Jeff Garcia is 40 years old and hasn’t thrown a pass in a regular-season game since 2008. So he realizes that his days as an NFL starter are probably over.
But Garcia says he can be perfectly happy as a backup, that he would be a good influence on young players, and that he just hopes some team gives him that opportunity.
“It’s one of those of these things where my agent is out there. He has talked to people and it sounds like there is some interest out there,” Garcia told the Tampa Tribune. “It’s just a matter of that interest stepping over and becoming a reality and somebody offering me a contract and getting the chance to come in and be a part of their team and hopefully be in a role where I can help a young guy out, or be a supportive backup, and go from there.”
Garcia was slated to be the supportive backup and help a young guy out in Oakland last year, but that didn’t end well, and now it’s not clear whether there’s a team out there that wants to give Garcia another shot. The Giants were considering Garcia, but that was before they signed Jim Sorgi.
Garcia says that if a team does give him a shot, he’ll make the most of it.
“I feel like I’m as healthy and as young-feeling and as active as I’ve ever been,” Garcia said. “Now it’s just a matter of somebody wanting to give me that opportunity to come in and have a positive affect in the locker room.”
“Now it’s just a matter of somebody wanting to give me that opportunity to come in and have a positive affect in the locker room.”
You had that last year and you spit on it. Too bad you realized it one year too late. Enjoy your retirement Jeff!
New England……
Sucks to see Jeff Garcia have to ride the bench with that much talent when you see SH#T bag players like Brady Quinn , JaMarcus Russell, Jay Cutler & Kyle Orton get the start.
The best thing Garcia has ever done is Carmella DeCesare.
The ridiculous part of this is that had he not been such a douchebag and asked to be released from Oakland last season he would have started some games there last season and could be heading into this season as the starter. Bruce Gradkowski stepped in an did all the things Garcia could have.
As a Bears fan, I would not at all mind us signing Garcia. Even if he’d only be our #3 (though he might very well be our #2), either way he’d be a great influence.
That is, presuming Cutler has enough humility to realize there is still a LOT he has to learn about how to play the QB position in the NFL.
If McNabb does get traded I would expect the Eagles to be interested in Garcia. Thats IF…
I hear the Eagles need another QB…
Perfect roll for him. He’s a stand up guy who can help the youngsters.
Didn’t Terrell Owens already report that Garcia likes it in the back?
Browns should have grabbed him over wallace
“Now it’s just a matter of somebody wanting to give me that opportunity to come in and have a positive affect in the locker room.”
Should read “effect in the locker room.”
Get on it Big Show!
He would be a perfect fit in NY behind Sanchez.
I would take him as the Bills starter right now. Better than the three bums they have on the current roster
Garcia doesn’t have the attitude to be a backup…Last year at Oakland proved that…If he would have kept his mouth shut (instead of asking for his release) he would have been subing in for Russell within a few weeks of the season starting and been named the starter by the bye week (whether he would have ACTUALLY survived behind last year’s Raider OL is another story of course).
Gradkowski and Frye kept their mouths shut, worked hard and BOTH got a chance to play by the end of the season. There is a very clear line between “starting quality NFL QBs” and “backup quality NFL QBs”…Garcia had starter material once, but his skills have eroded with age and he just doesn’t have the mind set to do what it takes to be a good second stringer.
Hacksaw Reynolds garcia has no interest in helping young guys. he proved that in tampa and oakland last year.
He plays alot younger than he is and he’d be an upgrade over quite a few QB’s in this league. And LOL at Raiders fans blaming him for his exit from Oakland. They ran him out of town when he was clearly the best QB in that pathetic organization.
Mike shanahan please call him!!
Send him to the Steelers. T.O. said at least we don’t have to worry about him sexually assualting women…….
Too soon?
Just kidding We will have Ben and Dixon will be a good backup if we don’t sign Batch.
Don’t like him….but he’s a scrappy lil bastard….he’d be a good back-up to Brees…now whatever happens Oakland is usually an anomaly, but he’s had rifts everywhere he’s been and its always someone else’s fault…but it aint a date…
Trade McNabb, start Kolb & sign Garcia to back him up. He know’s the offense better than anyone and would be a valuable tutor for Kolb.
Greg2010 I agree 100 percent, we could use him to help Jason in a bad way.
Cleveland needs to trade Quinn. Get as much as you can in draft picks for him. Then sign Garcia. Garcia knows the West coast offense. He and Seneca together would be a good match.
Garcia did it to himself. Let’s face it, while it’s true that management wanted to dump salary in Tampa, if they really thought that he’d help the rookie QB that they anticipated taking in the draft, they’d have kept him around and the same thing in Oakland. I’d still be skeptical of him, depending on the situation. If he’s behind a solid starter then I would expect that he wouldn’t be too bad; otherwise, I’d pass because I’d be afraid of having a split locker room.
