Jeff Mathews

Jeffrey Kyle Mathews (born August 25, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for four seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Cornell Big Red, ranking among the top 20 quarterbacks in passing yardage in Division I FCS history. He surpassed the Cornell record for total passing yards by more than 2,000 yards and ended his collegiate career as the holder of 47 Cornell and 18 Ivy League conference records. After going undrafted in the 2014 NFL draft, Mathews spent the summer with the Atlanta Falcons, and was a practice squad member of the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals. He moved north to the CFL, playing two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and a season each with the Toronto Argonauts and the Montreal Alouettes.

Early life Jeff Mathews was born August 25, 1991, in Camarillo, California, the son of Shellie and Jeff Mathews. His parents divorced when he was young and Mathews was raised by his father in Colorado, and California, with his mother and older sister living in Florida. Mathews' sister Katie was paralyzed in an automobile accident in May 2006 when the car in which she was a passenger flipped when the driver swerved abruptly to avoid missing a freeway exit. During his high school football career, Mathews led the ACHS Scorpions' junior varsity football team to a 9–1 record in the 2007 season. Mathews was named Ventura County Player of the Year as a Senior in honor of his accomplishments.

A two-sport athlete, the 6'4" Mathews also started at forward on the ACHS varsity basketball team, Although he dreamed of starting at quarterback for the University of Notre Dame,

Collegiate career Mathews did not receive a scholarship to play football for Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, part of the Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA), as no Ivy League school gives athletic scholarships. At Cornell, injuries thrust him into the role of starting quarterback at halftime of the first game of his Freshman season. Following the season Mathews was named to the College Sports Journal FCS All-America team and received the additional honor of becoming only the fifth player in Cornell school history invited to participate in the East–West Shrine Game, serving as captain of the East squad. note = All values from NFL Combine

NFL As a prominent player of a marquee position from the Eastern media market who was on the bubble of being drafted into the National Football League, Mathews' draft saga was chronicled in a three part series in the New York Post by sports journalist Brian Costello. Although the career passing leader at Cornell University, Mathews was not regarded as a top professional prospect coming from the NFL scouting combine, with speculation pegging Mathews anywhere from a 5th round draft selection to undrafted. While Mathews' strong throwing arm was admired, scouts expressed misgivings about the former Big Red QB's footwork and general lack of athleticism — problematic in the lightning fast professional game.

Not selected in the 2014 NFL draft, Mathews was immediately signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Falcons and attended that team's 2014 training camp. This camp was documented by HBO Sports and NFL Films as part of their annual documentary series Hard Knocks, with the team's August 24, 2014, decision to release Mathews featuring prominently in the storyline of the series' penultimate 4th episode.

On September 1, 2014, Mathews signed with the Indianapolis Colts, joining their ten-member practice squad, but was subsequently released on September 9, 2014. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals on December 15, 2014.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats On January 20, 2015, Mathews signed a contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Kent Austin, the head coach of the Tiger-Cats, was Mathews' head coach at Cornell University for three seasons from 2010 through 2012. He scored his first touchdown on July 2, 2015, against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. On July 26, 2015, he jumped over the Saskatchewan Roughriders late in the 4th quarter to score the winning touchdown in an eventual 31–21 victory. He capped off a Labour Day Classic drubbing of the Argos by scoring from the one yard line on September 7, 2015. After an injury to starting quarterback Zach Collaros, Mathews became the Tiger-Cats' starter in October 2015. On October 9, 2015, he threw his first CFL touchdown to former Cornell teammate Luke Tasker.

Toronto Argonauts On February 14, 2017, Mathews signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL as a free agent. He made his first start with the Argonauts in Week 8 when starting quarterback Ricky Ray went down with a shoulder injury. Mathews completed 8 of 12 passes for only 67 yards before being replaced at half-time by Cody Fajardo. He won a Grey Cup in his only season with the team. Mathews was released by the Argos on May 16, 2018.

Montreal Alouettes Mathews signed with the Alouettes on June 12, 2018. Nearing the end of the 2018 season Mathews signed a one-year contract extension with the Alouettes on October 28, 2018. He was released following final roster cuts prior to the 2019 season.