Brett Rypien
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Brett Robert Rypien (; born July 9, 1996) is an American professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
for the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the Boise State Broncos and signed with the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and has also been a member of the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
, Seattle Seahawks, and
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
.


Early life

Rypien was born to Tim and Julie Rypien in
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...
. Growing up, he was a multiple-sport athlete, playing football in addition to
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
, the sport his father had played at the minor league level. Rypien attended Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Washington. At Shadle Park he played
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
for all four years of high school. By the time he graduated, he had set Washington state records for career passing yards (13,044), formerly held by former Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore; pass completions (1,006); single-season records for passing yards (4,552) and touchdowns (50), both previously held by Moore; single-game records for passing yards (613); and pass completions (44). Rypien graduated early from Shadle Park as a 4.0
grade point average Grading in education is the application of standardized Measurement, measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentage ...
student, earning valedictorian honors. Rypien was rated by both
Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
and
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as a four-star recruit coming out of high school. He verbally committed to Boise State University in April 2014 and enrolled in January 2015.


High school accomplishments

Awards * 2014 Washington State Player of the Year * 3× Washington 3A All-State Washington state records * Career passing yards (13,044) * Career completions (1,006) * Single-season passing yards (4,552) * Single-season passing touchdowns (50) * Single-game passing yards (613) * Single-game completions (44)


College career


2015

Rypien began taking classes at Boise State in January 2015; he had enrolled early so he could take part in spring practices. With two-year starting quarterback Grant Hedrick graduating from Boise State, it left a hole at the quarterback position. On August 23, at the close of fall practice, Ryan Finley was named the Broncos' starting quarterback and Rypien was left to
redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...
for his freshman season. In the third game of the Broncos' season, against Idaho State, Finley was tackled from behind in the first half of the game, breaking his left ankle, which would require an eight-week recovery time. Rypien entered the game in the second half, burning his redshirt, and led the offense to scores on each of his four possessions, three touchdowns and one field goal. Rypien became the first true freshman quarterback to play in a game for Boise State since 1993. In Rypien's first three starts of his Boise State career, the Broncos averaged over 50 points per game, and Rypien averaged over 300 yards in each contest and totaled eight touchdowns. In his sixth start, against the UNLV Rebels, he set the Boise State record for most passing yards in a game by a freshman, besting Kellen Moore's previous mark of 414 yards with 469 yards of his own. In the following game, Rypien topped his own record by passing for 506 yards against the New Mexico Lobos. For Rypien's efforts he was named the first-team all-conference quarterback of the
Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...
(MW), becoming the first freshman to do so in the conference's 17-year history. In addition to earning first-team all-conference, Rypien was also awarded Freshman of the Year honors of the Mountain West. Rypien and the Broncos finished the season with a 9–4 record, and concluded the season with a record-setting win in the Poinsettia Bowl against the Northern Illinois Huskies. Rypien also picked up the offensive MVP honor for this performance.


2016

In Rypien's second year at Boise State, he was with new coordinators in Zak Hill and Scott Huff after Eliah Drinkwitz left to take a coordinator position at NC State. With the hire of new offensive coordinators, and Ryan Finley returning from a broken ankle, Bryan Harsin stated that there would be an open quarterback competition during spring practices. On December 27, 2015, Alex Ogle announced his decision to transfer to Arizona Western College. There remained just two other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster entering spring practice competing against Rypien. On April 12, 2016, after the conclusion of spring practices, Ryan Finley announced he would also be transferring to North Carolina State after he graduated in May. Rypien was named to three separate award watch lists before the start of fall camp. He was named to the watch lists for the
Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National C ...
, which goes to the top collegiate quarterback; the Maxwell Award, which goes to the top collegiate football player of the year; and the Walter Camp Award, which goes to the player of the year in college football. Also before the start of the season, Rypien was named as one of four team captains by his teammates, becoming the first sophomore captain in more than a decade for Boise State. Rypien's first month of the season came with highs and lows. Off the football field, he lost both his grandmothers, but on the field he led the Broncos to a 5–0 start and earned offensive player of the week honors in the Mountain West after throwing for 391 yards and five touchdowns in the first half against
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
. After starting the season with seven wins, Rypien and the Broncos lost two of their last five games to finish the regular season at 10–2. For Rypien's efforts in the season he earned first-team all-conference honors, his second time receiving the honor. On December 27, Rypien and Boise State matched up to play against Baylor in the Cactus Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. Baylor won the game and the Boise State Broncos finished their season with a record of 10–3.


