What Happened To Matt Schaub? (Complete Story)

 

To many fans of football, Matt Schaub is known for his time as a Houston Texan.

Others know him from his spectacular performance in college at the University of Virginia.

After 17 long years in the NFL, Schaub has been involved with football for most of his adult life, and many stories have come from the veteran’s long career in the NFL.

Matt Schaub pic.twitter.com/3BDCej2CBl

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) May 2, 2022

This article aims to explore and tell the story of one of the best quarterbacks in Houston Texan’s short history.

 

Early Life

Matthew Schaub was born on June 25, 1981, in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Despite being born in Pittsburgh, Matt’s parents, Dale and Debbie Schaub moved him and his sister, Lindsay, to West Chester, where they grew up.

Once Schaub was in High School, his athletic ability began to shine through.

Schaub played three sports at West Chester East High School, including basketball, baseball, and football.

He lettered in all three sports in high school but was the best at football from early on in high school.

Schaub became the starting quarterback as a sophomore and by his junior year was the top-rated quarterback in the state of Pennsylvania.

With 101 completions for 1,397 yards and 12 touchdowns, Schaub was a standout player at his school and in the state.

While Schaub was a spectacular athlete on the field in high school, his off the field performances in school were also impressive.

Schaub maintained a 3.85 GPA throughout high school, as well as scored a 1200 on the SAT exam.

After a tremendous high school career, Schaub was on his way to play D1 football in college and pave the way for his future success in the NFL.

 

College Days

 

Schaub started his college journey in 1999 when he enrolled at the University of Virginia.

Despite being on the team for the 1999 season, Schaub was redshirted his true freshmen year, maintaining his four years of eligibility, which he would take full advantage of.

In the following season, the 2000 season, the starting quarterback for the Cavaliers, Dan Ellis, missed some game time due to injuries but was replaced mainly by Bryson Spinner.

Schaub received little to no playing time during the 2000 season, only completing 7 passes out of 8, with 1 interception.

The 2001 season showed more hope for Schaub in terms of playing time, but head coach Al Groh decided on a split playing time strategy for the quarterback position between Schaub and Spinner.

Both quarterbacks performed well, and Schaub managed to throw 140 completions for 1,524 yards and 10 touchdowns during the 2001 season.

However, after the 2001 season, Schaub was in top form during his college years.

Spinner transferred to the University of Richmond, making Schaub the obvious candidate for the starting quarterback position.

However, at the beginning of the season, redshirt freshmen Marques Hagans started for the first game of the 2002 season.

Hagans was also named the starter for the second game but was replaced by Schaub for that game.

After that, Schaub was the starter for the rest of the games and had his best season ever in his college years.

Schaub had an impressive 288 completions for 2,976 yards and a whopping 28 touchdowns.

His outstanding performance during the 2002 season led the Virginia Cavaliers to a 9-5 record, and a bowl game victory for the first time since 1995 for the Cavaliers.

After winning the Continental Tire Bowl 48-22 against West Virginia, Schaub received many accolades for his performance during the 2002 season.

Schaub was named the 2002 ACC Player of the Year and the 2002 ACC Offensive-Player of the Year.

With the outstanding performance in the 2002 season, Schaub was listed as a potential Heisman candidate at the beginning of the 2003 season.

The 2003 season started rough for Schaub, as he suffered a shoulder injury in the first game of the season.

After missing a few games due to the injury, Schaub came back and still delivered well for his team, despite the statistics being lower than his junior season.

With 281 completions for 2,952 yards and 18 touchdowns, Schaub received less praise and admiration at the end of the 2003 season, despite achieving similar achievements.

Schaub also led his team to another bowl game victory in the Continental Tire Bowl, beating Pitt, 23-16.

Schaub was named the MVP for the Continental Tire Bowl and was also selected to the All-ACC Academic Football Team.

While Schaub received many accolades from his conference, he also won multiple team awards including the John Acree Memorial trophy, given to the player with the highest qualities of leadership, and the Ben Wilson Award, given to the most outstanding offensive player.

Schaub had an impressive run at Virginia, setting around 20 school records for football.

He is also still known as one of the most accurate passers to ever play in the ACC, with a .670 career completion percentage in his college football days.

