Jeffrey Matthew Driskel (born April 23, 1993) 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 ...

. 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 Florida Gators and Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and was selected by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in the sixth round of the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft 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 ...

. Driskel has been a member of several other NFL teams, starting for 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

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 ...

, and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

Early life

Driskel attended Paul J. Hagerty High School in

Oviedo, Florida Oviedo ( ) is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. As of 2020, the population was 40,059. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Oviedo was known for its historic houses and buildings and a ...

, where he played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

and baseball. During his high school career, he threw for 4,844 yards and 36

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

. In 2010, Driskel was selected as a member of the Elite 11 quarterback competition, finishing first among quarterbacks and awarded MVP. As a senior in 2010, he was the Maxwell Football Club National High School Player of the Year and the Gatorade Florida Player of the Year. He was ranked as the best pro-style

recruit in his class by Rivals.com and Scout.com.

College career

Florida

Driskel accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

, where he played for coach Will Muschamp's

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American football, American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the ...

team. As a freshman, Driskel appeared in five games, completing 16 of 34 passes for 148 yards with two

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

. He became the team's starter as a sophomore in 2012. He led them to an 11–2 record and a berth in the 2013 Sugar Bowl, in which Florida lost to the

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

. After starting three games in 2013, Driskel broke his right fibula in a game against

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

and missed the remainder of the season. He returned from the injury in 2014 and kept his starting job to start the season but was later benched in favor of Treon Harris.

Louisiana Tech

On January 3, 2015, Driskel was granted a release from Florida and he transferred to

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public university, public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and Carnegie Classification of Institu ...

. In his lone season at Louisiana Tech, he passed for 4,026 yards with 27 touchdowns.

Baseball

Despite not playing baseball since high school, Driskel was selected by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

with the 863rd pick of the

2013 Major League Baseball Draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...

. Driskel signed a contract, but he had no plans to stop playing football.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Driskel was selected by the

in the sixth round of the

with the 207th overall pick. The 49ers previously traded tight end Vernon Davis to the

in exchange for the pick used to select Driskel. On May 5, 2016, the 49ers signed him to a four-year, $2.45 million contract with a signing bonus of $112,539. Driskel began

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

as the No. 4 quarterback on the depth chart. After a season-ending injury to Thad Lewis, Driskel competed with Christian Ponder for the third-string quarterback position. On September 3, 2016, he was waived by the 49ers.

Cincinnati Bengals

Driskel was claimed off waivers by the

on September 4, 2016. He began the season as the Bengals' third quarterback on their depth chart behind veterans Andy Dalton and A. J. McCarron. On September 4, 2017, Driskel was placed on

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 ...

. Driskel made his regular-season NFL debut on October 21, 2018, in relief of Andy Dalton in the fourth quarter in the final minutes of a 45–10 loss to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, completing all four of his pass attempts for 39 yards. In Week 12, against the

, Dalton was injured and out for the season with a thumb injury. Driskel came into the game in relief and threw his first professional touchdown to Tyler Boyd. He added a late rushing touchdown in the 35–20 loss. He started the last five games of the season for the Bengals. He went 1–4 and passed for 764 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions in the five starts. Driskel was placed on

on August 31, 2019. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 11.

Detroit Lions

On September 17, 2019, Driskel was signed by the

. On November 10, 2019, Driskel made his first start for the Lions against 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 ...

after

Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs football, Georg ...

was inactive due to injury. He finished the Week 10 contest with 269 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception as the Lions lost 20–13. In Week 11 against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

, Driskel threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown in the 35–27 loss. After suffering a hamstring injury during a loss to the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

, Driskel was placed on injured reserve on November 30, 2019.

Denver Broncos

On March 27, 2020, Driskel signed a two-year contract with the

. On September 20, 2020, Driskel came in for injured starting quarterback

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 ...

in a Week 2 matchup 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. He passed for 256 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in relief in the 26–21 loss. Driskel made his first start as a Bronco in Week 3 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 ...

. During the game, Driskel threw for 176 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception before being benched in the fourth quarter of the 28–10 loss. On November 26, 2020, Driskel 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 testing positive for the virus. He and the other three quarterbacks on the Broncos roster were fined by the team for violating COVID-19 protocols. Driskel was activated from the COVID-19 list on December 16, 2020. On May 3, 2021, Driskel was released by the Broncos.

Houston Texans

On May 20, 2021, Driskel signed a one-year contract with the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

. He was released on August 31, 2021. He was signed to the practice squad the following day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 16, 2021. On November 18, Driskel converted from quarterback to tight end, playing the position for the first time in his career. He was placed on injured reserve on December 22. On March 18, 2022, Driskel re-signed with the Texans. He was released on August 30, 2022, and signed back to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on December 14.

Arizona Cardinals

On April 17, 2023, Driskel signed a one-year contract with 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 was released on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released again on October 20 and re-signed to the practice squad on October 31. He was elevated to the active roster on November 4, 2023 to backup Clayton Tune against the

. Driskel then reverted back to the practice squad after the game.

Cleveland Browns

On December 29, 2023, Driskel was signed by the

off the Cardinals practice squad. On January 3, 2024, the Browns announced Driskel would be the starting quarterback in their 2023-24 regular season finale, a week 18 matchup against the

. The Browns clinched a playoff berth the week prior, so they decided to rest some of their key starters, including quarterback Joe Flacco, for the regular season finale to avoid potential injury.

Washington Commanders

On April 1, 2024, Driskel signed with the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs profile

Florida Gators profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Driskel, Jeff 1993 births 21st-century American sportsmen American football quarterbacks American football tight ends Arizona Cardinals players Cincinnati Bengals players Cleveland Browns players Denver Broncos players Detroit Lions players Florida Gators football players Houston Texans players Living people Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football players Sportspeople from Oviedo, Florida Players of American football from Seminole County, Florida San Francisco 49ers players Washington Commanders players