Five best left-handed quarterbacks in NFL history

It has been a decade since a left-handed quarterback was drafted in the National Football League. When the Miami Dolphins selected Alabama Crimson Tide star Tua Tagovailoa of Ewa Beach, Hawaii in the first round, fifth overall, he became the first southpaw to be selected since Sean Canfield of La Jolla, California was taken in the seventh round by the New Orleans Saints in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Here are the top five left-handed quarterbacks in NFL history. For the record, former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich was a right-handed QB.

5) Jim Zorn–Seattle Seahawks–The 11 year-veteran played for the Seattle Seahawks from 1976 to 1984 before finishing his career with one year each with the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Zorn, a native of Whittier, California, completed 1669 passes in 3149 attempts for 21115 yards and 111 touchdowns in his career.

4) Boomer Esiason–Cincinnati Bengals–A four-time Pro Bowler from West Islip, New York, Esiason was with the Bengals from 1984 to 1992 and 1997, as well as the New York Jets from 1993 to 1995 and the Arizona Cardinals in 1996. The NFL’s most valuable player in 1988, Esiason led the NFL that season with 9.2 yards per pass attempt. That season he completed 223 of 388 pass attempts for 3572 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Esiason also has the most touchdown passes (247), completions (2969), and passing yards (37920) among all left-handed quarterbacks in NFL history.

3) Michael Vick–Atlanta Falcons–From 2001 to 2015, Michael Vick had one of the most controversial careers in professional football history. After six years in the NFL, Vick spent two years in prison for his participation in a dogfighting ring. However on the field, Vick was known for his great running ability. Vick’s 6109 rushing yards are the most for a quarterback in NFL history, and five times he led the entire NFL in yards per attempt during a single season. A four-time Pro Bowler, Vick completed 1807 passes for 22464 yards, and 133 touchdown passes. A native of Newport News, Virginia, Vick played with the Atlanta Falcons from 2001 to 2006, the Philadelphia Eagles from 2009 to 2013, the New York Jets in 2014, and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015.

2) Kenny Stabler–Oakland Raiders–A native of Foley, Alabama, Stabler quarterbacked the Oakland Raiders from 1968 to 1979, the Houston Oilers in 1980 and 1981 and the New Orleans Saints from 1982 to 1984. A four-time Pro Bowler, Stabler was the NFL’s most valuable player in 1974. That season he led the NFL in touchdown passes (26) and completed 178 passes in 310 attempts for 2469 yards. Two years later Stabler led the NFL in touchdown passes again as he had a career-high 27 touchdown passes in 1976. A Super Bowl champion in 1977, Stabler guided the Raiders to a 32-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He finished his career completing 2270 passes for 27938 yards and 194 touchdowns. Stabler was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016, one year after his death.

1) Steve Young–San Francisco 49ers–Concussions plagued Young for a period of time in his NFL career, however when he was on the football field, Young won games frequently. He posted a record of 91 wins and 33 losses with the San Francisco 49ers from 1987 to 1999 after two unsuccessful seasons with the Buccaneers. While with the 49ers, Young was selected to seven straight Pro Bowls (1992 to 1998), led the NFL in quarterback rating six times, touchdown passes four times (including a career-high 36 touchdown passes in 1998), completion percentage five times and yards per game twice. Young completed 2667 of his 4149 passes for 33124 yards and 232 touchdowns. The 1992 and 1994 NFL MVP, Young was the Super Bowl MVP of 1995. Young had a Super Bowl-record six touchdown passes as the 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers 49-26 on January 29, 1995. Also known for his mobility, Young is second all-time in rushing touchdowns for quarterbacks (43) and is fourth all-time in rushing yards for a quarterback (4239). He was also the first left-handed quarterback to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.