List of New England Patriots starting quarterbacks explained

This is a list of every starting quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL).

History

There have been thirty starting quarterbacks for the Patriots since their founding in 1960. Babe Parilli was the franchise's first longtime starter, leading the Patriots to their only playoff berth and championship game appearance while a member of the American Football League (AFL). Following the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, Jim Plunkett was drafted by the Patriots first overall to become the starting quarterback, but an unsuccessful tenure resulted in him being traded after five seasons. Plunkett was succeeded by Steve Grogan, who served as the team's primary starter during the late 1970s and helped lead them to their first NFL playoff appearances. A series of injuries caused Grogan to lose his starting job by the 1980s, although he remained on the team until 1990. The Patriots lacked a steady quarterback for most of the 1980s, with five (including Grogan) starting in the 1987 season. First-round selection Tony Eason, the longest-tenured of the decade, contributed to the Patriots making their Super Bowl debut, but lasted only three seasons as the primary starter.

In the 1990s, first overall pick Drew Bledsoe ended the Patriots' search for a quarterback by bringing the team to consistent playoff contention after five losing seasons. Bledsoe's success would be eclipsed the next decade when an injury caused him to be relieved by backup Tom Brady. As the franchise's longest-tenured quarterback from 2001 to 2019, Brady is credited with the Patriots dynasty that saw them set the records for Super Bowl appearances and wins. Following a one-off season in 2020 with free agent signing Cam Newton as the starter, the Patriots' starting quarterback from 2021–2023 was first round pick Mac Jones, who was named the starter at the beginning of his rookie season in 2021. After a successful rookie campaign, Jones' play continuously declined through his next two years, leading to his departure after the 2023 season.

Regular season

The number of games they started during the season is listed to the right in descending order:

Season(s)	Quarterback(s)	Ref.
Boston Patriots
1960 (AFL)	Butch Songin (12) / Tom Greene (2)	^[1]
1961 (AFL)	Babe Parilli (8) / Butch Songin (6)	^[2]
1962 (AFL)	Babe Parilli (10) / Tom Yewcic (4)	^[3]
1963 (AFL)	Babe Parilli (14)	^[4]
1964 (AFL)		^[5]
1965 (AFL)	Babe Parilli (13) / Eddie Wilson (1)	^[6]
1966 (AFL)	Babe Parilli (14)	^[7]
1967 (AFL)	Babe Parilli (11) / Don Trull (3)	^[8]
1968 (AFL)	Mike Taliaferro (7) / Tom Sherman (7)	^[9]
1969 (AFL)	Mike Taliaferro (14)	^[10]
	Joe Kapp (10) / Mike Taliaferro (4)	^[11]
New England Patriots
	Jim Plunkett (14)	^[12]
		^[13]
		^[14]
		^[15]
	Steve Grogan (7) / Jim Plunkett (5) / Neil Graff (2)	^[16]
	Steve Grogan (14)	^[17]
		^[18]
	Steve Grogan (16)	^[19]
		^[20]
	Steve Grogan (12) / Matt Cavanaugh (4)	^[21]
	Matt Cavanaugh (8) / Steve Grogan (7) / Tom Owen (1)	^[22]
	Steve Grogan (6) / Matt Cavanaugh (3)	^[23]
	Steve Grogan (12) / Tony Eason (4)	^[24]
	Tony Eason (13) / Steve Grogan (3)	^[25]
	Tony Eason (10) / Steve Grogan (6)	^[26]
	Tony Eason (14) / Steve Grogan (2)	^[27]
	Steve Grogan (6) / Tom Ramsey (3) / Tony Eason (3) / Bob Bleier (2) / Doug Flutie (1)	^[28]
	Doug Flutie (9) / Steve Grogan (4) / Tony Eason (2) / Tom Ramsey (1)	^[29]
	Steve Grogan (6) / Marc Wilson (4) / Tony Eason (3) / Doug Flutie (3)	^[30]
	Marc Wilson (6) / Tommy Hodson (6) / Steve Grogan (4)	^[31]
	Hugh Millen (13) / Tommy Hodson (3)	^[32]
	Hugh Millen (7) / Scott Zolak (4) / Tommy Hodson (3) / Jeff Carlson (2)	^[33]
	Drew Bledsoe (12) / Scott Secules (4)	^[34]
	Drew Bledsoe (16)	^[35]
	Drew Bledsoe (15) / Scott Zolak (1)	^[36]
	Drew Bledsoe (16)	^[37]
		^[38]
	Drew Bledsoe (14) / Scott Zolak (2)	^[39]
	Drew Bledsoe (16)	^[40]
		^[41]
	Tom Brady (14) / Drew Bledsoe (2)	^[42]
	Tom Brady (16)	^[43]
		^[44]
		^[45]
		^[46]
		^[47]
		^[48]
	Matt Cassel (15) / Tom Brady (1)	^[49]
	Tom Brady (16)	^[50]
		^[51]
		^[52]
		^[53]
		^[54]
		^[55]
		^[56]
	Tom Brady (12) / Jacoby Brissett (2) / Jimmy Garoppolo (2)	^[57]
	Tom Brady (16)	^[58]
		^[59]
		^[60]
	Cam Newton (15) / Brian Hoyer (1)	^[61]
2021	Mac Jones (17)	^[62]
2022	Mac Jones (14) / Bailey Zappe (2) / Brian Hoyer (1)	^[63]
2023	Mac Jones (11) / Bailey Zappe (6)	^[64]
2024	Drake Maye (12) / Jacoby Brissett (5)	^[65]

Postseason

Season(s)	Quarterback(s)
1963 (AFL)	(1–1)
	(0–1)
	(3–1)
	(0–1)
	(0–1)
	(2–1)
	(1–1)
	(0–1)
	(3–0)
	(1–1)
	(2–1)
	(0–1)
	(2–1)
	(1–1)
	(3–0)
	(1–1)
	(3–0)
	(2–1)
	(3–0)
	(0–1)
	(0–1)

Most games as starting quarterback

These quarterbacks have at least 40 starts for the Patriots in regular season games.

