Jacksonville Jaguars backup quarterback C.J. Beathard was forced into action when Trevor Lawrence left a game in Week 13 with an ankle injury. Beathard led a nine-play, 53-yard drive in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter to set up a game-tying field goal attempt.
Beathard is the grandson of longtime NFL executive Bobby Beathard, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 — C.J. started 28 games over four years at Iowa before being drafted in 2017.
The long-time backup QB Beathard turned 30 years old in November and is in his seventh NFL season. Where did he begin his NFL career?
C.J. Beathard’s Journey Begins in San Francisco
The San Francisco 49ers drafted Beathard in the third round in 2017. Mitch Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes, and Deshaun Watson were among the quarterbacks who were selected before him, while Joshua Dobbs and Nathan Peterman were drafted behind him.
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Beathard played seven games with five starts in his first season in San Francisco, replacing veteran QB Brian Hoyer. He completed 54.9% of his passes for 1,430 yards, with four touchdowns and six interceptions. The 49ers went 1-4 with Beathard as the starter, replaced him with a new QB acquired via trade (Jimmy Garoppolo) in Week 13 after a hip/leg injury, and won the final five games of the season.
In 2018, Garoppolo was the starting quarterback before he tore his ACL in Week 3. Beathard came in to finish the Week 3 game and went on to start the next five games for the 49ers.
He had 1,252 pass yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions as he completed 60.4% of his passes, but San Francisco lost all five of his starts. Nick Mullens replaced Beathard as the starter and won three of his eight starts as the 49ers finished the season 4-12.
Beathard did not play in a game during the 2019 season and briefly left the team in December to return to his family after his brother was killed in a stabbing. His next start with the 49ers came shortly after the first anniversary of his brother’s death.
Beathard threw three touchdown passes in a 49ers win, and after the game, he said, “Everything that I’ve been through the last year, and it being the year anniversary of my brother passing, it’s just one of those things that you can’t really put it into words.”
Finding a New Home
Following the 2020 season, Beathard left San Francisco to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He signed a two-year contract worth $5 million to back up Trevor Lawrence, whom the team drafted later that spring.
Beathard only threw 13 passes over six total games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The Jaguars won the AFC South last season and defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wild Card game.
In February 2023, the Jaguars signed Beathard to a two-year contract extension through the 2024 season.
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