Jeff Garcia hasn’t thrown a pass in an NFL game since he was the Buccaneers’ starter in 2008, but he’s not ready to say he’s done.
Garcia, who started six games for the Eagles in 2006 and was also on their roster as a backup in 2009, said on 94 WIP that if Andy Reid called him and asked him to return, he’d do it in a heartbeat.
“I’m picking up the phone and saying ‘Andy, how much do you want me to pay you so I can come in and get things fired up around there?’” Garcia said. “I’d pay to play, that’s just me. I can be that person who can continue to motivate and inspire and help teach and educate. And if given the opportunity to step on the field, I’m going to give everything I have to find success, no matter how it happens.”
The Eagles have Michael Vick locked in as the starter, Mike Kafka and Trent Edwards competing to back Vick up and third-round rookie Nick Foles penciled in as a project for the future, so Garcia would probably have to pay if he wanted to get a spot on the Eagles’ crowded quarterback depth chart right now.
Then again, if Vick were to get hurt and one of the backups went down, too, it wouldn’t be shocking if Garcia got a call. That’s what happened last year in Houston, when the Texans lost both starter Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart, and they briefly signed Garcia as the veteran backup behind rookie starter T.J. Yates.
But if Garcia still wants to play, his best bet is probably not in the NFL. The last time Garcia threw a pass as a professional, it was for the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL. If he wants to play again, the USFL might be his best bet.