Top ten Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterbacks of all time

Trent Dilfer (1994-1999)

Trent Dilfer over Shaun King may be a bit of a lightning rod debate for their spots on the list. Some may disagree with Dilfer over King since King took over for an injured Dilfer and got the Bucs to the NFC Championship during the 1999 season when Dilfer only got as far as the divisional round.

While that is a fair point, Dilfer was a more polished passer. Trent Dilfer vs. Shaun King. Only in Tampa Bay folks.

The thing was, the 1999 Bucs defense may have been better than the 2002 unit that won Super Bowl XXXVII, and it begs the question of what could have been had Dilfer not been hurt in 1999 and was able to play against the Rams. (A future What-If article?) In all seriousness though, Dilfer’s injury sidelined him for King, but the Bucs still let their 1994 sixth overall pick walk in free agency in favor of King, because his inconsistent play was doing him no favors.

That doesn’t mean we can’t focus on the positives. Dilfer took the Bucs to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years during the 1997 season and earned himself a Pro Bowl birth. Dilfer’s 38 career wins are also still the most ever by a Buccaneers starting quarterback. Let that sink in. He also threw a punch at John Randle in the middle of a game in 1995. That alone should hold him in higher esteem.