2017

In Rypien's third year at Boise State, he again was entering a season after an offensive coordinator had left. Co-offensive coordinator Scott Huff left to become the offensive line coach at the
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
. With the departure of Huff, remaining co-offensive coordinator Zak Hill would be Rypien's offensive coordinator for the season. On December 26, 2016, the day before the bowl matchup between Boise State and Baylor, it was announced that Tommy Stuart would transfer after the end of the season. This left Rypien as the only quarterback on the roster with playing experience entering the 2017 season. Rypien was named to four separate award watch lists before the start of fall camp. He was named to the watch lists for the
Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National C ...
, which goes to the top collegiate quarterback; the Maxwell Award, which goes to the top collegiate football player of the year; the Walter Camp Award, which goes to the player of the year in college football; and the Wuerffel Trophy, which is awarded to the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. Also before the start of the season, Rypien represented the offensive side for Boise State at the Mountain West Football Media Days at the
Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...
in
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, and was named as one of three team captains by his teammates. Rypien and the Broncos began the season with a win over the Troy Trojans. In that game, Rypien shared time with dual-threat quarterback Montell Cozart, a graduate transfer from
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
. In the following game against
Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
, the second of the season, Rypien suffered an injury on a sack which forced him to leave the game before the end of the first quarter. As a result of the injury, Rypien missed the subsequent game against
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
. Rypien and the Broncos went on to finish the season with a 10–3 regular season record, and winning the Mountain West Championship game against Fresno State. At the conclusion of the season he earned second-team all-conference honors. On December 16, Rypien and Boise State matched up to play against the
University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
in the Las Vegas Bowl in Las Vegas, Nevada. Boise State won the game and finished their season with a record of 11–3.


2018

In Rypien's fourth and final year at Boise State, he would be going into the season without an offensive coordinator change. Offensive coordinator Zak Hill began his second season as the lone offensive coordinator. Rypien was named to six separate award watch lists before the start of fall camp. He was named to the watch lists for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the top collegiate football player of the year; the
Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National C ...
, which goes to the top collegiate quarterback; the Wuerffel Trophy, which is awarded to the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement; the Walter Camp Award, which is awarded to the player of the year in college football; the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which goes to the nation's most outstanding senior or fourth-year quarterback; and the Manning Award, which is given to the nation's best collegiate quarterback. Also before the start of the season, Rypien represented the offensive side for Boise State at the Mountain West Football Media Days at the
Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...
in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. While there, he was chosen as the preseason conference offensive player of the year and was selected to the conference's preseason all-conference team. At the close of camp, and for the third straight year, Rypien was named as one of three team captains by his teammates for the 2018 season. Rypien started the year strongly by throwing for 12 touchdowns with zero interceptions through the first four games. After the second game of the season, he won Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week when he led the Broncos to a 62–7 victory against the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...
, going 21 of 28 passing for 362 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions while helping Boise State put up 818 total yards of offense and a 625 yardage gap between the two teams, the largest gap since 2000. During his strong start to the season, Rypien surpassed Kellen Moore for most 300-yard passing games in school history with 17, and finished his career with 21. Rypien and the Broncos went on to finish the season with a 10–3 regular season record, losing the Mountain West Championship game in overtime against Fresno State. At the conclusion of the season, his efforts won him the MW Player of the year and he was also named the first-team all-conference quarterback of the Mountain West. On December 26, Rypien and Boise State matched up to play against
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas, Texas. Due to lightning strikes, the game was suspended in the first quarter and was eventually ruled as a no-contest for both teams. On January 19, 2019, he completed his college football career at the 2019 East–West Shrine Game. He went 10 of 14 passing for 134 yards and a touchdown on a shared rotation. Rypien finished his collegiate career as the FBS leader in passing yards (13,581) among current players. He finished as the all-time leader in passing yards (13,581), completions (1,036) and 300-yard passing performances (21) in the Mountain West. In addition to his conference records, he ranks second all-time at Boise State in passing yards (13,581), passing touchdowns (90), completions (1,036), attempts (1,618).


College statistics


Professional career


2019 NFL draft

Rypien was expected to be selected in the latter half of the
2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...
after an impressive career at Boise State, and after putting up impressive passing numbers landing in second in all major passing statistics at Boise State. NFL analysts commented that he was "comfortable and experienced playing from under center" and an "accurate passer on all three levels", but noted concerns over his hand size and lack of arm strength.


