Kilmer was a lightly regarded prospect who went from one year of junior college football to fifth in the Heisman voting by his senior season at UCLA. He was the 11th pick of the first round by the San Francisco 49ers in 1961 who plugged him in as a running quarterback in a shotgun system.
The 49ers saw no future for Kilmer as a quarterback, who rarely threw a tight spiral. San Francisco played him primarily at running back until placing him in the 1967 expansion draft. The New Orleans Saints picked Kilmer and finally gave him a chance at a starting job. He shared the QB duties for two seasons before taking over fulltime in 1969.
The 49ers saw no future for Kilmer as a quarterback, who rarely threw a tight spiral. San Francisco played him primarily at running back until placing him in the 1967 expansion draft. The New Orleans Saints picked Kilmer and finally gave him a chance at a starting job. He shared the QB duties for two seasons before taking over fulltime in 1969.
The year, Kilmer finished in the top 10 in approximate value. After the 1970 season, Kilmer knew the Saints were going to draft Archie Manning and asked for a trade. He got his wish, as the Washington Redskins sent a linebacker and two draft picks to Washington.
In Washington, Kilmer was slated to be a backup to Sonny Jurgenson. Jurgenson injured his shoulder before the start of the season and Kilmer grabbed the starting job and wouldn't give it up until 1978 when he was 39 years old.
As a Redskin, Kilmer finished in the top 10 in approximate value four times and passer rating five times. That included a second-place finish in 1972 when the Redskins made it to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the undefeated Dolphins. Kilmer was a clutch playoff passer, finishing in the top five in passer rating four times.
In Washington, Kilmer was slated to be a backup to Sonny Jurgenson. Jurgenson injured his shoulder before the start of the season and Kilmer grabbed the starting job and wouldn't give it up until 1978 when he was 39 years old.
As a Redskin, Kilmer finished in the top 10 in approximate value four times and passer rating five times. That included a second-place finish in 1972 when the Redskins made it to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the undefeated Dolphins. Kilmer was a clutch playoff passer, finishing in the top five in passer rating four times.
| Billy Kilmer | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Playoffs | |||||||||
| Year | Team | AV | PR | DYAR | QBR | Avg. | PR | QBR | Avg. | Total |
| 1969 | New Orleans Saints | 4 | 0 | X | X | 2.00 | 0 | X | 0 | 2.00 |
| 1971 | Washington Redskins | 1 | 3 | X | X | 2.00 | 1 | X | 1 | 3.00 |
| 1972 | Washington Redskins | 2.5 | 9 | X | X | 5.75 | 3 | X | 3 | 8.75 |
| 1973 | Washington Redskins | 0 | 4 | X | X | 2.00 | 2 | X | 2 | 4.00 |
| 1974 | Washington Redskins | 2 | 5 | X | X | 3.50 | 0 | X | 0 | 3.50 |
| 1975 | Washington Redskins | 0.5 | 2 | X | X | 1.25 | 0 | X | 0 | 1.25 |
| 1976 | Washington Redskins | 0 | 0 | X | X | 0.00 | 2 | X | 0 | 2.00 |
| Total | 24.50 | |||||||||
| Best 5 (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974) | 21.25 | |||||||||
| JAWS Score | 22.88 | |||||||||
| Top QBs of the Super Bowl Era | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Quarterback | Years | Total | Top 5 | JAWS |
| 48 | Billy Kilmer | 1969-1976 | 24.50 | 21.25 | 22.88 |
| 49 | Joe Namath | 1966-1974 | 23.50 | 22.00 | 22.75 |
| 50 | Vinny Testaverde | 1993-2001 | 22.67 | 22.67 | 22.67 |
| 51 | Daunte Culpepper | 2000-2004 | 22.17 | 22.17 | 22.17 |
| 52 | Ron Jaworski | 1978-1983 | 21.21 | 20.38 | 20.79 |
| 53 | Neil Lomax | 1983-1988 | 20.59 | 20.59 | 20.59 |
| 54 | Jim Plunkett | 1971-1986 | 20.59 | 18.09 | 19.34 |
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