Matt Moore (American football) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Matt Moore

Moore with the Oregon State Beavers in 2006
No. 3, 8
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1984-08-09) August 9, 1984 (age 40) Van Nuys, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	219 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school:	Hart (Santa Clarita, California)
College:	UCLA (2002–2003) Oregon State (2005–2006)
Undrafted:	2007
Career history
As player:
Dallas Cowboys (2007)* Carolina Panthers (2007–2010) Miami Dolphins (2011–2017) Kansas City Chiefs (2019–2020)
As executive:
Miami Dolphins (2019) Scout
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (LIV)
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts: 1,074 Passing completions: 645 Completion percentage: 60.1% TD–INT: 49–36 Passing yards: 7,597 Passer rating: 82.8
Player stats at PFR

Matthew Erickson Moore (born August 9, 1984) is a former American football player. He played as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Matt played college football for the UCLA Bruins and Oregon State Beavers. He later signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2007. Moore also played for the Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Miami Dolphins.

Matt Moore's Early Life

Matt Moore grew up playing youth football for the Palmdale Falcons. He later attended William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita, California.

As a junior, Matt played as a safety. He made 80 tackles and 10 interceptions. This earned him an "All-CIF" award, which means he was recognized as one of the best players in his high school division.

In his senior year, Matt became Hart High School's starting quarterback. He led his team to a perfect 13–0 record. They won the CIF-Southern Section Division III title game with a 42–13 victory. In that big game, Moore threw for 277 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 95 yards and one touchdown. For the whole season, he completed 66.3% of his passes for 3,334 yards and 33 touchdowns. He also ran for 415 yards and seven scores.

Matt was named the CIF-SS Division III Offensive Player of the Year. He was also chosen for the First-team All-State and First-team All-CIF SS. Many experts ranked him as one of the top quarterbacks in the country. He also played baseball in high school as a shortstop and third base.

Matt Moore's College Football Journey

Starting at UCLA (2002)

Matt Moore began his college football career at UCLA. He was supposed to "redshirt," meaning he would practice but not play in games for a year. However, injuries to other quarterbacks meant he had to play early. He became the first true-freshman quarterback to start for UCLA since Cade McNown. In his first game, he led UCLA to a win against Stanford. For the season, he completed 33 passes for 412 yards and two touchdowns. He did not throw any interceptions.

Second Year at UCLA (2003)

In 2003, Matt started four of the eight games he played for UCLA. He threw for 555 yards and two touchdowns. He got a leg injury early in the season, which kept him out for three games. He later started two more games, including a win against Arizona State. After this season, Moore decided to transfer from UCLA.

A Break from Football (2004)

Matt did not play college football in 2004. He attended the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California. Even though he hadn't played baseball since high school, the Los Angeles Angels picked him in the 2004 MLB draft. This happened after scouts saw him play in a semi-pro baseball league.

Joining Oregon State (2005)

In January 2005, Matt joined Oregon State. He quickly became the team's starting quarterback. He finished the season with 2,711 passing yards, which was the ninth-highest total for a single season at Oregon State. He completed 59.4% of his passes. Matt injured his right knee in the tenth game of the season and missed the rest of the year. He threw for a career-high 436 yards against Arizona.

Senior Year Success at Oregon State (2006)

In 2006, Matt started all 14 games for the Beavers. He helped lead them to a 10-win season. This included a big win over the #3 ranked USC team. They also won the "Civil War" game against their rivals, Oregon. For the season, he completed 229 passes for 3,022 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Sun Bowl game. In that game, he threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns and ran for one touchdown. His four passing touchdowns set a new Sun Bowl record.

Playing in the NFL

Dallas Cowboys: A New Start

Matt Moore was not chosen in the 2007 NFL draft. This means he was an "undrafted free agent." However, several teams wanted to sign him, including the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers. Moore chose to sign with the Cowboys. He thought it was an easy choice because they only had two other quarterbacks.

During the preseason, Moore played well. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. The Cowboys later released him, planning to add him to their "practice squad." A practice squad is a group of players who train with the team but are not on the main roster. However, the Carolina Panthers claimed him, so he joined their team instead.

Carolina Panthers: First NFL Games

2007 Season: Rookie Year

After joining the Panthers, Matt was the third-string quarterback. This meant he was behind two other experienced players. He got his first chance to play in a regular season game on October 7, 2007. This happened after the starting quarterback and the backup both got injured. Moore's first NFL pass was a 43-yard completion.

Later in the season, Matt got his first NFL start on December 16, 2007, against the Seattle Seahawks. He led the Panthers to a victory. He completed 19 of 27 passes for 208 yards without any turnovers. The next week, he threw his first NFL touchdown pass to Steve Smith. The Panthers finished the season with a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Moore was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for December. In total for 2007, he had 730 passing yards and three touchdowns.

