Joe Callahan
refer to caption
Callahan with the Green Bay Packers in 2017
No. 6, 18, 3, 2
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1993-06-04) June 4, 1993 (age 30)
Cape May Court House, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Holy Spirit
(Absecon, New Jersey)
College:Wesley (DE) (2011–2015)
Undrafted:2016
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
TD–INT:0–0
Percentage:71.4
Passing yards:11
Passer rating:74.1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Francis Joseph Callahan (born June 4, 1993) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Wesley, a Division III program in Dover, Delaware. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2016, and was briefly a member of the New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, and Seattle Dragons.

College career

After graduation from Holy Spirit High School in his hometown of Absecon, New Jersey,[1][2] Callahan appeared in four games for Wesley as a true freshman in 2011.[3] He completed three of nine throws for 26 yards but missed the entire next season with an injury and redshirted.

In 2013, Callahan started all thirteen games for the Wolverines and completed 269 of 461 attempts for 3,599 yards and 29 touchdowns. He set Wesley single-season records in completions and attempts and ranked second in single-season passing yards. In his first career start against Widener, he threw for 510 yards and five touchdowns.[4] In the following week, Callahan led the Wolverines to victory with a 43-yard Hail Mary touchdown on fourth and 21 with under a minute remaining to beat archrival Salisbury.[5] Callahan also helped the Wolverines beat the Division I Charlotte 49ers 35–28. In that game, he passed for 317 yards, threw two touchdowns, and ran for another two.[6] In the Division III playoffs, Wesley beat Johns Hopkins 29–24 in the first round; Callahan threw a 33-yard touchdown pass with 0:13 remaining and finished with 244 passing yards and four touchdowns.[7] Wesley faced Mount Union in the NCAA quarterfinals. Behind 31–0 after the first quarter, the Wolverines fell short by just three, 62–59; Mount Union recovered an unsuccessful onside kick with ninety seconds remaining. Callahan set school and NCAA playoff records with 633 passing yards and eight passing touchdowns.[8]

As a redshirt junior in 2014, Callahan threw for 4,190 yards and 46 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, making it the best season ever for a Wesley quarterback. In the fourth game, Wesley beat Southern Virginia 47–7, with Callahan passing for 339 yards and five touchdowns.[9] He went on to have 300 yards or more in the first five games of the season. Callahan once again faced D-I Charlotte in the regular season, this time in the season finale. He threw for a total of 336 yards and two touchdowns with pair of rushing touchdowns in the Wolverines' 38–33 loss.[10] Callahan and the Wolverines dominated in their first three playoff games, outscoring opponents 152–20 until losing again to Mount Union, this time by a wider margin, 70–21.

Returning for a fifth year in 2015, Callahan threw for 5,063 yards and 55 touchdowns and led Wesley back to the D-III playoffs. He was awarded the Gagliardi Trophy, considered the Heisman Trophy for Division III, and became the first D-III player to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season.

College statistics

Season Games Passing Rushing
GP Record Comp Att Pct Yards Avg TD Int Rate Att Yards Avg TD
Wesley Wolverines
2011 4 0–0 3 9 33.3 26 2.9 0 0 57.6 0 0 0.0 0
2012 DNP
2013 13 10–3 269 461 58.4 3,599 7.8 29 16 137.7 80 109 1.4 6
2014 13 12–1 261 394 66.2 3,750 9.5 45 6 180.8 50 114 2.3 4
2015 13 11–2 346 496 69.8 5,068 10.2 55 12 187.3 92 398 4.3 7
Career 43 32−6 879 1,360 64.8 12,443 9.2 129 34 168.5 222 621 2.8 7

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m) 		216 lb
(98 kg) 		4.98 s 1.78 s 2.81 s 4.70 s 7.47 s 33 in
(0.84 m)		 8 ft 11 in
(2.72 m)		 18 reps 24[11]
All values are from Pro Day[12]

Green Bay Packers (first stint)

Not selected in the 2016 NFL Draft, Callahan signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers on May 6.[13] He threw for 499 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions in the preseason, earning him a spot on the Packers' 53-man roster.[14] He was released by the Packers on October 13.[15]

New Orleans Saints

On October 14, Callahan was claimed off waivers by the New Orleans Saints,[16] and waived by the team on October 22.[17]

Cleveland Browns

Callahan was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns on October 24,[18] and released by the team on November 28.[19]

Green Bay Packers (second stint)

On December 2, Callahan was signed to the Packers' practice squad,[20] and was promoted to the active roster on December 17, 2016.[21]

On September 2, 2017, Callahan was waived by the Packers and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[22][23] After starter Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, head coach Mike McCarthy stated that Brett Hundley would take over as starter and Callahan would be Hundley's backup.[24] Callahan was promoted to the active roster the following day.[25] On December 16, 2017, with Hundley still maintaining his position as the Packers' second-string quarterback and the return of Aaron Rodgers from injured reserve, Callahan was cut to make room for Rodgers.[26] However, three days later on December 19, the Packers re-signed Callahan after Rodgers was placed back on injured reserve.[27] Callahan made his NFL debut on December 31, completing 5 of 7 passes for 11 yards.[28]

On April 30, 2018, Callahan was waived by the Packers.[29]

Philadelphia Eagles

On May 7, 2018, Callahan signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.[30] He was waived on September 1, 2018.[31]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On January 3, 2019, Callahan signed a reserve/future contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[32] On April 26, 2019, the Buccaneers waived Callahan.[33]

Baltimore Ravens

On July 29, 2019, Callahan was signed by the Baltimore Ravens.[34] He was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.[35]

