Report: Former Packers QB Graham Harrell Agrees to Deal With New York Jets
Former Packers QB Graham Harrell has reportedly agreed to a deal with the New York Jets.
By Zach Kruse
The NFL career of former Green Bay Packers quarterback Graham Harrell will have at least one more stop.
According to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, the New York Jets agreed to a deal Tuesday night with Harrell, who the Packers cut last Saturday.
Exclusive to @FOXSports: Former @Packers QB Graham Harrell agreed to contract terms with @NYJets, according to a source. Reporting on Weds
— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) August 28, 2013
Harrell completed 23 of 42 passes for 169 yards (4.0 yards per attempt) and an interception (54.6 passer rating) over three preseason games this August. The Packers moved on from their 2012 backup last weekend, just one day after Harrell struggled with the first team offense against the Seattle Seahawks. Meanwhile, Vince Young impressed while operating with the reserves.
As Aaron Rodgers' backup last season, Harrell appeared in four games, completing two of four passes for 20 yards. He also lost a fumble on his first ever NFL snap against the New Orleans Saints during a botched handoff.
While Harrell was well-versed in the Packers offense, his knowledge in the system rarely translated to live-game settings. Even his tangible improvements in Green Bay couldn't overcome his overriding deficiencies in arm strength and mobility.
The Jets, who are dealing with injuries to Mark Sanchez (shoulder) and Greg McElroy (ankle), will likely use Harrell as filler for the preseason finale. New York currently has second-round pick Geno Smith, Sanchez, McElroy and Matt Simms on the quarterback depth chart.
Zach Kruse is a 25-year-old sports writer who contributes to Cheesehead TV, Bleacher Report and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He also covered prep sports for the Dunn Co. News. You can reach him on Twitter @zachkruse2 or by email at [email protected].
Comments (41)
August 27, 2013 at 11:32 pm
Good for him. Hope he does well there. He certainly has the ability to play better than the crap they have now.
August 27, 2013 at 11:50 pm
oh god. what a mess
August 28, 2013 at 12:24 pm
yeah, enjoy hearing about this for the duration of the season!
August 28, 2013 at 12:00 am
well, if Young tosses four or five InTS that I expect he will and BJ falls down again, the packers can pick graham back up after the last preseason game.
August 28, 2013 at 09:10 am
Against KC????? What world are you living in?
August 28, 2013 at 09:03 pm
KC actually has a pretty good D, granted likely none of their strs will be playing.
August 28, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Unless VY and BJ go down with season ending injuries, the Packers are done signing QBs this year.
August 28, 2013 at 12:04 am
Harrel is much better than people think. He was a victim of bad drops on a few drives mainly by Finley and D.J. Williams. If they catch those passes he looks much better this preseason. I was rooting for Harrel but no doubt Young beat him out and he should be our no. 2 this season. Remember people that Harrel had a perfect qb rating in last years preseason game, a GB record.
Half Harrel's battle in my opinion happened before he even took a snap. He had a bad last name (people think of Justin Harrel) and he had bad body language. People looked at him smiling after a bad drive or wincing like he was a little boy with hemmhorroids. He didn't "look" like a confident quarterback. He needs to change his demeanor quickly or NY will eat him alive. I do wish him well. He can't be any worse than what the Jets currently have.
August 28, 2013 at 12:29 am
Preseason Quarterback A is much better than people think. He was a victim of bad drops on a few drives mainly by Receiver X and Receiver Y. If they catch those passes he looks much better this preseason.
Can't wait til the regular season.
August 28, 2013 at 01:17 am
"Harrel is much better than people think."
To say Graham had a noodle arm would be an insult to Top Ramen. Dude blows, good riddance.
August 28, 2013 at 09:04 pm
Touché, to you good sir.
August 28, 2013 at 07:09 am
You think TT cut him because of his last name and his body language? I don't know, I heard it was his bad breath. Either way, TT surely couldn't have based his decision on performance.
August 28, 2013 at 09:12 am
They didn't downgrade him for dropped passes. They sent him packing because he isn't a pro-grade QB and had hit his ceiling. He doesn't have the arm strength of mobility to be a quality backup QB.
August 28, 2013 at 09:17 am
Yeah...I definitely thought of Justin Harrell whenever people brought up Graham, and I hated him for it...because I have an IQ of 12.
August 28, 2013 at 12:22 pm
I hate his face!
August 28, 2013 at 12:47 pm
You see? Alot of people were judging him based on his last name being Harrel. Alot of people in Packerland are still bitter with TT about Justin Harrel and Graham Harrel became their punching bag. When I say this I am talking on a subconscious level. Alot of you don't even realize you are doing it but you are.
