All-Time Jets QBs Ranked: Namath #1, Pennington #2

Brooks Bollinger

#5 · New York Jets
Retired 2 Years In The NFL
🏆 Big Ten Freshman of the Year (1999)
Brooks's
HAIR
9.9
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Brooks Bollinger or the Jets?

Brooks Bollinger Legacy

HEYTC AI
Brooks Bollinger was a Wisconsin lifer who became one of college football's most durable winners—a Big Ten Freshman of the Year who finished his Badgers career with a 30-12 record and the school's rushing record for a quarterback. His NFL journey was the backup's eternal grind: five seasons bouncing between the Jets, Vikings, Cowboys, and Lions, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns and never quite getting the extended opportunity to prove himself. But Bollinger's real legacy isn't measured in NFL statistics—it's in his fingerprints on Wisconsin's program and later as a high school coach, a quarterback who understood the game's architecture deeply enough to teach it. Sometimes the best ones never get their shot in the spotlight.

Brooks Bollinger Rating Breakdown

Season
Subpar
Fantasy
Average
Playoffs
Non-Factor
Overall
NPC
2 years with the Jets

Brooks Bollinger Career Stats via Wikipedia

2,226 Pass Yards
9 Touchdowns
9 INTs
0.0% Comp %
9.9 HAIR

Frequently Asked Questions About Brooks Bollinger

How does Brady Cook compare to Brooks Bollinger?

Brady Cook's got the Jets starting gig now, but stacking him against Brooks Bollinger's Jets run—2,226 yards, 9 TDs in spot duty—feels like pitting a rookie spark against a guy who gutted out starts amid chaos, like that 2005 stretch post-Clemens injury. Bollinger's got the edge in proven grit under Herm Edwards; Cook's flash needs Bollinger's Rose Bowl poise to stick.

Is Brooks Bollinger in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nah, Brooks Bollinger ain't in the Pro Football Hall of Fame—no Canton bronze bust for the Wisconsin gunslinger who slung 2,226 Jets yards and 9 TDs as a fill-in warrior. He's more the unsung backup who outshone Chad Pennington in a pinch than a plaque guy; legends like Namath own that spotlight.

What is Brooks Bollinger doing now in 2026?

In 2026, Brooks Bollinger's knee-deep in finance as a licensed advisor, writing for Prime Matters on life lessons, while juggling dad duties to five kids with wife Natalie in the Twin Cities. Toss in parish work and his St. Paul's Outreach board gig—classic post-gridiron pivot from Pitt QB coach to family man with a playbook for real life.

How would Brooks Bollinger perform in today's NFL?

Bollinger's quick-release pocket game—think 9-of-10 for 70 yards subbing for Johnson in '06—would feast in today's pass-happy NFL with no-touchdown protections and RPOs galore. His 9.9 rating screams era mismatch, but arm talent translates to a solid bridge guy, not Mahomes; rules flipped the script in his favor.

How does Brooks Bollinger compare to Joe Namath?

Both Jets QBs, sure, but Namath's 40.81 rating and Super Bowl III guarantee dwarf Bollinger's 9.9 mark on 2,226 yards and 9 TDs—Broadway Joe was the supernova, Bollinger the steady hand in '05 scrambles. Namath changed the game; Brooks just kept it alive when Pennington limped off, a franchise tag-team mismatch for the ages.