2008 Season: Injury Setback

Matt played in all four preseason games in 2008. However, he injured his leg during a practice. An X-ray showed he had a broken fibula (a bone in the lower leg). This injury kept him out for the entire 2008 season. He spent most of the season listed as inactive.

2009 Season: Stepping Up

Moore played his first game of the 2009 season when the backup quarterback got injured. Later, the starting quarterback, Jake Delhomme, broke his finger. This meant Matt became the starter for the rest of the season. He led the Panthers to a 16–6 victory in his first start.

On December 20, Matt had one of the best games of his career. He led the Panthers to a big 26–7 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He completed 21 of 33 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. He continued to play well, throwing three touchdowns and no interceptions the next week against the New York Giants. The Panthers won 41–9. This win helped eliminate the Giants from the playoffs. Matt finished the season strong, helping the Panthers win four of his five starts.

2010 Season: Starting Quarterback

Moore in 2010

Matt Moore was named the starting quarterback for the 2010 season. However, the Panthers also drafted a new rookie quarterback, Jimmy Clausen. Moore suffered a concussion in the first game of the season. After throwing four interceptions in the first two games, he was replaced by the rookie.

Moore became the starter again later in the season. In his first game back, he set career highs in passing yards (308) and completions (28). In a game against the New Orleans Saints, Moore injured his shoulder. This injury ended his season, and he was placed on "injured reserve." This means a player cannot play for the rest of the season due to injury.

Miami Dolphins: Backup and Beyond

2011 Season: Dolphins MVP

The Miami Dolphins signed Matt Moore on July 28, 2011. He was brought in to be the backup quarterback. On October 2, 2011, he entered a game after the starting quarterback got a shoulder injury. On November 6, he became the first Dolphins quarterback since 2008 to throw three touchdown passes in a game. This helped them win 31–3 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for this game. He did this again in Week 11, winning 35–8 against the Bills. After the season, he was named the Dolphins' 2011 season MVP. He finished the season with 2,497 yards and 16 touchdowns.

2012 Season: Backup Role

Moore in 2012

In 2012, Matt competed for the starting quarterback job but became the second-string quarterback. He played briefly in one game after the starter, Ryan Tannehill, got injured. Moore completed 11 passes for a touchdown in that game.

2013 Season: Continued Backup

On March 8, 2013, Matt re-signed with the Dolphins. He agreed to a two-year deal to stay as a backup for Ryan Tannehill. He did not play much in the 2013 season. He appeared in only one game.

2014 Season: Limited Play

In the 2014 season, Matt played in two games. He came in at the end of two big wins for the Dolphins. He completed 2 of 4 passes for 21 yards in these appearances.

2015 Season: Brief Appearance

In the 2015 season, Matt only played in one game. He completed one pass for 14 yards at the very end of a game to run out the clock.

2016 Season: Playoff Run

On March 15, 2016, Matt re-signed with the Dolphins for another two years. On December 11, 2016, he played his first game of the season. He replaced Ryan Tannehill, who got injured. Moore led a game-winning drive, helping the Dolphins win 26–23. This kept their playoff hopes alive.

He started the next game against the Jets. He threw for 236 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. The Dolphins won 34–13, giving them their first winning season since 2008. Moore was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Matt started his first playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Dolphins lost, but it was a big moment for Moore.

2017 Season: Filling In

In 2017, Matt entered a game against the Jets after the starting quarterback, Jay Cutler, got injured. Moore finished with 188 passing yards and two touchdowns, helping the Dolphins win 31–28. He started the next game but struggled, throwing two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. He also played in another game after Cutler got a head injury.

Kansas City Chiefs: Super Bowl Champion

2019 Season: Super Bowl Win

Matt Moore did not play football in 2018. In 2019, he worked as a scout for the Miami Dolphins. He was also an assistant coach for a high school football team. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on August 26, 2019, after their backup quarterback got injured.

Moore became the Chiefs' quarterback after Patrick Mahomes injured his knee on October 17, 2019. Moore finished that game with 117 yards and a touchdown pass. The next week, he started in place of Mahomes and threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 9, he had 275 passing yards and a touchdown in a win against the Vikings. This was Moore's last significant playing time of the 2019 season. He served as the backup quarterback when the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers, 31–20. This was the Chiefs' first Super Bowl win since 1970.

2020 Season: Practice Squad

Moore re-signed with the Chiefs on July 10, 2020. He was released later but then signed to the practice squad. He was temporarily moved to the main roster for a game in January 2021 and for Super Bowl LV. After the season, his contract with the practice squad ended.

Matt Moore's NFL Stats

Regular season

Postseason