The 10 Worst Quarterback Seasons Over the Last Decade
5. Jimmy Clausen, 2010
After famously predicting numerous national championships at his Notre Dame commitment speech -- then proceeding to win just 16 of his 35 career starts -- Jimmy Clausen was drafted in 2010 in the second-round by the Carolina Panthers.
Turns out, the Panthers were one year early in drafting their future franchise quarterback.
Before giving way to Cam Newton in 2011, Clausen started 10 games in 2010, completing just 52.5 percent of his throws. He threw 3 touchdowns, 9 interceptions and was sacked 33 times. The team went 1-9 with Clausen as the starter.
His -0.25 Passing NEP per play ranks 289th among the 290 eligible quarterbacks since 2006.
The only positive spin here is that in some weird, unintentional way, Clausen’s horrendous play in 2010 paved the way for the Panthers to land the first overall draft pick the next season which they used on Newton. So maybe Clausen deserves more credit than we think?
