Kurt Warner

At 53 years old, Kurt Warner has this physical status:

Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former football quarterback.

He competed for three National Football League (NFL) franchises, including the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals.

After playing college football in Northern Iowa, he was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994.

Following a 12-year career as one of NFL history's best undrafted NFL player of all time, Warner went on to be named the best undrafted NFL player of all time.

Warner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and is the first individual to be inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Arena Football Hall of Fame. Warner first made his name when playing for the St. Louis Rams from 1998 to 2003, where he earned NFL MVP awards in 1999 and 2001 as well as the Super Bowl MVP award in Super Bowl XXIV when he defeated the Tennessee Titans.

He led the 2008 Arizona Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII (the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance), and he has three of the top five highest single-game passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history.

Warner is one of only two quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl in their first season as a starter, with the other being Tom Brady.

He is also the first undrafted quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory in NFL history, and the first undrafted quarterback to lead his team in football.

Warner currently has the third highest career passer rating (93.7%) and the fifth-best career completion percentage in NFL history (65.5%), tenth in yards per attempt (8.55), and tenth in passer rating (102.8).

He announced his retirement after the 2009 season.

Personal life

Kurt Warner was born to Gene and Sue Warner. When he was six, Warner's parents divorced. Kurt and his brother, Matt, lived with their mother, including through another brief marriage and divorce.

Gene Warner, Kurt's father, remarried a year after divorcing Kurt's mother. Mimi Warner, Warner's stepmother, also had a son named Matt (Post). Soon after, the three boys formed a close friendship. Kurt graduated from Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was quarterback of the school's Class 3A football team.

Warner earned a degree in communications from the University of Northern Iowa.

Warner met Brenda Carney Meoni, his future wife, during college; they married on October 11, 1997. Brenda is a former United States Marine Corps corporal. She was divorced with two children, one of whom was left brain damaged and blind after being mistakenly dropped by Brenda's ex-husband, causing her to be exiled from the Marines in 1990.

In addition to his position as an assistant coach at Northern Iowa, Warner was fired from the Packers' training camp in 1994. The couple were living in Brenda's parents' basement in Cedar Falls while Warner was working as an assistant coach. Brenda and her parents were killed in 1996 after a tornado destroyed their Mountain View, Arkansas home. Warner and Brenda married on October 11, 1997, at the St. John American Lutheran Church, the same place where Brenda's parents' funeral took place. Warner was still hoping to get a NFL tryout, but with that prospect in mind and Hy-Vee's long hours for minimum wage taking their toll, Warner began his Arena League career.

Brenda and Edward Warner married her two children from her first marriage and have since adopted five children of their own. E.J.'s son E.J. The Temple Owls' starting quarterback is Brandon Ramsey.

Kurt and Brenda Warner are among evangelical Christians who have been devout evangelicals. Following the Rams' Super Bowl victory, where he was named the game's MVP, his faith first rose on the national stage for the first time: he first appeared on the national stage.

Warner's reaction was similar nine years ago, when leading the Cardinals to their first-ever Super Bowl.

Warner has attended charismatic churches, and believes that God saved him from a concussion he suffered in 2000. However, he avoids the term "charismatic." "I'm just a Christian," he told Charisma in 2001.

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Professional career

Warner was undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft following his college career. In 1994, he was encouraged to try out for the Green Bay Packers' training camp, but he was suspended before the regular season began. Warner was up for a match against Brett Favre, Mark Brunell, and former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer. While Warner was with the Packers, Mike Holmgren, the quarterback mentor, was Steve Mariucci, and Andy Reid was the offensive assistant.

Warner stocked shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Cedar Falls for $5.50 an hour after his son's arrival. When talking about his meteoric rise to NFL fame in 1999, Warner often cites this beginning point. He also admits that his deep dedication to Christianity dates back to 1997. Warner returned to Northern Iowa and served as a graduate assistant coach with the football team, while still hoping to get another tryout with an NFL team.

