Josh Freeman facts for kids
Freeman with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012
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| No. 5, 12, 2 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | January 13, 1988 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Grandview (Grandview, Missouri) | ||||||||||
| College: | Kansas State (2006–2008) | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Joshua Tyler Freeman (born January 13, 1988) is an American former professional football player. He was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL).
Freeman played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. He became a starter for Tampa Bay in his first year. He broke many team passing records. Later, he was released during his fifth year with the team.
Freeman also played for the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, and Indianapolis Colts. He also played for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Josh Freeman played football at Grandview High School. He threw for over 7,000 yards there. Experts like Rivals.com and Scout.com rated him highly.
As a sophomore, he threw for 1,946 yards. He also had 24 passing touchdowns. He helped Grandview reach a 9–3 record. They made it to the Class 4 playoffs quarterfinals.
He set 10 school records during his time at Grandview. These included career passing yards (7,175) and touchdowns (78). He also set records for attempts (809) and completions (385). In one game, he threw for 404 yards and 6 touchdowns.
As a junior, he passed for over 2,400 yards. He also had 23 touchdowns. In his senior year, he was ranked as the #4 pro-style quarterback in the country. Rivals.com also ranked him as the #92 overall player in the nation. He was the top player in Missouri.
He led Grandview to a 7–4 record and a district title. They reached the sectional round of the Missouri state playoffs. In 2005, he completed 151 of 286 passes. He threw for 2,622 yards and 33 touchdowns. He was named first-team Class 4 all-state. He also won the Thomas A. Simone Award. This award goes to the best player in the Kansas City area.
College Football Career
Josh Freeman was a highly sought-after quarterback. He wanted to play quarterback in the NFL. He first decided to play for Nebraska. But then, Kansas State coach Ron Prince convinced him to join Kansas State instead.
As a freshman in 2006, Freeman played in 11 games. He started the last eight games of the season. He became the first true freshman to start a game at Kansas State since 1976. He set a Kansas State freshman record with 1,780 passing yards. He completed 140 of 270 passes (52%).
He had two games with over 250 passing yards. This was the first time a Kansas State quarterback did this since 1998. He also set a freshman record with 47 pass attempts against Nebraska. He completed 23 passes for 272 yards in that game.
He earned his first start against Oklahoma State. He led the Wildcats to a comeback victory. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 177 yards. He also ran for a game-winning 21-yard touchdown.
In 2007, he set new school records. He had 3,353 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. He completed 316 of 499 passes. In 2008, Freeman completed 224 of 382 passes. He threw for 2,945 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also had eight interceptions. He scored 14 rushing touchdowns. This was the fourth-most by a Wildcat quarterback in one season.
In his three years in college, Freeman completed 680 passes. He had 8,078 yards and 44 touchdowns. He also had 34 interceptions in 35 games. He set a school record with 8,427 total yards. He is one of only two Kansas State quarterbacks to score at least 60 touchdowns.
College Statistics
| Season | Team | GP | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | TD | ||||||
| Kansas State Wildcats | |||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Kansas State | 11 | 140 | 270 | 51.9 | 1,780 | 6 | 15 | 103.5 | 54 | −21 | 2 | |||
| 2007 | Kansas State | 12 | 316 | 499 | 63.3 | 3,353 | 18 | 11 | 127.3 | 53 | −40 | 4 | |||
| 2008 | Kansas State | 12 | 224 | 382 | 58.6 | 2,945 | 20 | 8 | 136.5 | 107 | 404 | 14 | |||
| Career | 35 | 680 | 1,151 | 59.1 | 8,078 | 44 | 34 | 124.7 | 214 | 343 | 20 | ||||
College Awards and Honors
- He won three national player-of-the-week honors in 2006. This was after a win over Texas. He was named Cingular All-America Player of the Week. He also won the Walter Camp Foundation Offensive Player of the Week.
- He was named Big 12 Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week. This was on September 2, 2008.
- USA Today named him College Football Player of the Week. This was on October 15, 2008.
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Wonderlic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5+3⁄4 in (1.97 m) |
248 lb (112 kg) |
32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
4.97 s | 1.79 s | 2.91 s | 4.43 s | 7.11 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) |
9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) |
27 | |
| All values from 2009 NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers chose Freeman in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. He was the 17th overall pick. He signed a five-year contract worth $26 million.
On November 8, 2009, Freeman started his first NFL game. It was against the Green Bay Packers. The Buccaneers won 38–28. This ended their 11-game losing streak. He completed 14 of 31 passes for 205 yards. He threw three touchdowns and one interception. He became the youngest quarterback in team history to start and win his first game.
On December 27, 2009, he led the Buccaneers to a 20–17 overtime win. This was against the 13–1 New Orleans Saints. The Buccaneers finished the 2009 season with a 3–13 record. Freeman had 1,855 passing yards, ten touchdowns, and 18 interceptions.
Freeman was the Buccaneers' starting quarterback in 2010. He started all 16 games. This was the first time a Buccaneers quarterback did this since 2003. In Week 5, he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. This was for his game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
On December 26, 2010, Freeman completed 21 of 26 passes. He threw for 227 yards and five touchdowns. This matched a team record for touchdowns in a game. On January 1, 2011, he completed 21 of 26 passes. He had 255 yards and two touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints. Both performances earned him the FedEx Air Player of the Week award. He was also NFC Offensive Player of The Week for Week 17. He led the team to a 10–6 winning record. They just missed the playoffs. Other players ranked him 86th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.
