Cody Kessler
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Cody David Kessler (born May 11, 1993) is a former American football quarterback. He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...
, and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the
2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
.


Early years

Kessler attended Centennial High School in
Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...
, and played for Centennial's
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team. As a
senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...
, he threw for 2,831 yards and 36 touchdowns. He was the California
Gatorade Football Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' a ...
. He was ranked as the second best pro-style quarterback recruit by Rivals.com. He was teammates with Jared Norris at Centennial High School. Following his senior season, Kessler played in the
U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...
.


College career

Kessler was redshirted for the 2011 season. In 2012, Kessler was a backup to Matt Barkley. He completed two passes for nine yards in a game against Colorado in his only action of the season. In 2013, Kessler competed with
Max Wittek Max Nolan Wittek (born July 31, 1993) is a former American football quarterback. He played at USC from 2011 to 2013, and transferred to Hawaii, sitting out the 2014 season. Early years Born in Contra Costa County, California, Wittek grew up in ...
for the starting quarterback job. He ended up winning the job from Wittek. His first pass touchdown came in the season opener against Hawaii to Nelson Agholor for 19-yards on August 29, 2013. He was 25-for-37 for 288 yards and a touchdown in a win over
Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
to receive Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. Kessler led USC to a 10–4 record, finishing the year 7–2 under interim head coaches Ed Orgeron and
Clay Helton Clay Charles Helton (born June 24, 1972) is an American college football coach and former player, who is currently the head coach at Georgia Southern. He was previously the head coach of USC from 2015 to 2021. Helton has also been an assistant c ...
. Kessler was 22-for-30 for 345 yards with a career-best four touchdowns in the
2013 Las Vegas Bowl The 2013 Las Vegas Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on December 21, 2013, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley. The 22nd annual Las Vegas Bowl, it featured the Mountain West Conference cha ...
rout over Fresno State, and received
Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
(MVP) honors. For the season he completed 236-of-361 passes for 2,968 yards, 20 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. In December 2013, USC hired former USC assistant and University of Washington head coach
Steve Sarkisian Stephen Sarkisian (born March 8, 1974)Stephens, Ken. – "QB GENEALOGY – Steve Sarkisian is latest in long line of talented BYU quarterbacks". – FUN FACT, Sarkisian’s father is actually Texas Tech Head Coach, Joey McGuire. ''Dallas Mo ...
to replace interim head coach Ed Orgeron. In an open competition, Kessler beat out
Max Browne Max Austin Browne (born February 2, 1995) is an American football analyst and former quarterback. He played college football for the USC Trojans (2013–2016) and Pittsburgh Panthers (2017). Browne committed to USC on April 4, 2012, during his ...
and Jalen Greene for the quarterback spot in 2014. On August 30, 2014, Kessler threw for a career-high 394 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns against Fresno State, leading to his first of three designations as Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. On October 18, Kessler accounted for seven touchdowns against Colorado, the most ever by a USC quarterback, leading to his second designation as Offensive Player of the week. In the final game of the regular season, he threw six touchdowns against rival
Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...
, the most touchdowns thrown by a single quarterback against Notre Dame in the 127-year history of the program, leading one '' Los Angeles Times'' writer to label him a potential 2015 Heisman Trophy candidate. This achievement led to his third designation as Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, tying him with Marcus Mariota for the most designations for the 2014 season. He finished the season completing 315 of 452 passes for 3,826 yards with 39 touchdowns and five interceptions. Kessler started his final season with the Trojans off on a positive note with 240 yards and four touchdowns in a victory over Arkansas State. In the next game, he passed for 410 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over Idaho. The Trojans lost their first game in the next matchup against Stanford with Kessler having 272 yards and three touchdowns. In the next game, a victory over Arizona State, he had 375 passing yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. After that game, the Trojans went on to finish 8–4 and play Stanford for the
Pac-12 Championship The Pac-12 Football Championship Game is an annual college football game held by the Pac-12 Conference to determine the season's conference champion. The game from the 2011–2021 seasons had the champion of the North Division against the champi ...
. In the 41–22 loss in the championship game, Kessler had 187 yards and a touchdown. In the final game of his collegiate career, the Holiday Bowl against Wisconsin, he finished with 221 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the 23–21 loss. Overall, as a senior in the 2015 season, he started all 14 games and completed 298 of 446 passes for 3,536 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He finished his career with 10,339 yards, 88 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.


