Mike Kafka Michael John " Mike " Kafka ( born July 25 , 1987 ) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft . He played college football at Northwestern . Kafka attended St . Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago , Illinois , where he played both football and baseball . Kafka led St . Rita Cascia to three conference championships . He ended his high school football career with 1 , 816 total yards and 16 touchdowns . After his senior season , he moved on to Northwestern University where he redshirted in 2005 . In his first collegiate appearance , Kafka threw a 19 - yard touchdown pass against Miami . Against Bowling Green , Kafka suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out until the Ohio State game . In 2007 , Kafka was the backup to C . J . Bachér and played in only two games . Despite being the backup quarterback again in 2008 , Kafka threw for 330 yards and finished second on the team in rushing yards with 321 . Following Bachér ' s graduation after the 2008 season , Kafka became the starter for 2009 . Against Syracuse he set the school record for most consecutive pass completions with 16 . In the same game , he became the first Big Ten Conference player to score a passing , receiving , and rushing touchdown since Zack Mills from Penn State in 2004 . He was named Big Ten Co - Offensive Player of the Week for his performance . Kafka received second - team All - Big Ten honors in 2009 . In the 2010 Outback Bowl against Auburn , Kafka set the all - time bowl record with 47 completions and 78 passing attempts . He set Northwestern and Outback Bowl records with 532 passing yards and an Outback Bowl record with five interceptions . During his career at Northwestern , Kafka threw for 4 , 265 yards with a completion percentage of 64 . 1 % , 19 touchdowns and 20 interceptions . He rushed for 891 yards and 11 touchdowns on 268 carries , and caught a pass for 24 yards and a touchdown . Kafka spent two seasons as a member of the Eagles . Early years . Kafka was born on July 25 , 1987 , in Chicago , Illinois , to Michael and Sandra Kafka . He attended St . Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago where he played football ( coached by Todd Kuska ) and baseball . He was the team captain for both teams . In football , he led the Mustangs to three conference championships and had a career record of 35 – 8 . As a senior in 2004 , Kafka completed 75 of 129 passes . In the season - opener against Homewood - Flossmoor High School , Kafka went up against H - F ' s quarterback Freddie Barnes and won the game , 52 – 28 . Against Mt . Carmel High School , he ran for 164 yards and passed for 126 yards . Kafka passed for 1 , 004 yards and 10 touchdown s in 2004 . He ran for 806 yards with a 5 . 6 yards per carry average , and five touchdowns on 144 carries . His career stats at St . Rita were 1 , 816 total offensive yards and 16 touchdowns . Kafka made the school ' s Silver Honor Roll all four years of high school and was an Academic All - State . He was an All - area selection by " Tom Lemming ' s Prep Football Report " and was an honorable mention all - state selection . " SuperPrep " named him All - Midwest Region and Rivals . com placed him on the Top 25 dual - threat quarterbacks list . " SuperPrep " ranked him 25th among players from Illinois at all positions and 50th nationally among quarterbacks . He was ranked 20th in Illinois by Rivals . com and 25th nationally among dual - threat quarterbacks . Kafka was named Team Offensive MVP and Catholic Metro Blue Offensive MVP . He was an honorable mention all - area honoree by " Chicago Sun - Times " and " Daily Southtown " . Kafka committed to Northwestern University on December 10 , 2004 . He also received offers from Florida Atlantic University , the University of Pittsburgh and Stanford University . College career . 2005 season . During the 2005 season , his first year , Kafka redshirted in order for him to learn the Northwestern Wildcats ' offensive system . 2006 season . In his Northwestern career debut on September 1 versus Miami University , Kafka threw for 106 yards and one touchdown on 13 completions out of 17 attempts . His first touchdown was a 19 - yard pass to running back Tyrell Sutton . He led all players with 89 yards rushing on 17 rushing attempts . His passer rating for that game was 148 . 26 as Northwestern went on to win 21 – 3 . Against New Hampshire on September 9 , Kafka went 19 – 32 and threw for 173 yards along with one interception and a fumble . He rushed for 42 yards . The Wildcats ended up losing the game , 34 – 17 . He played the first half of the game against Eastern Michigan and rushed for 33 yards with a 6 . 