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#3 - Miami Dolphins (Ryan Tannehill)
Ryan Tannehill struggled to fulfill his potential after being drafted by the Miami Dolphins. His play was littered with mistakes, and the team and their fans quite quickly gave up on him. By 2019 he was no longer a member of the Dolphins’ roster, with the Tennessee Titans agreeing a trade for him.
Whilst initially expected to be a backup to Marcus Mariota, Tannehill ultimately took the spot and made it his own in Nashville, benefitting from Mike Vrabel’s arrival as head coach.
The 2019 season was fantastic for Tannehill as he immediately made the Dolphins green with envy. He won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, whilst recording the highest ever passing rating in Titans franchise history.
In his three seasons as a starter at Tennessee, he has thrown for over 10,000 yards and won two NFL playoff games, turning the Titans into postseason regulars.
Meanwhile, Miami have yet to find his successor at the quarterback position. Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t adapted to the NFL and the Dolphins, whilst improving under Brian Flores in recent times, have been unable to really progress because of a lack of consistency at quarterback.
#2 - Houston Oilers (Warren Moon)
The Oilers perhaps only regretted this trade for a single season, but trading away Warren Moon to the Minnesota Vikings was a costly error.
Moon was the greatest quarterback the franchise had ever known, yet fears about his longevity led the front-office to move him to Minnesota for a paltry return of fourth and third-round draft picks. At 37, Moon was considered finished, yet he would showcase his talent with the Vikings for a few more seasons.
Over the next two seasons, he posted back-to-back years where he threw for at least 4,200 yards. He was voted into the Pro Bowl both years, all whilst the Oilers had to wait for Steve McNair.
McNair led the team to a Super Bowl appearance, but you have to feel that the Oilers would have been in a far better position to reach it sooner had Moon been retained.
#1 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Steve Young)
Steve Young spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1985 and 1986, with the latter being his first full season as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
However, Young’s performances were poor and he was judged harshly at the time. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns in both seasons, and the Buccaneers were looking to offload him. Thankfully, there was an individual in the NFL who knew exactly what Young could do… Bill Walsh.
Walsh was impressed by Young’s qualities as a quarterback and believed his poor performances had simply been due to the Buccaneers surrounding him with poor players. The 49ers traded for Young whilst Tampa Bay drafted Vinny Testaverde and the rest is history.
The Buccaneers struggled on while Young replaced the legendary Joe Montana, winning three Super Bowls (two as a backup), two NFL MVP awards, and leading the league in touchdowns in four separate seasons.
Tampa Bay wouldn’t reach the playoffs again until the 1997 season, by which time Young had won all three of his championships.
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