Matthew Phillip Simms (born September 27, 1988) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. He played college football at

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

, before being signed by the New York Jets as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2012. Simms is the son of former

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

quarterback and

Super Bowl XXI Super Bowl XXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...

MVP

Phil Simms Phillip Martin Simms (born November 3, 1955) is an American former football quarterback who spent his entire 15-year professional career playing for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He is currently a television spor ...

and younger brother of former NFL quarterback

Chris Simms Christopher David Simms (born August 29, 1980) is an American sports analyst and former football player. He was a quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of t ...

Early years

Simms was born in

Franklin Lakes, New Jersey Franklin Lakes is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,079, an increase of 489 (+4.6%) from the 2010 census count of 10,590, which in turn reflected ...

to Diana and

. His older brother,

Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), N ...

, played quarterback for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

following an extraordinary career at Ramapo High School. Matt attended

Don Bosco Preparatory High School , motto_translation = To Increase in Knowledge and Grace , accreditation = Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools , rival = Bergen Catholic High School Saint Joseph Regional High School , mascot = , ...

Ramsey, New Jersey Ramsey is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located northwest of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 14,473,football team for three years. During this time, he passed for more than 6,000 yards and 60 touchdowns. Though the team lost the state championship game his junior year, he was selected as a first-team All-State player by the ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

''. The next year, they went undefeated and won the state title. After his senior year, he 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

After graduating from high school, Simms received a scholarship to the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

. During his freshman year, he saw limited action, playing in two games and throwing four passes. Simms then left Louisville to attend

El Camino College El Camino College (Elco or ECC) is a two-year public community college located in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County known as Alondra Park.Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific Oc ...

. While at El Camino he led the team to its fourth consecutive league title and threw for over 2,000 yards in ten games. Simms later left El Camino for the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

. As a child, he always had a dislike for Tennessee's rival, the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. During the 2010 season, he played in ten games and threw for over 1,400 yards. During the 2010 season, Simms was hampered by injuries to key

receivers Receiver or receive may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Receiver'' (album), the second and final album of the band Farmer Not So John, released in 1998 * ''Receivers'' (album), the fourth full-length release from Part ...

. He lost the starting job late in the season to

Tyler Bray Tyler Ian Bray (born December 27, 1991) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. After playing his college football at the University of Tennessee, he declared himself eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft, in which he went undrafted. ...

due to poor performance. Simms's performance was the subject of a widely reported "heated dispute" between

Desmond Howard Desmond Kevin Howard (born May 15, 1970) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Michigan, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior. Howard ...

and

during the week before

Super Bowl XLV Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...

. In the 2011 season, Simms appeared in seven games and started two. He was 27 of 62 for 319 passing yards and three interceptions.

Professional career

New York Jets

2012 season

Simms was signed by the New York Jets on May 6, 2012. He was waived on August 31, 2012. Simms signed a future/reserve contract on December 31, 2012.

2013 season

Simms received playing time during the preseason against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

on August 17, 2013. He completed all five of his passes for 73 yards. Simms played the following week against the

completing 6 of his 10 pass attempts for 120 yards and a touchdown. On August 29, the final preseason contest, Simms started and played the entire game against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

. He completed 33 of his 44 pass attempts for 285 yards. Simms threw his first career touchdown pass to tight end

Jeff Cumberland Jeffrey Lionell Cumberland (born May 2, 1987) is a former American football tight end. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Jets in 2010. He played college football at Illinois. Early years Cumberland was selected to the O ...

in a Week 11 37–14 loss to the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

. During Week 13 against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...

, Simms came in relief of starter

Geno Smith Eugene Cyril "Geno" Smith III (born October 10, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia, leading the Mountaineers to multiple bowl gam ...

in the third quarter; he completed 9 of his 18 passes for 79 yards with an interception and a lost fumble in the Jets' 3–23 loss. Simms appeared in three games of the 2013 season and finished the year with 156 passing yards.

2014 season

Simms, an exclusive rights free agent, was re-signed by the Jets on January 13, 2014. He was released on August 30, 2014, during the team's final roster cuts and signed to the team's practice squad a day later. He was promoted to the active roster on November 1, 2014. He appeared in one game, a 24–10 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

, with the Jets in the 2014 season. He was 3-of-8 for 39 yards. Simms signed a one-year contract to remain with the Jets on December 30, 2014. However, after the team drafted Bryce Petty and signed undrafted rookie

Jake Heaps Jake Heaps (born June 19, 1991) is a former American professional football quarterback and the current personal quarterback coach for Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos. He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2015. ...

, Simms requested his release and was granted it on May 28, 2015.

Buffalo Bills

The

claimed Simms off waivers on May 29, 2015. Simms was not expected to compete in the three-way competition for the starting quarterback position (

Tyrod Taylor Tyrod Diallo Taylor (born August 3, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Virginia Tech, leading the Hokies to the 2009 Orange Bowl as a Sophomore ...

EJ Manuel Erik Rodriguez "EJ" Manuel Jr. (born March 19, 1990) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Florida State, leading the Seminoles to an ACC championship and Orange Bowl win in his senior year, and was drafted by ...

, and

Matt Cassel Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. A member of seven NFL teams, Cassel's most notable stints were with the New England Patriots an ...

) but was in the mix as a potential backup quarterback and was given the start for the Bills' final preseason game against the

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) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

on September 3. Late in that game, Simms, while trying to break a tackle, inadvertently threw the ball 20 yards backward, creating a loose-ball situation and setting the Lions up for the game-winning score. Simms was released the next day.

Atlanta Falcons

On September 7, 2015, Simms was signed to the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad. On September 3, 2016, he was waived by the Falcons as part of final roster cuts and was signed to their practice squad the next day. On May 15, 2017, Simms re-signed with the Falcons. He was waived/injured on September 2, 2017, and placed on injured reserve. He was released with an injury settlement on September 5, 2017.

Atlanta Legends

On November 27, 2018, he was selected in the second round by the

Atlanta Legends The Atlanta Legends were a professional American football franchise based in Atlanta, Georgia, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which played one season from February 2019 to April 2019. They played their ...

in the

2019 AAF QB Draft The AAF QB Draft was the only draft for the Alliance of American Football (AAF), held in advance of the 2019 season. The draft was a four-round quarterback draft where clubs were allowed to "protect or pick" from the selection. It was held on N ...

. Simms started the

2019 AAF season The 2019 AAF season was the only season in the history of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which began on February 9, 2019. A ten-week regular season was scheduled for each of the league's eight teams. On April 2, multiple sources indic ...

opener against the

Orlando Apollos The Orlando Apollos were a professional American football franchise based in Orlando, Florida, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football ...

, during which he completed 15 of 28 passes for 126 yards and two interceptions in the 40–6 loss.

Atlanta Falcons (second stint)

On August 3, 2019, Simms was signed by the Atlanta Falcons to replace injured

Kurt Benkert Kurt Benkert (born July 17, 1995) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at East Carolina and Virginia. He originally signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and was also ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2019.

References

External links

New York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simms, Matt 1988 births Living people American football quarterbacks Atlanta Falcons players Buffalo Bills players Don Bosco Preparatory High School alumni El Camino Warriors football players Louisville Cardinals football players New York Jets players People from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey Tennessee Volunteers football players Memphis Express (American football) players Atlanta Legends players