LA Chargers: Tyrod Taylor and the 2 transition quarterbacks in team history

LA Chargers transition quarterbacks: Doug Flutie (2001)

The LA Chargers were in a very similar situation in the 2001 season as they are in the 2020 season. The only difference is that the team is not coming off having the best quarterback in franchise history nor did they have a first-round pick waiting in 2001.

The team was coming off of arguably the worst quarterback in franchise history in Ryan Leaf, who is one of the biggest draft busts of all-time.

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However, what the team did have in 2001 was a bona fide Hall of Famer and one of the five greatest quarterbacks of all-time sitting on the bench, Drew Brees. The Chargers selected Brees with the first pick of the second round in the 2001 NFL Draft and brought in Flutie to start one season while Brees got acclimated to the league.

Sound familiar?

Flutie was at a much later stage of his career at this point, though. Entering his age 39 season, Flutie was older when he started for the LA Chargers than Philip Rivers currently is.

Flutie started all 16 games for the Chargers that season, leading them to just a 4-12 record, passing for 3,464 yards, 15 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. This was the most passing yards of Flutie’s journeyman career that included almost an entire decade in the Canadian Football League.

Flutie remained the LA Chargers’ back up through the 2004 season and Brees took over and started four seasons on the Chargers before eventually handing over the starting job in 2006 when he signed with the New Orleans Saints.