GP	Games played
GS	Games started
W	Number of wins as starting quarterback
L	Number of losses as starting quarterback
T	Number of ties as starting quarterback
%	Winning percentage as starting quarterback

Name	Years	GP	GS	W	L	T	%
	2000–2019	285	283	219	64	—	.768
	1975–1990	149	135	75	60	—	.556
	1993–2001	124	123	63	60	—	.512
	1961–1967	94	83	44	32	7	.572
	1971–1975	61	61	23	38	—	.377
	1983–1989	72	49	28	21	—	.571
	2021–2023	42	42	18	24	—	.429

Team career passing records

These quarterbacks have over 10,000 career passing yards with the Patriots in regular season games.

Name	Comp	Att	%	Yds	TD	Int
	6,377	9,988	63.8	74,571	541	179
	2,544	4,518	56.3	29,657	166	138
	1,879	3,593	52.3	26,886	182	208
	1,140	2,413	47.2	16,747	132	138
	729	1,503	48.5	12,665	62	87
	876	1,500	52.3	10,732	60	48

See also

• Lists of NFL starting quarterbacks
• List of New England Patriots first-round draft picks
• History of the New England Patriots

Notes

• In each game, a team picks one player to start in the quarterback position. Players may be substituted during the game, but the term "starting quarterback" refers to the player who started the game in that position.
• Since the 1978 NFL season, all teams have played 16-game schedules.^[66]
• Strikes by the National Football League Players Association in the 1982 and 1987 seasons resulted in shortened seasons (9- and 15-game schedules, respectively).^[67]

References

General

• Web site: New England Patriots Team Encyclopedia . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Sports Reference . July 30, 2017 .

Specific

Notes and References

1. Web site: 1960 Boston Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
2. Web site: 1961 Boston Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
3. Web site: 1962 Boston Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
4. Web site: 1963 Boston Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
5. Web site: 1964 Boston Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
6. Web site: 1965 Boston Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
7. Web site: 1966 Boston Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
8. Web site: 1967 Boston Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
9. Web site: 1968 Boston Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
10. Web site: 1969 Boston Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
11. Web site: 1970 Boston Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
12. Web site: 1971 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
13. Web site: 1972 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
14. Web site: 1973 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
15. Web site: 1974 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
16. Web site: 1975 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
17. Web site: 1976 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
18. Web site: 1977 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
19. Web site: 1978 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
20. Web site: 1979 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
21. Web site: 1980 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
22. Web site: 1981 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
23. Web site: 1982 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
24. Web site: 1983 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
25. Web site: 1984 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
26. Web site: 1985 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . Sports Reference LLC . December 6, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081224075526/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/1985.htm . December 24, 2008 .
27. Web site: 1986 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
28. Web site: 1987 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
29. Web site: 1988 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
30. Web site: 1989 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
31. Web site: 1990 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
32. Web site: 1991 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
33. Web site: 1992 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
34. Web site: 1993 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
35. Web site: 1994 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
36. Web site: 1995 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
37. Web site: 1996 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
38. Web site: 1997 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
39. Web site: 1998 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
40. Web site: 1999 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
41. Web site: 2000 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
42. Web site: 2001 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
43. Web site: 2002 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
44. Web site: 2003 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
45. Web site: 2004 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
46. Web site: 2005 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
47. Web site: 2006 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
48. Web site: 2007 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
49. Web site: 2008 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
50. Web site: 2009 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 6, 2009.
51. Web site: 2010 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. September 12, 2010.
52. Web site: 2011 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . Sports Reference LLC . September 13, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120127052536/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2011.htm . January 27, 2012 .
53. Web site: 2012 New England Patriots Statistics & Players. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. September 13, 2012.
54. Web site: 2013 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . September 14, 2013.
55. Web site: 2014 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . October 25, 2014.
56. Web site: 2015 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . October 5, 2015.
57. Web site: 2016 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . September 11, 2016.
58. Web site: 2017 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . September 10, 2017.
59. Web site: 2018 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . September 9, 2018.
60. Web site: 2019 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . January 3, 2020.
61. Web site: 2020 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . January 3, 2020.
62. Web site: 2021 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . May 23, 2024.
63. Web site: 2022 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . May 23, 2024.
64. Web site: 2023 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . May 23, 2024.
65. Web site: 2024 New England Patriots Statistics & Players . Pro Football Reference . September 14, 2024.
66. Web site: NFL History by Decade, 1971–1980 . NFL.com . National Football League . November 4, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070402171348/http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1971-1980 . April 2, 2007 .
67. Web site: NFL History by Decade, 1981–1990 . NFL.com . National Football League . November 4, 2009 .