List Of Los Angeles Chargers Starting Quarterbacks
The Los Angeles Chargers are an American football franchise who play in the National Football League (NFL). They began play in Los Angeles in 1960 as charter members of the American Football League (AFL), switched cities to San Diego the following season, and returned to Los Angeles in 2017. The AFL was formed as rivals to the established NFL, though the leagues would later merge, with all AFL teams including the Chargers officially joining the NFL in 1970.
Dan Fouts started for the Chargers in 15 different seasons (1973–1987).
Jack Kemp was the first starter for the Chargers. His regular season winning percentage of 0.786 remains a franchise record (excluding those with only one or two starts).
Justin Herbert has started when healthy since week 2, 2020.
Through the 2023 season, 42 different players have started at least one regular season game at quarterback for the Chargers. Of these, 16 have started at least 10 games, and three (John Hadl, Dan Fouts and Philip Rivers) have started at least 100 games. Rivers holds the franchise records for both starts and wins, as well as in the statistical categories of touchdown passes, pass completions and yards gained by passing. Tobin Rote is the only Charger to start during a title game victory, having done so in the 1963 AFL Championship game.
Summary by year
The bracketed figures to the right of each name show their record as a starter that season: (wins–losses) or (wins–losses–ties).
Regular season
| Season(s) | Quarterback(s) | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Jack Kemp (9–3) / Bob Clatterbuck (1–1) | Clatterbuck started in Weeks 4–5 due to a Kemp shoulder injury. | |
| 1961 | Jack Kemp (12–2) | ||
| 1962 | Jack Kemp (1–1) / John Hadl (1–9) / Dick Wood (2–0) | Kemp was waived after breaking his finger in Week 2. Wood and Hadl split time until Week 8, after which Wood was waived. | |
| 1963 | Tobin Rote (11–3) | Rote, a free agent signing, was named the starter ahead of Hadl due to his greater experience. | |
| 1964 | John Hadl (6–2) / Tobin Rote (2–3–1) | Hadl was named the starter after replacing Rote early in the Week 5 game and playing well. Rote started one more game in Week 14, intended as a farewell game before retirement. | |
| 1965 | John Hadl (9–2–3) | ||
| 1966 | John Hadl (7–4–1) / Steve Tensi (0–2) | Tensi was twice named the starter after playing well in relief. He started in Week 6 and Week 13, but struggled and Hadl replaced him during both games, resuming the starting role each time. | |
| 1967 | John Hadl (8–5–1) | ||
| 1968 | John Hadl (9–5) | ||
| 1969 | John Hadl (5–5) / Marty Domres (3–1) | Domres started in Week 9 (due to a Hadl elbow injury) and 11-13 (to test his abilities). | |
| 1970 | John Hadl (4–5–3) / Marty Domres (1–1) | Disappointing performances by Hadl led Domres to start in Weeks 5 and 12. Hadl replaced him during both games and resumed the starting role each time. | |
| 1971 | John Hadl (6–8) | ||
| 1972 | John Hadl (4–9–1) | ||
| 1973 | Johnny Unitas (1–3) / Dan Fouts (0–5–1) / Wayne Clark (1–3) | Hadl was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in favor of free agent Unitas during the offseason, because of the Chargers' switch to a run-oriented offense. Unitas was benched after four games due to a sore shoulder and disappointing play, replaced by Fouts, a rookie. When Charlie Waller replaced Harland Svare as head coach, he installed Clark at quarterback for Weeks 9–12; when Clark struggled, Fouts came back in for the final two games. | |
| 1974 | Dan Fouts (3–8) / Jesse Freitas (2–1) | Freitas started the final three games while Fouts was injured (broken thumb). | |
| 1975 | Virgil Carter (0–1) / Dan Fouts (2–7) / Jesse Freitas (0–4) | Carter started in Week 1, but was benched after attempting only five passes, and waived without playing again. Freitas started in Weeks 6, 10–11 and 14 due to three separate injuries to Fouts (ankle, shoulder, concussion). | |
| 1976 | Dan Fouts (5–8) / Clint Longley (1–0) | Longley was named the starter after replacing Fouts in the Week 12 game and playing well, but was benched in Week 13 for Fouts, who then resumed the starting role. | |
