Los Angeles Rams: 15 greatest quarterbacks in franchise history

It’s time to take a look at the 15 greatest quarterbacks in franchise history for the Los Angeles Rams.

Before the arrival of Jared Goff, the Los Angeles Rams had an unfortunate reputation for a team that struggled to find a franchise quarterback to build the offense around after failed attempts with numerous players.

But before Goff even came into the picture, the Rams were fortunate enough to see plenty of great quarterbacks suit up under center, some of which happen to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and even have a title to their name.

Right away, when thinking about the greatest quarterbacks to ever play for the Rams, Kurt Warner is most likely the first one that immediately comes to mind, since he helped the team pull off the unthinkable during the 1999 season by leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title.

What Warner and the Rams were able to accomplish that year will always be considered one of the most exciting seasons in NFL history. “The Greatest Show on Turf” almost seemed impossible for opposing defenses to keep in check each week.

Of course, Warner isn’t the only great name that deserves to be in the conversation of all-time greats for the Rams at the quarterback position, as this debate is always a popular topic to discuss, as there are plenty of candidates.

Between Goff already making a strong case for himself along with Marc Bulger deserving recognition as well for when he filled in for Warner, the greatest quarterbacks in franchise history for the Rams are certainly worth debating. So it’s time to give it a go.

Moving on from a former first-round pick is never an easy decision for any team, but at least the Rams felt confident enough in their decision back in 1968 when they decided to send Bill Munson to the Detroit Lions.

Four years prior, the Rams selected Munson with the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL Draft following an impressive career at Utah State. He would start eight games for them during his rookie season, although it would have been great to see him finish with a better record (2-4-2) in 1964.

Some will question why a quarterback like Munson with a career losing record with the Rams deserves to be on this kind of list, but it’s difficult not to wonder what could have been for the quarterback.

Sometimes, it can take a quarterback a few years before they’re playing at a high level, especially if their respective team doesn’t provide the right weapons on offense to work with.

Looking at how the next three years would go for Munson as a member of the Lions (32 touchdowns compared to just 23 interceptions in 28 games), this is yet another example of what could have been if he stuck around for the Rams.

On a positive note, at least when the Rams did move on from Munson, the offense still made out pretty well. Munson had eventually fallen to the backup role behind Roman Gabriel, who Rams fans remember all too well, and will be discussed on this list later on.

Before some Rams freak out over Sam Bradford being on this list since one could argue the former No. 1 pick deserves to be in the category of biggest busts, keep in mind there was some potential early on with him.

Between failing to ever have a winning record, to struggling to stay healthy at times, it’s easy to see why there was so much frustration surrounding Bradford at times during the years he spent in St. Louis.

Not to mention, Bradford was fortunate enough to cash-in on that whopping six-year, $78 million rookie contract after the Rams selected him with the top overall pick in 2010. So it’s easy to see why he wasn’t always the most popular player on the team.

With that being said, Bradford does deserve some benefit of the doubt. The Rams didn’t exactly have the best offenses for him to work with under center. He was able to make an impact right away as a rookie.

During the 2010 NFL season, Bradford finished with 3,512 yards to go along with 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, but it wasn’t until two years later where the quarterback put together his best season with the Rams.

After two years of experience, Bradford took things to a new level in 2012 by throwing for 3,702 yards to go along with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Overall, Bradford would finish his career with the Rams by throwing for 11,065 yards with 59 yards and 38 interceptions in four seasons (the fifth year he was hurt).

This may not seem like the most impressive numbers in the world to end up with a spot on this list, but compared to other Rams quarterbacks, Bradford deserves recognition.

No matter what the position happens to be, it’s always exciting to see an undrafted free agent go on to have a successful career at the NFL level. This was exactly the case for Jeff Kemp after joining the Rams in 1981.

Even though Kemp’s time with the Rams didn’t consist of seeing as much action as other players over the years, it was the 1984 season that made it all worthwhile. He helped lead the team to a trip to the playoffs that year.

Numbers-wise, Kemp didn’t stand out like some of the other quarterbacks across the league after only throwing for 13 touchdown passes compared to just seven interceptions, but the 9-4 record in 1984 is what stood out the most.

