Tyler Beckham Thigpen
(born April 14, 1984)
is a former
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 ...
. Thigpen was drafted out of
Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...
in the seventh round of the
2007 NFL Draft (217th overall) by the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
.
He was the first quarterback to play for the
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team represents Coastal Carolina University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Chanticleers are members of the Sun Belt Conference, fielding its teams at th ...
team.
He led the Chanticleers program to a 30–8 record as their starting quarterback.
Thigpen holds the single-season and career passing records in most major statistical categories at Coastal Carolina.
He saw his most extensive action as a starting quarterback for the
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 ...
in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
.
Thigpen recorded 22 touchdowns (18 passing, 3 rushing, and 1 receiving) against 12 interceptions in 11 starts, though the Chiefs were 1–10 in that span.
Grew up in Newberry County youth football program.
Early years
Thigpen was born in
Winnsboro, South Carolina
Winnsboro is a town in Fairfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,550 at the 2010 census. The population was 3,215 at the 2020 census. A population decrease of approximately 9.5% for the same 10 year period. It is the c ...
, and he attended
Fairfield Central High School, where he played on the
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team. He became an All-South Carolina selection as a senior
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 ...
.
In addition to running back, Thigpen played
wide receiver and
punter in high school.
Grew up playing football in the Newberry County Youth Sports.
College career
In February 2002, Thigpen elected to go to
Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...
in
Conway, South Carolina
Conway is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 24,849 at the 2020 census, up from 17,103 in 2010 census. It is the county seat of Horry County and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It is the home ...
,
and majored in
sports management.
Thigpen was the first quarterback in Coastal Carolina history, and wore the jersey #16.
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football program began in 2003.
The team competes in the
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Th ...
of the
NCAA Football Championship Subdivision
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...
.
Thigpen and the rest of the Chanticleers' first recruiting class
redshirted
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
their freshman year in 2002.
In 2003, he started nine of ten games for the team and was third on the team's roster in rushing.
After the Chanticleers' inaugural season in which the team finished with a 6–5 record, Thigpen led the team to a 10–1 record in 2004.
In 2004, Thigpen started the opening 8 games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury against
Gardner–Webb.
In 2005, Thigpen started all 11 games for the Chanticleers and earned the Big South Conference Offensive Player of the Week Award after rushing for 111 yards and three touchdowns and throwing for 157 yards in a victory over the
Virginia Military Institute
la, Consilio et Animis (on seal)
, mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal)
, established =
, type = Public senior military college
, accreditation = SACS
, endowment = $696.8 mill ...
.
In 2006, Thigpen became the first Chanticleer to be chosen a consensus
All-American.
He registered a career-high 119 rushing yards at Gardner–Webb, including a 76-yard
bootleg
Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to:
* Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially
* Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence:
** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...
.
He was named
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Th ...
Player of the Year in 2006, when he completed 217-of-339 passes for 3,296 yards and 29 touchdowns, and carried 113 times for 656 yards and five touchdowns.
Thigpen had a 30–8 record in four seasons (41 games and 39 starts).
From 2003 to 2006, the Chanticleers had a 34–11 record in Thigpen's four seasons with the team,
winning three Big South Conference championships.
Thigpen played alongside wide receiver
Jerome Simpson
Jerome Louis Simpson (born February 4, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers. S ...
and running back
Mike Tolbert
William Michael Tolbert (born November 23, 1985) is a former American football fullback. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football for Coastal Carolina University. He has also been a ...
, who both, like Thigpen, later played in the NFL, to help lead the young Chanticleers program to major victories against No. 1
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...
in 2005, and No. 3
Furman in 2006. He led the Chanticleers to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs and a Big South Conference championship.
Thigpen holds the single-season and career passing records in every major statistical category at Coastal Carolina.
Statistics
Professional career
Thigpen was not invited to the
NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...
, but impressed NFL scouts at his pro day (held on March 8, 2007 on the campus of Coastal Carolina)
and attended a workout at
Clemson University
Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...
to help raise his draft stock.
