30 NFL quarterbacks who got better after leaving their first team

24. Bobby Layne

Thanks to a stellar career at Texas, Bobby Layne was another quarterback with high expectations heading into the 1948 NFL Draft. This is part of the reason the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to use the No. 3 pick on him in the first round.

However, Layne made it clear right away that he didn’t have any wish to play for the Steelers, so he would eventually go on to be traded to the Chicago Bears.

Turns out, the drama was only beginning for Layne. The quarterback found himself unhappy with the Bears as well since they used him as the No. 3 quarterback. This would result in another trade, only this time to the then-New York Bulldogs.

In what shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, Layne only lasted one year with the Bulldogs as well. He would eventually get traded to the Detroit Lions before the 1950 season, which finally turned out to be the break he was waiting for.

While his first year in 1950 was decent, Layne made a real impact the following year in which he earned Pro Bowl honors while leading the league with 2,403 yards with 26 touchdown passes. Although, the Lions would have loved to see him avoid his league-leading 23 interceptions.

From there, Layne would go on to earn Pro Bowl honors for three seasons in a row. Most importantly, the Detroit quarterback led the team to three championships, with the first one coming in the 1952 season.