To be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, players need to have been retired five years.
That rule apparently changed in the past two weeks, because four rookie quarterbacks have already been nominated for next year's class. Actually, the bust may already be made for Mitchell Trubisky of the Bears after completing 18-of-25 of his passes for 166 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 of the preseason.
The unusual move from No. 3 to No. 2 in the draft to take Trubisky was not well received by Bears fans. After that stellar performance, those opinions may be changing.
But not so fast. Le's pump the brakes. Chicago, along with about half the NFL teams, are desperate to find a franchise QB. A guy does pretty well in a preseason game and it's like he's dropped from the heavens to bring championships to his team.
The Bears are not alone. Deshawn Watson (Texans), DeShone Kizer (Browns) and Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) all showed why they were taken in the first round of this year's draft with their Week 1 performances in the preseason.
Those four combined to complete 51-of-77 (66 percent) of their passes for 578 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Get the HOF busts ready.
Three of the four have something in common: they'll most likely get starts this season. The other is Mahomes.
While 7-of-9 for 49 yards and a touchdown seems quite impressive - at least that's what I've read - the Chiefs have a quarterback.
Mahomes is the future, maybe. Let's wait until he starts for a couple years after Alex Smith is gone.
That's the thing about quarterbacks, it's a waiting game.
Aaron Rodgers waited three years behind Brett Favre and Phillip Rivers waited two years behind Drew Brees. Kurt Warner was 28 years old before he started in the NFL.
Even when quarterbacks do get on the field it can take years before a team knows if he's worth keeping.
Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions his rookie season, and 15 or more the next four years. He then went four straight seasons with 10 or fewer picks.
In other words, Chiefs, Bears, Texans and Browns fans, you're in for a long journey. The destination is a franchise quarterback, but the final stop may just be starting all over again.
Back to playing the lottery that is drafting a quarterback. Just ask the Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Jaguars, Titans, Raiders, Redskins, Lions, Vikings, Panthers, Buccaneers, Rams and 49ers. They've all been through the cycle.
Chiefs fans, you're well aware what the process is like.
Smith is entering his fifth in Kansas City, and the results are still inconclusive. Matt Cassel was a four-year experiment, Brodie Croyle and Tyler Thigpen had their short run. Trent Green was a worth-while QB.
The Smith train is nearing its destination, then it's Mahomes' turn. Will that be three years and back to square one? Or will it stay on the tracks for a while?
Wait and see.