LEFTHANDERS IN SPORTS

Lefthanded Quarterbacks

Prior to the arrival of Tua Tagovailoa in 2020, the last time a lefthanded quarterback played in the NFL was 2015, when Kellen Moore had a brief time in the limelight and Michael Vick was trying to continue his career and add to his legacy. Read more about Moore and Vick below.

Michael Penix Jr. was the eighth pick of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, although he was chosen by a team that had just traded for a new starting quarterback. It may be a year or two before he gets his chance to play, but hopefully not much longer,

The only lefthanded quarterback to get an NFL opportunity in recent years is Holton Ahlers, who was undrafted coming out of college but signed as a free agent by the Seattle Seahawks. He played in 3 preseason game in the 2023, but never made the regular season roster.

Dillon Gabriel has had an impressive college career and starts his final year of college playing for Oregon State. Gabriel is considered to be one of the best quarterbacks who will be eligible for the 2025 NFL draaft, but he still has to finish his college career.

If not one of these three, maybe we are waiting for some yet unrecognized teenage phenom to come along and keep the line of lefthanders alive.

Who Might Be Next?

Kellen Moore spent three seasons with the Detroit Lions but did not play or throw an NFL pass. He signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015 and started the last two games of the season. He showed enough promise to be listed as the second-string quarterback for the Cowboys going into 2016, but he broke his ankle during preseason practice, missed the entire year, and never played again. He retired shortly after and has become an assistant coach.

The last two lefthanded quarterbacks prior to Tua Tagovailoa

Michael Vick was a #1 draft choice out of Virginia Tech, and played in 143 NFL games, starting 115 of them. He played in one Super Bowl, and played in the Pro Bowl four times. In 2015 he played in five games and started three of them for the Pittsburgh Steelers after the starting quarterback was injured. Vick was not signed for the 2016 season and then retired at the end of the year.

LEFTHANDERS IN SPORTS​

LEFTHANDERS IN SPORTS