Josh Freeman facts for kids
Freeman with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012
|
|||||||||||
| No. 5, 12, 2 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | January 13, 1988 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Joshua Tyler Freeman (born January 13, 1988) is a former American football player. He was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Josh played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. Josh became the main quarterback for Tampa Bay in his first year. He set many team records for passing. However, he left the team during his fifth year. Josh also played for the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, and Indianapolis Colts. He also played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Montreal Alouettes and for the Brooklyn Bolts in the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL).
Contents
Early Life & High School Football
Josh Freeman threw for over 7,000 yards at Grandview High School. Experts like Rivals.com and Scout.com rated him as a top player. As a sophomore, he threw for 1,946 yards and 24 touchdowns. He helped Grandview get a 9–3 record and reach the Class 4 playoffs.
He set 10 school records at Grandview. These included career passing yards (7,175) and passing touchdowns (78). He also set records for yards in a single game (404) and touchdowns in a game (6). As a junior, he passed for over 2,400 yards and 23 touchdowns.
In his senior year, Rivals.com ranked him as the #4 pro-style quarterback in the country. He was also the #92 overall player in the nation and the best player in Missouri. He led Grandview to a 7–4 record and a district title. He completed 151 of 286 passes for 2,622 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2005. He also won the Thomas A. Simone Award as the best player in the Kansas City area.
College Football Career
Josh Freeman was a highly sought-after quarterback. He first planned to play for Nebraska. But Kansas State coach Ron Prince convinced him to join Kansas State instead. Josh always wanted to be an NFL quarterback.
Freshman Year (2006)
As a freshman in 2006, Josh played in 11 games. He started the last eight games of the season. He took over as quarterback during a game against Baylor. He then led the Kansas State offense for the rest of the year.
He set a Kansas State freshman record with 1,780 passing yards. He completed 140 of 270 passes (52%). He was the first true freshman to start a game at Kansas State since 1976. He also had two games in a row with over 250 passing yards. This was the first time a Kansas State quarterback did this since 1998. He led the Wildcats to a comeback win in his first start against Oklahoma State. He threw for 177 yards and ran for a game-winning touchdown.
Sophomore & Junior Years (2007-2008)
In 2007, Josh 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 for 2,945 yards. He threw 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also had 14 rushing touchdowns, which was the fourth-most by a Wildcat quarterback in one season.
College Career Totals
Over his three years in college, Josh Freeman played in 35 games. He completed 680 passes for 8,078 yards. He threw 44 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. 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 | |||
| 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
- He won three national player-of-the-week awards after a win over Texas in 2006.
- He was named Big 12 Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week on September 2, 2008.
- USA Today named him College Football Player of the Week 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 (2009–2013)
.png)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers chose Josh Freeman as the 17th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. He signed a five-year contract worth $26 million. On November 8, 2009, Freeman started his first professional game against the Green Bay Packers. The Buccaneers won 38–28, ending an 11-game losing streak. He threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Freeman became the youngest quarterback in the team's history to start and win his first game.
On December 27, 2009, he led the Buccaneers to an overtime win against the 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.
2010 Season Success
Freeman was the starting quarterback for all 16 games in the 2010 season. This was the first time a Buccaneers quarterback did this since 2003. In Week 5, he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. On December 26, 2010, Freeman threw five touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks. This matched a team record for touchdowns in a game. He also won the FedEx Air Player of the Week twice. He led the team to a winning record of 10–6, just missing the playoffs. His fellow players ranked him 86th among the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.
2011 and 2012 Seasons
Josh played in 15 games in the 2011 season. However, this season was not as good as the previous one. He passed for 3,592 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions. The Buccaneers finished with a 4–12 record, losing their last 10 games.
After the 2011 season, the team got a new coach, Greg Schiano. The Buccaneers also added new players like Dallas Clark and Vincent Jackson. Freeman improved in 2012. He threw 11 more touchdowns and 500 more passing yards than in 2011. The Buccaneers ended the season with a 7–9 record.
2013 Season and Release
The Buccaneers started the 2013 season with a close loss to the New York Jets. After a tough game in Week 3, Freeman was replaced by rookie quarterback Mike Glennon. The Buccaneers had a disappointing 0–3 start. Freeman was completing only 46% of his passes. He was released by the team on October 3, 2013.
Minnesota Vikings (2013)
On October 6, 2013, Freeman signed with the Minnesota Vikings. He competed for the starting job. He changed his jersey number to 12, which he wore in high school. On October 16, 2013, he was named the starting quarterback for the Week 7 game. However, his first start for the Vikings did not go well. He completed only 20 of 53 passes for 190 yards and one interception. The Vikings lost 23–7. He later had concussion-like symptoms and was replaced by another quarterback.
New York Giants (2014)
On April 16, 2014, Josh Freeman signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants. The deal was made official on April 21, 2014. However, he was released by the Giants on May 30, 2014.
Miami Dolphins (2015)
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 a preseason game against his old team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He completed 13 of 22 passes for 165 yards and two interceptions. He was released by the Dolphins on September 4, 2015.
Brooklyn Bolts (2015)
On September 22, 2015, Freeman signed to play with the Brooklyn Bolts in the FXFL. In his first game, he fumbled the ball five times and threw an interception.
Indianapolis Colts (2015)
On December 29, 2015, Freeman signed with the Indianapolis Colts. He started the last game of the regular season on January 3, 2016. He played because the main quarterbacks were injured. Freeman completed 15 of 28 passes for 149 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also ran for 24 yards. The Colts won the game 30–24. He was released on March 7, 2016.
Canadian Football League (2017–2018)
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, he had another workout with the Alouettes. The team's general manager said Josh showed "tremendous arm strength" and "excellent footwork." On January 12, 2018, he signed a two-year contract with the Alouettes. On May 26, 2018, Josh 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 Team Records
Josh Freeman holds or shares several records for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
- Most fourth-quarter comeback wins in a single season: 5 (2010) (tied with Doug Williams)
- Most game-winning drives in a single season: 5 (2010) (tied with Brad Johnson)
- Most touchdown passes thrown in a row: 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 passing yards: 3 (2010–2012) (tied with Brad Johnson and Jameis Winston)
- Most passing touchdowns in a game: 5 (tied) (December 26, 2010, vs. Seattle Seahawks) (tied with Jameis Winston and Tom Brady)
Personal Life
Josh's father, Ron, was a football player too. He 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.