6 yards per run average , along with his first career rushing touchdown , a 6 - yard run . He passed for 76 yards and completed 10 out of 18 passes with an interception . Days before Northwestern faced Nevada , coach Pat Fitzgerald confirmed that Kafka would remain the starter despite his prior performanaces . In the game , Kafka ran for a career - high 111 yards , which included a 13 - yard touchdown rush , and averaged 9 . 2 yards per rush . He passed for 122 yards , completing 9 out of 21 passes and three interceptions . His 111 yards rushing were the most by a Northwestern quarterback since Zak Kustok ran for 111 yards in a November 21 , 2001 game versus Bowling Green . Kafka suffered a hamstring injury during the game , which kept him out of the next three games of the season . Kafka made his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury against Ohio State , in which he passed for 17 yards and completed four out of eight passes . He averaged −4 . 0 yards per carry . 2007 season . In 2007 , Kafka was a backup and only played in two games , where he passed for 11 yards on two completions and rushed for eight yards . 2008 season . Kafka entered the 2008 season as a backup quarterback behind C . J . Bachér . Against Syracuse , Kafka entered the game in the fourth quarter and rushed twice for 18 yards , which included an 11 - yard run . Against Southern Illinois , he threw two passes and completed one for one yard and rushed for three yards . He played in the final series at Indiana and completed a pass , which went for nine yards . Starting in place of the injured Bachér for the game against Minnesota , Kafka ran for 217 yards on 27 attempts , which included a 53 - yard run , and passed for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 12 completions out of 16 throws . His 217 rushing yards set a school and Big Ten Conference record for quarterback rushing yards in a game . The Big Ten record was later beaten in 2010 by Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson on September 11 , 2010 . Kafka began the game by completing his first eight throws , which included a 36 - yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Ebert . He was named the team ' s offensive player of the week after that game , along with being named the Big Ten Co - Offensive Player of the Week . Kafka earned an ESPN College Gameday Helmet Sticker and was named an AT & T All - America Player of the Week candidate . The next week , Kafka started in his second straight game against Ohio State , and passed for 177 yards while completing 18 out of 27 throws . He ran for 83 yards and a touchdown on 29 attempts . He ran for 300 yards in his two starts against Ohio State , which is the most by a Northwestern quarterback in successive contests . He was named the team ' s offensive big playmaker for the game . Against Michigan , he entered the game in Northwestern ' s second series on offense and rushed for 20 yards on three carries before he was forced to leave the game after suffering a concussion . He ran for one yard on three carries against Illinois . Kafka passed for 330 yards during the season along with two touchdowns on 32 completions and 46 total attempts . He finished second on the team in rushing with 321 yards . 2009 season . Kafka entered his senior season as Northwestern ' s starting quarterback after C . J . Bachér graduated . He was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list , along with 19 other players nationally , with two others in the Big Ten Conference . Texas quarterback Colt McCoy eventually won the award . In the offseason , he was tutored by offensive coordinator Mick McCall and former Northwestern quarterback Brett Basanez . Kafka was named co - captain for the 2009 season . At home against Towson on September 5 to start the 2009 season , Kafka threw for 192 yards on 15 completions of 20 attempts . He ran for six yards on six carries . Against Eastern Michigan at home on September 12 , he threw for 158 yards and one interception on 14 completions out of 24 attempts . He ran for 21 yards on five runs . During the Syracuse game , Kafka set a school record for consecutive completions in a game with 16 , breaking the 47 - year - old record set by Tom Myers in 1962 . He set a career - high in passing yards in a game by passing for 390 yards . His previous career - high was 192 yards in a game against Towson in the 2009 season opener . Kafka also ran for a three - yard touchdown and threw three touchdown passes along with an interception . He caught a receiving touchdown when he tossed a lateral to Andrew Brewer who threw it back to Kafka for a 24 - yard touchdown . Kafka became the first Big Ten Conference player to score