1. Matt Barkley played college football for the USC Trojans, setting set the Pac-12 Conference season record for touchdown passes as a junior.
55 Facts About Matt Barkley
1. 2.
Matt Barkley has been a member of 11 different NFL teams, mostly as a backup.
3.
Matt Barkley had his most notable stint with the Chicago Bears in 2016 where he served as the team's starter.
4.
Matt Barkley was born in Newport Beach, California, and attended Mariners Christian School in Costa Mesa for middle school and later Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.
5.
Matt Barkley passed for 3,576 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2007, completing 63 percent of his passes with nine interceptions.
6.
In three seasons, Matt Barkley passed for 6,994 yards and 57 touchdowns.
7.
Matt Barkley was named 2007 football Gatorade National Player of the Year, and then the 2007 Gatorade national male athlete of the year, becoming the first non-senior to win both awards.
8.
Matt Barkley won the 2007 Glenn Davis Award, given to the best high school football player in Southern California, and the inaugural Joe Montana Award as the nation's top high school quarterback.
9.
Matt Barkley was rated as the top prospect in the nation for the Class of 2009 by ESPN.
10.
Matt Barkley was rated the top quarterback prospect by Rivals.
11.
On January 23,2008, Matt Barkley verbally committed to USC, ending speculation that he might join UCLA, which had just hired coaches Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow.
12.
Matt Barkley's father, Les Matt Barkley, was an All-American water polo player at USC from 1976 to 1979.
13.
Matt Barkley made his decision more than a year before his National Signing Day, telling his family and coaches and then calling USC coach Pete Carroll on his cell phone.
14.
Matt Barkley finished his Mater Dei High School career as the all-time passing yardage leader in Orange County, surpassing the record that was set by Todd Marinovich in 1987.
15.
On January 4,2009, Matt Barkley participated in Under Armour All-America Game at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
16.
Matt Barkley adapted to the Trojans offense and gave strong performances during spring practices: trying for and making big plays but throwing several key interceptions.
17.
Matt Barkley suffered a shoulder bruise in the Ohio State game, and had to sit out the following week's game at Washington.
18.
Matt Barkley closed his freshman season by throwing for 350 yards and two touchdowns against Boston College in the 2009 Emerald Bowl.
19.
Matt Barkley contributed five passing touchdowns on 17-of-23 passing for 257 yards.
20.
Matt Barkley sprained his ankle during a loss to Oregon State and was forced to the sideline for the Notre Dame game.
21.
Matt Barkley began 2011 by setting the USC single-game record for completions with 34 against Minnesota.
22.
On November 4, Matt Barkley passed for a USC single-game record for touchdowns in a game with six, against the Colorado Buffaloes, one of the two additions to the Pac-12 in its inaugural season; the game was the first against Colorado since 2002.
23.
Matt Barkley had previously tied the single-game touchdown record thrice, sharing it with Rodney Peete, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Mark Sanchez.
24.
Matt Barkley had the sixth most votes for the Heisman Trophy.
25.
Matt Barkley won the 2011 CFPA National Performer of the Year Trophy with his record-breaking season.
26.
On December 22,2011, at a press conference convened at Heritage Hall, Matt Barkley announced that he would return for his senior year with the USC Trojans rather than entering the 2012 NFL draft.
27.
Matt Barkley was knocked out of that game by UCLA's Anthony Barr with a shoulder separating hit, prematurely ending his regular season.
28.
On October 20,2013, Matt Barkley saw his first NFL action against the Dallas Cowboys as he came in to relieve Foles, who left early in the fourth quarter due to a head injury.
29.
In that game, Matt Barkley completed 11 of 20 pass attempts for 129 yards and three interceptions.
30.
On September 3,2016, Matt Barkley was released by the Cardinals.
31.
Matt Barkley was signed to the Chicago Bears' practice squad on September 4,2016.
32.
Matt Barkley completed 11 for 18 passes for 192 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 97.5 passer rating.
33.
Matt Barkley finished the 2016 season with eight touchdown passes and 14 interceptions.
34.
On March 10,2017, Matt Barkley signed a two-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
35.
On November 13,2017, Matt Barkley re-signed with the Cardinals due to Drew Stanton possibly missing playing time as a result of a knee sprain.
36.
On March 17,2018, Matt Barkley signed a two-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.
37.
Matt Barkley was released with an injury settlement 11 days later.
38.
On October 31,2018, Matt Barkley was signed by the Buffalo Bills.
39.
On December 21,2018, Matt Barkley signed a two-year contract extension with the Bills through the 2020 season.
40.
In Week 4 of the 2019 season, Matt Barkley came into the game against the New England Patriots to relieve Josh Allen, who had experienced an in-game head injury.
41.
Matt Barkley finished the regular season completing 11 of 21 passes for 197 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
42.
Matt Barkley signed a two-year contract with the Tennessee Titans on August 5,2021.
43.
On November 10,2021, Matt Barkley was signed by the Carolina Panthers off the Titans' practice squad.
44.
On December 29,2021, Matt Barkley was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Falcons.
45.
Matt Barkley was waived on January 4,2022, and re-signed to the practice squad.
46.
Matt Barkley's contract expired when the team's season ended on January 9,2022.
47.
Matt Barkley punted four times in the game, including a 53-yard punt.
48.
On October 31,2023, Matt Barkley was signed to the New York Giants practice squad.
49.
Matt Barkley was signed to the active roster on November 8,2023.
50.
On December 26,2023, Matt Barkley was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars active roster off the Giants practice squad.
51.
Matt Barkley's cousin, Robbie Boyer, was a walk-on at USC during Matt Barkley's freshman, sophomore, and junior years.
52.
In 2012, Matt Barkley led a group of 16 USC football teammates to Haiti, where they built houses and delivered more than 2,000 pounds of supplies for orphanages and schools.
53.
Matt Barkley appears on I Am Second, sharing the story of his Christian faith and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
54.
At the beginning of his USC career, Matt Barkley befriended former USC Olympian, World War II prisoner of war and inspirational speaker Louis Zamperini.
55.
Matt Barkley married his high school sweetheart Brittany Langdon, a year after he graduated from USC, in July 2013.