Eight Current NFL Quarterbacks Named Matt
The growing popularity of advanced statistical analysis in the NFL has provided the world with dozens of fascinating tidbits that help football enthusiasts win their fantasy leagues and knock-out pools.
While the following information won’t help anybody win anything right now, it’s an amazing statistic and it could have huge implications for you years from now.
- Nearly 10% of all quarterbacks on NFL rosters are named Matthew.
- Among likely starting quarterbacks, roughly 20% of them have that name.
In a league where there are roughly ninety rostered quarterbacks, eight of them bear the same name. This is not an insignificant number when you consider that the QB name that’s second-most-common belongs to just four passers. After that, there are nine pairs of quarterbacks that share the same first name.
Side note: somehow there are two quarterbacks named Kellen. This appears to be a freak occurrence.
It gets even more interesting among starters. During the 2011 season, seven — or 22 % — of starting QBs were named Matt. Therefore, not only is Matt a common quarterback name, but it’s an even more common name among good passers.
Obviously, what this all means is that if you have a son, you should name him Matthew. He will grow up to be an NFL quarterback, and very likely a starter. He’ll make you proud, and hopefully he’ll share his wealth with you.
For now, here’s list of NFL quarterbacks named Matt ranked from best to worst.
For the record, the QB name that’s starting to give the Matthews a run for their money is Ryan. There are now four Ryans on NFL rosters, although only two of them are starters, including Tannehill. This means that Tannehill versus Moore is an amazing battle of the upstart Ryans versus the champion Matthews.
Also, Matt Ryan has perhaps the best QB name in football since his full name is composed of the two most common QB names. And it’s not clear what to make of San Diego running back Ryan Mathews.
Lastly, it’s worth nothing that perhaps the Matthew dominance makes some level of sense: it has been a Top 10 baby name for American boys since the 1970s, peaking at #3 in the 1980s, which is the decade when most current quarterbacks were born. However, this logic suggests that there should be many more Michaels at the QB position, and right now there are only two: Vick and Kafka, who are both on the Eagles.
Therefore, there’s definitely something magical about Matthew.