Statistics


Professional career


Cleveland Browns


2016

Kessler was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round (93rd overall) of the
2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
. On June 9, 2016, the Browns signed him to a four-year, $3.85 million contract with a signing bonus of $664,788. Kessler began the 2016 season as the third-string quarterback behind Robert Griffin III and
Josh McCown Joshua Treadwell McCown (born July 4, 1979) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He attended Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, Texas, where he was named the East Texas Player of the Year and earned All-State honorabl ...
. He became the backup quarterback after Griffin suffered an injury during the season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. On September 25, 2016, Kessler made his first career start after McCown was injured in Week 2. Kessler finished his debut completing 21-of-33 attempts for 244 passing yards as the Browns lost to the Miami Dolphins in overtime 30-24. The following week, he earned his second consecutive start against the Washington Redskins and completed 21-of-40 pass attempts for 223 yards. Kessler
fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...
d twice, threw his first career touchdown on a 9-yard pass to wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, and threw his first career interception, which was intercepted by cornerback Josh Norman as the Browns lost 31–20. On October 16, 2016, Kessler completed 26 of 41 pass attempts for a season-high 335 yards and two touchdowns during a 28–26 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The next game, he completed 9 of 11 pass attempts for 82 passing yards and suffered a
concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
in the second quarter after Bengals defensive tackle
Domata Peko Domata Uluaifaasau Peko Sr (born November 27, 1984) is an American football nose tackle who is a free agent. Peko was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Pago Pago, American Samoa. He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by th ...
hit him during a pitch to tight end Gary Barnidge. The Browns went on to lose to the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
31–17 and Kessler was replaced by fellow rookie
Kevin Hogan Kevin Michael Hogan (born October 20, 1992) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for Stanford University and was their starting quarterback from 2012 to 2015. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chie ...
. In Week 11, Kessler made his eighth start of his rookie season against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
and finished the game with 7-of-14 attempts while throwing an interception. In the third quarter, while being tackled by Steelers linebacker
Ryan Shazier Ryan Dean Shazier (; born September 6, 1992) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Shazier had a successful fi ...
, Kessler suffered another concussion after he was hit by Steelers inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons. The Browns went on to lose 24-9. McCown started in Kessler's place the following week and Griffin became the starting quarterback after returning from injury during Week 14. In Week 16 against the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
, Kessler completed 2-of-3 passes for 11 yards after entering the game with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter after Griffin suffered an injury. The Browns beat the Chargers 20–17 to win their first and only game of the season. Kessler finished his rookie season with 1,380 passing yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions.


2017

Kessler was inactive for the first six games of the 2017 season as the third-string quarterback behind
Kevin Hogan Kevin Michael Hogan (born October 20, 1992) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for Stanford University and was their starting quarterback from 2012 to 2015. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chie ...
and rookie DeShone Kizer. After Hogan suffered sore ribs during Week 6 against the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
, Kessler was elevated to second-string. During Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans, Kessler entered the game in the third quarter after Kizer was benched. Kessler then completed 10 of 19 passes for 121 yards and an interception as the Browns lost in overtime by a score of 12–9.


Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 28, 2018, Kessler was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a conditional 2019 seventh-round draft pick. On October 21, 2018, Kessler made his debut against the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
after the team benched Blake Bortles. Kessler finished with 156 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the 20–7 loss. On November 26, 2018, Kessler was named the starter for the Week 13 game against the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
as the Jaguars benched incumbent starter Blake Bortles. After a rough start to their week 16 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, Kessler was benched in favor of Bortles for the rest of that game and for the Jaguars' final game in week 17. On May 9, 2019, Kessler was released by the Jaguars.


Philadelphia Eagles

On May 12, 2019, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Kessler three days after being released by the Jaguars. Kessler was expected to compete with Nate Sudfeld and rookie Clayton Thorson for the backup job to Carson Wentz. On August 15, 2019, during a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kessler had to leave the game after taking a hit from defensive end Datone Jones. He was later diagnosed with a concussion and did not return for the rest of the game. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.


New England Patriots

On September 25, 2019, Kessler signed with the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. On October 15, 2019, the Patriots released Kessler, but re-signed him on October 28. On April 1, 2020, the Patriots again released Kessler. On August 26, 2020, the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
hosted Kessler for a workout.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


References


External links


Jacksonville Jaguars bio

Cleveland Browns bio


{{DEFAULTSORT:Kessler, Cody 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Bakersfield, California American football quarterbacks USC Trojans football players Cleveland Browns players Jacksonville Jaguars players New England Patriots players Philadelphia Eagles players American people of German descent