005) | 7 (7) | 0 (0) |
Jeff Garcia (2006, 2009) | 6 (6) | 2 (2) |
Kevin Kolb (2007-2010) | 2 (7) | 0 (0) |
As the new millennium got underway, so did Donovan McNabb's dominance with the Eagles. The Syracuse product started 136 regular-season games and made 16 playoff starts during the 2000s. No other quarterback came close to starting as many games as McNabb for the Eagles and only filled in whenever he was unable to play.
Eagles starting quarterbacks from 2010 to 2019
Name (Time spent with PHI) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Eagles) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Eagles) |
|---|---|---|
Kevin Kolb (2007-2010) | 5 (7) | 0 (0) |
Michael Vick (2009-2013) | 41 (41) | 1 (1) |
Vince Young (2011) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
Nick Foles (2012-2014, 2017-2018) | 32 (32) | 6 (6) |
Mark Sanchez (2014-2015) | 10 (10) | 0 (0) |
Sam Bradford (2015) | 14 (14) | 0 (0) |
Carson Wentz (2016-2020) | 56 (68) | 1 (1) |
The Donovan McNabb came to a close at the end of the 2000s and the Eagles tried to find their next starting signal-caller. Kevin Kolb didn't pan out and then Michael Vick rose to fame in Philly. Later, Nick Foles became a Philadelphia legend when he had two different successful stints with the Eagles, the second stint leading to a Super Bowl championship and a Super Bowl MVP award.
The Eagles spent the second overall pick on Carson Wentz in 2016 and while he looked good in 2017, he regressed and was traded following the 2020 season. He made 56 regular-season starts for the Eagles, the most starts of the 2010s for a Philadelphia quarterback.
Eagles starting quarterbacks from 2020 to Present
Name (Time spent with PHI) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Eagles) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Eagles) |
|---|---|---|
Carson Wentz (2016-2020) | 12 (68) | 0 (1) |
Jalen Hurts (2020-Present) | 51 (51) | 5 (5) |
Gardner Minshew (2021-2022) | 4 (4) | 0 (0) |
Only three quarterbacks have started for the Eagles in the 2020s. We discussed Carson Wentz in the previous section but we didn't discuss who took over for him after he was traded. Jalen Hurts, a second-round pick in the 2020 draft, became the starting quarterback in 2021 and helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2022 season.
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