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Gene Frenette: BIshop Kenny QB John Wolford still living NFL dream with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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- Gene Frenette: BIshop Kenny QB John Wolford still living NFL dream with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Six years since the New York Jets dumped him after a 10-day trial before the 2018 season opener, the NFL hasn't kicked John Wolford to the curb.
Wolford, a Bishop Kenny High product and the most overlooked Jacksonville quarterback in league history, is still employed as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ' third-team quarterback.
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He will likely play one half Saturday night in his hometown as Tampa Bay faces the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. That preseason matchup could be a factor in deciding whether ex-Florida Gator Kyle Trask can hold off Wolford for the backup job behind Baker Mayfield .
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback John Wolford, seen throwing a pass during a joint practice Wednesday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, is battling Kyle Trask for a backup job behind Baker Mayfield. The Bishop Kenny graduate went undrafted and made it to the NFL after playing just eight games in the Alliance of American Football with the Arizona Hotshots. [Times-Union photo by Corey Perrine]
Yes, the Bucs invested a 2021 second-round draft pick on Trask and that likely gives him an edge, but Wolford's history strongly suggests you can never count out the undrafted, 6-foot quarterback.
In 2019, he battled his way on to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad and stuck around four seasons. Wolford helped them clinch a playoff berth the following year in relief of Jared Goff , becoming the first quarterback to throw for 200-plus yards and rush for 50-plus yards in his NFL debut during an 18-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals .
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Since then, he's won a Super Bowl ring as the Rams' backup to Matthew Stafford , started three more games with the Rams in 2022, signed last year as a free agent to the Bucs' practice squad, got elevated to the 53-man roster after turning down a promotion to return to LA, then was re-signed by Tampa Bay in March.
Wall Street no longer an option
Wolford, a finance major and record-setting QB at Wake Forest, put a full-time job with a Wall Street investment firm on hold five years ago to pursue an NFL dream.
At 29, he has two off-the-field business partnerships with quarterback whisperer Tom Gormely, who helps train NFL stars like Brock Purdy and Anthony Richardson in the Jacksonville area. Wolford developed an iPhone app (Kinetex) with Gormely that helps high school and youth train like pro quarterbacks, and he's also co-owner of Cortx Sports Performance, a 4,800-square foot training facility in Ponte Vedra.
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Business interests aside, Johnny Football intends to keep pursuing his dream of being an NFL starter until the league stops giving him a uniform.
"You got to remind yourself where you came from and how low the probabilities probably were when I first entered the draft and no one signed me," Wolford said after Thursday's joint practice with the Jaguars. "I'm proud of myself for sticking to it and all the people that helped me along the way.
"But if you're a competitor, then it's not about just making a team. It's about playing at a high level. You always have those goals and aspirations and you chip away every day trying to get to them."
Wolford understands the insecure life of an NFL journeyman backup quarterback, which is why he has invested offseason time in several business opportunities to figure out what next career best suits him.
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"Hopefully, when I'm done playing in five or ten years, some of the things I'm involved with will be taking off," Wolford said. "I like the entrepreneurial spirit of starting something.
"I worked part-time at a venture capital fund in LA when I was still playing with the Rams. That excites me. I think that's what I'm going to do when I'm done [with football]."
Still beating the odds
When the Jets cut Wolford in 2018, he vowed to be better prepared for his next NFL opportunity. That came about after he proved to be the best quarterback in the defunct Alliance of American Football (AAF), which folded after he played eight games with the Arizona Hotshots.
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Many thought that might be the end of Wolford's football journey, but he keeps defying the odds. Two NFL teams have kept him around, which included winning a backup job with the Rams over former Jaguars' QB Blake Bortles .
Among the handful of Jacksonville quarterbacks to make an NFL roster, only Nathan Peterman (Bartram Trail), who just signed with the Las Vegas Raiders after being released by the New Orleans Saints in his eighth season, has lasted longer.
One way or another, Wolford will find a way to make money. It's an amazing story that this undrafted quarterback, long thought to be too short to make it at his position, keeps collecting checks from the NFL and has $3.3 million in career earnings.
