30 NFL quarterbacks who got better after leaving their first team
By Dan Parzych
17. Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme is a name that football fans will always remember for his days as a member of the Carolina Panthers. However, most of those fans forget that it was actually the New Orleans Saints who helped the quarterback jumpstart his NFL career.
Finding an undrafted free agent capable of making a serious impact at the NFL level can be difficult at times. Most of them get cut by the end of training camp. However, Delhomme made a strong enough impact to earn a spot on the practice squad for the Saints.
After going back-and-forth between the Saints and teams in Europe, Delhomme would eventually join the Panthers before the 2003 season. The rest is history.
Not only did Delhomme replace Rodney Peete opening weekend that season before finishing with a 10-5 record, but the Panthers quarterback helped the team earn a trip to Super Bowl XXXVIII before falling to the New England Patriots.
Defeating New England would have made this one of the greatest stories in NFL history for Delhomme in Carolina. At least there’s always the pride factor of going from undrafted free agent to NFL star. The odds were against him early on.