at least one passing , receiving and rushing touchdown in a game since Zack Mills from Penn State accomplished it on September 4 , 2004 against Akron . Kafka finished the game with 35 completions on 42 attempts . He was named Big Ten Co - Offensive Player of the Week on September 20 for his performance against Syracuse . Kafka passed for 309 yards , two touchdowns and an interception against Minnesota . He took four sacks and during a desperation drive to win the game , fumbled the football , which helped end the game . In the Purdue game , Kafka went 28 - of - 44 and threw for 224 yards . He rushed for a season - high 39 yards on 18 carries and ran for the game - winning two - yard touchdown . After leading after the touchdown 25 – 21 , Kafka threw a successful two - point conversion pass to Drake Dunsmore to increase the lead by six to win the game after Purdue failed to score on the final drive of the game . Kafka went 15 completions of 31 attempts for 191 yards and one interception to lead Northwestern to a 16 – 6 win over Miami ( OH ) . He was the leading rusher for Northwestern , rushing for 53 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns . In the 24 – 14 loss at Michigan State on October 17 , Kafka went 34 - for - 47 and threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns . He was the leading rusher for the second straight week for Northwestern , rushing for 42 yards on 18 carries . In a come - from - behind win against Indiana , the Wildcats trailed 28 – 3 during the second quarter before Kafka ran for a one - yard touchdown and later passed for two touchdowns to lead Northwestern to a 29 – 28 win . The Wildcats overcame a 25 - point deficit , which was the biggest comeback in school history . He went 26 - of - 46 and passed for 312 yards , along with two touchdowns and a career - tying three interceptions . He rushed for 65 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown . Kafka totaled 377 yards of total offense , which is second - best in his career . Against 12th ranked Penn State , Kafka went 14 - for - 18 and passed for 128 yards , along with rushing for 42 yards on eight carries and a touchdown before leaving the game with a leg injury during the second quarter . He was replaced by Dan Persa . Kafka shared time at quarterback with Persa due to his strained hamstring on November 7 against the 4th - ranked , and previously undefeated , Iowa Hawkeyes . Northwestern coming into the game was a 16 - point underdog , but still beat Iowa 17 – 10 in Northwestern ’ s first win over a nationally - ranked top - ten team since they won against Ohio State in 2004 . Persa had to leave the game early to receive X - rays for a hand injury , which forced Kafka to play more than original planned . He finished as Northwestern ’ s leading passer with 72 yards on ten completions . Against Illinois on November 14 , Kafka threw for 305 yards and went 23 - of - 37 , along with a 28 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Zeke Markshausen . He rushed seven times for 12 yards and a one - yard touchdown to beat the Fighting Illini 21 – 16 . Kafka threw for 300 or more yards for the fourth time this season . Against 16th - ranked Wisconsin on November 21 , Kafka went 26 - of - 40 for 326 yards and two touchdowns , both to converted wide receiver Andrew Brewer . He rushed for 17 yards on seven carries to upset the Badgers with a 33 – 31 win . Kafka threw for 300 or more yards for the fifth time this season and for the second straight game . He was named Big Ten Co - Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Wisconsin . Kafka ranked third in the Big Ten Conference in passing yards with 241 . 5 passing yards per game and he ranked second in total offense . He finished the season tied for first in the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with seven . His 65 . 7 completion percentage for 2009 ranked first in the Big Ten . His 414 pass attempts ranked third in the Big Ten and eighth among all quarterbacks nationally . Kafka was named second - team All - Big Ten following the 2009 season . He was named first - team All - Big Ten by " Rivals . com " . He finished fourth in the " Chicago Tribune ' s " Silver Football voting , given out to the Big Ten ' s Most Valuable Player , behind Brandon Graham , Daryll Clark and John Clay . Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese said of Kafka that he " has the three qualities I look for . One , he ' s a good decision - maker , he knows when to throw the ball away . Two , he ' s accurate . Three , he makes plays . This is where Kafka really jumps out . If he has a playmaker downfield , he gets the ball to him . " Kafka graduated from Northwestern in December . In the 2010 Outback Bowl against Auburn on January 1 , Kafka set the all - time bowl record with 47 completions and 78 passing attempts . He set Northwestern and Outback Bowl records with 532 passing yards , a career - high . He set an Outback Bowl record with five interceptions . He tied the Outback Bowl record with four touchdown passes . His 98 plays and 566 total yards were also Outback Bowl records . He threw four touchdown passes in the 38 - 35 loss that went to overtime , with two going to Andrew Brewer ( 39 and 35 yards ) , one to Drake Dunsmore for 66 yards , and one to Sidney Stewart for 18 yards . He finished second in rushing for Northwestern with 20 carries for 34 yards and a two - yard touchdown . He was named to " ESPN . com " ' s All - Big Ten Bowl team as an honorable mention . Kafka was named Northwestern ' s Most Valuable Player on offense following the season . Kafka led the Big Ten in passing yards with 3 , 430 yards , total offense with 286 . 8 yards per game , completions with 24 . 5 per game , and fewest interceptions with 2 . 44 of all passes being intercepted . He was seventh nationally in completions , 16th in passing yards and 12th in total offensive yards . His 3 , 430 passing yards are third - most in school history . His 3 , 729 total offensive yards are second - most in school history . In the 2010 East – West Shrine Game on January 23 , Kafka started at quarterback for the East squad and , despite a slow start , led the East squad to a comeback victory . On the final drive of the game , Kafka threw a two - yard touchdown pass to Penn State tight end Andrew Quarless to win the game for the East squad , 13 – 10 . After the game , Kafka was named Offensive MVP after he went 18 - of - 27 , passed for 150 yards and threw the winning touchdown pass . Statistics . Source : His win / loss ratio for his career as the starting quarterback for Northwestern was 11 – 8 . He finished his career as the third all - time leading quarterback rusher at Northwestern with 887 yards rushing , and as the eighth all - time leading passer with 4 , 265 yards passing . Professional career . Pre - draft . Prior to the 2010 NFL Draft , Kafka was projected to be drafted in the sixth round by NFLDraftScout . com and as high as the fourth round . He was rated as the eleventh - best quarterback in the draft . Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald said at the time that 85 NFL scouts , general managers and personnel directors who watched film or came to see a game or a practice said about Kafka was that he " throws a lot better than our No . 3 [ quarterback ] does right now . " Fitzgerald also said that he would be " shocked " if Kafka was not drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft . After the Outback Bowl loss to Auburn on January 1 , in which Kafka threw 78 passes for 532 yards , Fitzgerald said , " I hope the NFL sees the same thing that I see , a man with a big - time arm . " An NFL general manager said at the 2010 Senior Bowl that Kafka could be drafted as high as the third round . Kafka was invited to the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis , which started on February 24 , along with teammates Corey Wootton and Sherrick McManis . Kafka chose Mike McCartney of Priority Sports of Chicago as his agent , who also represents Wootton . Priority hired former Chicago Bears quarterback Erik Kramer and a trainer in Phoenix , Arizona to help Kafka prepare for the NFL Scouting Combine . To prepare for the Combine , Kafka worked out twice a day in Arizona , and held practice sessions with Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate . At the Combine , Kafka said , " I want to be an NFL starter . I ' m not going to the league to be a No . 2 . I think my whole game can go to another level . I ' m ready to take it up another notch . " Kafka chose not to bench press at the NFL Combine . On February 28 , Kafka answered 35 out of the 50 questions on the Wonderlic test , and was " 99 percent sure " that he answered all 35 correctly . Draft analyst Mike Mayock said that Kafka was " a developmental guy " who should stay on a team ' s practice squad for a year . Kafka had some of the best measurements in the vertical jump , broad jump , 60 - yard shuttle , and three - cone drill among all quarterbacks . At Northwestern ' s Pro Day on March 11 , Kafka passed to his former teammates Andrew Brewer and Zeke Markshausen , and , according to Gil Brandt , only missed one pass during the entire workout . 