Detroit Lions

On November 30, 2019, Callahan was signed to the Detroit Lions. His practice squad contract with the team expired on January 6, 2020.[36]

Seattle Dragons

Callahan was selected by the Seattle Dragons of the XFL during the 2020 XFL Draft's open phase.[37] He signed a contract with the team on January 13, 2020.[38] He was waived during final roster cuts on January 22, 2020.[39]

Team 9

Callahan was signed to the XFL's practice squad team, referred to as Team 9, on January 30, 2020.[40] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[41]

NFL career statistics

Year Team Games Passing
GP GS Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg
2017 GB 1 0 5 7 71.4 11 1.6 0 0 74.1
Total 1 0 5 7 71.4 11 1.6 0 0 74.1
Source: NFL.com

References

  1. ^ Joe Callahan, Wesley Wolverines football. Accessed February 18, 2020. "Hometown: Absecon, N.J.; High School: Holy Spirit"
  2. ^ Russo, John. "Packers sign Holy Spirit grad Joe Callahan", The Press of Atlantic City, April 30, 2016. Accessed February 18, 2020. "The 2011 Holy Spirit High School graduate was signed as an undrafted free agent Saturday, he confirmed by telephone at his home in Absecon."
  3. ^ Russo, John. "Packers sign Holy Spirit grad Joe Callahan". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  4. ^ "Callahan, Koudossou lead #5 Wesley over #20 Widener". Wesley Athletics.
  5. ^ "Howe hauls in Hail Mary to lift #5 Wesley". Wesley Athletics.
  6. ^ "#20 Wesley defeats Division I (FCS) Charlotte". Wesley Athletics.
  7. ^ "#14 Wesley scores late to shock #8 Johns Hopkins". Wesley Athletics. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  8. ^ "#14 Wesley valiant comeback falls just short". Wesley Athletics.
  9. ^ "Callahan, George lead #4 Wesley to 47-7 win over SVU". Wesley Athletics.
  10. ^ "#4 Wesley edged at Division I FCS Charlotte in regular season finale". Wesley Athletics.
  11. ^ McGinn, Bob (May 6, 2016). "A closer look at the Packers rookie free agents". JSOnline.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  12. ^ "Joe Callahan - Wesley, QB : 2016 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  13. ^ "Packers sign 19 rookie free agents". Packers.com. May 6, 2016. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  14. ^ "Joe Callahan: 2016 Game Logs". NFL.com. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  15. ^ "Packers release QB Callahan". Packers.com. October 13, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  16. ^ Triplett, Mike (October 14, 2016). "Saints claim Packers' preseason star QB Joe Callahan off waivers". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  17. ^ Triplett, Mike (October 22, 2016). "Saints waive former Packers QB Joe Callahan". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  18. ^ "Browns claim QB Joe Callahan, OL Gabe Ikard". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 24, 2016. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  19. ^ "Browns waive QB Joe Callahan". ClevelandBrowns.com. November 28, 2016.
  20. ^ "Packers sign QB Joe Callahan to the practice squad". Packers.com. December 2, 2016.
  21. ^ "Packers sign QB Joe Callahan to active roster". Packers.com. December 17, 2016.
  22. ^ "Packers announce roster moves to reduce roster to 53". Packers.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018.
  23. ^ "Packers sign LB Brooks, claim LB Odom, place OL Barclay on IR". Packers.com. September 3, 2017.
  24. ^ Alper, Josh (October 15, 2017). "Mike McCarthy: Brett Hundley's my quarterback". sports.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  25. ^ "Packers sign QB Joe Callahan to active roster". Packers.com. October 16, 2017.
  26. ^ "Aaron Rodgers activated from injured reserve". Packers.com. December 16, 2017. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  27. ^ "Packers place QB Aaron Rodgers on IR". Packers.com. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018.
  28. ^ "Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions - December 31st, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  29. ^ "Packers release QB Callahan". Packers.com. April 30, 2018.
  30. ^ McPherson, Chris (May 7, 2018). "QB Joe Callahan joins Eagles". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  31. ^ McPherson, Chris (September 1, 2018). "Eagles Get To The 53-Player Limit". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  32. ^ Smith, Scott (January 3, 2019). "Bucs Add Five More to 2019 Roster". Buccaneers.com.
  33. ^ Bouda, Nate (April 26, 2019). "Buccaneers Waive QB Joe Callahan".
  34. ^ Florio, Mike (July 29, 2019). "Joe Callahan lands with the Ravens". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  35. ^ Brown, Clifton (August 30, 2019). "Michael Floyd, Shane Ray Among Ravens' Friday Roster Cuts". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  36. ^ @HBalzer721 (January 7, 2020). "Lions practice-squad contract expired Monday: QB Joe Callahan" (Tweet). Retrieved January 9, 2020 – via Twitter.
  37. ^ Talbot, Damond (October 16, 2019). "XFL Draft Phase 5: The Final Rounds of the Draft, Find out who was selected". NFL Draft Diamonds. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  38. ^ Nagashima, Matthew (January 14, 2020). "Roster Moves: Seattle Signs Joe Callahan, Houston-Dallas Trade". XFLNewsHub.com. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  39. ^ Talbot, Damond (January 22, 2020). "A Full List of XFL Roster Cuts, Who was released today?". NFLDraftDiamonds.com. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  40. ^ Garcia, Art (January 31, 2020). "XFL Unveils 'Team 9'". XFL.com. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  41. ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.

External links

Gagliardi Trophy winners
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