Every Buffalo Bills starting QB in team history
The Buffalo Bills entered the AFL in 1960 and since their inception have had plenty of talented quarterbacks taking snaps for them. The biggest icons at the position for the Bills are Josh Allen, Jim Kelly, and Joe Ferguson but there are plenty of other talented names that you'll see listed here.
You'll also see plenty of duds and forgettable quarterbacks on the list. The Bills have had some rough decades led by poor quarterback play but it's helped them get to the point they are now, which is a Super Bowl contender every year, thanks to Josh Allen.
Let's go back in time and revisit every Bills starting quarterback through the decades. Buckle up, Bills fans, it's going to be a bumpy ride!
Bills starting quarterbacks from 1960 to 1969
Name (Time spent with BUF) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bills) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bills) |
|---|---|---|
Johnny Green (1960-1961) | 11 (11) | 0 (0) |
Tommy O'Connell (1960-1961) | 7 (7) | 0 (0) |
Richie Lucas (1960-1961) | 14 (14) | 0 (0) |
Bob Brodhead (1960) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Warren Rabb (1961-1962) | 10 (10) | 0 (0) |
M.C. Reynolds (1961) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
Al Dorow (1962) | 4 (4) | 0 (0) |
Jack Kemp (1963-1969) | 77 (77) | 4 (4) |
Daryle Lamonica (1963-1966) | 4 (4) | 0 (0) |
Tom Flores (1967-1969) | 4 (4) | 0 (0) |
Dan Darragh (1968-1970) | 9 (11) | 0 (0) |
Ed Rutkowski (1963-1968) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
Kay Stephenson (1968) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
James Harris (1969-1971) | 1 (3) | 0 (0) |
The first-ever quarterback to take a snap for the Bills was Johnny Green, who made 11 total starts with the organization. The Bills had four different starting quarterbacks during their inaugural season and 14 total signal-callers throughout the decade.
The first franchise quarterback the Bills had was Jack Kemp, who started 77 games throughout the 1960s. No one else came close to his 77 starts. Kemp also started the first playoff game in Bills history and was the only quarterback to start a playoff game for Buffalo during the team's first decade.
Bills starting quarterbacks from 1970 to 1979
Name (Time spent with BUF) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bills) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bills) |
|---|---|---|
Dennis Shaw (1970-1973) | 37 (37) | 0 (0) |
Dan Darragh (1968-1970) | 2 (11) | 0 (0) |
James Harris (1969-1971) | 2 (3) | 0 (0) |
Leo Hart (1972) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Joe Ferguson (1973-1984) | 95 (163) | 1 (4) |
Gary Marangi (1974-1976) | 7 (7) | 0 (0) |
The Bills had a little more consistency at quarterback in the 1970s with only six guys taking snaps in the team's second decade. Joe Ferguson had the most starts in the 70s with 95 under his belt while starting the team's only playoff appearance in the decade. Dennis Shaw also had double-digit starts and kicked off the 1970s as the starting signal-caller.
Bills starting quarterbacks from 1980 to 1989
Name (Time spent with BUF) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bills) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bills) |
|---|---|---|
Joe Ferguson (1973-1984) | 68 (163) | 3 (4) |
Joe Dufek (1983-1984) | 5 (5) | 0 (0) |
Vince Ferragamo (1985) | 9 (9) | 0 (0) |
Bruce Mathison (1985) | 7 (7) | 0 (0) |
Jim Kelly (1986-1996) | 57 (160) | 3 (17) |
Brian McClure (1987) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Willie Totten (1987) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Dan Manucci (1979-1980, 1987) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Frank Reich (1985-1994) | 3 (8) | 0 (2) |
While the Bills had nine different starting quarterbacks in the 1980s, they had two very good ones. Joe Ferguson continued his reign as the starter when the 80s began, eventually paving the way for Jim Kelly to take over .Both Ferguson and Kelly started three playoff games a piece and double-digit regular season games.