Despite having an impressive last couple of seasons for the Cavaliers, Schaub was entering one of the most star-studded NFL drafts in history at the quarterback position.

 

Early Career In The NFL

 

Schaub was selected with the 90th overall pick in the NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

Despite being a third-round draft pick, Schaub was chosen fifth out of seventeen quarterbacks that were drafted in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Some of the more notable quarterbacks to be selected above Schaub were Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger.

Schaub started his NFL career in the 2004 season as a backup to Michael Vick.

Despite being a backup quarterback, Schaub played in 6 games and even started the week sixteen game when Michael Vick was injured.

Schaub threw 4 interceptions and only 1 touchdown on 33 completions, making a rough start in his NFL career.

At the start of the 2005 season, however, Schaub had the opportunity to play in a preseason game taking place in Tokyo, Japan.

This international game was part of the NFL’s plan to make American Football become a more internationally appreciated sport.

In front of 45,203 fans in the Tokyo Dome, Schaub put on a show, passing for 2 touchdowns and receiving the MVP of the game honor.

However, the remainder of the 2005 season was just another year of being a holder for field goals and extra points.

The 2006 season wasn’t much different, as Schaub got limited playing time and remained the holder for field goals and extra points.

With Michael Vick being the star quarterback for Schaub’s entire time as a Falcon, he never got utilized in a starting position.

This all changed, as Schaub was traded to the Houston Texans for a couple of second-round draft picks.

David Carr had been the starter at Houston, but the Texans decided to release him at the same time they acquired Schaub, leaving the door wide open for Schaub to get his first taste of starting in the NFL.

The 2007 season started well for Schaub.

In his first two starts, he managed to achieve a passer rating of over 100 for each of the games and secure two victories for his new team.

With the Texans team as a franchise being so young, joining the NFL in 2002, Schaub brought Houston their first two-win start to a season in franchise history.

While Schaub dealt with injuries throughout the 2007 season, his efforts and that of his backup, Sage Rosenfels, the quarterbacks were able to secure an 8-8 record on the year.

This would be the first time in Texans’ history they had a .500 record.

While injuries would always affect Schaub during his career in the NFL, Schaub was diligent in playing as well as he could whenever he got a chance to step on the field.

Schaub was named the starter for the 2008 season for the Texans but started off the season with back to back rough losses to the Steelers and Titans.

Random Amazing QB Performances: Day 2

Week 11, 2012: Texans QB Matt Schaub

▪️43-55
▪️527 yards
▪️5 TDs, 2 INTs
▪️Second most passing yards in a game in history

Chad Henne also threw for 354 yards and 4 TDs. Andre Johnson and Justin Blackmon had over 200 yards a piece. pic.twitter.com/rpu5eCil0I

— Jarrett Bailey (@JBaileyNFL) April 11, 2022

In week 6 of the 2008 season, Schaub set the franchise record for passing yards in a game with his 379 passing yards in the Texans’ win over the Miami Dolphins.

To secure the win in their week 6 victory, Schaub scored the winning touchdown on a quarterback sneak with 3 seconds left to win the game.

Injuries struck again, and Schaub was out for around 4 weeks in the middle of the season, replaced by Rosenfels.

The 2008 season ended with another 8-8 record for the Texans, with Schaub showing out in quite a few games throughout the season.

These spectacular performances throughout the 2008 season were just a prologue to the statistics Schaub would display in the 2009 season.

The 2009 season marked the first time Schaub started all 16 games of a season.

With injuries not being a factor during the 2009 season, Schaub was free to show the NFL and the world what he was capable of.

Schaub started the season off with a bang in his week two performance against the Tennessee Titans.

With 357 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, Schaub led the Texans to a nerve racking 34-31 victory.

Schaub continued playing well and leading the Texans to win after win.

The Texans ended the season going 9-7, the first winning record in franchise history.

Despite the winning record, the Texans missed playoff contention.

Schaub’s statistical performance, however, enabled him to be selected for the 2009 Pro Bowl, as a replacement for Tom Brady.

Schaub led the league in many passing categories during the 2009 season, including passing yards (4,770), completions (396), yards per game (298), and passing attempts (583).

The 2009 season was the best statistical season Schaub would have in his entire 17-season career.

