John Elway and Terry Bradshaw were benched as rookies and ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
John Elway was replaced by veteran QB Steve DeBerg in his first two career starts with the Denver Broncos in 1983, and he was eventually benched after five games. Elway returned to the starting lineup in Week 11 and went on to have a Hall of Fame career, leading the Broncos to consecutive Super Bowl victories in his final two seasons in the NFL.