Minnesota Vikings
Thigpen was selected in the seventh round of the
2007 NFL Draft with the 217th overall pick by the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
, becoming the first player in Coastal Carolina and Big South Conference history to be drafted in the NFL.
In the 2007
preseason
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...
, the Vikings hosted the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
, losing the game by a score of 13–10.
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 ...
scout and vice president of player personnel
Bill Kuharich Bill Kuharich is an American professional football executive, specializing in player-personnel (i.e., evaluating and selecting players); he has also held the General Manager position. Kuharich is the son of Joe Kuharich
Joseph Lawrence Kuhar ...
attended the game at the
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League ...
.
Thigpen played in the fourth quarter and in two possessions with the Vikings offense and completed 3-of-6 passes for 29 yards and picked up 18 yards on two scrambles.
Kuharich filed a scouting report following the game and told the rest of the Chiefs personnel to keep an eye on Thigpen if he were to be released after the preseason.
On May 18, 2007, Thigpen became the first of eight Vikings drafted in 2007 to sign a contract, agreeing to a four-year deal.
Thigpen then competed with
Brooks Bollinger
Brooks Michael Bollinger (born November 15, 1979) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. He also was a member of the Florida Tusk ...
,
Tarvaris Jackson
Tarvaris D'Andre Jackson (April 21, 1983 – April 12, 2020) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Jackson played college football for both Alabama State and Arkansas. He played professionally for the ...
, and
Drew Henson
Drew Daniel Henson (born February 13, 1980) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and National Football League quarterback. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at ...
for a quarterback roster spot for the
2007 NFL season.
The Vikings released Thigpen on September 1, 2007 along with several other players.
[ ] The Vikings planned on signing Thigpen to their practice squad after passing waivers.
Kansas City Chiefs
2007 season
Several NFL teams had just two quarterbacks on their active roster heading into the season, including the Kansas City Chiefs, who had just recently released quarterbacks
Casey Printers
Casey J. Printers (born May 16, 1981) is a former professional American football, Canadian football and indoor football quarterback. Printers spent most of his professional career with the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League, and also played ...
and Jeff Terrell.
Concerning the roster move, Thigpen said, "I definitely felt this was coming...I wasn't surprised by it at all. It was still a great opportunity for me and the Vikings are still trying to keep me around."
Thigpen was signed by the Chiefs the following day.
Vikings head coach
Brad Childress
Bradley Childress (born June 27, 1956) is a former American football coach. He worked for over 40 years as a coach for various college programs and National Football League (NFL) franchises. He was the offensive coordinator for Wisconsin from 19 ...
was reportedly upset when the Chiefs claimed Thigpen on waivers.
Thigpen was seen as showing a lot of potential following a strong preseason, whereas the Vikings were otherwise thin on talent at the quarterback position.
Going into the 2007 NFL Draft, the Chiefs had Thigpen on their list of players that they had considering selecting in the later rounds, possibly with their seventh round selection (#231).
As the draft played out, the Vikings chose Thigpen with the 217th choice.
With the Chiefs, Thigpen made his regular season debut replacing an injured
Damon Huard
Damon Paul Huard (born July 9, 1973) is a former American football quarterback. He is the director of community relations and fundraising for the University of Washington football program, his alma mater.
Huard was signed by the Cincinnati Ben ...
versus the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
on December 12, 2007 in the game's final minutes.
The Chiefs lost the game by a score of 24–10.
Thigpen finished the game 2-of-6 for 41 yards and an interception.
Later in the week at practice, he tore his
medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament (MCL), or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. Its primary function is to resist out ...
(MCL) and was placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
, ending his season.
2008 season
Prior to the 2008 season, Thigpen impressed Chiefs coaches enough to make the team think he could challenge for, and even win, the team's starting job against the incumbent
Brodie Croyle.
Thigpen was listed as the third-string quarterback on the Chiefs'
depth chart at the beginning of the
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."
Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 1, 2009, w ...
and made his season debut on September 14 against the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
, when
Damon Huard
Damon Paul Huard (born July 9, 1973) is a former American football quarterback. He is the director of community relations and fundraising for the University of Washington football program, his alma mater.
