When people talk about the st louis rams starting qb history, they usually jump straight to the grocery store shelves and Kurt Warner. It’s a great story. Honestly, it’s basically the best story in NFL history. But if you actually lived through those twenty-one years in St. Louis, you know it was a wild, often frustrating rollercoaster that involved way more than just one Hall of Famer.
From the day the Rams arrived from LA in 1995 to the moment they packed back up after 2015, the quarterback room was a revolving door of "what-ifs." You’ve got the miracle of 1999, sure. But you also have the grit of Marc Bulger, the "almost" era of Sam Bradford, and a whole lot of weirdness in between.
It wasn't always the Greatest Show on Turf. Sometimes it was just a show.
The 1999 Shockwave and the Kurt Warner Era
Let's be real: no one saw 1999 coming. The Rams had just signed Trent Green to a big deal to be their savior. Then, Rodney Harrison hits Green in a preseason game, his knee shreds, and Dick Vermeil is crying at a press conference saying, "We will rally around Kurt Warner, and we will play great football."
Everyone thought he was delusional.
Warner was an undrafted guy from Northern Iowa who had been slinging it for the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena League. He was 28. Most guys are washed or moving on by then if they haven't made it. Instead, Warner stepped in and put up numbers that looked like a video game. 41 touchdowns. Over 4,350 yards. A Super Bowl MVP trophy.
Why Warner Was Different
It wasn't just the arm. It was the timing. He had Marshall Faulk in the backfield and Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt on the wings. Warner’s ability to release the ball in under two seconds was something the league hadn't really figured out how to stop yet. By 2001, he was a two-time MVP. But the hit he took in Super Bowl XXXVI against the Patriots—and the subsequent hand injuries—started the decline faster than anyone expected.
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The transition from Warner to Marc Bulger was messy. Mike Martz, the offensive mastermind, eventually pulled the trigger on the switch because Warner couldn't stop fumbling the ball (he had six in the 2003 opener alone). It felt like the end of an era because, well, it was.
Marc Bulger: The Most Underrated St Louis Rams Starting QB?
If you ask a casual fan about Marc Bulger, they might shrug. That’s a mistake. Bulger was a sixth-round pick who actually reached the 1,000-completion mark faster than anyone in history at the time. Faster than Warner. Faster than Marino.
Bulger took over a Ferrari and kept it running at 100 mph for a few years. In 2003, he led the team to a 12-4 record. In 2004, he took them to the playoffs and won a road game in Seattle—the last playoff win the city of St. Louis would ever see from the Rams.
- 2003: 3,845 yards, 22 TDs, Pro Bowl MVP.
- 2006: 4,301 yards, 24 TDs, 62.9% completion rate.
The problem? The offensive line started to crumble. Bulger got hit. A lot. By 2007 and 2008, he was playing behind a group that couldn't protect a statue, let alone a pocket passer. He ended his St. Louis career with over 22,000 passing yards, which is second only to Jim Everett in franchise history (if you count the LA years). Honestly, Bulger deserved a better ending than the 1-15 and 2-14 seasons that closed out his tenure.
The Sam Bradford Gamble
By 2010, the Rams were desperate. They had the #1 overall pick and used it on Sam Bradford out of Oklahoma. He signed the last of the "mega" rookie contracts—six years, $78 million with $50 million guaranteed before he ever took a snap.
The hype was unreal. And for a second, it looked like it might work.
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Bradford won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010. He threw for 3,512 yards and almost dragged a mediocre roster to the playoffs. He was accurate, he was smart, and he looked like a franchise cornerstone. Then the injuries started. An ankle in 2011. An ACL in 2013. Another ACL in the 2014 preseason.
It was heartbreaking to watch. Every time Bradford looked like he was turning the corner, his body gave out. You’ve got to wonder what would’ve happened if he stayed healthy. The Rams had a nasty defense under Jeff Fisher, but the offense was always a quarterback away from being dangerous.
The Forgotten Names and One-Hit Wonders
Between the big names, the st louis rams starting qb list gets a bit... bleak. We’re talking about the years where you’d turn on the TV and see guys like:
- Tony Banks (1996-1998): He had all the physical tools but led the league in fumbles. He was the bridge from the move to the miracle.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick (2005): Before "Fitzmagic" was a league-wide phenomenon, he had a massive 310-yard debut for the Rams in a comeback win against Houston.
- Kellen Clemens & Austin Davis: These guys were the ultimate professional backups who were forced into 9 or 10 starts a season because the starter was in the training room. Davis actually had a hot streak in 2014 where people thought he might be the "next Kurt Warner," but it fizzled out quickly.
- Nick Foles (2015): The final starter. He came over in the Bradford trade. He beat the Seahawks in Week 1 in a thriller, and then... nothing. He was benched for Case Keenum by mid-season.
The Statistical Breakdown (St. Louis Years Only)
| Quarterback | Years | Games Started | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kurt Warner | 1998-2003 | 50 | 35-15 |
| Marc Bulger | 2000-2009 | 95 | 41-54 |
| Sam Bradford | 2010-2014 | 49 | 18-30-1 |
| Jim Everett | 1995 | 16 | 7-9 |
Note: Jim Everett started many games in LA, but his 1995 season was the first in St. Louis.
Why the QB Position Eventually Broke the St. Louis Era
If you look at the tail end of the Rams in St. Louis, it wasn't just about the stadium or the owner wanting to move. It was the fact that they couldn't find "the guy" after Bulger’s prime ended.
From 2007 to 2015, the team didn't have a single winning season. That’s nine years of bad football. When you're constantly swapping between guys like Shaun Hill, Nick Foles, and Kellen Clemens, you're not going to win in the NFL. The lack of a stable st louis rams starting qb meant the fans lost hope, and the "Greatest Show" felt like ancient history.
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What Most People Get Wrong About This List
There’s a common myth that the Rams were "lucky" to find Warner. Kinda, but not really. They saw something in him during a workout that others missed. The real tragedy isn't that they "lost" Warner; it's that they failed to build a functional environment for the guys who followed him.
If you're looking for lessons from the St. Louis era, it’s that a great QB can mask a lot of flaws (Warner), a good QB can only carry you so far (Bulger), and a fragile QB will eventually break your heart (Bradford).
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians:
- Watch the 1999 Season Highlights: If you want to see how the QB position changed the NFL, watch how Warner utilized the "levels" concept. It was ahead of its time.
- Research the 2000 Draft: The Rams took Marc Bulger in the 6th round. It’s a reminder that elite production doesn't always come from the first round, even if the Bradford era suggests otherwise.
- Check Local Archives: For those interested in the deep cuts, look into the 1996 Tony Banks era. It’s a fascinating look at a team trying to find its identity in a new city before the pieces clicked.
Next time you see a Rams jersey, remember that before the glitz of SoFi Stadium, there was a dome in the Midwest where a grocery bagger and a 6th-round pick from West Virginia made magic happen. It was a weird, wild ride.
And honestly? It was a lot of fun while it lasted.