The quarterback position in the National Football League has changed a lot in recent years. There are a few star signal-callers that were well ahead of the curve.
You see this statistic a lot more now. Even though a player doesn't get credit for a touchdown unless he actually scores it, quarterback numbers these days not only include touchdown passes and interceptions but a little something called "total TDs."
For instance, Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes led the NFL in 2022 in passing yards (5,250) and scoring passes (41). He also ran for four scores so some outlets will state that league MVP accounted for 45 total touchdowns. Eagles' signal-caller Jalen Hurts threw 22 TD passes and ran for 13 scores, hence 35 total TDs. You get the point.
What it really shows is that the quarterbacks are being asked to do more these days as clubs take advantage of their physical skills. Of course, there are still plenty of pocket passers in the league.
The following three standouts, two of whom are enshrined in Canton, certainly made their presence felt with their arm as well as their legs.
NFL quarterbacks from the wrong era: 3. Steve Young
His professional career began in 1984 with the first version of the United States Football League. In those days, former BYU standout Steve Young was arguably more dangerous as a runner than he was a passer. In his two seasons with the Los Angeles Express, he combined for 16 TD passes and 22 interceptions. He ran for 883 yards and nine touchdowns and averaged 6.5 yards per carry.
During his two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he threw for 11 scores and was picked off 21 times in 19 outings. Young ran for 658 yards and six scores while averaging 5.8 yards per attempt.
In 1987, the Buccaneers dealt Young to the San Francisco 49ers, where he would spend the next 12-plus seasons. He earned six league passing titles and was named Super Bowl XXIX MVP with a record six TD passes. He finished his 15-year NFL career with 33,124 yards and 232 scores through the air.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame field general also rushed for 4,239 yards and 43 touchdowns. That includes one memorable run vs. the Vikings in 1988.
NFL quarterbacks from the wrong era: 2. Fran Tarkenton
The Minnesota Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1961. At that time, there were only 14 NFL franchises. With the first pick in the third round, they grabbed University of Georgia quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who would certainly leave his mark on professional football.
He would play a total of 18 seasons, including two stints with the Vikings. He was dealt to the New York Giants in 1967 and spent five years with the franchise before being dealt back to Minnesota in 1972.
His career figures of 47,003 passing yards and 342 touchdown tosses after he retired following the 1978 season lasted 17 years before fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino eclipsed both marks in 1995.
Of course, "Sir Francis" was incredibly durable despite the fact that he was seemingly always on the move. Tarkenton was a scrambler but also accumulated more running yards than some may think. He finished his career with 3,674 yards on the ground and 32 touchdowns. He was named to nine Pro Bowls and was the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1975.
Postseason success eluded the productive signal-caller despite the fact that he helped guide the Vikings to three Super Bowl appearances in four seasons. He frustrated many great defensive linemen.
NFL quarterbacks from the wrong era: 1. Randall Cunningham
The current NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles are led by emerging star Jalen Hurts. It's a franchise that also employed versatile six-time Pro Bowler Donovan McNabb for 11 seasons. However, the Birds once had a quarterback that proved that he could truly fly.
Sixteen years before the Atlanta Falcons made Virginia Tech University quarterback Michael Vick with the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles were using a second-round selection on talented UNLV signal-caller Randall Cunningham.
Early in his NFL career, Cunningham certainly took a beating while running away from NFL defenses the best he could. He was part of an Eagles team that in 1986 gave up an incredible 104 sacks, a league record.
However, the talented athlete began to run away from, duck under, and leap over defenders in a single bound. He would finish his NFL career with 4,928 yards rushing and 35 TDs. Cunningham was far from one-dimensional. He connected on 56.6 percent of his passes for 29,979 yards and 207 scores.
Cunningham came out of retirement and spent three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings from 1997-99. In 1998, he wound up the primary starter for what would be a club that finished 15-1 and set a then-NFL record for points scored in a season (556).