Huard was signed by the Cincinnati Ben ...
left with "mild head trauma."
Thigpen connected on 14-of-33 passes for 151 yards.
Thigpen made his first NFL start on September 21, 2008 against the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
.
Thigpen struggled in the game, finishing 14-of-36 and passing for 128 yards with 3 interceptions in the 14–38 loss.
The Chiefs trailed the Falcons 24–0 until Thigpen threw a touchdown pass to
Dwayne Bowe
Dwayne Lorenzo Bowe (born September 21, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana State University, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played ...
just before halftime.
Thigpen's third interception was returned for a touchdown with just over a minute remaining in the game.
In the week prior to the game, Chiefs coach
Herman Edwards
Herman Edwards Jr. (born April 27, 1954) is an American football coach and former cornerback who was most recently the head football coach at Arizona State. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, primarily with the Phi ...
insisted he would substitute
Damon Huard
Damon Paul Huard (born July 9, 1973) is a former American football quarterback. He is the director of community relations and fundraising for the University of Washington football program, his alma mater.
Huard was signed by the Cincinnati Ben ...
into the game if Thigpen struggled.
Edwards contemplated it during the game, but decided against it reasoning that Thigpen "put some points on the board."
Following the game, asked if Thigpen would keep the starting job, Edwards said, "We'll see."
The following week, Huard was retained as the Chiefs' starting quarterback.
However, Thigpen was again awarded the starting position after Croyle and Huard were placed on injured reserve, ending both of their seasons.
With the absence of running back
Larry Johnson, the central part of the Chiefs' offense in years past, offensive coordinator
Chan Gailey
Thomas Chandler Gailey Jr. (born January 5, 1952) is a former American football coach. Most recently in 2020, he was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Gailey has previously served as the head ...
adjusted the offense to mimic the spread formation run by Thigpen at Coastal Carolina.
Herman Edwards and Chan Gailey chose to implement the spread offense in order to prepare Thigpen for his second career start.
By changing the gameplan, the Chiefs' offense began to find an identity after swapping their power running game for spread-type formations that best suited Thigpen.
By implementing the spread offense, the Chiefs made a huge gamble, as most in the NFL believe that a
spread offense
:''"Spread offense" may also refer to the four corners offense in basketball.''
The spread offense is an offensive scheme in gridiron football that typically places the quarterback in the shotgun formation, and "spreads" the defense horizontall ...
cannot work in professional football.
Upon
Larry Johnson's return,
Chan Gailey
Thomas Chandler Gailey Jr. (born January 5, 1952) is a former American football coach. Most recently in 2020, he was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Gailey has previously served as the head ...
and Edwards implemented the
pistol offense
The pistol offense is an American football formation and strategy developed by coaches Michael Taylor of Mill Valley, California and popularized by Chris Ault when he was head coach at the University of Nevada, Reno. It is a hybrid of the traditi ...
to keep Thigpen in the spread while allowing Johnson to run downhill.
However efficient the Chiefs became in running the spread offense, it became limited in the
red zone, and the Chiefs struggled to finish out winning games.
In Thigpen's second career start, he passed for 280 yards with a 69.4% completion rate, with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
, nearly leading the Chiefs to win over the heavily favored Jets.
Thigpen scored his first receiving touchdown the following week versus the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
.
The 37-yard pass was from wide receiver
Mark Bradley
Mark Anthony Bradley (born January 29, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver and punt returner who played five seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. ...
in a
Wildcat formation
Wildcat formation describes a formation for the offense in football in which the ball is snapped not to the quarterback but directly to a player of another position lined up at the quarterback position. (In most systems, this is a running back, b ...
.
Thigpen also passed for 164 yards, a touchdown, no interceptions, and a 56.0% completion rate in the 30–27 loss against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
.
Thigpen became only the fifth player in Chiefs' history (and the first quarterback) to throw a touchdown pass and also score touchdowns by running and receiving.
In the game, the Chiefs led 24–3 with a little more than two minutes remaining in the second quarter and seemed headed for just their second victory of the season.
The Buccaneers rallied back and won the game in overtime with 24 unanswered points.