| 1977 | James Harris (4–5) / Cliff Olander (1–0) / Dan Fouts (2–2) | Fouts missed the first ten games, as he was holding out to try and force the team to release him. Harris started Weeks 1–9. Olander played Week 10 as Harris was injured (foot). | |
| 1978 | Dan Fouts (9–5) / James Harris (0–2) | Harris started in Weeks 4 and 13 due to two separate injuries to Fouts (thumb, ankle). | |
| 1979 | Dan Fouts (12–4) | ||
| 1980 | Dan Fouts (11–5) | ||
| 1981 | Dan Fouts (10–6) | ||
| 1982 | Dan Fouts (6–3) | ||
| 1983 | Dan Fouts (5–5) / Ed Luther (1–5) | Luther started in Weeks 8–12 and 16 due to two separate injuries to Fouts (shoulder, ankle). | |
| 1984 | Dan Fouts (6–7) / Ed Luther (1–2) | Luther started in Weeks 14–16 due to a Fouts groin injury. | |
| 1985 | Dan Fouts (7–5) / Mark Herrmann (1–3) | Herrmann started in Weeks 5–7 and 16 due to two separate Fouts knee injuries. | |
| 1986 | Dan Fouts (3–9) / Tom Flick (1–2) / Mark Herrmann (0–1) | Fouts missed Weeks 8–10 with concussion and Week 12 with a shoulder injury. Herrmann started the first of these, but he also sustained a concussion, and Flick started the remaining three. | |
| 1987 | Dan Fouts (5–5) / Rick Neuheisel (2–0) / Mark Herrmann (0–2) / Mike Kelley (1–0) | Neuheisel (Weeks 4 and 6) and Kelley (Week 5) started while the regular NFL players were on strike. Herrmann started in Weeks 11 and 16 due to two separate injuries to Fouts (calf, shoulder). | |
| 1988 | Babe Laufenberg (2–4) / Mark Malone (2–6) / Mark Vlasic (2–0) | Fouts retired during the offseason; Laufenberg was named the new starter in preseason. Laufenberg was replaced with Malone after six games due to disappointing play and a rib injury. Malone was replaced with Vlasic after a further four games due to disappointing play and a toe injury. Vlasic started two games before sustaining a knee injury, and Malone returned for the rest of the season. | |
| 1989 | Jim McMahon (4–7) / Billy Joe Tolliver (2–3) | McMahon was brought in as a free agent during preseason, and became the starter. He was benched for rookie Tolliver in Week 8 due to bad play and various injuries. Tolliver struggled, and McMahon returned for Weeks 9–12. Tolliver started again in Weeks 13–16 to test his abilities. | |
| 1990 | Mark Vlasic (0–1) / Billy Joe Tolliver (6–8) / John Friesz (0–1) | Vlasic was named the starter in preseason. Tolliver replaced Vlasic after he struggled in the opener; Tolliver started the next fourteen games, but he had some weak performances late in the season and rookie Friesz replaced him for the finale. | |
| 1991 | John Friesz (4–12) | Friesz won the starting job after outperforming Tolliver in the last preseason game. | |
| 1992 | Bob Gagliano (0–1) / Stan Humphries (11–4) | Friesz missed the entire regular season after injuring his knee in a preseason game. Gagliano was named the starter for Week 1, but played poorly and Humphries took over for the rest of the season. | |
| 1993 | Stan Humphries (6–4) / John Friesz (2–4) | Humphries was replaced after four games due to bad performances while playing through a shoulder injury. After Friesz was ineffective over the next six games, Humphries was judged by head coach Bobby Ross to have recovered enough to reclaim the starting job. | |
| 1994 | Stan Humphries (11–4) / Gale Gilbert (0–1) | Gilbert started in Week 10 due to a Humphries dislocated elbow. | |
| 1995 | Stan Humphries (9–6) / Gale Gilbert (0–1) | Gilbert started in Week 7 due to a Humphries shoulder injury. | |
| 1996 | Stan Humphries (7–6) / Sean Salisbury (1–2) | Salisbury started in Weeks 9–10 and 15 due to two separate injuries to Humphries (shoulder, concussion). | |
| 1997 | Stan Humphries (3–5) / Jim Everett (1–0) / Craig Whelihan (0–7) | Everett started in Week 2 due to a Humphries dislocated shoulder. Whelihan started from Week 11 onwards due to a Humphries concussion and Everett elbow injury. | |
| 1998 | Ryan Leaf (3–6) / Craig Whelihan (2–5) | Humphries retired during the offseason. Leaf, the #2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft, started the first nine games but was benched for Whelihan after posting a passer rating of 39.9, the worst in the league at that point. | |