Warner converted to the Arena Football League (AFL) in 1995, joining the Iowa Barnstormers, despite no NFL clubs willing to give him a chance. After leading the Barnstormers to ArenaBowl appearances in both 1996 and 1997, he was selected to the AFL's First-Team All-Arena in both 1996 and 1997. Warner's career was so impressive that he was later named twelfth out of the 20 Best Arena Football Players of all time.

Warner requested and received a tryout with the Chicago Bears before the 1997 NFL season, but he was unable to participate due to a spider bite suffered during his honeymoon.

The AFL used Kurt Warner's Arena Football Unleashed to advertise its first widely available video game in 2000, following Warner's breakout NFL season. He will be inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame on August 12, 2011.

Warner signed a futures contract with the team in December 1997, just after the season ended. He was recruited to NFL Europe in February 1998 to play for the Amsterdam Admirals, where he led the league in touchdowns and passing yards. Jake Delhomme, the future Carolina Panthers quarterback, was his back-up at the time. Warner, who is back in the United States, was St. Louis' third-string quarterback after Tony Banks and Steve Bono in 1998. He ended his season with only 4 of 11 pass attempts for 39 yards and a 47.2 QB rating.

In the 1999 NFL expansion draft, the Rams selected Warner to be one of the team's five unprotected players. The Cleveland Browns were unintentionally selected by Warner, who chose no Rams and whose only quarterback pick was Scott Milanovich.

Bono was released from the free agency and the Rams signed Trent Green to be the starter. Since being traded to the Ravens, Warner now ranks second on the depth chart, and he's now ranked second. After Green suffered a torn ACL from a low blow by Rodney Harrison in a preseason game, Rams coach Dick Vermeil appointed Warner as the Rams' starter. "We will mobilize around Kurt Warner and play good football," Vermeil, who hadn't seen Warner work with the first string offense, told reporters in an emotional press conference. Warner, with the help of running back Marshall Faulk and wide receivers Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim, and Ricky Proehl, put together one of the best seasons by a quarterback in NFL history, throwing for 4,353 yards with a completion rate of 51%. The Rams' high-powered offense, directed by offensive coordinator Mike Martz, was dubbed "The Greatest Show on Turf" for the first time in a string of three consecutive seasons, an NFL record.

In each of his first three NFL starts, Warner threw three touchdown passes, an NFL record until it was overthrowaded by Patrick Mahomes in 2018. Warner drew more attention in the Rams' fourth game of the season, a home game against the San Francisco 49ers (who had been NFC West division champions for 12 of the previous 13 seasons). The Rams lost their last 17 meetings with the 49ers, but Warner was able to throw a touchdown pass on each of the Rams' first three possessions of the game and four touchdowns in the first half alone, boosting the Rams to a 42-20 win. Warner finished the game with five touchdown passes, giving him 14 in four games and the Rams 14 in four games. Warner's breakout season from a life of anonymity was so unexpected that Sports Illustrated included him on their October 18 front page with the headline "Who Is This Guy?" He was named the 1999 NFL MVP at the start of the season for leading the Rams to their first playoff appearance since 1989 (when they were still in Los Angeles) and their first division championship since 1985.

Warner eventually led the Rams to victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXIV. He threw for two touchdowns and a then-Record 414 passing yards, including a 73-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce when the game was tied with just over two minutes to play, which was the game-winning score. Warner also set a Super Bowl record by going through 45 passes without missing a single intercept. Warner was given the Super Bowl MVP award for his work. Warner is the first player to win both the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same year as of 2021.

Warner agreed to a seven-year deal worth $47 million on July 21. He started the 2000 season off right in his record-breaking 1999 season, throwing up 300 or more passing yards in each of his first six games (tying Steve Young's record) and receiving 19 touchdown passes in that span. Warner lost his hand and skipped the middle of the season, but the Rams' Trent Greenbacks led the Rams to the highest team passing yard total in NFL history, with 5,232 net yards. Warner and Green's total gross passing yards total number was 5,492. Warner's turnover rate in 2000 was up soaring in comparison to his previous seasons, though he didn't throw an interception in 5.2% of his attempts (compared to just 6.6% in 1999). Despite one of the most productive offensive seasons for an NFL team, the Rams won only ten games and lost in the wild card round to the New Orleans Saints. The Rams cut nine of their eleven defensive starters during the offseason, and Trent Green was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in reaction to the disappointing season.

