Jake Plummer

Former NFL quarterback who led Arizona State to an undefeated regular season and the Cardinals to their first playoff win in decades.

Jason Steven "Jake" Plummer (born December 19, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils. Plummer was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 1997 NFL draft, spending six seasons with the Cardinals and then four with the Denver Broncos.

Quick Facts

Position

Quarterback

Born

19 December 1974

Birthplace

Boise, Idaho, U.S.

Draft year

1997

Draft pick

High school

Capital (Boise)

College

Arizona State (1993–1996)

Former teams

Arizona Cardinals (1997–2002)
Denver Broncos (2003–2006)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007)

Lore & Background

Since retiring from the field, he launched Umbo, a functional mushroom supplement company alongside former UFC Champion Rashad Evans. He subsequently founded MyCOLove Farm in Fort Lupton, Colorado, to better understand mushrooms and mycology. His nickname, "Jake the Snake", has no connection to professional wrestler Jake "the Snake" Roberts. Coincidentally, Plummer and Roberts each adopted the nickname as a tribute to former Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler, who was nicknamed "Snake."

Reader's Guide

Plummer was born in Boise, Idaho; he and his two older brothers grew up in Smiley Creek. He attended Pierce Park Elementary and Hillside Junior High. In third grade at Pierce Park, he started going by Jake after being asked by his teacher to use a different name because there were four other students named Jason. He graduated from Capital High School in 1993, where he was a three-sport star. He originally wanted to play football at Stanford, but they only offered him a preferred walk-on offer; he instead accepted a full ride from California until Hue Jackson, then a coach at Arizona State, heavily recruited Plummer and eventually convinced him to recommit to the Sun Devils. He also received scholarship offers from Boise State, Idaho, Montana, Oregon State, Washington State, and Wyoming. In college, he did not redshirt and took over as starting quarterback early in his freshman season in 1993. His senior season in 1996 was arguably the best in school history. He led ASU to an undefeated regular season and a Pac-10 championship. In the Rose Bowl, he scored a sensational 11-yard go-ahead touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, but Ohio State responded and won. Plummer was third in the Heisman Trophy voting, was a first-team All-American, and the Pac-10's Offensive Player of the Year. He ended his career with several school records; most have since been surpassed, but his 34 games with a rushing or passing touchdown remains an ASU record. He was also a two-time Academic All-Conference player. In the NFL, he was selected in the second round of the 1997 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He played behind Kent Graham and Stoney Case at the start of his rookie season. In 1998, the Cardinals drafted Plummer's friend Pat Tillman, and the two started all sixteen games en route to a 9–7 regular season record. In the playoffs, he led the Cardinals to an upset of the Dallas Cowboys for the franchise's first postseason victory since 1947. After spending 5 seasons in Arizona, Plummer signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos in 2003, replacing Brian Griese. In 2004 he matched or surpassed several of Broncos Hall of Fame QB John Elway's passing records. In the opening game victory against Kansas City, he reached 20,000 career passing yards. In 2005, Plummer experienced arguably his best season as a professional.