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On Sunday, undrafted quarterback Brady Cook will start for the New York Jets’ Week 15 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Generally, expectations for undrafted quarterbacks are not high. But there is hope in the unknown, and every so often, players who didn’t jump off draft boards out of college are one opportunity away from Hall of Fame careers.
No, we’re not saying Cook is going to be the next Kurt Warner. But in 1999, when Rams starting quarterback Trent Green went down in the preseason, did anyone think the former grocery bagger coming off St. Louis’ bench would become a Hall of Famer? Likely not.
In any case, the pathway from players being overlooked on draft day to carving out successful NFL careers has been paved before. Several of those players went on to have some of the best careers in NFL history, and some (looking at you again, Warner) became MVPs and Hall of Famers.
Here are the top five undrafted quarterbacks in NFL history in terms of career passing yards.
Warren Moon – 49,325 yards
Even though Moon led Washington to a Rose Bowl win over Michigan in his senior year in 1978 as Player of the Game, he went overlooked in the draft. Scouts suggested Moon switch to receiver in the NFL due to racial notions at the time about the ability of Black men to play quarterback.
Moon refused and started his professional career with the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos. He played six seasons in Edmonton, throwing for 21,228 yards and 144 touchdowns while leading the Eskimos to five consecutive Grey Cup championships, a record still held. Moon joined the NFL in 1984 and played 17 seasons, mainly with the Houston Oilers. Moon holds the franchise records for passing yards (33,685) and touchdowns (196), while leading the Oilers to seven consecutive playoff appearances from 1987 to 1993.
In 2006, he became the first Black quarterback inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Dave Krieg – 38,147 yards
Krieg starred at now-defunct NAIA Milton College, where he put up prolific numbers despite playing far outside the national spotlight. That lack of exposure, combined with concerns about the level of Milton College’s competition, left him undrafted in 1980.
However, Krieg signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1980 and made his first start in 1981. Once he took over, he didn’t relinquish his spot, starting 119 games over 12 seasons in Seattle. Krieg led Seattle to four playoff appearances, including the franchise’s first AFC Championship Game. He retired as the franchise’s all-time leading passer in yards and touchdowns and was inducted into Seattle’s ring of honor in 2004.
Tony Romo’s 248 career touchdowns are still the most for any Cowboys quarterback. (Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)
Tony Romo – 34,183 yards
Romo starred at Eastern Illinois, where he won the Walter Payton Award as the top player in FCS football. Concerns about his level of competition and arm strength left him undrafted in 2003, when he signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Romo would have to wait three years before making his first NFL start in 2006, after starter Drew Bledsoe got injured.
Bledsoe never got his job back, and Romo became the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback for a decade. When he retired in 2017, he was the Cowboys’ all-time leading passer in yards (34,183) and touchdowns (248) while guiding multiple playoff teams and earning four Pro Bowl selections.
Current Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott recently surpassed Romo on the franchise career passing yards list, but Romo’s career touchdowns are still the most for anyone to helm America’s Team.
Kurt Warner – 32,344 yards
Warner starred at Northern Iowa, leading the Panthers to an FCS playoff berth, but drew little NFL interest due to concerns about arm strength and the level of competition. That left him undrafted in 1994. The Green Bay Packers cut him after five weeks at camp that summer, and he stocked shelves for an Iowa grocery store before getting his chance with the Arena Football League’s Iowa Barnstormers.
After stints in the Arena League and NFL Europe, Warner signed with the St. Louis Rams in 1997 and made his first NFL start in 1999 following Trent Green’s injury. Warner led the “Greatest Show on Turf,” won two NFL MVP awards and captured the 1999 Super Bowl. He made two more Super Bowl appearances (one with the Rams in 2001 and one with the Arizona Cardinals in 2008) and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
Jon Kitna – 29,745 passing yards
Kitna also played at a small school, Central Washington. He lit it up, rewriting the school’s passing records, throwing for 12,353 yards and 99 touchdowns, and winning an NAIA national championship in 1995. But his small-school background left him undrafted in 1996, and the Seahawks signed him that year.
Like Warner, Kitna’s development included a stop in NFL Europe, where he led the league in passing yards and touchdowns and won the 1997 World Bowl MVP, leading the Barcelona Dragons to a championship. Later in 1997, he made his NFL debut with the Seahawks and logged one start as a rookie. Kitna went on to enjoy a 15-year NFL career, also starting for the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions and Cowboys, and earning Comeback Player of the Year in 2003 with Cincinnati.
