R.J. Archer
refer to caption
Archer with the Detroit Lions
Personal information
Born: (1987-08-05) August 5, 1987 (age 36)
Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Charlottesville (VA) Albemarle
College:William & Mary
Position:Quarterback
Undrafted:2010
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Career Arena statistics
Comp. / Att.:885 / 1,482
Passing yards:10,119
TD-INT:180-43
Passer rating:98.57
Rushing TD:12
Player stats at NFL.com · CFL.ca (archive) · ArenaFan.com

Rush James "R. J." Archer II (born August 5, 1987) is a former American football quarterback. He went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft, afterwards signing with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL).

High school

Archer was a three-year starter at Albemarle High School. He holds the school's record for passing yards (4,568), touchdown passes (41), completions, and attempts.[1]

College

Archer enrolled at The College of William & Mary and was redshirted his first year, during which time he ran the scout team. During the 2006 and 2007 seasons, he changed positions from quarterback to wide receiver, where he totaled 69 receptions.[2] In 2008, he moved back to quarterback, but was not the full-time starter until the 2009 season when he threw for 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

College career statistics

Year Team Passing Rushing Receiving
Cmp Att Yds Pct TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds TD
2006 William & Mary 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 1 15 15.0 0 30 489 0
2007 William & Mary 1 3 25 33.3 0 0 103.3 1 -1 -1.0 0 39 451 1
2008 William & Mary 28 53 387 52.8 3 1 129.7 23 90 3.9 2 0 0 0
2009 William & Mary 261 433 2,778 60.3 16 9 122.2 100 255 2.5 5 0 0 0
Career 290 490 3,190 59.2 19 10 -- 125 359 2.9 7 69 940 1

Professional career

Archer was rated the 17th best quarterback in the 2010 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[3]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m) 		220 lb
(100 kg) 		4.80 s 1.66 s 2.76 s 4.27 s 7.10 s 34 in
(0.86 m)		 9 ft 4 in
(2.84 m)
All values from William & Mary Pro Day[3]

Archer went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft, but was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent. He was released prior to training camp on June 29.[4] On November 10, 2010, Archer signed with the Spokane Shock of the Arena Football League.[5]

With injuries to Vikings quarterbacks Brett Favre and Joe Webb, Minnesota re-signed him to the practice squad on December 7. He was subsequently placed on the Other League Exempt list by the Spokane Shock.[6] He was elevated to the Vikings' 53-man roster on December 20 when quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was placed on injured reserve. He took the roster spot of guard Steve Hutchinson. The next day, it was reported that Archer was waived by the Vikings in favor of quarterback Rhett Bomar, who was signed off the practice squad of the New York Giants.[7]

Archer played for the Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League in 2011 and the Georgia Force of the AFL in 2012.[8]

On June 22, 2012, Archer was signed by the Detroit Lions.[9] He was waived on August 23.[10]

On October 11, 2012, Archer was added to the practice roster of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL.[11] He was promoted to the active roster on November 1 and played in one game for the Blue Bombers during the 2012 season.[12][13]

From 2013 to 2014, Archer played for the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League, recording 104 touchdowns on 5,381 passing yards.[8]

On February 9, 2015, Archer was signed by Seattle Seahawks. He was released on September 5, 2015.[14]

On September 22, 2015, Archer signed with the BC Lions. He was released following the season.

On December 3, 2015, the Sharks activated Archer from the other league exempt list.

AFL statistics

Year Team Passing Rushing
Cmp Att Pct Yds TD Int Rtg Att Yds TD
2011 Milwaukee 219 367 59.7 2,334 27 14 80.81 18 35 5
2012 Georgia 228 380 60.0 2,404 49 12 97.52 7 43 1
2013 Jacksonville 72 102 70.6 741 12 3 108.33 7 28 0
2014 Jacksonville 366 633 57.8 4,640 92 14 107.93 20 43 6
Career 885 1,482 59.7 10,119 180 43 98.57 52 149 12

Stats from ArenaFan:[15]

References

  1. ^ "Website Deactivated".
  2. ^ "R.J. Archer, once a U.Va. Fan, returns home as W & M's QB".
  3. ^ a b "R.J. Archer". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  4. ^ "Minnesota Vikings - News, Scores, Stats, Schedule". NFL.com.
  5. ^ "spokaneshock.com: News". www.spokaneshock.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010.
  6. ^ "spokaneshock.com: News". spokaneshock.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
  7. ^ Access Vikings [@AccessVikings] (December 21, 2010). "Update: The Vikings waived R.J. Archer a day after signing him to the 53. He's likely headed back to their practice squad" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ a b "ArenaFan: Rush 'RJ' Archer". Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  9. ^ McIntyre, Brian. "R.J. Archer added by Lions to compete with Moore". NFL.com. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  10. ^ McCosky, Chris (August 23, 2012). "Lions release QB RJ Archer to make room for special teams ace Kassim Osgood". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  11. ^ "The Blue Bombers have also added a QB R.J. Archer to practice roster". CBC.ca. The Canadian Press. October 11, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  12. ^ "Transactions - November 2012". cfl.ca. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  13. ^ "2012 Winnipeg Blue Bombers". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  14. ^ Don Coble (February 10, 2015). "Former Jacksonville Sharks QB R.J. Archer excited about getting NFL shot in Seattle". www.jacksonville.com. The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  15. ^ "Rush 'RJ' Archer". arenafan.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.

External links

William & Mary Tribe starting quarterbacks
Milwaukee Iron / Mustangs starting quarterbacks
Georgia Force starting quarterbacks
Jacksonville Sharks starting quarterbacks
Categories