NFL: 25 Most Surprising Pro Bowl Picks This Century

NFL: 25 Most Surprising Pro Bowl Picks This Century: 19. 2008 Jeff Garcia

When you think of Jeff Garcia, the positive thoughts usually don’t seep into 2007, right? He was pretty good taking over for Steve Young after taking the San Francisco 49ers job. After he left the Bay Area, he had a very strange career. He played for four other NFL franchises. He never spent more than two years in one city after leaving San Francisco. However, he always got a starter job.

Garcia joined the NFL at 29 years old, so his career had an expiration date from the start. However, he was always the veteran teams wanted in the room. Whether he was signed as a starter or as a backup, he always found his way on the field.

The situation that sent Jeff Garcia to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a strange one. The Bucs traded for Jake Plummer. He immediately retired. It took the Bucs one day to recover. They signed a 37-year-old quarterback to compete with Chris Simms for the starting job. He ended up winning the job, and he had a good season. He threw for 2,400 yards and 13 touchdowns with just four interceptions over 13 games. Again, his season was good, but would someone expect that to be considered one of the three or four best quarterbacks in the NFC?

Either way, Garcia was able to represent the Buccaneers at the Pro Bowl. He took them to the playoffs, a feat they didn’t repeat until another old man came through free agency in 2020. Garcia still had one major bullet in his arm, and he used it to build on the Bucs legacy and give Jon Gruden one last good season.