After their performance during the 2009 season, the Texan’s fans and supporters had high hopes for the team.

Unfortunately, the Texans went 6-10 during the 2010 season, even with Schaub starting in all 16 games.

While injuries had become obsolete for Schaub during the past few seasons, they weren’t gone for good.

The 2011 Texans started off the season on fire.

With Schaub under center, the Texans went 7-3 in their first 10 games of the season.

This was the best start to a season in franchise history, and all was looking up until Schaub suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot.

Schaub was placed on injury reserve and left to watch his team go 3-3 for the rest of the season.

However, due to Schaub’s outstanding performance during the beginning of the season, the Texans clinched their first-ever playoff position in franchise history.

Schaub’s backup quarterback, T.J. Yates, led the team to a 31-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the playoffs.

However, the Texans lost in the divisional round to the Baltimore Ravens 13-20.

This playoff berth showed Schaub and the Texan’s program that they could make the playoff and perform well as a team.

With the outstanding performances from Adrian Foster, the Texans were ready to reach their potential as a team.

Schaub was entering his final year in the contract that he signed with the Texans back in 2007.

However, after a decisive victory over the Miami Dolphins in the season opener, Schaub signed a contract extension worth $62 million for four years.

The 2012 season started well, with the passing game of Schaub and the running game of Foster being a one-two punch to opposing defenses.

The most notable game of the 2012 season for Schaub and the Texans was in week 11 when the Texans matched up against the Jaguars.

Schaub threw for 527 yards and 5 touchdown passes during their overtime victory.

Both of these statistics were career-high for the Texan quarterback and his 527 passing yards tied for second in NFL history for passing yards in a game.

With their 43-37 victory over the Jags, Schaub maintained that momentum to win another overtime game against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.

During their week 12 matchup against the Lions, Schaub was kicked in the groin by defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh on an unsportsmanlike call.

The Texans went on to win the game 34-31 in overtime, and after the game, Schaub commented how he would never want to play on the same team as Suh.

After a tremendous season, the Texans ended the regular season 12-4, the best record in franchise history.

After making the playoffs for the second year in a row, the Texans were matched up once again against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Unfortunately for the Bengals, history repeated itself, and the Texans won the Wild Card Playoff game 19-13.

The Texans moved on to face the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round, but lost once again in the divisional playoff round, losing 28-41.

After the conclusion of the Texan’s playoff run, Schaub and 8 other Texans were selected for the 2013 Pro Bowl.

Schaub’s 2013 Pro Bowl appearance was the second and last Pro Bowl he attended in his 17-year career.

After his outstanding performance during the 2012 season, Schaub would never play a full season, nor perform as well for the remainder of his career.

Despite having 7 more seasons in the league, Schaub never fully regained the potential that he had during the middle of his career.

 

End Of NFL Career

 

The beginning of the 2013 season showed tremendous potential for Schaub and the Texans.

During the 2013 NFL Draft, the Texans selected Deandre Hopkins, a future Pro Bowler at the wide receiver position and consider to be one of the top wide receivers in the league.

With this new addition to Schaub’s arsenal of players on offense, the Texans were ready for their season opener against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football.

The game did not start well for the Texans initially, trailing 28-7 in the third quarter.

However, Schaub led the largest comeback in Texans’ franchise history, leading his team to a 31-28 victory and throwing for nearly 350 yards.

Following this incredible comeback, the Texans were faced with a similar situation the next week.

Schaub was able to lead the team to a comeback victory in overtime over the Titans, 30-24.

Despite this incredible start to the 2013 season, it all went downhill after that for Schaub.

The next three games involved humiliating losses, as well as 3 consecutive games with a pick-six for Schaub.

Schaub then suffered an injury in the 6th game of the season, leaving him on the bench and replaced by T. J. Yates.

Despite the injury healing for Schaub, he was kept on the bench, with the Texans starting Case Keenum over him.

It wasn’t till Keenum got injured during week 15 that Schaub came back to the starting lineup for the Texans.

Schaub started the remaining two games of the season, however, the Texans ended the season going 2-14, a long fall from their 12-4 record in 2012.

After a train wreck of a season for Schaub in 2013, the Texans were looking for a new starting quarterback and entertained offers to trade Schaub.