The resiliency, quarterback instincts and aptitude of John Wolford should never be underestimated, so it's best not to put an expiration date on his football career.
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Christian Braswell (21) strips the ball from Kansas City Chiefs receiver Nikko Remigio (81) and returned it for a touchdown in last week's 26-13 victory, but the play was reversed after a review determined the receiver's knee touched the ground upon contact.
Braswell moves on from overturned TD
Jaguars' second-year cornerback Christian Braswell had a hello-NFL moment for only a minute or two in last week's 26-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs .
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Braswell heard the roar of the EverBank Stadium crowd when he got to the end zone after stripping the ball from Kansas City Chiefs receiver Nikko Remigio , returning it 52 yards for an apparent touchdown.
But his big moment was taken away upon official review, which ruled Remigio's left knee touched the ground before Braswell got full possession.
"I'm kind of mad they overturned it because it was a special play to me," said Braswell. "I never gave up on the play because at the beginning, I kind of messed up in my coverage. I had it in my mind to get back and just go finish."
Braswell, who is battling for a nickelback job, shuts off social media during training camp. He found out from his girlfriend that plenty of people were dismayed over the TD being taken away.
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"My girlfriend told me everything was kind of going viral, but I try not to get too caught up in it because my focus has to be on doing my job," said Braswell. "I wish [the touchdown] would have stood, but it still stands in my book. That's a highlight I'm going to keep and remember."
Scheffler should have POY edge
Xander Schauffeleor Scottie Schefflerfor PGA Tour Player of the Year?
It's a fair debate, seeing as how Schauffele captured two majors (PGA Championship, the Open) and no player has done that without winning Player of the Year since Nick Faldo(Masters, the Open) in 1990. He lost out to Wayne Levi, who won four times without a major.
Scottie Scheffler hugs his wife Meredith Scudder after his final put on hole 18 to win the tournament to end final round action of The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, Sunday, March 12, 2023. Scottie Scheffler won out with a final 17 under par, a 5 stroke lead over the next closer competitor.
But unless Schauffele wins the Tour championship, it's hard not to give it to Scheffler because the overall consistency and dominance from the world's No. 1-ranked player is at another level.
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Scheffler did a lot more than just win the Masters and the Olympics, rallying to win a gold medal with a final-round 62. While the Olympics isn't part of the Tour, it carries significant prestige and players voting on Player of the Year will likely give Scheffler's seventh victory this season some weight.
While Schauffele's only victories in 2024 are the two majors, Scheffler also owns wins at The Players Championship and the Memorial, arguably the two biggest non-major events besides the Tour championship.
Scheffler should be the leader in the clubhouse on this award. But it doesn't mean it's too late for Schauffele to take it from him.
Quick-hitting nuggets
When Florida State travels to Ireland next week to face Georgia Tech in its season opener on August 24, it'll be the first time for all but four Seminoles' players that they have flown across the Atlantic or any ocean. The exceptions are all foreign-born players: offensive lineman Lucas Simmons(Sweden), punter Alex Mastromanno(Australia), defensive lineman Sione Lolohea(Tonga) and offensive lineman Manasse Itete(Democratic Republic of the Congo). . . .
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A round of applause for NASCAR in revoking the playoff berth for Austin Dillonafter video evidence determined he intentionally wrecked Joey Loganoand Denny Hamlinon the final lap to win at Richmond last week. By rule, the racing body couldn't take away Dillon's victory. Not allowing him to gain entry into the playoffs and docking car owner Richard ChildressRacing 25 points felt like an appropriate punishment for Dillon's despicable behavior. Imagine the fallout if Logano and Hamlin had been seriously hurt. . . .
The New England Patriots trading away their best pass-rusher Matthew Judon (32 sacks in 38 games) to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round draft pick is further evidence of a dismantled dynasty heading for NFL futility. It's not hyperbole to think New England could have the league's worst record in 2024. If that happens six years after winning a Super Bowl, the Patriots would be the third-fastest team to go from winning it all to the league's worst record, eclipsed only by the Indianapolis Colts (2006 to 2011) and the Baltimore Colts (1970 to 1974).
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com : (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: It's never a good bet to count out Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB John Wolford