In 2001, Warner returned to MVP form. Despite his 1999 debut, he has a career-high 36 touchdown passes and 4,830 passing yards, leading to a new league record in passer rating (101.4). Warner's turnover increased from 2000 to his third straight 6–0 start, his first NFL team to do so, eventually equaling them by the 2005–2007 Indianapolis Colts), an NFL-best 14–02 record, and an appearance in Super Bowl XXVI. Warner was named NFL MVP for the second time in three seasons, giving the Rams their third winner in three years (running back Marshall Faulk won in 2000).

Warner threw for 365 yards (then the second-highest total in Super Bowl history) and a passing touchdown, as well as a running touchdown, but his rhythm was disrupted by New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick's defensive game scheme, which helped secure the Patriots' underdog offense to a two-touchdown lead. The Rams came back to tie the game late in the fourth quarter after falling behind to the Patriots 17-3, though they did not score a single point on a one-yard Warner quarterback sneaky touchdown run and a 26-yard touchdown pass from Ricky Proehl. As time expired, Warner and the Rams lost by 20-19-17, while Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri kicked a game-winning field goal, giving the Patriots their first Super Bowl victory in four years.

As the Rams lost to only one touchdown in 2002, Warner started the 2002 season as the Rams' starter, but he didn't do well, throwing seven interceptions against only one touchdown. Warner punched a finger on his throwing hand during the Rams' Week 4 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Warner tried to return later this season, but his illness limited him to only two more games (both losses). Warner received a minuscule 67.4 rating in 2002, despite his 103.0 career passer rating going into the season.

After losing six times in the team's opening-day match against the New York Giants, Warner was recalled as the Rams' starting quarterback for good. Warner later revealed that he had broken his hand and that it had not fully recovered, making it even more difficult to follow the football. Marc Bulger, the Rams' starting quarterback (another unheralded quarterback who came out of college), stepped into the game and played decently on replacing Warner.

Bulger's back, veteran Chris Chandler has been hired by the Rams as Bulger's backup. Warner was fired by the Rams on June 1, 2004, leaving him with three years on his deal.

He signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the New York Giants, the second year player option worth $6 million, two days after being released from the Rams. Warner began his career as the Giants' starting quarterback, winning five of his first seven games, but Eli Manning, the Giants' most coveted rookie quarterback, was given the starting job after a two-game losing streak. At the time of Warner's benching, the Giants had a 5–4 win-loss record, ending at 6–10 overall (going only 1–6 under Manning). Following the season, Warner decided to cancel the second year of his contract and become a free agent.

Warner signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals in early 2005, and coach Dennis Greenman named him the starter right away. Warner gave three weak performances before fracturing his groin and being replaced by former starter Josh McCown. McCown was a good enough player in the two games that Warner regretted that McCown stayed the starter.

Green re-inserted Warner into the starting lineup after McCown struggled in two straight games. Warner defeated his former team, the Rams, by a score of 38–28 after playing well in two consecutive losses (passing for a total of nearly 700 yards). Although he had a quarterback rating of 115.8, he went for 285 yards and three touchdowns. After a brief MCL injury in week 15, Warner's season came to an end.

On February 14, 2006, Warner signed a new three-year contract with the Cardinals. The agreement had a base salary of $18 million and, with performance bonuses, may have been worth as much as $24 million.

In Week 1 of the 2006 NFL season, Warner earned the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns against San Francisco. Warner reached the 20,000-yard passing milestone in his 76th game, the second-fastest in NFL history (Warner accomplished the feat in a single game more than record-holder Dan Marino).

Warner was recalled as quarterback by rookie Matt Leinart in Weeks 2-4 after three subpar games in Weeks 2-4. Warner will be the backup quarterback for the remainder of the season, according to coach Dennis Green. Leinart went down with a shoulder injury against the 49ers last week, prompting Warner to see his first action since Week 4. As he was able to watch the Cardinals win, Warner pitched in well. Warner started again in week 17 against the San Diego Chargers, throwing for 365 yards (which led to the NFL for the first week) and a touchdown, but the Chargers were able to win by 27-20.