Freeman played in 15 games in the 2011 season. This season was not as good as the previous one. He passed for 3,592 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions. His quarterback rating was 74.6. The Buccaneers finished with a 4–12 record. They lost their last 10 games.
After the 2011 season, the team got a new coach, Greg Schiano. The Buccaneers also added new players. They signed tight end Dallas Clark and wide receiver Vincent Jackson. They also improved their offensive line. Freeman improved in 2012. He threw 11 more touchdowns and five fewer interceptions. He also had 500 more passing yards than in 2011. The Buccaneers finished with a 7–9 record.
The Buccaneers started the 2013 season with a close loss. It was an 18–17 loss to the New York Jets. Freeman completed 15 of 31 passes (48.4%). He threw for one touchdown and one interception. After a tough game in Week 3, Freeman was replaced by rookie quarterback Mike Glennon. The Buccaneers started the season with an 0–3 record. Freeman was completing 46% of his passes. He was released by the team on October 3, 2013.
Minnesota Vikings
On October 6, 2013, Freeman signed with the Minnesota Vikings. He competed for the starting job. He changed his jersey number to 12. On October 16, 2013, he was named the starting quarterback. This was for the Week 7 game against the New York Giants.
His first start for the Vikings was difficult. Freeman completed only 20 of 53 passes. He threw for 190 yards and one interception. The Vikings lost to the Giants 23–7. He was later benched due to concussion-like symptoms. He finished the season as the third-string quarterback.
New York Giants
On April 16, 2014, there were rumors that Freeman signed with the New York Giants. The deal was officially signed on April 21, 2014. He was released by the Giants on May 30, 2014.
Miami Dolphins
On April 2, 2015, Freeman signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins. He was released on July 24, 2015, but re-signed four days later. Freeman played in Miami's last preseason game. It was against his old team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He completed 13 of 22 passes for 165 yards. He also threw two interceptions. He was released by the Dolphins on September 4, 2015.
On September 22, 2015, Freeman signed to play with the Brooklyn Bolts in the FXFL. In his first game, during a typhoon, Freeman fumbled five times. He lost three of them and threw an interception.
Indianapolis Colts
On December 29, 2015, Freeman signed with the Indianapolis Colts. He started the final game of the regular season. This was against the Tennessee Titans. He started because of injuries to other quarterbacks. Freeman shared time with Ryan Lindley. He completed 15 of 28 passes for 149 yards. He had one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for 24 yards. The Colts won the game 30–24. He was released on March 7, 2016.
Canadian Football League
Freeman attended a minicamp with the Calgary Stampeders in April 2017. In May 2017, he tried out for the Montreal Alouettes. On June 13, 2017, Freeman had a workout with the Alouettes. The team's general manager said Freeman had a "very good workout." He showed strong arm strength and good footwork. On January 9, 2018, the Alouettes added Freeman to their list of players they could negotiate with. On January 12, 2018, he signed a two-year contract with the Alouettes.
On May 26, 2018, Freeman announced his retirement from professional football.
NFL Career Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2009 | TB | 10 | 9 | 3–6 | 158 | 290 | 54.5 | 1,855 | 6.4 | 10 | 18 | 59.8 | 30 | 161 | 5.4 | 0 | 20 | 102 | 10 | 2 |
| 2010 | TB | 16 | 16 | 10–6 | 291 | 474 | 61.4 | 3,451 | 7.3 | 25 | 6 | 95.9 | 68 | 374 | 5.4 | 0 | 28 | 195 | 8 | 3 |
| 2011 | TB | 15 | 15 | 4–11 | 346 | 551 | 62.8 | 3,592 | 6.5 | 16 | 22 | 74.6 | 55 | 238 | 4.3 | 4 | 29 | 164 | 9 | 5 |
| 2012 | TB | 16 | 16 | 7–9 | 306 | 558 | 54.8 | 4,065 | 7.3 | 27 | 17 | 81.6 | 39 | 139 | 3.6 | 0 | 26 | 161 | 10 | 2 |
| 2013 | TB | 3 | 3 | 0–3 | 43 | 94 | 45.7 | 571 | 6.1 | 2 | 3 | 59.3 | 5 | 20 | 4.0 | 0 | 7 | 47 | 2 | 1 |
| MIN | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 20 | 53 | 37.7 | 190 | 3.6 | 0 | 1 | 40.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | IND | 1 | 1 | 1–0 | 15 | 28 | 53.6 | 149 | 5.3 | 1 | 1 | 65.9 | 8 | 24 | 3.0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 62 | 61 | 25–36 | 1,179 | 2,048 | 57.6 | 13,873 | 6.8 | 81 | 68 | 77.6 | 205 | 946 | 4.6 | 4 | 112 | 690 | 39 | 13 | |
Buccaneers Franchise Records
- Most fourth quarter comeback wins in a single season: 5 (2010). He shares this record with Doug Williams.
- Most game winning drives in a single season: 5 (2010). He shares this record with Brad Johnson.
- Most touchdown passes thrown in consecutive games: 15 (2010–2011).
- Fewest interceptions in a single season: 6 (2010) (in 16 starts).
- Longest pass completion: 95 yards (vs New Orleans Saints) (2012).
- Most consecutive seasons with 3,000 yards passing: 3 (2010–2012). He shares this record with Brad Johnson and Jameis Winston.
- Most passing touchdowns in a game: 5 (tied). This happened on December 26, 2010, vs. Seattle Seahawks. He shares this record with Jameis Winston and Tom Brady.
Personal Life
Josh's father, Ron, is in the Pittsburg State University Athletics Hall of Fame. He also played in the United States Football League. Josh's brother, Caleb, played football for Missouri in 2008.