Thigpen continued his impressive play the following week in the Chiefs' 20–19 loss to the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
, completing 27-of-41 passes for 266 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
That gave him six touchdown passes and no turnovers in his previous three games.
After throwing three interceptions against the Atlanta Falcons and appearing lucky to avoid throwing twice that many, Thigpen threw 124 straight passes without an interception through Week 10.
Thigpen's no-interception streak ended at 161 in the closing seconds of a 30–20 loss to the
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 ...
, but Thigpen still managed to complete 19-of-38 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns to
Dwayne Bowe
Dwayne Lorenzo Bowe (born September 21, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana State University, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played ...
.
Thigpen became the first Chiefs quarterback to throw a touchdown pass in four consecutive games since
Trent Green
Trent Jason Green (born July 9, 1970) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons. He played college football for Indiana University. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in ...
in 2005.
Prior to the Chiefs implementing the spread offense, Thigpen had been playing erratically with the Chiefs, and he suddenly became poised and effective running the new offense.
His passer rating has climbed from 44.3 to 76.9 in the five games following his initial start at Atlanta.
The Chiefs scored more than 10 points just twice in their first six games,
but scored more offensive points than that in every game after, and twice had topped 25.
Thigpen had his first bad game in five outings against the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
on November 23 in the Chiefs' 54–31 loss.
Thigpen's three turnovers (two interceptions and one lost fumble) led to 20 points by the Bills.
Despite the turnovers, Thigpen also threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns.
Thigpen won his first game as the Chiefs' starter on November 30 against the Oakland Raiders, leading Kansas City to a 20–13 victory.
Thigpen finished 15-of-22 for 162 yards and ran for 48 more.
The victory ended a 7-game losing streak for the Chiefs.
The following week, Thigpen kept the Chiefs competitive against the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
, holding onto a 17–17 tie into the fourth quarter.
After the Chiefs lost the lead to Denver, Thigpen drove the Chiefs all the way to the Broncos' 5-yard line, where his draw on fourth-and-goal was snuffed out by Broncos cornerback
Dré Bly
Donald André Bly (born May 22, 1977) is a former American football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played college football for the University of North Carolina (UNC), and earned All-American ...
at the 1-yard line.
The Broncos held their 24–17 lead and sent the Chiefs to a 2–11 record on the season.
The following week against the Chargers, Thigpen was 19-of-38 for 171 yards with two touchdowns.
Thigpen's first touchdown in the game (to Dwayne Bowe) gave the Chiefs a 14–0 lead over the Chargers, and his second touchdown (rushed in from 3 yards out) gave Kansas City a 21–3 lead in the third quarter.
The Chiefs had a 21–10 lead with 1:19 remaining the game, but allowed two touchdowns and lost the Chargers 22–21.
Kansas City hosted the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
in the second-coldest game ever held at
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium has been officially named GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stad ...
on December 21 with the game-time temperature at 10
°F.
Thigpen threw a career best 320 yards with two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions.
Despite trailing 10–0 early in the game, Thigpen led the Chiefs to a 28–24 lead by halftime.
The Chiefs failed to score a touchdown in the second half of the game and lost 38–31.
In the Chiefs' final game of the 2008 season, the Chiefs lost to 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 ...
by a score of 16–6.
The Chiefs' offense managed to get only two first downs in the first half of the game.
Thigpen finished the game 19-of-26 for 191 yards and one touchdown.
Thigpen's final statistics for the 2008 season included 21 total touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and 2,994 all-purpose yards.
He led the NFL in rushing yards by a quarterback with 386. He lost 10 of the 11 games he started at quarterback, six of which were lost by margins of seven points or less.
2009 season
Following a 2–14 season, Thigpen appeared to be the Chiefs' lone quarterback who would remain in their plans for the 2009 season,
especially after Damon Huard was released.
Though Thigpen had earned the right to compete for the starting job, the Chiefs were expected to add a high-end quarterback through free agency or the
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...
.
Despite impressing coaches in Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard's absence, Thigpen was not a lock for the starting job.
