The 5 Best Rushing Quarterbacks of All-Time
The Top Rushing Quarterbacks to Play in the NFL
There is no question that one of the most dangerous threats in modern-day football, at both the college and pro level, is the duo-threat quarterback.
This is the kind of quarterback that can both throw and pass, something which can be extremely hard to defend, given the length and size of NFL fields.
Michael Vick, the man who arguably put the idea of rushing quarterback on the map
In this article, we will discuss some of the best rushing quarterbacks. You might not realise it, but Michael Vick was not the first to do it.
As a matter of fact, to find the first to ever do it, you would have to go back over 40 years.
1. Fran Tarkenton
Even by today’s standards, Fran Tarkenton had a way with the football whether he had to throw a pass or take matters into his own hands.
During his career, Tarkenton had 675 against 3,674 yards.
He wasn’t a slouch through the air either, as he threw for 47,003 yards and 342 touchdowns, a career that he split between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants.
For accolades, Tarkenton went to 9 Pro Bowls, won the 1975 AP Offensive Player of the Year 1975, Most Valuable Player Award and the 1975 Bert Bell award.
Tarkenton recorded his best rushing season statistically in 1966 with the Vikings, when he ran 62 times for 376 yards.
2. Michael Vick
It could be argued that Michael Vick is the one who put the idea of a rushing quarterback on the map, leaving it here to stay.
Like Tarkenton, this gave him an advantage over defences as they hadn’t really figured out a way to stop a rushing quarterback yet.
He currently has the most rushing yards of all-time by a quarterback, despite missing 2 full seasons due to the league’s personal conduct policy. Vick was taking part in dog-fighting incidents.
Vick spent the bulk of his career with the Atlanta Falcons. After coming back from his incident, he also had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles (2009-2013), New York Jets (2014) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2015).
He eclipsed 700 yards rushing in a season 3 times.
The first time was in 2002 when he had 777 yards on 13 rushes and 8 touchdowns for an average of 6.9 yards per carry, an average which eclipses even some of the greatest running backs.
His personal best came in 2006 when he beat the 1,000-yard mark with 1,039 on 123 carries and 2 touchdowns for 8.4 yards per carry.
During his career, Vick rushed the ball 873 times for 6009 yards, an average of 7 yards per carry.
3. Lamar Jackson
While Lamar Jackson is relatively early in his career to be called one of the greats, he certainly will be a quarterback legend if his statistics remain consistent throughout his remaining years.
Jackson has been with the Baltimore Ravens since 2018, where he has 4,437 rushing yards. He also had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
During the start of the 2022 season, he got off to a fast start but then eventually cooled off.
His hot streak included a performance against the Miami Dolphins in week 2, a game in which the Ravens lost 42-38 where he had 9 rushes for 119 yards and a touchdown.
He then followed up the next week against the New England Patriots, where he had 11 rushes for 107 yards, but the second time around they were the victors in a 37-26 win.
4. Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes is another one of the younger but more experienced quarterbacks in the league.
He has become famous for antics, such as no-look passes. He is just as good at passing as he is at rushing.
In the past season (2022), Mahomes threw for 5,250 yards with 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
On the ground, he ran 61 times for 358 yards and scored 4 touchdowns. These touchdowns give him a career-high.
As for accolades, Mahomes is a 5-time Pro Bowler, 2-time All-Pro and Super Bowl champ.
He won the 2018 AP Offensive Player of the Year award, and also the Bert Bell award in the same year.
5. Steve Young
Steve Young is most remembered for taking over as the heir apparent at the helm of the San Fransisco 49ers after Joe Montana retired in 1994.
He was also a rushing quarterback before that started to become an offensive trend.
Although he is most remembered for playing for the 49ers, Young actually played his first 2 years with the Tampa Bay Bucs.
As a rusher, Young carried the ball 722 times and garnered 4,239 yards for his career, an average of 5.9 yards per carry.
His best season as a rusher, statistically speaking, came in 1998, his final year to be selected for the Pro Bowl, when he had 70 rushes for 454 yards.
Young was a 7-time Pro Bowler and 3-time Super Bowl champion.
He also won the 1994 NEA MVP and the Super Bowl XXIX MVP, winning the Bert Bell award twice and the AP offensive player of the year twice, too.
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