Veteran free agent quarterback Matt Leinart has signed with the Oakland Raiders, the team announced Tuesday. Leinart has played in 31 games with 18 starts since entering the league as the 10th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
The Santa Ana, Calif., native played the past two seasons with the Houston Texans, seeing action in two games with one start last year before suffering a season-ending injury. Prior to joining the Texans, he played in 29 games with 17 starts in four seasons with the Cardinals. In his rookie season, Leinart started 11 games and completed 214-of-377 passes for 2,547 yards and 11 touchdowns.
In six professional seasons, Leinart has completed 350-of-608 pass attempts for 3,950 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The 6-foot-5, 227-pound Leinart was a three-time All-American and one of the most decorated quarterbacks in college football history at USC. He posted a 37-2 record as a starter during his college career, recording the second-highest winning percentage (.949) in NCAA history among quarterbacks with at least 25 starts.
Leinart led the Trojans to the BCS national championship and received the Heisman Trophy in 2004, joining former USC teammate and current Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer as a recipient of the Heisman.
Leinart joins a prestigious list of former Heisman Trophy winners to appear on the roster of the Silver and Black. The list: Billy Cannon (1959), Jim Plunkett (1970), Marcus Allen (1981), Bo Jackson (1985), Tim Brown (1987), Andre Ware (1989), Desmond Howard (1991), Rashaan Salaam (1994), Charles Woodson (1997) and Palmer (2002).
