25 best Offensive Rookie of the Year winners ranked by playing career

25 best Offensive Rookie of the Year winners ranked by playing career: 21. Jim Plunkett – New England Patriots

Not many people know that famous Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett started his career with the New England Patriots. He threw for 19 touchdowns while starting all 14 games in 1971. Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers five years into his career and eventually made his name with the Raiders.

Plunkett’s Hall of Fame debate comes up every season. He won two Super Bowls with the Raiders, which in the past has been enough to get a quarterback to get a bust in Canton, Ohio. His statistics are a product of his time as quarterbacks threw more interceptions at the time, although Plunkett seemed to take that to another level.

He was really good in the playoffs. That can’t be denied. He has an 80% winning percentage in the postseason, and he became the first quarterback to lead a Wild Card team to a Super Bowl championship in his first season as starter in Oakland.

Plunkett has a complicated legacy because looking at his stats alone makes it look like he was a mediocre quarterback, but that is only one small drop in the story. He led teams to victories, and later in his career, he became one of the best in the league when it mattered the most. He didn’t need regular season accolades, but he did need to show his worth in the playoffs. Plunkett goes down as an interesting candidate, but his impact on the game is undeniable.