Bryce Perkins (born December 20, 1996) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
for the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played college football at
Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
,
Arizona Western, and
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
before signing with the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2020.
Early years
Perkins attended
Chandler High School in
Chandler, Arizona
Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...
. As a senior, he led Chandler to their first state championship victory since 1949. During his high school career he passed for 5,332 yards with 70 touchdowns and had 26 rushing touchdowns. Perkins committed to
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
to play college football.
College career
Arizona State (2015–2016)
Perkins redshirted his first year at Arizona State in 2015 and missed 2016 due to a broken neck.
Arizona Western College (2017)
He transferred to
Arizona Western College
Arizona Western College (AWC) is a public community college in Yuma, Arizona. It offers associate degrees, occupational certificates, and transfer degrees.
AWC also offers classes in Dateland, La Paz, San Luis, Somerton, and Wellton.
Aca ...
in 2017. In his lone season there he passed for 1,311 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 353 yards and four touchdowns.
Virginia (2018–2019)
In 2018, Perkins transferred to the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
. Prior to the season, he was named the team's starter. He started all 13 games and set the school record for total offense in a single season with 3,603 yards and 34 touchdowns. He completed 225 of 349 passes for 2,680 yards with 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions and rushed for 923 yards and nine touchdowns. Perkins returned to Virginia as the starting quarterback for the 2019 season. Perkins started all 14 games for Virginia in 2019 and finished the season with 319 completions out of 495 pass attempts (64.4%) for 3,540 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also had 227 carries for 769 rushing yards (3.4 YPC) and 11 touchdowns.
Professional career
Perkins signed with the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
as an undrafted free agent on April 25, 2020. He was waived by the team during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on January 2 and January 15, 2021, for the team's week 17 and divisional playoff games against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
and
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. On January 18, 2021, Perkins signed a reserve/futures contract with the Rams. Perkins was among players who received a Super Bowl ring for the Rams victory over the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
in
Super Bowl LVI
Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference ...
. He made his NFL debut in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
filling in for
Matthew Stafford
John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia, where he was a first-team All-American, and was selected f ...
in weeks 10–12 against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
,
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, and
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The tea ...
following injuries to Stafford and
Wolford
Wolford, headquartered in Bregenz on Lake Constance in Austria, is a textile manufacturer of tights, bodysuits and underwear, as well as women's clothing and accessories.
Wolford has 16 subsidiaries and markets its products in approx. 60 co ...
.
NFL career statistics
Personal life
His father,
Bruce Perkins, played
fullback at
Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
and briefly in the
NFL. His uncle,
Don Perkins
Donald Anthony Perkins (March 4, 1938 – June 9, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of New Mexico ...
, played eight seasons as a
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
with the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
. His older brother,
Paul Perkins
Paul Kerry Perkins II (born November 16, 1994) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, leading the Pac-12 Conference in ...
, has also played in the NFL.
References
External links
Los Angeles Rams bioVirginia Cavaliers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Bryce
1996 births
Living people
People from Queen Creek, Arizona
Sportspeople from the Phoenix metropolitan area
Players of American football from Arizona
American football quarterbacks
Arizona State Sun Devils football players
Arizona Western Matadors football players
Virginia Cavaliers football players
Los Angeles Rams players
African-American players of American football
21st-century African-American sportspeople