Leinart was appointed as the starting quarterback of the 2007 season. Warner came off the bench against the Baltimore Ravens in their third game of the season, relieved an ineffective Leinart during the 4th quarter, with the Ravens leading 23–6 at the time. Warner made a dramatic comeback by throwing 15 of 20 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns. This brought Arizona and the United States together (23–23), but Arizona would play in the game 26–23 after Baltimore kicked a last-second field goal.

Warner was fired earlier this week after another ineffective start to the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 30, 2007. Warner finished with 14 out of 21 attempts for 132 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions, while Leinart re-entered the game in the 4th quarter and led the Cardinals to their final touchdown. Warner was named starter for the remainder of the 2007 season after Leinart was put on injured reserve.

In a 37–31 loss to the 49ers on November 25, Warner passed for a career-high 484 yards against the 49ers, but the Cardinals lost after a fumble in the end zone that was recovered by Tully Banta-Cain in overtime. Warner, on the other hand, soared over the Cardinals, who boosted them to 6–6 and kept them in contention for the NFC Wild Card playoff position. Warner finished the 2007 season with 27 passing touchdowns, just one shy of the Cardinals' franchise record.

Leinart was named the Cardinals' starting quarterback going into the 2008 offseason, but Ken Whisenhunt said it's likely for Warner to be the starter before week one of the regular season. In fact, Warner was named starter on August 30, 2008. Warner had 4,583 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 67.1% this season. For the third time, he was the top-ranked passer in the National Football Conference, but only passed him and Chad Pennington of the AFC in NFL passer rankings for the season. During weeks 9, 11 and 11 of the season, Warner was also named as the Week's Person of the Week. He had his struggles during the season, as well as week 3 of the season against the New York Jets, where his team turned the ball over seven times. This included an intercept for a touchdown, two picks that resulted in a touchdown and a field goal in just the second quarter. In a 56-35 loss, Warner managed to get his team to score 35 points.

Warner led the Cardinals to a 34-10 win over his former team, the Rams, on December 7, 2008, securing the Cardinals the NFC West Division Championship and their first playoff berth since 1998. It was the Cardinals' first division championship since 1975 and the third of the post-merger era. As a result, the Cardinals won a home playoff game for their second straight game and the first in Arizona. (Despite winning division titles in 1974 and 1975 in St. Louis, the Cardinals did not participate in the playoffs because of the playoff system at the time.) Warner was named starting quarterback for the NFC team in the 2009 Pro Bowl on December 16, 2008.

In the first round of the playoffs, Warner led the Cardinals over the Atlanta Falcons 30–24 at home on January 3, 2009. Warner went 19 for 32 passes for 271 yards during the game, a completion percentage of 56.4 percent. He had two touchdowns and one interceptor. With this victory, the Cardinals became the first time they had won a post-season home game since the 1947 NFL Championship Game.

In the second round of the playoffs, Warner helped the Cardinals defeat the Carolina Panthers 33-13 in Charlotte, North Carolina. With two touchdowns and one interception, Warner went 21 for 32 yards in 220 yards, a completion percentage of 66%. After losing away games to the Panthers, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and the New England Patriots, the Cardinals were the first time the Cardinals had won a game on the East Coast during the entire 2008 season.

Warner led the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl appearance in history on January 18, throwing for 279 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Warner is one of four quarterbacks to start with two franchises (alongside Craig Morton, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady).

In Warner's third Super Bowl appearance, the Cardinals lost Super Bowl XLIII 27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving him with a career 1–2 record in Super Bowls. Despite losing, Warner still managed to throw for 377 yards (the fourth-most total in Super Bowl history). He completed 71% of his attempts and had a quarterback rating of 112.3. Warner had already set the three highest single-game passing yardage totals in the Super Bowl, with Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, John Elway, and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks to throw a touchdown pass in three Super Bowls. Warner played as the starting quarterback in all regular and postseason games this year, winning every season.

