Rex Grossman

First-round pick who quarterbacked the Bears to Super Bowl XLI.

Rex Grossman (born 1980) is a former NFL quarterback drafted 22nd overall by the Chicago Bears in 2003 who started for the team through its 2006 run to Super Bowl XLI. At Florida he was the 2001 AP College Football Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year.

Quick Facts

Number: 8, 5
Position: Quarterback
Born: 23 August 1980
Birthplace: Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.
High school: Bloomington South
College: Florida (1999–2002)
Draft year: 2003
Draft pick: 22

Facts from the source article.

Background

Grossman sat behind Chris Chandler and Kordell Stewart as a rookie under Dick Jauron. New coach Lovie Smith made him the starter in 2004, but a torn ACL in Week 3 ended that season, and a broken ankle in the 2005 preseason cost him most of the next one; he returned in December in relief of Kyle Orton and started the playoff loss to Carolina.

In 2006 he became the first Bears quarterback since Erik Kramer in 1995 to start all 16 games, in a year he himself called a roller coaster: seven games with a passer rating above 100, five below 50, NFC Offensive Player of the Month in September and a zero rating in the finale against Green Bay. Smith stood by him through calls to bench him for Brian Griese, and Grossman answered with a 27-24 win over Seattle and a 39-14 NFC Championship Game victory over New Orleans. In the Super Bowl he completed 20 of 28 passes with a touchdown but threw two interceptions, one returned for a score, and fumbled twice as Indianapolis won 29-17.

Grossman struggled in his first three outings of 2007, committing ten turnovers with a 45.2 passer rating, and Smith announced that Griese would start the next game. On November 11, 2007, he reclaimed the first-string role after a shoulder injury sidelined Griese, but a knee injury in his fifth straight start handed the position to Kyle Orton. After a one-year deal in 2008 he spent the rest of his career mostly as a backup, last starting for Washington in 2011.