Looking back to the 2022 season one of the loudest arguments was that Rivera was “blind” to Sam Howell’s talent. But this ignores how the NFL actually works. In this league, you don’t play until the guy in front of you can’t walk.
- Tom Brady: Sat behind Drew Bledsoe until a hit from Mo Lewis forced him in.
- Justin Herbert: Sat behind Tyrod Taylor until a team doctor accidentally punctured Taylor’s lung.
- Brock Purdy: Was “Mr. Irrelevant” until two starters went down with season-ending injuries.
If the greatest defensive mind in history (Belichick) didn’t “know” he had the GOAT on his bench for over a year, why was Rivera expected to have a crystal ball for a 5th-round rookie? Practice reps and game speed are two different worlds.
The 2026 Reality Check
The ultimate proof that the critics were wrong? Sam Howell was not the answer. Since leaving Washington, Howell has been traded three times in two years. He spent 2025 as a backup in Seattle and Minnesota before landing in Philadelphia, where he just finished the season as the emergency QB3. If three different coaching staffs (including some of the best offensive minds in the league) have looked at Howell and reached the same conclusion Rivera initially had, then the “blindness” wasn’t on the coaching staff—it was on the critics.
The media and fans wanted a “miracle” story to blame Ron for, so they invented one. They acted like talent is obvious in a Tuesday practice and that playing a 5th-round rookie over a $28M veteran in a playoff race is a “no-brainer.”
It was a stupid argument then, and it’s a proven failure now. Rivera had his faults, but “hiding” a franchise QB wasn’t one of them. He was just the only one in the building who knew what Sam Howell actually was: a high-end backup.