Chiefs tight end
Tony Gonzalez
Anthony David Gonzalez (born February 27, 1976) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is the NFL's all-time leader ...
voiced his support for Thigpen to retain the position for the 2009 season.
"It would be a disgrace if they don't (keep Thigpen as the starting quarterback)", Gonzalez told
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
. "We've been playing well since he came in...I could see this being a playoff team next year. I could see us turning it around."
Gonzalez was later traded to the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
.
The ''
Kansas City Star
''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...
'' reported that Herman Edwards's coaching staff would meet after the 2008 season to debate Thigpen's prospects and whether to keep the spread offense the team adjusted to in a seemingly temporary move earlier this season.
Edwards was fired as head coach but Chan Gailey, who implemented the spread offense, was retained as offensive coordinator under new head coach
Todd Haley
Richard Todd Haley (born February 28, 1967) is an American football coach who is the current head coach and general manager for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL). From 1997 to 2006, he had stints as the wide rec ...
.
The Chiefs acquired quarterback
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. A member of seven NFL teams, Cassel's most notable stints were with the New England Patriots ...
from the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
on February 28 for a second-round draft selection.
Head coach Todd Haley initially said that Thigpen would compete against Cassel for the starting quarterback position,
but the first depth chart in training camp listed Thigpen as the third quarterback behind Brodie Croyle.
Thigpen competed with Croyle for the backup quarterback position,
and the Chiefs listened to trade offers in exchange for Thigpen throughout the offseason. The
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
offering a fifth-round draft pick but Kansas City ultimately declined.
Thigpen played in Week 1 against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
, having one rushing attempt for two yards.
He was listed as inactive for weeks two and three.
Miami Dolphins
Thigpen was traded to the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
for an undisclosed draft pick on September 29, 2009. The move came just two days after Dolphins starting
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 ...
Chad Pennington
James Chadwick Pennington (born June 26, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Marshall, where he won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, and was select ...
suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
After spending the first 15 games with the Dolphins as the inactive third quarterback, Thigpen made his first appearance for the Dolphins in Week 17 against the Steelers after both
Chad Henne
Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan. While there, Henne became only the second true freshman st ...
and
Pat White left the game with injuries. He scored a touchdown, but later ended up throwing an interception in the end zone during a pivotal point in the game. Thigpen was given another chance to drive the Dolphins down the field with only 40 seconds on the clock, but he overthrew the receiver which resulted in his second interception of the game.
In the Dolphins initial off-season depth chart, Thigpen was listed as the second quarterback, behind Chad Henne. He was listed ahead of former starter
Chad Pennington
James Chadwick Pennington (born June 26, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Marshall, where he won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, and was select ...
and Pat White. After Chad Henne threw three interceptions in the Dolphins game against
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
on October 4, 2010, Thigpen came in and completed 2-of-6 passes for 15 yards and an interception. He also scrambled once for 12 yards.
In Week 9, Thigpen was passed over when Chad Pennington was named starter for the rest of the season. However, after both Pennington and Henne went down with injuries in a home game against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, Thigpen entered the game and threw for a touchdown pass in a Dolphins win against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
. Thigpen started next game against the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
, but was replaced by Henne the following week.
Buffalo Bills
On July 26, 2011, he agreed to terms with the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
on a three-year contract. Thigpen played two seasons with the team, seeing limited playing time as a backup in seven games.
Cleveland Browns
![Tyler Thigpen (2014)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Tyler_Thigpen_%282014%29.jpg)
On May 1, 2014, the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
signed Thigpen to a one-year contract. He was released after the signing of
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman III (born August 23, 1980) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. He played college football at Florida, where he rece ...
on August 12, 2014. He re-signed with the Browns on December 23, 2014, after injuries to
Johnny Manziel
Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a mem ...
and
Brian Hoyer.
NFL career statistics
References
External links
Buffalo Bills bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thigpen, Tyler
1984 births
American football quarterbacks
Buffalo Bills players
Cleveland Browns players
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football players
Kansas City Chiefs players
Living people
Miami Dolphins players
Minnesota Vikings players
People from Winnsboro, South Carolina
Players of American football from South Carolina