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No position in the NFL gets more attention than quarterbacks. The goal of every team is to find a franchise quarterback that can lead them to consistent and sustained success. When a team moves on from a proven quarterback before they are ready to give up their position as the starter, it can cause serious controversy. Here are three of the biggest quarterback controversies in NFL history.
Three biggest QB controversies in NFL history
#3 - San Francisco 49ers - Joe Montana and Steve Young
Joe Montana is widely considered one of the absolute greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. He helped the San Francisco 49ers reach four Super Bowls while winning all four and being named the MVP in three of them. He dominated his era of football, and his accomplishments top just about any other player ever.
Later in Montana's career, the 49ers signed Steve Young, a superstar quarterback from the USFL. Young immediately challenged for the starting quarterback job, but Montana won the competition first until he suffered a series of injuries, and Young eventually took over full-time.
Montana ended his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, despite not being ready to leave the 49ers. Young would win one Super Bowl ring, one Super Bowl MVP, and two NFL MVP awards. While Young had a successful career, he never surpassed Montana's legacy.
#2 - New England Patriots - Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady
Drew Bledsoe famously signed a ten-year contract worth more than 100 million dollars before the 2001 season. It was the largest contract in NFL history when he signed it. He was supposed to be their franchise quarterback, but disaster appeared to strike when he was injured in Week 2 of the 2021 season.
Bledsoe's injury paved the way for Tom Brady to take over as the starting quarterback. He was supposed just to fill in until Bledsoe recovered, but Brady won the job outright despite all of the money the Patriots were paying Bledsoe.
The Patriots never looked back, and it's safe to say they made the right decision after Brady won six Super Bowl rings for the Patriots in the greatest career in NFL history. Bledsoe retired five years later after losing his starting job again due to an injury, having been replaced by Tony Romo for the Dallas Cowboys.
#1 - Green Bay Packers - Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers
When the Green Bay Packers selected Aaron Rodgers in the 2005 NFL Draft, Brett Favre said he wasn't happy about it. Favre played three more seasons as the Packers' starting quarterback, with Rodgers waiting for his opportunity to take over the job.
Things got messy in Green Bay following the 2007 season. Favre announced his retirement but then famously changed his mind a few months later and decided he wanted to return and continue being the starting quarterback for the Packers. The organization declined his request and decided to name Rodgers as the starter moving forward.
Favre still showed up to training camp, but he was traded to the New York Jets shortly after. Rodgers went on to win four NFL MVP awards, topping Favre by one, with each of them winning one Super Bowl ring with the Packers. After a year with the Jets, Favre joined the Minnesota Vikings for two seasons, where he would appear in one NFC Championship game.
