Jim McMahon is a career quality starter β a quarterback whose body of work places McMahon in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and McMahon's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Jim McMahon
Height6'1"
Weight195 lb
BornAug 21, 1959
Age66
CollegeBYUSee College Stats
Rookie yr1982
Draft1982 Β· Rd 1, Pick 5 Β· CHI
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title contextRegular-season all-time ranks
1x
Pro Bowls
A quality quarterback with a top 30% among starters β a legitimate starter who contributed meaningfully across their career.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 174 Β· #497 Β· High-ValueWorth 174 points of value above a freely-available replacement quarterback β top 12% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 9 of 13 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +19.3 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
9 cleared
4 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
36
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
9
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+19.3
Avg surplus
peak +30
9 seasons Γ ~19.3 surplus β VORP 174
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
1 grid split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Passing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | TD% | Int% | Y/A | AdjY/A | TD:INT | Rate | Sk | |||||
| 1982 | β | CHI | 8 | β | 120 | 210 | 57.1% | 1,501 | 9 | 7 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 7.1 | 6.5 | 1.3 | 79.9 | β |
| 1983 | β | CHI | 14 | β | 175 | 295 | 59.3% | 2,184 | 12 | 13 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 0.9 | 77.6 | β |
| 1984 | β | CHI | 9 | β | 85 | 143 | 59.4% | 1,146 | 8 | 2 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 97.8 | β |
| 1985 | β | CHI | 13 | β | 178 | 313 | 56.9% | 2,392 | 15 | 11 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 7.6 | 7.0 | 1.4 | 82.6 | β |
| 1986 | β | CHI | 6 | β | 77 | 150 | 51.3% | 995 | 5 | 8 | 3.3 | 5.3 | 6.6 | 4.9 | 0.6 | 61.4 | β |
| 1987 | β | CHI | 7 | β | 125 | 210 | 59.5% | 1,639 | 12 | 8 | 5.7 | 3.8 | 7.8 | 7.2 | 1.5 | 87.4 | β |
| 1988 | β | CHI | 9 | β | 114 | 192 | 59.4% | 1,346 | 6 | 7 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 0.9 | 76.0 | β |
| 1989 | β | SD | 12 | β | 176 | 318 | 55.3% | 2,132 | 10 | 10 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 6.7 | 5.9 | 1.0 | 73.5 | β |
| 1990 | β | PHI | 5 | β | 6 | 9 | 66.7% | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | β | 86.8 | β |
| 1991 | β | PHI | 12 | β | 187 | 311 | 60.1% | 2,239 | 12 | 11 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 80.3 | β |
| 1992 | β | PHI | 4 | β | 22 | 43 | 51.2% | 279 | 1 | 2 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 6.5 | 4.9 | 0.5 | 60.1 | β |
| 1993 | β | MIN | 12 | β | 200 | 331 | 60.4% | 1,968 | 9 | 8 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 5.9 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 76.2 | β |
| 1994 | β | ARI | 2 | β | 23 | 43 | 53.5% | 219 | 1 | 3 | 2.3 | 7.0 | 5.1 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 46.6 | β |
| 1995 | β | GB | 1 | β | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | β | 91.7 | β |
| 1996 | β | GB | 5 | β | 3 | 4 | 75.0% | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.8 | 9.8 | β | 105.2 | β |
| Career | β | 119 | β | 1,492 | 2,573 | 58.0% | 18,148 | 100 | 90 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 7.1 | 6.3 | 1.1 | 78.2 | 0 | |
Passing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | TD% | Int% | Y/A | AdjY/A | TD:INT | Rate | Sk | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 23 | CHI | 8 | β | 120 | 210 | 57.1% | 1,501 | 9 | 7 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 7.1 | 6.5 | 1.3 | 79.9 | β | 9.6 |
| 1983 | 24 | CHI | 14 | β | 175 | 295 | 59.3% | 2,184 | 12 | 13 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 0.9 | 77.6 | β | 11.4 |
| 1984 | 25 | CHI | 9 | β | 85 | 143 | 59.4% | 1,146 | 8 | 2 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 97.8 | β | 8.8 |
| 1985 | 26 | CHI | 13 | β | 178 | 313 | 56.9% | 2,392 | 15 | 11 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 7.6 | 7.0 | 1.4 | 82.6 | β | 11.4 |
| 1986 | 27 | CHI | 6 | β | 77 | 150 | 51.3% | 995 | 5 | 8 | 3.3 | 5.3 | 6.6 | 4.9 | 0.6 | 61.4 | β | 3.6 |
| 1987 | 28 | CHI | 7 | β | 125 | 210 | 59.5% | 1,639 | 12 | 8 | 5.7 | 3.8 | 7.8 | 7.2 | 1.5 | 87.4 | β | 6.9 |
| 1988 | 29 | CHI | 9 | β | 114 | 192 | 59.4% | 1,346 | 6 | 7 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 0.9 | 76.0 | β | 6.5 |
| 1989 | 30 | SD | 12 | β | 176 | 318 | 55.3% | 2,132 | 10 | 10 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 6.7 | 5.9 | 1.0 | 73.5 | β | 8.5 |
| 1990 | 31 | PHI | 5 | β | 6 | 9 | 66.7% | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | β | 86.8 | β | 2.8 |
| 1991 | 32 | PHI | 12 | β | 187 | 311 | 60.1% | 2,239 | 12 | 11 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 80.3 | β | 9.5 |
| 1992 | 33 | PHI | 4 | β | 22 | 43 | 51.2% | 279 | 1 | 2 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 6.5 | 4.9 | 0.5 | 60.1 | β | 1.8 |
| 1993 | 34 | MIN | 12 | β | 200 | 331 | 60.4% | 1,968 | 9 | 8 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 5.9 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 76.2 | β | 8.2 |
| 1994 | 35 | ARI | 2 | β | 23 | 43 | 53.5% | 219 | 1 | 3 | 2.3 | 7.0 | 5.1 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 46.6 | β | β |
| 1995 | 36 | GB | 1 | β | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | β | 91.7 | β | β |
| 1996 | 37 | GB | 5 | β | 3 | 4 | 75.0% | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.8 | 9.8 | β | 105.2 | β | 2.5 |
| Career | 119 | 1,492 | 2,573 | 58.0% | 18,148 | 100 | 90 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 7.1 | β | β | 78.2 | 0 | 91.5 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 55 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 55 of 100, era-normalized against pass yds/g peers across 13 scored seasons.
