By now, many of you know that Scott Tolzien is the likely starter for the Indianapolis Colts today after Andrew Luck was ruled out yesterday afternoon. But who really is Scott Tolzien? Here’s some background on the veteran quarterback before tonight’s Thanksgiving matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
An undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin, Tolzien was signed by the San Diego Chargers in the summer of 2011. A short two months later, he was cut by the team during final cuts.
A day after being cut by the Chargers, Tolzien was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco 49ers. He was the third string quarterback in the 2012 season behind Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick that went to Super Bowl XLVII. In late August of 2013, Tolzien was waived by the 49ers.
On the first day of September in 2013, Scott Tolzien was signed to the practice squad of the Green Bay Packers. After injuries to Aaron Rodgers and Seneca Wallace, Tolzien finally played in his first career game.
In his debut, Tolzien went 24-39 with 280 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 27-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
He went on to play two more games with his last prior career start coming on November 24, 2013, against the Minnesota Vikings–exactly 3 years to the day, which included this spectacular play:
Is Pittsburgh's defense ready for The Scott Tolzien Show? pic.twitter.com/urTzMJtcQ1
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 23, 2016
However, he was eventually replaced in the starting lineup by former Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn.
On March 11, 2016, the Colts signed Scott Tolzien to a 2-year contract worth $3,500,000 with $500,000 guaranteed. Having served as a soundboard for Packers superstar Aaron Rodgers the past 3 years, Tolzien was expected to have a smooth transition backing up the Colts own phenom quarterback Andrew Luck.
Scott Tolzien has been a career long backup quarterback. Tonight, he could get his big break by starting against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thanksgiving Night.