Veteran QB Trevor Siemian will get a start for the New York Jets against the Cleveland Browns. He started his first game of the season on Sunday and helped the Jets secure a win against the Washington Commanders.
Siemian played college football at Northwestern and started 14 games with the Wildcats. He passed for 27 touchdowns and rushed for six scores in 44 career games before tearing his ACL near the end of his senior season.
Trevor Siemian: Starting Behind a Legend
With QB Peyton Manning getting close to retirement, the Denver Broncos selected Siemian in the seventh round in the 2015 NFL Draft. He had limited workouts leading up to the draft because he was still recovering from a torn ACL.
As a rookie in 2015, Siemian was behind Manning and QB Brock Osweiler on the Broncos’ depth chart and only took one snap — a kneeldown — during the season. After Denver won Super Bowl 50, Manning retired, and Osweiler signed a four-year deal with the Houston Texans.
Siemian beat out veteran QB Mark Sanchez and rookie QB Paxton Lynch, who was a first-round pick, to win the Broncos’ starting job during the 2016 season.
When asked about replacing Manning, Siemian said, “The thing about replacing Peyton: Nobody is going to replace Peyton. Those shoes are a little too big to fill.”
In his first start, Siemian helped the Broncos rally to defeat the Carolina Panthers in a Super Bowl rematch. The QB finished the season with a 59.5% completion percentage with 3,401 pass yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions through 14 starts.
After an offseason shoulder surgery, Siemian beat out Lynch again for the starting job and went on to start the first seven games of the 2017 season. He was benched after throwing six interceptions during a three-game losing streak.
After the Cleveland Browns released Osweiler, the former Bronco went back to Denver and replaced Siemian as the starter.
Siemian returned to start three games in December, but he suffered a dislocated shoulder and missed the rest of the season. The Broncos signed QB Case Keenum in the offseason, and Siemian was traded to the Minnesota Vikings.
Finding New Teams and Opportunities
Siemian, who was the Vikings backup for QB Kirk Cousins, did not play in a game during the 2018 season. He left Minnesota and signed with the New York Jets to be QB Sam Darnold’s backup for the following season.
Siemian got a start against the Browns in Week 3, but he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the first half.
MORE: Trevor Siemian Salary — A Look at the Backup QB’s Cost in 2023
In August 2020, Siemian signed with the Tennessee Titans to be the backup for QB Ryan Tannehill. He was released before the start of the season and was added to the team’s practice squad.
When legendary QB Drew Brees was put on injured reserve, the New Orleans Saints signed Siemian off the Titans’ practice squad to provide quarterback depth. He never played a game for the Saints in 2020, but he remained with the team.
Siemian returned to the Saints for the 2021 season to be a backup and ended up starting four games. He passed for 1,154 yards with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in six games.
In 2022, Siemian signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Bears to play behind QB Justin Fields. Bears GM Ryan Poles said, “In this offense, I think he’s a better fit. And I also just, in terms of a guy who has been behind Peyton and Brees, there’s also a wealth of knowledge he can bring to Justin as well.”
Siemian started one game for the Bears last season but injured his oblique during pregame warmups. He played the entire game and completed 14 of 25 passes for 179 yards, but the injury required season-ending surgery.
After Chicago released Siemian, he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals to serve as QB Joe Burrow’s backup. The Bengals released Siemian after QB Jake Browning won the training camp battle to be the second-string signal-caller.
The Jets re-signed Siemian to the practice squad to provide depth after QB Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury. He was signed to New York’s active roster in November and has since played in three games.
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