49
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
59
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 53 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 55Β· confidence 88%
What builds the career mark of 49
On-field 36.4
Availability 12.6
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative pass yds/g)
1982bestavg 441996
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position18
Depth
of 100
Reached 20% of the all-time Passing Yards leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
20% of the all-time Passing Yards leader20
0 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader0
A 0β100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data β career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence β so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite β₯ 85 Β· Strong β₯ 65 Β· Solid β₯ 45 Β· Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 87%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average QBs aging curve. Group peak age: 29. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (BYU), but no parsed college box-score table is present in this profile artifact. The section stays here so every profile has a consistent college-stats landing point without fabricating unavailable rows.
Reference Graph
Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters β every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Dennis GentryRB7yMatt SuheyRB7yWalter PaytonRB6yRichard DentDE6yThomas SandersRB6yReggie WhiteDE5yWilber MarshallOLB5yWillie GaultWR5yJeff FeaglesP4yClyde SimmonsDE4yWilliam PerryDT4yMike TomczakQB4yKeith JacksonTE4yEric AllenCB3yKeith ByarsFB3yRandall CunninghamQB3yNeal AndersonRB3yCalvin WilliamsWR3yFred BarnettWR3yHeath ShermanRB3yKen MargerumWR3yBrett FavreQB2yMike PriorDB2yOtis SmithCB2y
1982 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #5
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterJim opened the Chicago Bears QB lineage the corpus knows, and handed it to Mike Tomczak (1985β1990).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1996final season
Last recorded season with GB
- 1995team change
Joined GB (from ARI)
- 1994team change
Joined ARI (from MIN)
- 1993team change
Joined MIN (from PHI)
- 1990team change
Joined PHI (from SD)
- 1989team change
Joined SD (from CHI)
- 1982draft
Drafted by CHI β Round 1, Pick 5
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'1" / 195 lb
Frame
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works β
Historical Knox Β· KV-H
Era-normalized career quality β z-scored against 13-season peers. See all β
55
peak 59
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B1982
C+1983
C1984
B1985
D1986
C+1987
C1988
C+1989
F1990
C+1991
F1992
C+1993
F1996
Era Translator
Pass Yds translated to the 2025NFL β each season's standing among its own-era peers, projected onto 2025's scoring environment. Modern-era (1999+) coverage.
| Season | Actual Pass Yds | Pass Yds/G | β 2025 Pass Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 1,501 | 187.6 | 4,187+2,686 | 246.3 |
| 1983 | 2,184 | 156 | 3,834+1,650 | 225.6 |
| 1984 | 1,146 | 127.3 | 3,533+2,387 | 207.8 |
| 1985 | 2,392 | 184 | 3,954+1,562 | 232.6 |
| 1986 | 995 | 165.8 | 3,745+2,750 | 220.3 |
| 1987 | 1,639 | 234.1 | 4,216+2,577 | 248 |
| 1988 | 1,346 | 149.6 | 3,564+2,218 | 209.7 |
| 1989 | 2,132 | 177.7 | 3,775+1,643 | 222 |
| 1990 | 63 | 12.6 | 2,510+2,447 | 147.6 |
| 1991 | 2,239 | 186.6 | 3,860+1,621 | 227 |
| 1992 | 279 | 69.8 | 2,894+2,615 | 170.2 |
| 1993 | 1,968 | 164 | 3,635+1,667 | 213.8 |
| 1996 | 39 | 7.8 | 1,588+1,549 | 93.4 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
174 career value over replacement β #497 all-time of 4,642. 13.4/season above a replacement-level QB.
Draft OutcomeMiss β
Pick #5 (Rd 1) Β· CHI Β· 1982 Β· -6.8 vs expected KV-H
55actual
61.8 expected Β· Ξβ6.8
Fan Rating
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