Denver Broncos

On April 27, 2019, at the conclusion of the NFL draft, Rypien tweeted that he would "stay a Bronco" after signing with the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
as an undrafted free agent for a guaranteed salary of $146,000 and with a signing bonus of $10,000. Kyle McCarthy, Rypien's agent, also noted that besides the Broncos, there were offers from a double-digit number of teams but it was Rypien's relationship with coordinator Rich Scangarello that was the largest lure in choosing the Broncos.


2019 season

On May 2, 2019, the Broncos reported their signing of Rypien as an undrafted free agent. He was waived on August 31, 2019, and was signed to the practice squad the following day. He was promoted to the active roster on November 1, 2019, to be the backup quarterback to Brandon Allen after starter Joe Flacco suffered a neck injury. On November 30, 2019, the Broncos waived Rypien after
Drew Lock Paul Andrew Lock (born November 10, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers football, Missou ...
was activated off of
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
. He was then re-signed to the practice squad two days later. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Broncos on December 31, 2019.


2020 season

On September 5, 2020, Rypien was waived by the Broncos, and was signed to the practice squad the following day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 25, 2020. He got his first in-game action on September 27, 2020, when he entered the game against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
in relief of starter Jeff Driskel. He completed his first 8 passes for 53 yards before throwing a game ending interception during the 28–10 loss. On September 29, 2020, Rypien was named the starter for the Broncos Week 4 matchup against the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
on ''Thursday Night Football''. In his first NFL start, Rypien led the Broncos to a 37–28 victory over the Jets throwing two touchdowns and for 242 yards and three interceptions. On November 28, 2020, Rypien was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
list after coming in close contact with Jeff Driskel, who tested positive for the virus. Rypien and the other three quarterbacks on the Broncos roster were fined by the team for violating COVID-19 protocols. He was activated on December 1.


2021 season

On August 31, 2021, Rypien was waived by the Broncos and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 28, 2021. He appeared in one game in the 2021 season. He had two incomplete passes in Week 17 against the
Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...
.


2022 season

On October 22, 2022, Rypien was named the starter for Denver's Week 7 matchup against the Jets after
Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...
was ruled out with a hamstring injury. He passed for 225 yards and an interception in a 16–9 loss to the Jets. He got a second start in Week 15, a 24–15 victory over the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
. He had 197 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the victory.


Los Angeles Rams

On May 4, 2023, Rypien signed with the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
. He was released on August 29 and re-signed to the practice squad. Rypien was promoted to the active roster on September 13. Rypien was waived by the Rams on November 7 after losing to the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
in his season starting debut.


Seattle Seahawks

On November 10, 2023, the Seattle Seahawks signed Rypien to their practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on November 23.


New York Jets

On December 5, 2023, Rypien was signed by the Jets off the Seahawks practice squad.


Chicago Bears

On March 13, 2024, Rypien signed a one-year contract with the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
. He was released on August 27, 2024.


Minnesota Vikings

On August 29, 2024, Rypien signed with the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
. On January 7, 2025, he was waived by the Vikings to make room for Daniel Jones. However, Rypien re-signed with the Vikings to their practice squad on January 9.


NFL career statistics


Personal life

Rypien is the nephew of former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, the cousin of former LFL quarterback Angela Rypien, and a cousin-once-removed of the late
Rick Rypien Richard Joseph Rypien (May 16, 1984 – August 15, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward who spent parts of six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks from 2005 to 2011. Afte ...
, an
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
enforcer who spent his entire seven-year career with the
Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
before dying by suicide on August 15, 2011. On his mother's side of the family, Rypien is the nephew of Chris Tormey, an assistant to the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL. In 2019, prior to the NFL and CFL drafts, Rypien was reportedly working on formally securing
Canadian citizenship Canadian nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of Canada. The primary law governing these regulations is the Citizenship Act, which came into force on February 15, 1977 and is applicable to all provinces and ...
; Rypien is eligible to hold dual citizenship because of his father's Canadian citizenship.


References


External links


Boise State Broncos bioMinnesota Vikings bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rypien, Brett 1996 births Living people Players of American football from Spokane, Washington American football quarterbacks American sportspeople of Canadian descent Boise State Broncos football players Denver Broncos players Los Angeles Rams players Seattle Seahawks players New York Jets players Chicago Bears players Minnesota Vikings players