Kevin O ' Connell ( American football ) Kevin William O ' Connell ( born May 25 , 1985 ) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft . He played college football at San Diego State . O ' Connell has also been a member of the Detroit Lions , Miami Dolphins , New York Jets , and San Diego Chargers . Early years . The son of a former FBI agent , O ' Connell spent his childhood years in Carlsbad , California , where he attended La Costa Canyon High School . At La Costa Canyon , O ' Connell lettered in both football and basketball . In football , as a junior , he passed for 980 yards and seven touchdowns . As a senior , he was named his Team ' s Most Valuable Player , and selected to All - League , All - North County , and All - San Diego teams . In basketball , he was a two - year letterman , and a teammate of Arizona standout Chase Budinger . O ' Connell graduated from La Costa Canyon in 2003 . College career . O ' Connell graduated from San Diego State University in December 2007 with a degree in political science . At SDSU , where he was a four - year team captain , he started 21 games , the sixth - most among SDSU quarterbacks , and ranked first in school history in career rushing yards and second in career rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks ; in 2007 he led the team in rushing yards . Passing , he ranked tenth in yardage , eighth in attempts , and seventh in completions . O ' Connell played in both the 2008 Hula Bowl and the 2008 East - West Shrine Game . He was the Kai team quarterback in the 2008 Hula Bowl , where he led the offense and was one of the Kai team ' s only bright spots . He was 11 - of - 21 for 147 yards , and completed the pass which resulted in the Kai ' s only score of the game . Professional career . Pre - draft . Just prior to being drafted , San Diego sports writer Nick Canepa described O ' Connell as having : At the 2008 NFL Combine , O ' Connell ran the 40 - yard dash in 4 . 61 seconds ; only University of San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson had a faster time . New England Patriots . The New England Patriots selected O ' Connell with their third pick ( 94th overall ) of the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft O ' Connell rushed for a touchdown in the 2008 preseason against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter , in a game the Patriots eventually lost 19 - 14 . He made his NFL debut on September 21 , 2008 in the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins , throwing his first four career passes and completing three . O ' Connell was waived by the Patriots on August 30 , 2009 , two days after a preseason game in which starting quarterback Tom Brady was injured , and , in the second half , O ' Connell threw two interception s and only threw 3 completions on 10 attempts . The Patriots gave no explanation for releasing O ' Connell , who was in competition with veteran quarterback Andrew Walter , signed after his release from the Oakland Raiders , and undrafted free agent rookie Brian Hoyer of Michigan State . Detroit Lions . O ' Connell was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions on September 1 , 2009 . He was traded on September 6 . New York Jets . The Lions traded O ' Connell to the New York Jets , for a 7th round 2011 draft pick , on September 6 , 2009 . He was named a team captain for the September 20 game against the New England Patriots . On August 31 , 2010 , New York would release O ' Connell . Following his departure , O ' Connell found that had a torn labrum in his throwing arm , an injury he sustained during the preseason . The injury will require surgery . Following his release , the New York Jets re - signed O ' Connell to a two year deal . He has been placed on the injured reserve list . He was later released again on July 29 , 2011 . Miami Dolphins . On August 5 , 2011 , O ' Connell signed with the Miami Dolphins , but was waived on September 3 . Second stint with the Jets . O ' Connell was claimed off waivers by the Jets on September 4 , 2011 . San Diego Chargers . O ' Connell was signed by the San Diego Chargers on July 29 , 2012 to serve as an emergency back - up in the Chargers ' practices with Charlie Whitehurst suffering an injury and Kyle Boller announcing his retirement from the league . He was released on August 12 , 2012 .