There are certainties in life, and one of them often involves rookie quarterbacks in the NFL struggling to find success. While there is no hard-and-fast rule, plenty of empirical data suggest that first-year quarterbacks tend to lose more games than they win.
This reality was presented to Jaxson Dart on Wednesday after practice, using the examples of two Hall of Fame players: Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning. Both were extraordinary quarterbacks but started their NFL careers as spectacular losers on the field.
Is this something Dart has to wrestle with in his own mind? Sometimes, the first year really is the toughest.
“I don’t really think of it that way,” Dart said. “I don’t really want to give myself any sort of excuse to think like that. I want to go into the games with the right mindset and put our team in the best situations to win. It’s definitely tough for sure, to say the least, but it’s just extra motivating every single day.”
This Sunday, Dart will face chilly and possibly rainy conditions in Chicago as he tries once again to win his first NFL road game against the Bears. So far, he is 0-3 on the road, with losses in New Orleans, Denver, and Philadelphia. Overall, Dart is 2-4 in his six starts. Given the injury setbacks on offense and the ongoing struggles of the defense, Dart’s rookie season win-loss record could end up looking unsightly. If that happens, he won’t be alone.
There was a time when many rookies had to wait their turn, and those thrust into the spotlight often took their lumps. For perspective:
– Troy Aikman went 0-11 with the Cowboys in 1989.
– Peyton Manning went 3-13 with the Colts in 1998.
– Eli Manning went 1-6 with the Giants in 2004.
– Archie Manning went 3-5-2 with the Saints in 1972.
Clearly, the Mannings didn’t exactly light it up right away. Other notable rookies with rough debut seasons include:
– Terry Bradshaw: 3-5 in 1970 with the Steelers
– John Elway: 4-6 in 1983 with the Broncos
– Matthew Stafford: 2-8 in 2009 with the Lions
– Dan Fouts: 0-5-1 in 1973 with the Chargers
– Jared Goff: 0-7 in 2016 with the Rams
Phil Simms had a somewhat better rookie year at 6-5 with the Giants in 1979 but fell to 3-10 the following season.
Of course, there are enough exceptions to avoid an ironclad “rookies must lose” narrative. Some rookies have thrived right out of the gate:
– Ben Roethlisberger went an incredible 13-0 in 2004 for the Steelers.
– Dak Prescott went 13-3 in 2016 for the Cowboys.
– Andrew Luck (2012), Russell Wilson (2012), Joe Flacco (2008), and Matt Ryan (2008) all won 11 regular-season games as rookies.
– Mac Jones (2021) and Kyle Orton (2005) each won 10 games in their first seasons.
– More recently, Jayden Daniels won 12 games and Bo Nix 10 games as rookies last season.
So yes, it can be done—but usually, rookie quarterbacks take a licking before they truly start clicking.
Veteran guard Jon Runyan shared his thoughts on Dart’s situation:
“It really hurts me to see him, such a young player in this league, take these losses to heart so hard because he is the quarterback of this team, and he feels like it is his fault, but he’s got people around him to support him. He’s got a team around him, and we do everything we can to help lift him up because he likes to think that this is all his fault, and we try to reassure him that it’s not. We’re all in this together, but he’s a leader, and he believes that, and he does not like to lose. He’s not used to losing. He has said that, so for him going through this losing stretch, it’s not normal for him. He doesn’t like it. He’s sick about it and we do everything we can to keep supporting him and keep him on this track because I feel like he’s got a bright future.”
Dart himself seems focused more on the present than the future. He is determined not to accept that his rookie year must be a learning experience full of losses.
“It’s tough,” he admitted. “You put a lot of work in and you’re not getting the results in the win-loss category. You just have to keep steadfast in your process. I have confidence in everybody around me. I feel like we can definitely go on a run. We just have to take it one step at a time and find a way to get one win.”
https://nypost.com/2025/11/05/sports/jaxson-dart-remains-sick-about-giants-losing-even-if-its-rookie-qb-norm/