I’m a Steelers fan and I agree that the Eagles should trade McNabb and sign Garcia. Jeff Garcia is one of the most under rated players in the NFL. He played for the 49ers, Browns, Lions, Bucs, and Oakland and all 5 of those teams sucked when he was with them. When he was in Philadelphia he was Great!!!
You know, all that talk about what TO said about Garcia seems to forget that TO DID NOT start it. His comments came after he was asked the question AND there was talk before Owens even got interviewed. There was talk around the NFL and the sports world about Garcia long before TO said anything and there will be speculation long after he’s retired for good.
Veteran backup role?? I think he is underestimating the number of teams with 0 good quarterbacks currently on their rosters.
CaptainFantastik says:
March 10, 2010 10:56 AM
He plays alot younger than he is and he’d be an upgrade over quite a few QB’s in this league. And LOL at Raiders fans blaming him for his exit from Oakland. They ran him out of town when he was clearly the best QB in that pathetic organization.
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Agree with you that he was the best option at QB last year for the Raiders BUT:
“ran him out of town”???
You are kidding right? HE WENT TO THE HEAD COACH AND ASKED TO BE RELEASED!
The only way this would work is if he is signed by a team that has a clear cut undisputed number one QB like New England, Indianapolis, or New Orleans. Otherwise, he will become impatient and undermine the starter and the coaching staff if he feels (and he will feel that way) that he could do better.
CaptainFantastik says: And LOL at Raiders fans blaming him for his exit from Oakland. They ran him out of town when he was clearly the best QB in that pathetic organization.
i guess you missed the part where he didn’t take part at all in training camp because of a strained calf. then threw a fit because he wasn’t named the starter. then asked to be released.
he is not a good mentor for young guys. he still thinks he is a starter and has an attitude about it.
“Now it’s just a matter of somebody wanting to give me that opportunity to come in and have a positive affect in the locker room.”
Coming from Garcia, that has to be a joke, right.
Seems to me his mouth has gotten him into trouble wherever he has been.
No matter what the problem may be, its never his fault.
Smart teams will pass on this bum.
Some of you guys covered it quite well already. Garcia orchestrated his own demise. He would be in Gradkowski’s shoes, or have a lock on the starters job in OAK, and be helping the team, IF he had been able to keep his mouth shut and bide his time.
No sympathy for this guy if he never gets another snap.
What a load of crap. This cancer wouldn’t be on anyone’s roster five minutes before he would start chirping about lack of reps. He’ll probably find a job, though, because pickin’s are slim in the QB ranks. Chump.
Regarding Garcia asking to be released by Oakland; exactly how many of us would be willing to watch someone make 10 times as much money while not being 1/10 as skilled. I can just imagine Jeff Garcia spending a few practices behind JaMarcus before saying to himself “I’M BACKING UP THIS GUY?”.
dump leftwich and bring him back to tampa I say he would be great along with josh freeman
# cover2blitz0 says:
dump leftwich and bring him back to tampa I say he would be great along with josh freeman
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If they wouldn’t take the chance with him last year, why would they do something like that this year?
Big Tex says:
March 10, 2010 3:47 PM
Regarding Garcia asking to be released by Oakland; exactly how many of us would be willing to watch someone make 10 times as much money while not being 1/10 as skilled. I can just imagine Jeff Garcia spending a few practices behind JaMarcus before saying to himself “I’M BACKING UP THIS GUY?”.
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Big Tex,
Yep I am sure that is the EXACT thought Garcia had…BTW…Who picked him up after he was released by Oakland (by his own request) since he had TEN TIMES the skill of JaMarcus?
Need a hint?
NO ONE!!!!!!!!
Oakland had BY FAR the worst starting QB situation last year…He should have kept his trap shut and would have gotten his chance to show he still had “it”.
Understand what you are trying to say, but c’mon…even YOU Big Tex have to admit Garcia has no one to blame but himself for his time in Oakland…Al Davis was NOT going to give JaMarcus MILLIONS of dollars and NOT start the season with him.
Actually Redleg, Garcia got a cup of coffee in Philly when McNabb was injured. And yes, Garcia should have realized that Russell wasn’t going anywhere given the size of both his contract and Al’s ego. Always believed (and said at the time) that Garcia was a poor fit in Oakland given his age, his West Coast background, and Al’s supposed commitment to the vertical offense. I did see an interesting response from a Brown’s fan in one of these threads calling for Cleveland to pick him up. Obviously something had gotten to his short term memory.
Big Tex,
Agree 100%…Although Garcia had no other serious offers at the time and might have even in the back of his mind envisioned a “Rich Gannon” type of scenario (Where Gannon eventually supplanted a Davis favorite in Jeff George).
Sadly for Garcia:
Tom Cable is NO JOHN GRUDEN!