Even though the Rams would go on to lose right away during Wild Card Weekend that season to the New York Giants, nothing can take away from what Kemp was able to accomplish in the months leading up to that point.

One can only imagine how different things would have been if Kemp managed to make more of an impact other than the 1984 season, but the Rams will always forever cherish that run to the playoffs, despite losing to the Giants immediately upon entering the postseason.

Similar to Jeff Kemp’s situation, it’s difficult not to wonder what could have been with John Hadl if the Rams got more time with the quarterback other than only two seasons. However, he was traded in the middle of the 1974 NFL season to the Green Bay Packers.

Still, watching Hadl lead the Rams to the playoffs during the 1973 season, while taking home NFC Player of the Year honors shows just how special of a quarterback he was for the team.

In 14 games as the starter that season, Hadl was fantastic for the Rams after posting a 12-2 record during the regular season, while throwing for just over 2,000 yards (2,008) to go along with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Unfortunately, the Rams would watch their dreams of making a run at the Super Bowl come to an end right away after the Dallas Cowboys eliminated them right away in the NFC Divisional Round.

To say Hadl failed to show up for the Rams in this one would be a huge understatement since he only completed seven of 23 passes for 133 yards and an interception. Even so, this shouldn’t take away from the impressive play from the Cowboys.

Once again, some will question whether Hadl deserves to be on this list after only one impressive season with the Rams, but also this shows just how great he was in 1973 for Los Angeles.

Taking things back to the 1950s, Billy Wade seemed like the perfect option for the Rams with the top overall pick in the 1952 NFL Draft, although it wasn’t until 1954 where the Vanderbilt product saw his first action with the team.

Despite appearing in 10 games as a rookie, Wade only recorded one start for the Rams in 1954. He tossed two touchdown passes to go along with an interception.

Over the next few seasons, Wade struggled to make the necessary impact for the Rams on offense to make it seem like he was well worth the selection. However, Wade would make a big leap forward in 1958.

Even though Wade finished with more interceptions (22) than touchdowns (18), the Rams did see him go on to lead the league in passing yards (2,875), while earning that first career trip to the Pro Bowl in the process.

As for the next two seasons with the Rams, well let’s just say after combining for a 3-12 record from 1959 to 1960, the team would eventually trade Wade to the Chicago Bears before the start of the 1961 NFL season.

Normally, it can be difficult to cheer on a former player on a new team, but Rams fans were somewhat happy to see Wade eventually go on to win his first and only championship with the Bears in 1963.

After spending the first three years of his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, James Harris would eventually be released by the team in 1972 before signing with the Rams.

At the time, the Rams were hoping that Harris would go on to become the successor to John Hadl down the road, which ended up happening quicker than originally expected.

Earlier, it was discussed how Hadl seemed to be the quarterback of the future for the Rams after putting together an impressive 1973 campaign, but the team would end up going with Harris in the middle of the 1974 NFL season after watching his teammate struggle.

Once Harris took over the starting job under center after five games before Hadl would eventually get traded to the Green Bay Packers, the Rams watched their offense hit new levels with the former Grambling State star under center.

The fact that Harris would end up starting later on during the 1974 NFL season and still earn a trip to the Pro Bowl shows how great of a decision this was by the Rams.

Even more impressive than the 7-2 record put together, Harris would lead the Rams to the NFC Championship game before the team came up short against the Minnesota Vikings, 14-10.

Losing by four to the Vikings for a shot at the Super Bowl was a crushing blow for the Rams, but on a positive note, Harris did come out strong the following season as well. He would go on to finish with an impressive 11-2 record during the 1975 campaign.

Pat Haden certainly had a long way to go when he first joined the Rams back in 1976. The team decided to use a seventh-round pick on the former USC quarterback and he was facing competition from both James Harris and Ron Jaworski.

But just like plenty of other rookie quarterbacks from over the years, Haden would end up seeing some surprising action during his first NFL season in 1976 as a result of his teammates dealing with injuries.

For the most part, the Rams couldn’t have asked for more from Haden when considering his rookie campaign resulted in an impressive 5-1-1 finish.

While the eight touchdown passes could have been better, keep in mind that Haden was arguably easing his way into playing in the NFL, meaning the Rams were never too concerned about him being a game manager that early in his career.