| 1999 | Jim Harbaugh (6–6) / Erik Kramer (2–2) | Leaf injured his shoulder during the offseason and did not play, while Whelihan was released from the team. Harbaugh opened as the starter, but struggled and was rested after sustaining cracked ribs and a bruised elbow during the Chargers' third game. Kramer was ineffective over the next four games, and Harbaugh returned for the rest of the season. | |
| 2000 | Ryan Leaf (1–8) / Moses Moreno (0–2) / Jim Harbaugh (0–5) | Leaf was named the starter after impressing in preseason. Leaf was replaced with Moreno after performing badly in the first two games. Moreno injured his shoulder the following week, and Leaf returned for one more game before picking up a wrist injury. Harbaugh started the next five games before injuring his abdomen. Moreno started the next game and injured his knee. Leaf started the final six. | |
| 2001 | Doug Flutie (5–11) | The Chargers either released or did not re-sign each of their three quarterbacks from the previous season. Flutie was a new signing, while Drew Brees was drafted in the 2nd round. | |
| 2002 | Drew Brees (8–8) | Brees won the starting job from Flutie in preseason. | |
| 2003 | Drew Brees (2–9) / Doug Flutie (2–3) | Brees was benched for poor performance after starting the first eight games. Flutie started the next five, then Brees was reinstalled to test his progress as a quarterback. | |
| 2004 | Drew Brees (11–4) / Doug Flutie (1–0) | 1st-round draft pick Philip Rivers was brought in to replace Brees, but held out for a month in training camp, and Brees retained the job. He started the first fifteen games, and was replaced by Flutie in the regular season finale only because the Chargers were resting starters for the playoffs. | |
| 2005 | Drew Brees (9–7) | ||
| 2006 | Philip Rivers (14–2) | Brees was allowed to go to the New Orleans Saints in free agency, having dislocated his throwing shoulder in the 2005 season finale. | |
| 2007 | Philip Rivers (11–5) | ||
| 2008 | Philip Rivers (8–8) | ||
| 2009 | Philip Rivers (13–3) | ||
| 2010 | Philip Rivers (9–7) | ||
| 2011 | Philip Rivers (8–8) | ||
| 2012 | Philip Rivers (7–9) | ||
| 2013 | Philip Rivers (9–7) | ||
| 2014 | Philip Rivers (9–7) | ||
| 2015 | Philip Rivers (4–12) | ||
| 2016 | Philip Rivers (5–11) | ||
| 2017 | Philip Rivers (9–7) | ||
| 2018 | Philip Rivers (12–4) | ||
| 2019 | Philip Rivers (5–11) | ||
| 2020 | Tyrod Taylor (1–0) / Justin Herbert (6–9) | Rivers was allowed to join the Indianapolis Colts in free agency, as keeping him would have made it difficult for the Chargers to keep under the salary cap. He had started in 224 consecutive games for the team. Taylor started in Week 1, but a team doctor inadvertently punctured his lung while giving him an injection shortly before the Week 2 game; Herbert, the #6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, took over and kept the role. | |
| 2021 | Justin Herbert (9–8) | ||
| 2022 | Justin Herbert (10–7) | ||
| 2023 | Justin Herbert (5–8) / Easton Stick (0–4) | Herbert started the first thirteen games before being ruled out for the rest of the season with a fractured finger. Fifth-year backup Easton Stick replaced him for the remainder of the season. |
Post-season
| Season | Quarterback(s) |
|---|---|
| 1960 | Jack Kemp (0–1) |
| 1961 | Jack Kemp (0–1) |
| 1963 | Tobin Rote (1–0) |
| 1964 | Tobin Rote (0–1) |
| 1965 | John Hadl (0–1) |
| 1979 | Dan Fouts (0–1) |
| 1980 | Dan Fouts (1–1) |
| 1981 | Dan Fouts (1–1) |
| 1982 | Dan Fouts (1–1) |
| 1992 | Stan Humphries (1–1) |
| 1994 | Stan Humphries (2–1) |
| 1995 | Stan Humphries (0–1) |
| 2004 | Drew Brees (0–1) |
| 2006 | Philip Rivers (0–1) |
| 2007 | Philip Rivers (2–1) |
| 2008 | Philip Rivers (1–1) |
| 2009 | Philip Rivers (0–1) |
| 2013 | Philip Rivers (1–1) |
| 2018 | Philip Rivers (1–1) |
| 2022 | Justin Herbert (0–1) |
Summary by quarterback
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This is a sortable table. As a default, players are ordered by the date of their first start for the Chargers.
