Jake Delhomme

At 49 years old, Jake Delhomme has this physical status:

Jake Christopher Delhomme (born January 10, 1975) is a former American football quarterback who competed professionally in the National Football League (NFL).

Delhomme played college football at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, later known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana, before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in the 1997 NFL Draft.

Delhomme began his professional career as a member of the Saints' practice squad in 1997 and 1998 and spent two years in the NFL Europe during two seasons.

Delhomme, who is back to the Saints in 1999, appeared in his first NFL games.

From 2003 to 2009, Delhomme was the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback.

Before Cam Newton broke the majority of the Carolina's quarterback records, Delhomme held the majority of the country's quarterback records until Cam Newton snapped them up.

In his first season with Carolina, Delhomme led the team to Super Bowl XXVIII.

Delhomme played for the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans in 2010 and 2011.

Early years

Delhomme was born to Jerry and Marcia Delhomme, both Cajuns. Jake's grandfather raised horses, and Jake's father, a jockey, started racing at eight years old. Jake has referred to horses as his "first love," and today he, his father, and his brother own and train thoroughbreds. Delhomme played both quarterback and defensive back for Teurlings Catholic; he was not in the all-state team in high school, not as quarterback but on defense. In addition, Delhomme was a scholar serving as the senior beta club president of his chapter in Louisiana.

Personal life

In 2000, Delhomme married Keri Melancon, a childhood sweetheart, and were nicknamed "Junior Sweethearts" at Teurlings Catholic. Lauren Elizabeth, who was born on December 17, 2001, and Lindsey Marie, who was born on February 25, 2007. The Delhommes are rejected by Roman Catholics, according to them. Delhomme wears #17 because it is the date of his first daughter's birth and she was born after 17 hours of labour. He and his family are Panthers fans.

Delhomme has risen to fame as a pitchman for Bojangles' fast food restaurant, where he is often portrayed as a single-minded fried-chicken addict who audibles Bojangles' "fixin's" at the point of scrimmage. The film Jerry Maguire and the line "Show me the money!" one commercial parodies it. "In a cameo, a former Panther teammate Steve Smith is included in a cameo." The Dukes of Hazzard appear in another Smith commercial, rambling The General Lee with a large chicken head on the roof. Delhomme has also produced limited edition cell phone advertisements that feature a Panthers logo and his signature, as well as public service announcements for Civitan International. Delhomme is known for licking his fingers before every play and sticking his tongue out as part of his attention.

During the regular season, the official Panthers website featured a regular discussion with Delhomme dubbed "Cajun Up with Jake."

Delhomme has returned to Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, where he worked in finance while also raising racehorses since retiring from football in 2011. Forest Lake, a mare that has won many stakes competitions, retired in 2017 and was sent to Kentucky to be bred.

On July 9, 2019, the Panthers revealed that Delhomme will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame, alongside Jordan Gross, Wesley Walls, and Steve Smith Sr.

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College career

Delhomme played college football at Lafayette, Louisiana, before naming the University of Southwestern Louisiana, his mother's alma mater. His passer efficiency rating, which ranked second among NCAA freshman quarterbacks, was the only true freshman quarterback to enroll in a Division I school in 1993. The Ragin' Cajuns won the Big West Conference twice and finished with three winning seasons, with future NFL wide receiver Brandon Stokley and offensive lineman Anthony Clement. During his senior years, he led the Ragin' Cajuns to an impressive win over Texas A&M 29-22.

Delhomme completed his career as the school's all-time passing leader in yards and touchdowns. He played in his last 43 games of his career, the longest among active quarterbacks at the time. He was ranked 22nd in NCAA history for passing yards and 28th in total offense when graduating. In 2006, he was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Delhomme was undrafted in the 1997 NFL Draft, but the New Orleans Saints later signed him as an undrafted free agent. Kurt Warner, a rookie quarterback with future NFL and Super Bowl MVP, after spending the first season on the practice squad, was sent by the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe as a backup quarterback to future NFL and Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner; later, he said, "Being around someone as mature as Kurt was really inspired." He was sent back to NFL Europe, this time as a member of the Frankfurt Galaxy after another stint on the Saints' practice squad. Both Delhomme and Pat Barnes were utilized by the Galaxy during a rare two-quarterback plan; the pair was nicknamed the "Double-Headed Quarterback Monster" by the group. The Galaxy beat the Barcelona Dragons '99 in World Bowl '99, despite the Galaxy's unconventional tactic. Delhomme will talk about his time in Europe later this year:

Following his success in Europe, he was brought back to the New Orleans Saints as the full-time third-string quarterback. In his first NFL appearance against the Dallas Cowboys, he threw two touchdowns en route to a Saints win, the team's third.

