July 15, 2010
Tempe, Ariz. -
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, former Fordham quarterback John Skelton knew it was just a matter of time before he signed his first professional contract. That day came on Wednesday, as Skelton signed a four-year contract with the Cardinals.
Contract terms were not disclosed by the team, but published reports say the total contract worth is just under $2 million. Skelton had stayed in Tempe, Arizona, to sign the contract, as most of the rookies had left last week, following mini-camp.
"I figured being a quarterback you need to put in that extra work to do everything you can to put yourself in a position to play," Skelton said, according to the Cardinals official website. "At the same time, I don't feel like going back to El Paso is beneficial to me right now."
To make room for Skelton on the roster, the Cardinals released safety Herana Daze-Jones.
Skelton will compete with undrafted rookie Max Hall to back-up veteran quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson on the active roster. Quarterbacks coach Chris Miller said earlier this offseason Skelton would likely need a couple of seasons to prepare himself for the NFL game, but Skelton hasn't contemplated his own timeline yet.
"I go by how comfortable I feel and when that will come," Skelton said. "Just this offseason, from the first minicamp to now everyone leaving and me kind of staying behind, I've learned a lot. I have gone through the playbook and know it pretty well, although I wouldn't say I am an expert in it.
"Once I am entirely comfortable, that's when I'll start setting goals when I can play."
Rookies are scheduled to report to Tempe for training camp July 29, with check-in at training camp in Flagstaff July 30.
Skelton was 18th Ram to be drafted by an NFL team, the first since Kenny Parker (who played basketball, not football, at Rose Hill) was taken in the 16th round by the Giants in 1968.
Skelton, a 2009 Second Team All-Patriot League selection, wrapped up a record-shattering career for the Rams this fall, closing out the year completing 284 of 441 passes (64.4%) for 3,708 yards and 26 touchdowns. He set new school marks for completions and passing yards, breaking Kevin Eakin's former school records of 247 completions for 3,072 yards set in 2003 as well as breaking Steve O'Hare's completion percentage record of 63.1% set in 1997. Skelton led the NCAA FCS in passing yards/game (337.09) and was ranked second in total offense (348.18 yards/game), fourth in completions per game (25.82) and total passing yards and tenth in passing efficiency (149.95).
Skelton threw for over 300 yards eight times in eleven games this year, including four 400-yard games. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 420 yards and five touchdowns against Cornell on October 17th, breaking the school record of 413 passing yards set by Joe Moorhead in 1995 and coming up one shy of the school record for scoring passes of six, set by Kevin Eakin in 2003. Skelton then broke his own record two weeks later, completing 43 of 67 passes for 427 yards, all school records, against Holy Cross on October 31st. He finished one passing attempt shy of the NCAA FCS record for most pass attempts in a game without an interception, just missing the national mark of 68 set by Marshall's Tony Petersen against Western Carolina in 1987 (Peterson completed 34). Skelton surpassed his own school record of 420 passing yards in a game while breaking Matt Georgia's 1999 records of 36 completions and 65 attempts.
Following the season, Skelton was selected to play in the prestigious East-West Shrine game in January and he received an invitation to the NFL Combine.
Over his career, Skelton completed 802 passes for 9,923 yards and 69 touchdowns, all school marks. He shattered Joe Moorhead's career completions record of 518 while also surpassing Eakin's career marks for passing yards (6,112) and touchdowns (45).
Special thanks to AZCardinals.com for pieces of information used in this story.