| Table key | |
|---|---|
| † | Indicates the player has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
| Period | Span from first Charger start to last Charger start |
| GS | Games started for the Chargers |
| W | Number of wins as starting quarterback |
| L | Number of losses as starting quarterback |
| T | Number of ties as starting quarterback |
| % | Winning percentage as starting quarterback |
| Name | Period | Regular season | Postseason | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS | W | L | T | % | GS | W | L | % | |||
| Jack Kemp | 1960–62 | 28 | 22 | 6 | .786 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | ||
| Bob Clatterbuck | 1960 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | ||||||
| John Hadl | 1962–72 | 123 | 59 | 55 | 9 | .516 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| Dick Wood | 1962 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||
| Tobin Rote | 1963–64 | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | .675 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
| Steve Tensi | 1966 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | ||||||
| Marty Domres | 1969–70 | 6 | 4 | 2 | .667 | ||||||
| Johnny Unitas † | 1973 | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | ||||||
| Dan Fouts † | 1973–87 | 171 | 86 | 84 | 1 | .506 | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | |
| Wayne Clark | 1973 | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | ||||||
| Jesse Freitas | 1974–75 | 7 | 2 | 5 | .286 | ||||||
| Virgil Carter | 1975 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | ||||||
| Clint Longley | 1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||
| James Harris | 1977–78 | 11 | 4 | 7 | .364 | ||||||
| Cliff Olander | 1977 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||
| Ed Luther | 1983–84 | 9 | 2 | 7 | .222 | ||||||
| Mark Herrmann | 1985–87 | 7 | 1 | 6 | .143 | ||||||
| Tom Flick | 1986 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | ||||||
| Rick Neuheisel | 1987 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||
| Mike Kelley | 1987 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||
| Babe Laufenberg | 1988 | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | ||||||
| Mark Malone | 1988 | 8 | 2 | 6 | .250 | ||||||
| Mark Vlasic | 1988–90 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 | ||||||
| Jim McMahon | 1989 | 11 | 4 | 7 | .364 | ||||||
| Billy Joe Tolliver | 1989–90 | 19 | 8 | 11 | .421 | ||||||
| John Friesz | 1990–93 | 23 | 6 | 17 | .261 | ||||||
| Bob Gagliano | 1992 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | ||||||
| Stan Humphries | 1992–97 | 76 | 47 | 29 | .618 | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | ||
| Gale Gilbert | 1994–95 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | ||||||
| Sean Salisbury | 1996 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .333 | ||||||
| Jim Everett | 1997 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||
| Craig Whelihan | 1997–98 | 14 | 2 | 12 | .143 | ||||||
| Ryan Leaf | 1998–00 | 18 | 4 | 14 | .222 | ||||||
| Jim Harbaugh | 1999–00 | 17 | 6 | 11 | .353 | ||||||
| Erik Kramer | 1999 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | ||||||
| Moses Moreno | 2000 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | ||||||
| Doug Flutie | 2001–04 | 22 | 8 | 14 | .364 | ||||||
| Drew Brees | 2002–05 | 58 | 30 | 28 | .517 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | ||
| Philip Rivers | 2006–19 | 224 | 123 | 101 | .549 | 11 | 5 | 6 | .455 | ||
| Tyrod Taylor | 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||
| Justin Herbert | 2020– | 62 | 30 | 32 | .484 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | ||
| Easton Stick | 2023 | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | ||||||
Team career passing records
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Statistics correct through the 2023 NFL season. 1,000 pass attempts minimum. Regular season statistics only.
| Table key | |
|---|---|
| Name | Name of player |
| Comp | Career completions for the Chargers |
| Att | Career attempts for the Chargers |
| % | Career completion percentage for the Chargers |
| Yds | Career passing yards for the Chargers |
| TD | Career passing touchdowns for the Chargers |
| Int | Career passing interceptions for the Chargers |
| Name | Comp | Att | % | Yds | TD | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Rivers | 4,908 | 7,591 | 64.7 | 59,271 | 397 | 198 |
| Dan Fouts | 3,297 | 5,604 | 58.8 | 43,040 | 254 | 242 |
| John Hadl | 1,824 | 3,640 | 50.1 | 26,938 | 201 | 211 |
| Justin Herbert | 1,613 | 2,422 | 66.6 | 17,222 | 114 | 42 |
| Stan Humphries | 1,335 | 2,350 | 56.8 | 16,085 | 85 | 73 |
| Drew Brees | 1,125 | 1,809 | 62.2 | 12,348 | 80 | 53 |