Top 10 NFL players who got their start in the CFL
5. Jeff Garcia
Garcia is one of multiple quarterbacks on this list, and another guy who many didn鈥檛 think was cut out for the NFL. Coming out of San Jose State where he was a dual-threat quarterback who racked up over 7,000 total yards in his Spartans career, Garcia went undrafted. That led him to the CFL where he signed on with the Calgary Stampeders for the 1994 season. Garcia began his CFL career as a backup to Doug Flutie. However, he finally got his chance after Flutie was injured in 1995, throwing for a team-record 546 yards and six touchdowns in just his second start. As Flutie moved on in 1996, Garcia took over the full-time starting role for the Stampeders, producing some strong seasons. None was better than 1998 in which Garcia was a CFL All-Star and led Calgary to a Grey Cup victory, a game in which he was also named MVP.
Following the 1998 CFL season, Garcia entered the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers as a backup to legendary quarterback Steve Young. Again, Garcia would earn an opportunity through injury, as Young was concussed early in the 1999 season. While Garcia would see middling results that first year, he became a Pro Bowl quarterback in San Francisco the following three seasons, throwing for 3,300 or more yards each campaign. From there, Garcia would bounce around in the league with the Browns, Lions and Eagles before regaining his Pro Bowl form in 2007 with the Buccaneers. Garcia鈥檚 tremendous football career concluded with brief stints with the Raiders, again in Philadelphia, and with the Texans.
FLASHBACK TO LABOUR DAY 1995: Jeff Garcia replaces Doug Flutie at QB and passes for six touchdowns and 546 yards to lead CFL's Calgary Stampeders to a convincing 51-26 victory over Edmonton Eskimos.
— Daryl Slade (@Stampeders1945)