Warner announced his intention to return to the Cardinals for the 2009 season. Warner was offered a two-year deal worth about $20 million, but the Cardinals were hoping for a deal that would pay him about $14 million a year, but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. Warner became a free agent on February 27, 2009, and began negotiations with the San Francisco 49ers. Warner was given a contract by the 49ers worth more than the Cardinals' one. Warner re-signed with the Cardinals on March 4, earning $43 million for each of the next two years, with a $15 million signing bonus and a $19 million guarantee. On March 17, 2009, Warner underwent arthroscopic hip surgery to repair a torn labrum. Warner set a single-game record for completion percentage in the regular season on September 20, 2009, passing for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Warner's 92.3 percent completion rate tied for the previous NFL record set by Vinny Testaverde in 1993.

During a loss to the Carolina Panthers on November 1, 2009, Warner threw a career-high five interceptions. With two franchises and two teams, Warner became the first quarterback in the NFL to throw for over 14,000 yards. During a 41-21 victory over the Chicago Bears, Warner tied his career-highest touchdown passes in a single game on November 8. Because of his appearances, Warner was named both the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week. During a 31-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on November 15, 2009, Warner hit a career high with his 200th touchdown pass.

Warner left the game on November 22, 2009, following a concussion. Warner continued to suffer from post-concussion symptoms and was banned against the Tennessee Titans on November 29, 2009, snaping his streak of 41 games. Warner returned to action after the Cardinals defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30–17 on December 6, 2009. Warner's fourth straight game with a passer rating of 120 or higher, making him only the second quarterback in NFL history to do so. Warner was named both the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week for his three-touchdown appearances.

In the Cardinals' 31–10 victory over the St. Louis Rams, Warner became the second quarterback in NFL history to throw 100 touchdown passes with two teams (Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton is the other). Warner was named as an alternate quarterback for the NFC team in the 2010 Pro Bowl on December 29, 2009.

In a 5–45 victory over the Green Bay Packers, Warner threw five touchdowns and finished 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards on January 10, 2010. The game had the highest combined total score in NFL playoff history. In a playoff game, Warner was one of the few quarterbacks in NFL history to throw more touchdowns (51) than incompletions (4). Warner finished with the second highest quarterback rating in NFL playoff history, with a score of 154.1. He was also the first quarterback to throw for five touchdown passes in a playoff game twice, and the first to do so after the league's merger. He is also the first player to have thrown so many touchdown passes in a playoff game (38 years, 202 days). With at least three touchdown passes in consecutive playoff games (three games), Warner also tied for the highest number of consecutive games with at least three touchdown passes (three games). Since this was his last at home in the playoffs during his career, he was 3-0 in home contests (4-0 with St. Louis; 3-0 with Arizona).

After an intercept on the way to a 45-14 loss at New Orleans in the NFC Divisional round, Warner was unable to tackle the ball carrier in the first half on January 16. He returned for the second half but gave way to understudy Matt Leinart midway through the fourth quarter. Warner was a felony convicted by the Saints in 2012. Warner never accused the Saints of making an unlawful play or ending his career, saying, "It was a violent assault, no doubt." However, I do also agree that it was a legal tragedy."

In January 2010, Warner officially announced his departure from football. He looked forward to his seven children's return to him as a true father and that he wanted to spend time with his wife. He addressed the influence and influence of his family, former coworkers, and God. Following the 2014 season, he became eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame. Following the team's loss of Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton due to injuries, Warner talked briefly about coming out of retirement and returning to the Cardinals in December 2014.

Post-retirement career

Warner joined Iowa Barnstormers as a 2011 Arena Football League broadcaster. He was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame in May 2010. He is also a member of the Iowa Barnstormers Hall of Fame.

In 2014, Warner was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.

In the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, Warner was chosen for induction. Morten Andersen, Terrell Davis, Kenny Easley, Jerry Jones, Jason Taylor, and LaDainian Tomlinson were among those inducted on August 5, 2017. He is the only person to be inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Arena Football Hall of Fame.

Warner served as a mentor at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, from 2015 to 2018. Notably, Kedon Slovis was drafted by the USC Trojans before being signed by the Trojans for the 2019 college football season.

Since 2019, Warner has been the quarterbacks coach at Brophy College Preparatory.

Career statistics and records

Warner shares several records:

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