Haden took a major leap over the next two seasons when he finished with a combined 20-6 record as the Rams starting quarterback. That being said, it would have been great to see him finish with more touchdown passes (24) than interceptions (25). But only being one pick in the red isn’t too bad, considering the era Haden played in.

Looking at the career numbers for Haden with the Rams, it’s tough to ignore that he only tossed 52 touchdown passes compared to just 60 interceptions.

But at least with a career record of 35-19-1 with the Rams, this is what will always stand out the most when it comes to Haden’s time leading the team in the late 1970s.

Going way back in the day, Bob Waterfield was drafted by the Rams during the draft in 1944 when they were actually in Cleveland. The quarterback would waste little time making an impact as a rookie during the 1945 NFL season.

Despite leading the league in interceptions (17) this first season, it should also be noted that Waterfield finished on top with 1,627 passing yards with 14 touchdowns as well.

Most importantly, Waterfield would lead the Rams to an NFL Championship during the 1945 season, which happened to be his first of two, with the other coming in 1951.

Without question, watching Waterfield pull off this kind of accomplishment with the Rams right away shows just how special of a quarterback he truly was. He was able to take part in eight seasons of action with the team.

Between the two NFL Championships, along with the four divisional titles in eight seasons, it’s easy to see why Waterfield is considered one of the best Rams quarterbacks of all time.

Things may have been different in the NFL back then, but this shouldn’t take away from what Waterfield was able to accomplish since fifth-round picks don’t always play out as expected.

Thanks to an impressive career at Nebraska, Vince Ferragamo would eventually find himself joining the Rams in 1977 when the team decided to use a fourth-round pick on the quarterback.

Similar to a few other quarterbacks already discussed, Ferragamo needed to be patient at the start of his NFL career, but once the 1979 season arrived, it was all worth the wait.

During that season, he finished with a 4-1 record, but it was his accomplishments in the postseason that will always be remembered by Rams fans.

After helping the Rams earn two tough wins on the road in the playoffs over the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ferragamo almost pulled off the unthinkable by leading the team to a Super Bowl win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Unfortunately, Ferragamo’s quest to lead the Rams to a Super Bowl title came up short when they lost to the Steelers, 31-19.

On a positive note, at least the experience gained by Ferragamo during this run at the Super Bowl would work wonders the following year, as he would go on to throw for a career-high 30 touchdown passes in 1980.

But if only Ferragamo would have gone on to win the Super Bowl that one year, it would have made the seven seasons spent with the Rams even more memorable for fans.

After bouncing around to a few different teams to start his NFL career, Marc Bulger eventually found his way to the Rams during the 2000 NFL season after the team signed up to the practice squad late in the year.

Even though it took until the 2002 NFL season before Bulger finally saw his first action with the team, it’s tough to imagine where the Rams would have been without the former West Virginia star all those years when Kurt Warner was dealing with struggles and injuries.

While the argument can be made that a big part of Bulger’s success was the Rams having a high-powered offense for the quarterback to work with, this still shouldn’t take away from his success.

How impressive was Bulger exactly? Well, the fact that Bulger went 18-4 as a starter from 2002 to 2003, while throwing for 36 touchdown passes. This run shows the Rams made the right decision bringing him on board when they did.

The 22 interceptions from the 2003 NFL season were a bit concerning, but also Bulger received some benefit of the doubt since he was still learning as a starter and the Rams were winning games.

Towards the end of his career with the Rams, Bulger would only go on to win five games over the final three seasons (35 starts), but at least early on, he provided plenty of excitement to the offense.

Does Jared Goff deserve to be this high on the list since the former Cal star is only in the middle of his third full season as the starter for the Rams? He still has plenty to prove

While there are many things about Goff that bring out some frustration by the fan base, whether it happens to be his road woes or questionable decisions sometimes on plays, this still shouldn’t take away from his overall success.

Back in 2017 when the Rams decided to bring Sean McVay on board as their new head coach, the main intention was to help bring out the best in Goff. With the right weapons for him to work with on offense, this has been the case so far.

