At age 41, and with 42 right around the corner in February, Jeff Garcia is the third-oldest player in the National Football League. The most meaningful portion of the prior statement is the latter half – Garcia is back in the NFL.
The Gilroy native signed with the Houston Texans and reported for practice beginning Wednesday, according to the Houston Texans official website. He will serve as the team’s third-string quarterback and wear No. 7. The contract terms were not disclosed.
“When I talked to him yesterday he was on his way there,” Jeff’s dad and former Gavilan College football coach Bob Garcia said Wednesday.
News of the probable signing broke Tuesday after the Texans released quarterback Kellen Clemens.
“They called him yesterday, so it’s just a matter of him going down there and showing them he’s a team player, he’s in shape and can still play,” Bob Garcia said. “I said, ‘hey, what else can you do? You have a opportunity here. Not many guys your age get an opportunity to get back to the NFL. Take advantage of it'”
Garcia worked out for the Texans twice in the past three weeks after starting signal caller Matt Schaub and back-up Matt Leinart both went down with season-ending injuries. Garcia and Clemens were among a group of five quarterbacks who first worked out for the Texans on Nov. 21. Houston ultimately went with Clemens and then signed former Carolina Panthers QB Jake Delhomme last week to back-up rookie T.J. Yates, who started in Houston’s 17-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday.Â
“You know what, I tell you what, I almost signed them both when was that, a week ago, two weeks ago, didn’t do it then. Then all this time we’re having to spend with Jake (Delhomme) to get him ready for an emergency situation and what I saw (quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp) Knapper and (offensive coordinator Rick Dennison) Rico go through last week, I said, ‘You know, let’s bring him in here. Let’s do it with both of them, so if we do hit a problem, at least we got two guys vested in what we’re doing and two veterans who played in some big games,'” Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said after Wednesday’s practice. “I thought that was important at this point.”
The Texans (9-3) are two games up on the Tennessee Titans for first place in the AFC South. Houston is at Cincinnati on Sunday.
“He was fine. We didn’t ask him to do much today,” Kubiak said of Garcia’s performance at practice. “We’re trying to get the cadence down and just get him going. It’s just nice to be able to work with both (Garcia and Delhomme), so we know we got a little comfort zone there.”
Garcia graduated from Gilroy High, Gavilan College and San Jose State, and played five seasons in the Canadian Football League before getting his break in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. In five seasons with the Niners, Garcia, who has amassed 25,537 yards in his 11-year NFL career and more than 43,000 yards combined in his 17-year professional career (CFL and UFL included), led the team to two playoff appearances in 2001 and 2002 – the last postseason appearance for the franchise. The four-time Pro Bowler has also suited up for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Eagles, twice.
While in San Francisco, Garcia played for current Texans quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp, whose tenure with the 49ers began in 1995. Knapp served as the Niners quarterbacks coach from 1998 to 2000 and as offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2003.
“I think it’s a great situation. They are a pretty good football team so who knows what’s going to happen down the road,” Bob Garcia said. “He’ll go in there and work his tail off, not only on the field but in the film room and the weight room. He still has that fire. He still has that desire.”
Garcia last appeared in a NFL game with the Eagles in 2009. He played one season with the United Football League’s Omaha Nighthawks in 2010.
