They say it takes time to learn how to win in the NFL. But a few quarterbacks in NFL history have been in the right place at the right time to show what they can do before they’re even old enough to buy alcohol.
Today we’re taking a look at the youngest quarterbacks to ever win an NFL game. Given that well over a dozen have won gave at the age of 21, we had to organize this list down to the verge day that they contributed to their first win.
The only criteria we had for this list is that the player have won a game in which they are officially credited as throwing a pass.
Here are the five youngest quarterbacks to win an NFL (or AFL) game:
5. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts (21 years, 111 days) – Week 2 at Houston Texans, 2023
Richardson was a polarizing prospect coming out of Florida in the 2023 NFL Draft. But it didn’t take long for him to prove the Colts right in drafting him. After losing in Week 1 to the Jaguars, an injury limited him to just 10 passes in a 31-20 Week 2 win over the Houston Texans where he also scored two touchdowns on the ground.
Sadly, Richardson’s entire, promising rookie season was cut short by a season-ending injury in Week 5. The quarterback he beat in Week 2 – C.J. Stroud – would go on to become the youngest quarterback to win a start in a playoff game.
4. Sam Darnold, New York Jets (21 years, 97 days) – Week 1 at Detroit Lions, 2018
As the highly-touted No. 3 overall pick in 2018, Darnold was immediately named the starter for the Jets and seemed to have a bright future ahead of him. On Monday Night Football in 2018 on the road against the Lions he completed 76-percent of his passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns in a dominating 48-17 win.
But years of poor play and poorer coaching tanked his once-promising career and he is now a backup quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers.
3. Michael Vick, Atlanta Falcons (21 years, 89 days) – Week 2 vs. Carolina Panthers, 2001
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2001 NFL Draft didn’t play much as a rookie, but in Week 2 of his rookie year he gave Falcons fans a little taste of what they would see for the next half decade with two completions and a rushing touchdown in a 24-17 win over the rival Carolina Panthers.
Vick would make the Pro Bowl the following year and three more in a 13-year NFL career, becoming an icon for quarterbacks by the time his career was over.
2. Tommy Maddox, Denver Broncos (21 years, 74 days) – Week 11 vs. New York Giants, 1992
Few quarterbacks in NFL history have had the kinds of peaks and valleys that Tommy Maddox did. Many years before he was the Comeback Player of the Year for the Pittsburgh Steelers or the MVP of the 2001 XFL season, Maddox was seen as the heir-apparent to John Elway. He got his first real taste of NFL action as a rookie in 1992 with, mostly in spot duty.
In Week 11 of his rookie season, he had mop-up duty against the Giants, completing 9-of-13 passes for 134 yards in a 27-13 win. Unfortunately, his next four games would be the only starting action he would have in the NFL for the next decade and lost all four of those games.
1. Jacky Lee, Houston Oilers (21 years, 69 days) – Week 2 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
The late Jacky Lee had the misfortune of finding himself in quarterback competitions with several all-time greats such as George Blanda and Len Dawson. But as a rookie in the inaugural AFL season in 1960, Lee played a big role in the Oilers’ championship season.
In Week 2 against the Chargers, his three passes were evenly split between his own teammates, his opponents and the ground in a 38-28 win. He would start and win two games later that season and be a part of three AFL Championship teams and won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in the 1969 season.