25 NFL teams attended the workout , including the Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese and the Arizona Cardinals quarterback coach Chris Miller . Northwestern held its second Pro Day workout on March 29 . He passed to his former teammates Brewer , Markshausen , and Brendan Mitchell during the workout . He was reportedly not as accurate on the second Pro Day as he was on the first , but still " very accurate . " 24 NFL team representatives attended the Pro Day . Kafka worked out for the Cincinnati Bengals , Cleveland Browns , New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders prior to the draft . Mike Mayock called Kafka the " sleeper " of the quarterback class , projecting him to be drafted in the sixth round . Mayock also said , " He ' s a really smart kid . Has a better arm than people think . I don ' t even think he ' s sleeping anymore . He was a month - and - a - half ago , but he ' s on the rise . He ' s a kid who could surprise people at the end of the day . " Former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski concurred , saying that Kafka " knows how to play the quarterback position . There ' s a real feel for hitting the open receiver , good anticipation . I can see him being one of those sleeper type guys . " A scout before the draft said that Kafka " throws a lot of picks , but at least he ' s willing to pull the trigger . You don ' t see that from a lot of young kids . " Philadelphia Eagles . 2010 . Kafka was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round ( 122nd overall ) in the 2010 NFL Draft . He was the fifth quarterback taken in the draft , behind Sam Bradford ( 1st overall ) , Tim Tebow ( 25th overall ) , Jimmy Clausen ( 48th overall ) and Colt McCoy ( 85th overall ) . Kafka was expected to be the team ' s third - string quarterback behind Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick . Eagles head coach Andy Reid said of Kafka , " I think once you meet him , I think you ' ll see he ' s a smart guy . He has some of the intangible things - the leadership , he ' s a tough kid . Inner city , Chicago kid . He ' s got a little grit to him . I think that ' s important . You have to be wired right to handle you guys and play in the city of Philadelphia . I think he ' s wired right . He likes to compete . " Kafka was signed to a four - year contract worth $ 2 . 256 million with $ 467 , 000 guaranteed on June 15 , 2010 . In the final practice of rookie and selected veterans training camp on July 29 , Kafka took all the snaps at quarterback after Kolb and Vick got practice off . After practice , offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said Kafka was " the best rookie that I ' ve ever had in 15 , 16 , 17 years or something like that . So , he ' s really sharp . Now , he ' s sharp book - wise , but he ' s also very intelligent in a football sense . He ' s really picked [ the playbook ] up very quickly . " In the first preseason game on August 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars , Kafka went 3 - for - 7 for 76 yards and threw a 57 - yard pass to wide receiver Chad Hall after taking over for Vick late in the third quarter . Kafka began the second preseason game on August 20 against the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth quarter . He went 4 - for - 12 for 29 yards and two interceptions ( both to cornerback Morgan Trent ) with a passer rating of 2 . 4 . He also had one carry for 24 yards . On August 27 against the Kansas City Chiefs , Kafka came into the game in the fourth quarter and went 9 - for - 13 for 93 yards and one touchdown . He led the Eagles on the winning drive with an 18 - yard touchdown pass to Riley Cooper with 23 seconds left in the game to win , 20 – 17 . In the final preseason game on September 2 , Kafka replaced Vick during the second quarter and played for almost three quarters . He went 9 - for - 27 for 76 yards and an interception against the New York Jets . During the 2010 regular season and playoffs , Kafka was inactive as the team ' s third quarterback for all but five games . In week two Kafka was the backup to Vick against the Detroit Lions after Kolb suffered a concussion in week one against the Green Bay Packers . In week five against the San Francisco 49ers , week six against the Atlanta Falcons and week seven against the Tennessee Titans , Kafka was the backup to Kolb after Vick , who took over as the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season , suffered a rib injury in week four against the Washington Redskins . In the week seventeen game against the Dallas Cowboys , Kafka was the backup quarterback to Kolb in a decision to rest Vick and the team ' s starters before the playoffs . Kafka said of his rookie year that he " learned a lot about football . I learned a lot about being a professional , especially being around [ Vick ] and [ Kolb ] . Those