On March 21, 2014, Schaub was traded to the Oakland Raiders for a sixth-round draft pick.

Schaub’s time in Oakland did not last very long, as the 10-year veteran was immediately placed as the backup quarterback for rookie Derek Carr.

During the Raider’s game against the Cleveland Browns in week 8, Schaub attempted his first pass in a Raider’s uniform.

The pass attempt happened due to a botched field goal that placed Schaub in a position to throw the ball to try and make something out of nothing.

Unfortunately, his first attempt as a Raider was an interception.

With almost no playing time or action on the field in the quarterback position, the Raiders released Schaub nearly one year after they traded for him, on March 16, 2015.

Schaub didn’t stay on the market for long, however, around 2 weeks later, Schaub signed with the Baltimore Ravens to be a backup quarterback behind Joe Flacco.

Joe Flacco started the majority of the season, but during the Raven’s Week 11 game against the Rams, Flacco tore his ACL and MCL in a season-ending injury.

Schaub was named the starter and performed decently well in his first two starts for the Ravens, winning the first game and barely losing the second.

However, after the two starts, Schaub struggled with a chest injury and was replaced by third-string quarterback Jimmy Clausen for the remainder of the season.

Schaub ended his one-year contract with the Ravens with 52 completions for 540 passing yards and 3 touchdowns.

After the conclusion of the 2015 season, Schaub was back on the marketplace, but not looking to retire quite yet.

Schaub signed with the Atlanta Falcons, the team who drafted him, to a one-year $2,750,000 contract to be a backup for Matt Ryan.

While Schaub got no playing time as a quarterback that season, he was a part of the Super Bowl run that the Falcons made during the 2016 season.

While this was the only Super Bowl Schaub ever made it to, the eventual comeback of the New England Patriots, down 28-3 in the third quarter, shattered Schaub’s hopes of getting a Super Bowl Ring.

After the 2016 season had ended, Schaub signed a two-year extension with the Falcons but did not see any playing time the entire 2017 season.

The 2018 season saw a little playing time, but only as a relief quarterback for Ryan.

During the 2019 season, Schaub started his first game in a Falcon’s uniform since 2005, due to Ryan being inactive with an injury that week.

Schaub put on a show, despite losing to the Seahawks 27-20.

Schaub threw for 460 passing yards on 39 completions.

Schaub’s 460 passing yards were the second-highest passing yards in a game in Falcon’s franchise history.

Similarly, Schaub’s 39 completions set a new franchise record for the Falcons.

Schaub stayed with the Falcons during the 2020 season but didn’t get any playing time.

Finally, after 17 seasons in the NFL, the Falcons owner, Arthur Blank announced to the world that Matt Schaub was retiring from professional football.

After shaping the Texans franchise into a winning NFL team and returning to Atlanta to finish where he started, Schaub lived a long and momentous NFL career.

Even to this day, many of Schaub’s franchise records still stand in Houston, showing the true impact Schaub had on that team.

 

After The NFL

 

With Schaub only retiring a couple of years ago, the life of retirement is still fresh to him.

Schaub replaced the gridiron with daily chores and spending time with his family.

Schaub and his wife, Laurie, and their 4 kids, Monroe, Makayla, Mackenzie, and James Matthew, just recently left Georgia and sold their mansion to move back to Pennsylvania.

With football in the rearview mirror and a 17-year career in the NFL behind him, Schaub looks forward to his retirement and spending time with his family.

With Schaub’s retirement having been so short so far, nobody knows if Schaub will return to the world of football as an analyst or commentator.

For now, Schaub can soak in the luxuries of retirement and look forward to his life after football, knowing he left behind a legacy that few Houston football fans will ever forget.

 

References:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SchaMa00.htm

https://wiki.projecttopics.org/28129-matt-schaub-bio-net-worth-and-family-life/index.html

https://www.nfl.com/news/falcons-qb-former-texans-standout-matt-schaub-retiring

https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/ex-falcons-qb-matt-schaub-easing-into-retirement/AHJO6Y3K2FAALIS3ZBGW52MS5M/

https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/is-matt-schaub-headed-to-the-tv-booth-qb-on-what-life-after-football-might-look