It's no different than these assholes still claiming how bad Jarret Bush is and constantly saying bad things about him even though he's been a pro bowl level special teams guy the past several years. He's also a victim of having a last name "Bush" that half the country hate because they hate George Bush.
If Graham Harrel was Graham Obama I am pretty sure he would still be here and all the fans in WI would love him.
August 28, 2013 at 12:51 pm
This is a joke...right?
August 28, 2013 at 01:03 pm
Seriously, wtf?
August 28, 2013 at 08:42 pm
Mmmm, tasty attempt at pseudopsychology; thanks for the input Sigmund Fraud.
August 28, 2013 at 09:05 pm
I am now dumber for having read this "analysis"; didn't think that was possible.
August 28, 2013 at 12:10 am
Young by all accounts has looked pretty miserable in practice. He had one good drive in one preseason game. I get tired of hearing how he 'beat out' Harrell.. Young is the better athlete, but i am holding off making a call on his QB skills until this week. One or two missed catches last week would have ended up in another score and continued drives for Harrell. I think the coaches liked him, but TT however seems infatuated with Young.
August 28, 2013 at 12:32 am
I don't think he did "beat out" Harrell. Harrell, sadly, just never rose to the occassion.
Young won by default. I don't think anyone is really sold on him, but he's a proven commodity. He's proved he can play in the NFL with some level of success. Harrell never did.
August 28, 2013 at 09:14 am
I think what VY was able to prove was that in cases where the offense wasn't able to produce and the play broke down, he was able to make something out of the play with his feet. Harrell was never going to do that.
August 28, 2013 at 09:08 pm
The only drop Harrell had was the one by Finley, unless you count balls thrown 5 yards OB as drops, then he had like 5.
He was cut because be can't throw the ball accurately more than 15 yards downfield, and he has less mobility than a sloth with 2 broken legs.
August 28, 2013 at 01:14 am
Aaaahaha! Fuggin Rex, damn, that boat is sure taking on some water. The Jets... Aaaahaha!
August 28, 2013 at 08:50 pm
Too bad the boat got a gastric bypass, sure gonna keep a lot fewer people afloat than in years past.
August 28, 2013 at 01:35 am
Hahahahahahaha god the jets are a joke. I'm sorryGH that you have to go from a great coach to a moron that I wouldnt let walk my dog. Foot fetish....Sanchez tat what a joke.....
August 28, 2013 at 09:15 am
I'd let Rex be my Def. Coord. That's something he's good at. He's a pathetic HC though.
August 28, 2013 at 08:52 pm
Sure, just like his brother is supposedly. At this point I wouldn't trust Rex Ryan to operate the microwave at Burger King.
August 28, 2013 at 01:49 am
Mr. Harrell will not run out of the end zone unintentionally, that we know. Should be enough to annoint him the next Jet's starter.
August 28, 2013 at 12:23 pm
And Rex's next tattoo!
August 28, 2013 at 08:59 pm
He won't throw 3 picks in a half either, kinda hard to do when you thro the ball at someone's feet or OB half the time. He will, however, haphazardly chuck the ball with impunity at RBs kneecaps whilst tripping over his own 2 feet. Then again that sure beats out a Butt-Fumbler and the reincarnation of Vince Young, wait a second...
August 28, 2013 at 07:29 am
Wow Harrell must have really upset the Football Gods...the Jets!
So the Vikings are not the only ones that love x-Packers, we need to add the Jets.
August 28, 2013 at 08:54 pm
*cough* Brett Favre *hack, gasp*
August 28, 2013 at 09:54 am
Every time I read something about the Jets, I consider myself VERY, VERY lucky to have good, solid people in important places in the Packers organization.
August 28, 2013 at 02:31 pm
5 QBs and no clear starter among them heading into week 4 of the preseason.
Not a good place to be for an NFL club. Maybe they can run a QB-by-committee offense this year. How many defenses are prepared for the dreaded 5-QB set?
August 28, 2013 at 08:49 pm
Haha, and people are worried about the Packers' backup QB position. My perspective is we have MM and Aaron Rodgers instead of Rex Ryan, Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez, and a handful o Gus who couldn't unseat Mark Sanchez, and now Graham Harrell. Thank GOD we're not Jets fans.
August 28, 2013 at 09:41 pm
*handful of guys
August 28, 2013 at 09:00 pm
Here, here!
August 28, 2013 at 11:22 am
Poor Garda
August 28, 2013 at 11:33 pm
Backup QB is WAY down on my list of concerns for the Packers. C'mon! we're all counting on Rodgers to play the full season. God help us if he misses 2+ games: Young, Coleman or Harrell notwithstanding. Each one of them sucks in his own unique way.