List of New England Patriots starting quarterbacks

There have been 30 starting quarterbacks for the Patriots since their founding in 1960. Babe Parilli was the franchise's first longtime starter, leading the Patriots to their only playoff berth and championship game appearance while a member of the American Football League (AFL). Following the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, Jim Plunkett was drafted by the Patriots first overall to become the starting quarterback, but an unsuccessful tenure resulted in him being traded after five seasons. Plunkett was succeeded by Steve Grogan, who served as the team's primary starter during the late 1970s and helped lead them to their first NFL playoff appearances. A series of injuries caused Grogan to lose his starting job by the 1980s, although he remained on the team until 1990.

The Patriots lacked a steady quarterback for most of the 1980s, with five (including Grogan) starting in the 1987 season. First-round selection Tony Eason, the longest-tenured of the decade, contributed to the Patriots making their Super Bowl debut, but lasted only three seasons as the primary starter. In the 1990s, first overall pick Drew Bledsoe ended the Patriots' search for a quarterback by bringing the team to consistent playoff contention after five losing seasons.

Bledsoe's success would be eclipsed the next decade when an injury caused him to be relieved by backup Tom Brady. As the franchise's longest-tenured quarterback from 2001 to 2019, Brady is credited with the Patriots dynasty that saw them set the records for Super Bowl appearances and wins. Following Brady's departure, the Patriots have alternated between multiple starting quarterbacks in the 2020s. The current starter is Drake Maye, who has held the position since his rookie season in 2024.

The number of games they started during the season is listed to the right in descending order:

These quarterbacks have at least 40 starts for the Patriots in regular season games.

These quarterbacks have over 10,000 career passing yards with the Patriots in regular season games.

• Lists of NFL starting quarterbacks
• List of New England Patriots first-round draft picks
• History of the New England Patriots

• ^a In each game, a team picks one player to start in the quarterback position. Players may be substituted during the game, but the term "starting quarterback" refers to the player who started the game in that position.
• ^b The regular season expanded to 16 games.^[67]
• ^c Strikes by the National Football League Players Association in the 1982 and 1987 seasons resulted in shortened seasons (9- and 15-game schedules, respectively).^[68]
• ^d The regular season expanded to 17 games.^[69]