Delhomme saw limited playing time the next three seasons as the back-up to Aaron Brooks and Jeff Blake. During the 2001 and 2002 preseasons, he led all NFC quarterbacks in overall passer rating. Fans chanted "We Want Jake, We Want Jake" after the team's loss, prompting fans to chant "We Want Jake, We Want Jake."

Delhomme, with Aaron Brooks drafted as the starter in New Orleans, was interested in competing for a starting position in the NFL. He met with representatives from both the Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys during the 2003 offseason. He eventually signed as a free agent with Carolina. New Panthers coach John Fox was taken note after his performance against Dallas in 1999.

The Panthers had been struggling and were just one season removed from a dismal 1–15 season, during which they set a new record for consecutive losses in a single season. Although Rodney Peete was the Panthers' starter, Delhomme seemed to be the franchise's future. He didn't take long to take over.

The Panthers were down 14-0 at halftime of the 2003 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Delhomme threw three touchdowns, the last being in a fourth-down situation with just 16 seconds remaining in the game, leading to the Panthers to a comeback victory. He began against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following week and then went on to play every game during the 2003 season. In the third quarter or overtime in the 2003 season, Delhomme led the Panthers on eight game-winning drives, the most game-winning drives in the game or overtime, the most game-winning drives ever played in a single season. The Panthers were led by Delhomme on a Cinderella run through the playoffs, with a double-overtime victory over the St. Louis Rams. The Panthers made it to Super Bowl XXVIII to face the New England Patriots after defeating the first seeded Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game. Despite his personal success in the game (16-of-33 for 323 yards, three interceptions, and a 113.6 passer rating), as well as setting a record for the longest offensive play in Super Bowl history (an 85-yard pass to Muhsin Muhammad), the Panthers lost on a last-minute field goal by Adam Vinatieri. During the Patriots' post-game parade, Delhomme was seen standing on the track; later, he said: he later wrote:

Delhomme's 2004 season was bittersweet, with career highs in pass attempts, completions, overall yardage, and touchdowns. The team was marred with injuries, with five different combinations in their offensive line alone. The Panthers bounced back from a rocky start to the season in the second half of the season, starting with Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster, as well as Steve Smith, the Panthers' leading wide receiver. With a passer rating of 102.8, the fourth best in the league at that time, Delhomme ended the season's final eight games of the season. He also threw 17 touchdowns and four interceptions en route to winning six of their last eight games. They eventually qualified for a playoff appearance, but they lost out on a last game to Delhomme's former team, the New Orleans Saints, after losing in a playoff game.

The Panthers made their way back to the playoffs in 2005. Delhomme had one of his most productive seasons as a quarterback, in addition to the team's success. His 11 victories as a starting quarterback set a team record that was later broken by him in 2008 and again in 2015. He set career highs in completion percentage (60.2%) and passer rating (88.1). In addition, his success made Steve Smith the league's top receivers, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, becoming the third wide receiver to win the league's "triple crown" for the third time in history. He led the Panthers through the playoffs, including a shutout of the New York Giants, but the team ultimately lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game.

Delhomme was the Panthers' quarterback for three seasons in a row, the first time in franchise history that the same quarterback was the starter for three seasons in a row. During the season, he set new records by making 150 consecutive passes without an interceptor, beating Steve Beuerlein's previous team record. The Washington Redskins' offense continued on the team's record books the following week, breaking Beuerlein's records for completions and passing yards. He suffered his thumb in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and he missed three games. Chris Weinke started on his first game since the 2002 season, breaking the record for passing yards in a single game of 423 yards, but his three interceptions were costly as the Panthers lost the game to the New York Giants. Weinke could only win in Delhomme's absence (against the Atlanta Falcons, his second victory as an NFL starter), and Delhomme returned against the New Orleans Saints for the season finale.

