Randall Cunningham Was the ‘Ultimate Weapon,’ and He’s Still Underrated

Randall Cunningham could do it all at quarterback during his NFL career.

Randall Cunningham could do it all at quarterback. He could pass. He could run. He even could punt.

Cunningham never won a Super Bowl or MVP in his 16-year NFL career, but he is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks ever to play the game.

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Randall Cunningham Has Always Been Underrated

Randall Cunningham with his agent Jim Steiner in 1985

Rookie quarterback Randall Cunningham, left, shares a laugh with his agent Jim Steiner, right, after signing with the Eagles and arriving at the Philadelphia airport in 1985. Pat Rogers / AP Photo

Randall Cunningham was underestimated from the start. Even though the 6-foot-4, 212-pound quarterback had all the skills to excel at quarterback, including a cannon for an arm, he dropped to the second round of the 1985 NFL draft, where he was taken with the No. 37 pick overall by the Philadelphia Eagles out of UNLV.

He was the first quarterback taken that year, but look at some of the other players drafted before Cunningham in the first round: Derrick Burroughs, Kevin Brooks, Darryl Sims, Alvin Toles.

In 161 career NFL games, Cunningham was a highlight machine. He threw for 29,979 yards and 207 touchdowns and went 82-52-1 in 135 starts while playing for four teams until 2001 — the Eagles (1985-95), Minnesota Vikings (1997-99), Dallas Cowboys (2000) and Baltimore Ravens (2001).

He Once Ran a 4.29 40-Yard Dash

Randall Cunningham throwing against the Chicago Bears

Randall Cunningham was 5-7 in the playoffs in his career. Rob Kozloff / AP Photo

Randall Cunningham had ridiculous speed. According to Sports Illustrated, he once ran a 4.29 40-yard dash on a rubber track in high school.

In the NFL, he rushed for 4,928 yards and 35 touchdowns on 775 carries, averaging 6.4 yards a carry and 31 yards a game.

This Quarterback Once Punted a Ball Over 90 Yards in a Game

Randall Cunningham warming up in practice

Randall Cunningham had serious skills. Chad Surmick / AP Photo

How incredible was Randall Cunningham? In a 1989 game against the New York Giants, he punted the ball 91 yards. See the punt at the 1:47 mark of this video.

Cunningham was an All-American punter at UNLV. He didn’t punt much in the pros. But he did many amazing things.

His former Eagles teammate Mike Quik, an All-Pro wide receiver in Philadelphia from 1982 to 1990, summed up Cunningham well in 2013: “There were so many times when he would do things [in practice] and you would look around at other people with your mouth dropped and they had the same reaction, like: What did I just see?”

Randall Cunningham Was Way Ahead of His Time in the NFL

Randall Cunningham throwing to Charlie Garner

Randall Cunningham was poetry in motion on the football field. Wilfredo Lee / AP Photo

There’s a reason Randall Cunningham was nicknamed the “Ultimate Weapon.” He turned 60 on March 27, 2023, and is still fun to watch on highlight reels.

If he played in today’s NFL, he could have been even better. He would be making a ridiculous amount of money and making defenses look ridiculous. Put Cunningham in a spread offense or run-throw option set in his prime, at age 23, and he would have been unstoppable.

That’s the beauty of NFL history. Legends grow over time.

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