As impressive as it has been to watch Goff lead the Rams to back-to-back NFC West titles, the most impressive accomplishment of all is easily the Super Bowl appearance last February, although the outcome could have been better.

Still, if Goff was able to handle some of this pressure to reach the big game so early in his career, just imagine what the next few years will have in store for the Rams on offense with their beloved quarterback under center.

Cards on the table, no one should be surprised to see Jim Everett on this list when looking at all the accomplishments put together over the years with the Rams from 1986 to 1993.

After looking at the kind of impact Everett was able to make during his college career at Purdue, it seemed like a no brainer for the Rams to trade for the No. 3 overall pick by the then-Houston Oilers in 1986.

Even though it took Everett a few years, in the beginning, to get adjusted to playing in the NFL, patience would pay off for the Rams pretty quickly when looking at the 1988 campaign he put together.

To watch a quarterback that previously threw 18 touchdowns in 17 games to start his career go on to throw 31 touchdown passes during the 1988 NFL season, while leading the Rams to a 10-6 record shows the kind of improvement made by Everett.

And if that wasn’t impressive enough for the Rams, Everett would go on to throw another 29 touchdown passes the following season in 1989, while finishing 11-5. He helped the Rams reach the NFC Championship before falling to the rival San Francisco 49ers.

For the most part, things would go downhill for Everett after this epic run during the 1989 NFL season, but he still provided Rams fans with plenty of great memories early on.

During the 1949 NFL Draft, the Rams knew they had nothing to lose by using a fourth-round pick on Norm Van Brocklin after watching his impressive play at Oregon. This would turn out to be exactly the case when looking at the impact made in the NFL.

After seeing limited action as a rookie in 1949 by only appearing in eight games, while throwing for 601 yards to go along with six touchdowns and two interceptions, Van Brocklin watched his career take off in 1950 when he started to see more action on offense.

Van Brocklin earned six trips in a row to the Pro Bowl from 1950 to 1955, along with helping the Rams win the NFL Championship during the 1951 season. This shows that fourth-round selection back in 1949 was well worth taking.

Even though Van Brocklin’s final two years with the Rams from 1956 to 1957 didn’t look as good as the beginning of his career, those six Pro Bowl seasons were truly incredible, as he was playing his best stretch of football then.

If only Van Brocklin decided to avoid retirement before the 1958 season before changing his mind and returning before getting traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, maybe things could have ended on a higher note with the Rams?

One can only imagine how different things would have been in the 1960s if Roman Gabriel decided to play in the AFL with the Oakland Raiders instead of the NFL with the Rams. At least it turned out to be a non-issue for the Rams.

Beginning in 1962, Gabriel would go on to spend the next 11 seasons playing with the Rams. This is another perfect example of it doesn’t always matter how a player starts his career since sometimes it takes a little time to adjust.

Gabriel’s first five years with the Rams should be described as average at best since it wasn’t until 1967 when things started to take off for the former North Carolina State product.

Not only did Gabriel go on to earn trips to the Pro Bowl in the next three seasons, but he threw for 68 touchdown passes and even earn MVP honors during the 1969 NFL season.

If only Gabriel and the Rams didn’t come up short in the playoffs that year to the Minnesota Vikings, it would have made the season even more enjoyable. Given that Gabriel spent 11 years with the franchise, it should come as no surprise that he remains a fan favorite.

Is anyone all that surprised to see Kurt Warner sitting on top of this list since he arguably has one of the greatest NFL stories of all time?

Once Trent Green went down with a torn ACL during the 1999 NFL preseason, it was Warner that stepped up the most for the Rams on offense. The rest is history.

What Warner was able to accomplish that season with the Rams was truly incredible. The quarterback emerged out of nowhere to win both NFL MVP and the Super Bowl from the 1999 season before eventually punching his ticket to Canton.

As Rams fans know, this was the year when “The Greatest Show on Turf” was established. Warner took advantage of weapons such as Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce to finish the regular season with 41 touchdown passes.

These days, many teams have been fun to watch every week thanks to having a high-powered offense, but what Warner and the Rams accomplished during the 1999 NFL season was rare.

Warner may have only displayed three great seasons with the Rams from 1999 to 2001, but they were still good enough to earn him the top spot on a list like this one.