The 2007 season began with a win over the St. Louis Rams and a loss to the Houston Texans. However, Delhomme sustained an elbow injury in their third game of the season (against the Atlanta Falcons), prompting a string of changes for the Panthers at the quarterback position. The Panthers' starting quarterback, David Carr, who signed with Carolina in the offseason, was recalled. After Carr suffered his back in a loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Panthers signed Vinny Testaverde, who started the game against the Arizona Cardinals just four days later, and became the first starting quarterback to win a game in the NFL. However, rookie Matt Moore's back to Testaverde after an injury coupled with Carr's spinal cord injury culminated in his start against the Seattle Seahawks in week 15, a game he won. Delhomme, on the other hand, decided against Tommy John surgery on the elbow after two weeks of testing his arm.

Delhomme returned to the starting lineup for the 2008 season. Delhomme started his career by being back on the San Diego Chargers with a touchdown pass on fourth down after time expired to win the game in the first game of the 2008 season. This is similar to his debut game in 2003. The Panthers were cut from the playoffs on January 10, 2009, after finishing the regular season 12–4, tying the Panthers' 2nd best record in franchise history, but not the first time in the playoffs.

Delhomme was signed by the Panthers to a 5-year contract worth $42.5 million with a $20 million guarantee, extending his deal until 2014. Delhomme went 7 of 17 for 73 yards with four interceptions and a missed fumble before being suspended for journeyman Josh McCown in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. Delhomme threw game-ending interceptions the next two games, and although he was throwing for 2 touchdowns and 7 interceptions with a 54.3 rating in the first three games, Panther coach John Fox retained Delhomme as the Panthers' starting quarterback. After losing to the Eagles, Steve Smith jokingly told Delhomme, "I never liked you as a quarterback." Delhomme still didn't function well after the team's departure bye week. He had 2 more touchdowns to six more interceptions in his next three games. Delhomme will only have 1 interception in the upcoming four games, but not by much. Despite this improved results, the team went 2–2 in those four games. With a 0 TD, 4 INT game against the New York Jets, Delhomme's poor showing continued. Delhomme broke his throwing hand and was forced to be substituted by backup Matt Moore for the next two games, a 16–6 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a 20–10 loss to the New England Patriots. Moore began to heat up after those games. He beat the Minnesota Vikings 26–7, then defeated the Giants in their last game at Giants Stadium with a 41–9 victory, and then advanced to beat the New Orleans Saints 23–10.

Delhomme was put on season-ending injured reserve on December 24, 2009, and the Panthers released him on March 5, 2010.

Delhomme signed a two-year contract with the Cleveland Browns on March 13, 2010. Since working with Seneca Wallace in preparation camp, Delhomme earned the starting quarterback job over Seneca Wallace. However, he sustained a high ankle sprain in the second quarter of the Browns' season opener, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Delhomme had been notably grounded and thrown to the ground by Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in a preseason game). Since Wallace sustained his ankle injury while playing in Week 5 again, Delhomme saw action again midway through the team's Week 5 game. However, he was clearly not 100% when playing and eventually re-injured his ankle. After Colt McCoy sustained a high ankle sprain, Delhomme started against his former team, the Carolina Panthers. It was Delhomme's first appearance since Week 1. During his season as a starter, he threw two touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Cleveland released him on July 28, 2011.

After quarterback Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart both went down with season-ending injuries, Delhomme signed with the Houston Texans on November 29, 2011. Despite his prowess, Delhomme was signed to back up rookie fifth-round draft pick T. J. Yates, as Yates had been with the team for the entire season.

After Yates sustained a bruised throwing shoulder, Delhomme appeared in the Texans' season finale against the Titans. He would go on to lead his team in a game-winning run, scoring 18 of 28 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown. However, the Texans would lose 23-22 after a botched snap on a two-point try play. Delhomme told reporters that he would most likely retire after the season comes to an end.

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