Byron Leftwich

Byron Leftwich handed off the Jaguars QB torch to Trevor Lawrence like a shaky relay runner passing to a sprinter—Leftwich grinded out 10,532 yards and 57 TDs over five seasons, dragging Jax to the playoffs twice, while Lawrence is already at 12,000+ yards in four years with that cannon arm. Legacies? Leftwich's a gritty survivor etched in black-and-teal stone; Trevor's still dodging fumbles on the starting line.

No, Byron Leftwich's not in Canton—his shelf holds a Super Bowl ring from backing up Big Ben in Pittsburgh and calling plays for Brady's Bucs triumph, but 10,532 passing yards and a 6.2ish career rating won't punch that Hall ticket. He's more cult hero for Marshall Thundering Herd fans than bronze-bust material, and that's just fine in this pass-happy era.

In 2026, Leftwich's revived his coaching mojo under Deion Sanders at Colorado, introduced as a quarterback mentor for 2025 after three NFL wilderness years post-Bucs firing. Coach Prime paraded him to the Buffs squad, hyping his QB wisdom alongside Pat Shurmur—perfect gig to rebuild that resume with Shedeur gone and a fresh QB room needing his old-school pocket savvy.

Leftwich would feast in today's NFL—those deliberate, high-release lasers through tight windows scream 2026 rules with no-roughing-the-passer fluff and RPOs everywhere. His 59% completion on 10k yards as a rookie-ish pick translates to 4,000-yard seasons behind modern O-lines; imagine him syncing with a motion-heavy scheme like the Chiefs, minus the fumbling rep.

Leftwich vs. Garrard? Both Jax franchise gunslingers, but Garrard's 33.1 passer rating towers over Leftwich's middling 6.2 career mark—David slung 61% with 90 TDs to Byron's 57 in similar starts, peaking with a Pro Bowl nod while Leftwich battled injuries. Garrard felt like the steadier wheelhouse; Leftwich, the boom-or-bust cannon from Marshall.