Bills starting quarterbacks from 1990 to 1999
Name (Time spent with BUF) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bills) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bills) |
|---|---|---|
Jim Kelly (1986-1996) | 103 (160) | 14 (17) |
Frank Reich (1985-1994) | 5 (8) | 2 (2) |
Todd Collins (1995-1997) | 17 (17) | 0 (0) |
Alex Van Pelt (1995-2003) | 3 (11) | 0 (0) |
Doug Flutie (1998-2000) | 25 (30) | 1 (1) |
Rob Johnson (1998-2001) | 7 (26) | 1 (1) |
The 1990s were kind to the Bills when it came to winning in the regular season and playoffs. Winning the Super Bowl was obviously another story that we don't need to get into. Jim Kelly started over 100 games for the Bills in the 90s and made 14 playoff starts for the four-time AFC champions. Doug Flutie had the next-most regular-season starts followed by Todd Collins. Reich, Flutie, and Rob Johnson all started at least one playoff game as well.
Bills starting quarterbacks from 2000 to 2009
Name (Time spent with BUF) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bills) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bills) |
|---|---|---|
Rob Johnson (1998-2001) | 19 (26) | 0 (1) |
Doug Flutie (1998-2000) | 5 (30) | 0 (1) |
Alex Van Pelt (1995-2003) | 8 (11) | 0 (0) |
Drew Bledsoe (2002-2004) | 48 (48) | 0 (0) |
J.P. Losman (2004-2008) | 33 (33) | 0 (0) |
Kelly Holcomb (2005) | 8 (8) | 0 (0) |
Trent Edwards (2007-2010) | 30 (32) | 0 (0) |
Ryan Fitzpatrick (2009-2012) | 8 (53) | 0 (0) |
Brian Brohm (2009-2010) | 1 (2) | 0 (0) |
The Bills spent the 2000s trying to find their next franchise quarterback to no avail. Drew Bledsoe started 48 games for them but couldn't get them to the playoffs. J.P. Losman was a first-round pick for them in 2004 who was a major bust. Trent Edwards was a third-round pick in 2007 that the team hoped could become something but didn't. Ryan Fitzpatrick ended up getting a grasp on the starting job at the end of the decade and we'll discuss him more in the next section.
Bills starting quarterbacks from 2010 to 2019
Name (Time spent with BUF) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bills) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bills) |
|---|---|---|
Ryan Fitzpatrick (2009-2012) | 44 (53) | 0 (0) |
Trent Edwards (2007-2010) | 2 (32) | 0 (0) |
Brian Brohm (2009-2010) | 1 (2) | 0 (0) |
EJ Manuel (2013-2016) | 17 (17) | 0 (0) |
Thad Lewis (2013) | 5 (5) | 0 (0) |
Jeff Tuel (2013) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Kyle Orton (2014) | 12 (12) | 0 (0) |
Tyrod Taylor (2015-2017) | 43 (43) | 1 (1) |
Matt Cassel (2015) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
Nathan Peterman (2017-2018) | 4 (4) | 0 (0) |
Josh Allen (2018-Present) | 27 (93) | 1 (10) |
Derek Anderson (2018) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
Matt Barkley (2018-2020) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
The 2010s was quite the rollercoaster for the Bills when it came to the quarterback position. NFL journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick was with the Bills the longest of any of his teams and started the most games for the Bills during the decade. Buffalo tried the EJ Manuel experiment but it failed miserably, as did the Nathan Peterman project.
Tyrod Taylor was a solid signal-caller for Buffalo and helped lead the team to its first playoff appearance of the new millennium. Josh Allen was drafted with the seventh overall pick in 2018 and the Bills finally hit on a drafted quarterback. Allen struggled as a rookie but helped lead the team to the postseason in the 2019 season and the Bills haven't missed the playoffs since.
Bills starting quarterbacks from 2020 to Present
Name (Time spent with BUF) | Starts this decade (Career starts with Bills) | Playoff starts this decade (Career playoff starts with Bills) |
|---|---|---|
Josh Allen (2018-Present) | 66 (93) | 9 (10) |
We're still early in the 2020s but so far, the Bills have only had one quarterback start games for them this decade. It's no surprise to see that it's the Winter Soldier himself. Josh Allen has started all 66 games in the 2020s and has led the Bills to the playoffs every season of the decade, making nine playoff starts. Let's hope we don't see anyone else added to this list unless it's to rest Allen ahead of the postseason.
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