guys have been great mentors , and obviously the coaching staff that I have has been really great as far as developing me to learn the west coast system . " 2011 . Following the 2010 season , Kafka said that his goal for the 2011 offseason was to " continue to learn the offense . I haven ' t mastered it by any means , the more study and preparation I can get the better . Physically , I can work on my feet , my arm strength , and my timing and rhythm . There ' s a bunch of things I can work on , and I ' m really excited to get to it . " Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said Kafka is the hardest working player in the NFL , but needs to get bigger and stronger . The Eagles reportedly received trade offers from other teams for Kafka prior to the 2011 NFL Draft but declined due to his potential . Kafka , in response , laughed and did not believe the rumors . Because of the NFL lockout , Kafka and his teammates organized informal workouts in Marlton , New Jersey . After one of the workout sessions , Vick said Kafka was " ready for " the backup role and would embrace it should Kolb leave after the lifting of the lockout . Kolb was traded to the Arizona Cardinals on July 28 following the lifting of the NFL lockout , and Kafka was temporarily elevated to the backup behind Vick before the Eagles signed former Tennessee Titan Vince Young on July 29 . Kafka took second - team reps at the start of training camp , but on the first official depth chart that was released on August 9 , Kafka was listed as the third - stringer behind Young . Against the Baltimore Ravens in the preseason opener on August 11 , Kafka replaced Young at quarterback during the second quarter and played into the fourth quarter . He went 13 - of - 19 for 132 yards with one interception thrown to Ravens safety Bernard Pollard in the game . In the second week of the preseason on August 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers , Kafka entered the game in the fourth quarter and led the Eagles to two scoring drives in a 24 – 14 loss . With less than four minutes remaining in the game , he threw a 14 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gerald Jones , and with only 19 seconds left on the following drive , threw a second touchdown pass to Jones for seven yards . He finished the game going 14 - for - 19 for 160 yards along with the two scores . Kafka played in garbage time in the next preseason game against the Cleveland Browns , handing the ball off twice and kneeling down twice . Against the New York Jets in the preseason finale , he filled in for the injured Young , who started the game , to start the third quarter . Kafka had the wind knocked out of him on a sack , but was able to play the rest of the game despite a rib contusion . He finished the game 7 - for - 11 for 76 yards and one interception . He went 34 - for - 49 for 369 yards , two touchdowns , and two interceptions in the preseason overall . 2012 . To start training camp , Kafka was listed as the team ' s number two quarterback , expected to easily overtake rookie third round pick Nick Foles and the free agent Trent Edwards . In the preseason , Kafka played in the second quarter in game one , but he broke his non - throwing hand . He was benched for the rest of the preseason , and finished with a quarterback rating of 23 . 1 , with zero touchdowns and one interception . On August 29 , the Eagles announced that Foles would be the backup quarterback , leaving Kafka and Edwards fighting for the team ' s third string position . On August 31 , Kafka was released during final roster cuts . New England Patriots . The New England Patriots signed Kafka to a reserve / future contract on January 4 , 2013 . He was released on June 10 , 2013 , as the team signed Tim Tebow . Jacksonville Jaguars . The Jacksonville Jaguars claimed Kafka off waivers on June 11 , 2013 , one day after his release by the Patriots . He was released on August 30 , 2013 . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Kafka signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on February 10 , 2014 . Personal . Kafka majored in communication studies at Northwestern University . Mike ' s brother , Jason , is a pitcher for the independent Windy City ThunderBolts and attended St . Rita of Cascia High School . Both Kafkas were recruited by Ken Margerum , who is now an assistant at San Jose State . Kafka worked as an instructor at former Northwestern teammate Brett Basanez ' s prep quarterback development camps in Woodbury , Minnesota and Minnetonka , Minnesota , in mid - 2011 . Kafka worked at a Pop Warner Football passing camp , Three5Seven , with former Northwestern teammate Chris Malleo in July 2011 .