The Baltimore Ravens have been fortunate to have a lot of really great quarterbacks since entering the league in 1996. Sadly, we're not here to talk about any of those guys. No, we're here to talk about the worst quarterback in Ravens history.
There are really only two possible answers for this when you factor in quarterbacks who played more than just a handful of games. One possible answer is Kyle Boller, who was a first-round pick but stunk it up as a starting signal-caller in the NFL and wasted a great Ravens defense.
The other answer is Elvis Grbac, who is ultimately the quarterback I went with for this distinction. So, buckle up, Ravens fans, let's talk more about Grbac and why he's the worst Ravens quarterback in franchise history.
Why Elvis Grbac takes the crown for Ravens worst quarterback
Before we get into Grbac's Ravens career, let's look back at what kind of quarterback he was before he signed with Baltimore. An eighth-rounder (yes, the drafts were much longer back in the day) in 1993 by the San Francisco 49ers, Grbac was a backup on the Super Bowl XXIX during his rookie year and then remained with the Niners through the end of the 1996 season.
In 1997, Grbac joined the Kansas City Chiefs, which is probably where most people remember him from. He spent five seasons with the Chiefs and was involved in a quarterback battle with Rich Gannon during his time there. The Chiefs infamously chose Grbac over Gannon and then watched in horror as Gannon helped turn the Raiders into Super Bowl contenders while Grbac floundered in K.C.
That didn't stop the Ravens from inking Grbac to a hefty deal worth $30 million. The team was high on life after winning the Super Bowl in only their fifth season in the league and all they really needed to continue riding that high was a competent quarterback, which they were banking on Grbac being.
Unfortunately, Grbac was not a competent quarterback. The free-agent addition ended up spending just one year with the Ravens and threw for just barely over 3,000 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 18 picks in 14 starts. The Ravens went 8-6 in those starts but Grbac was hardly the reason why the team won those eight games.
While the team finished 10-6 and qualified for the playoffs, Grbac was a mess in the postseason, throwing three interceptions in a divisional round loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers of all teams. The Ravens had hoped that Grbac would provide better quarterback play than what Trent Dilfer had offered them the year before and that did not end up being the case.
Once Grbac refused to renegotiate his lucrative contract, the Ravens decided to cut bait and move on. Some might say Grbac only being with the team for one year could hardly make him worse than Kyle Boller but truthfully, he earned this spot because of the fact that he only played for one year and failed to live up to the hefty deal he signed.