Jake Delhomme
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Delhomme played college football for University of Louisiana at Lafayette and was not picked by any team in the NFL Draft. He was later signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1998. He was assigned to the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe as a backup quarterback to future NFL and Super Bowl MVP, Kurt Warner. In 1999, he was brought back to New Orleans as a third-string quarterback before being assigned back to NFLE and the Frankfurt Galaxy. Along with Pat Barnes, he was part of the "double-headed quarterback monster" that led the Galaxy to a World Bowl victory over the Barcelona Dragons.
Thanks to his success in Europe, he was brought back full-time to New Orleans, although he spent most of his time on the bench and backing up Billie Joe Tolliver, Jeff Blake, and Aaron Brooks. In 2001 and 2002, he finished the season as the NFC leader in overall passer rating. In 2003, he was signed by Carolina as an unrestricted free agent, and dueled with Chris Weinke and Rodney Peete for the starting position through the preseason. In the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jake replaced a struggling Peete and led the Panthers to a comeback victory, finishing the drive with a fourth-down, 12-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl to give Carolina a 24-23 victory. Delhomme started the second game against Tampa Bay, and as of the start of the 2005 season, he has yet to give up his starting position. He led the Panthers to an 11-5 record, registering a record for most wins by a Carolina starting quarterback. He led the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII, where he passed for 323 yard and 3 touchdowns, and he completed the longest play from scrimmage in Super Bowl history, an 85-yard touchdown pass to Mushin Muhammad. However, it wasn't enough to keep the Panthers from losing to the New England Patriots. During the 2004 preseason, Delhomme was named to the Panther's 10-year anniversary team as the team's best quarterback during the first ten years of the franchise. The 2004 season proved bittersweet for Delhomme, as he posted career highs in pass attempts, completions, overall yardage, and touchdowns. Unfortunately, the team was decimated with injuries, and the franchise finished with a 7-9 record.