Donovan McNabb might be one of the most underrated quarterbacks of the early 2000s. In an era with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, and Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb was often overshadowed. Today, we are going to look into McNabb’s career and see just how good this Eagle’s quarterback was. His career can be broken down into four different phases, The Quick Start, The Near Dynasty, The Consistent Veteran, and The End.
The Quick Start
Donovan McNabb was drafted with the second overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999. In his first year, he technically played in 12 games but was a backup for most of the year as he only started 6 games. After officially beating out Doug Peterson near the end of the year, it was his job for the foreseeable future.
| Year | Team | Games | Yearly Rank | Tier |
| 1999 | PHI | 12 | 40 | Bad/backup |
| 2000 | PHI | 16 | 9 | Great |
McNabb exploded his second year. Playing as one of the 10 best quarterbacks the entire season and finishing with a Great season. He led the Eagles to the playoffs and lost in the divisional round to the Buccaneers 21-3. In two years, the Eagles from: drafting McNabb with the second overall pick to winning a playoff game.
The Near Dynasty
McNabb was one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, and he was just getting better. His third and fourth year, he had two more fantastic years, finishing as the 5th and the 8th best quarterback in the NFL. With McNabb raising his game, he took the Eagles with him. The Eagles soared to two straight NFC championship games, each time faltering right before the Super Bowl.
| Year | Team | Games | Yearly Rank | Tier |
| 2001 | PHI | 16 | 5 | Elite |
| 2002 | PHI | 10 | 8 | Great |
| 2003 | PHI | 16 | 12 | Good |
| 2004 | PHI | 15 | 2 | All Pro |
In 2003, while McNabb’s play dipped slightly, the Eagles went to a third straight NFC championship game. After losing, it seemed the Eagles might have missed their chance, McNabb had the worst full year of his career and they just couldn’t get past the Conference Championship game. The next year, McNabb had the best year of his career. He was the 2nd best quarterback in the NFL only behind MVP Peyton Manning and led the Eagles to their 4th straight NFC championship game! This time he got over the hump beating the Falcons 27-10, only to lose to the Patriots in the Super Bowl by three points, 27-24. This team was just a few games away from winning multiple Super Bowls but instead finished with 3 straight Championship Games and a Super Bowl loss.
The Consistent Veteran
The year after the Super Bowl loss, complications loomed. Huge contract disputes with superstars Terrell Owens and Brian Westbrook made huge distractions and on top of it McNabb got hurt, missing the final 7 games. The Eagles went on to miss the playoffs. But Donovan McNabb was still in the prime of his career and continued to play like it.
| Year | Team | Games | Yearly Rank | Tier |
| 2005 | PHI | 9 | 14 | Good |
| 2006 | PHI | 10 | 7 | Great |
| 2007 | PHI | 14 | 11 | Great |
| 2008 | PHI | 16 | 9 | Great |
| 2009 | PHI | 14 | 10 | Great |
Even while battling injuries most years, McNabb was still consistently a top 10 quarterback. Over the next four years, he led the Eagles to the playoffs three more times including a 5th NFC Championship game appearance, in 2008, where the Eagles would fall to the Cardinals 25-32.
The End
After the 2009 season, the Eagles traded Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins for a high 2nd round pick and conditional 3rd or 4th round pick. McNabb, while still considered a good quarterback, was also thought to be near the end of his career as he had been dealing with injuries the previous 5 years, only having 1 healthy season. McNabb went on to have the worst year since his rookie season. After going just 5-8, McNabb was benched near the end of the season for Rex Grossman. He then signed with the Vikings but after a 1-5 start was again benched, this time for rookie Christian Ponder.
| Year | Team | Games | Yearly Rank | Tier |
| 2010 | WAS | 13 | 24 | Bad/backup |
| 2011 | MIN | 6 | 37 | Bad/backup |
After a long run Donovan McNabb quickly fell apart outside of Philadelphia. After two unceremonious years with the Redskins and Vikings, McNabb retired.
Overview
Donovan McNabb had a very good career. Outside of his first and last two seasons, he compiled a 10 year stretch which included: 1 All Pro, 1 Elite, 6 Great, and 2 Good seasons. When considering one of the “Good” seasons he was only that low because he missed 7 games, McNabb had nearly a decade straight of Great quarterback play. His playoff success is maybe more impressive as he led his team to 4 NFC championship games and a Super Bowl, including 4 straight NFC championship or better seasons.
For me, Donovan McNabb is right on the line for the hall of fame, he should either be one of the last QBs in the hall or one of the first QBs outside of the hall of fame. But he is the best quarterback in Philadelphia Eagles history.