Kyle Lauletta

Kyle James Lauletta (born March 17, 1995) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Richmond Spiders and was selected by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He was also a member of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars. He also played in the United States Football League (USFL) for the Pittsburgh Maulers and New Jersey Generals.

Early life Lauletta attended the East campus of Downingtown High School in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, and was the starting quarterback for the Cougars football team for his last two years. He came from a family of football players; his father Joe and uncle Lex played quarterback and punter for Navy, respectively, and two of his brothers have also been quarterbacks for Downingtown East. In his first start, he threw for 400 yards and ran for two touchdowns against the defending state champions. He also played lacrosse. Despite his accolades in high school, an off-season injury and bad luck largely prevented any premium Football Bowl Subdivision schools from recruiting Lauletta, and he eventually chose to attend Richmond.

College career Lauletta played at Richmond from 2013 to 2017. He tore his ACL in 2016 on a quarterback scramble after leading Richmond to an 8–2 record at the time, but recovered and played all games in 2017, his best statistical season. Lauletta was invited to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl, in which he threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns and was named the game's MVP.

Professional career

New York Giants Lauletta was selected by the New York Giants in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft. The pick used to acquire him was traded from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for Jason Pierre-Paul.

On October 30, 2018, Lauletta was arrested in Weehawken, New Jersey, after being pulled over in his Jaguar on the way to Giants team practice. He was charged with eluding police, a third-degree crime; obstructing administration of law and resisting arrest, motor vehicle charges for reckless driving, disregarding an officer's directions, an improper turn in a marked traffic lane and failure to remain in a marked lane. Lauletta had previously been charged with reckless driving in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 2017, and found guilty of failure to obey a highway sign.

Lauletta made his first NFL appearance on December 9 in relief of Eli Manning in a 40–16 victory against the Washington Redskins. He threw five incompletions and an interception to Mason Foster in the fourth quarter, for a passer rating of 0.0. He appeared in one other game, Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys as a blocker, in the 2018 season.

Lauletta was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.

Philadelphia Eagles Lauletta signed with the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles on September 1, 2019. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on January 6, 2020. He was waived on August 17, 2020.

Atlanta Falcons Lauletta was signed by the Atlanta Falcons on September 2, 2020. Three days later on September 5, 2020, Lauletta was waived by the Falcons and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on September 22, 2020.

Cleveland Browns (first stint) On October 16, 2020, Lauletta was signed to the Cleveland Browns' practice squad. He was signed to a reserve/futures contract by the Browns on January 18, 2021. Lauletta was waived by the Browns on August 31, 2021.

Jacksonville Jaguars On September 2, 2021, Lauletta was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad.

Cleveland Browns (second stint) On December 17, 2021, Lauletta was signed off the Jaguars' practice squad to the Browns' active roster. He was waived by the Browns on January 4, 2022.

Pittsburgh Maulers On February 22, 2022, Lauletta was drafted by the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League (USFL) in the 1st round with the seventh pick of the 2022 USFL draft. He was released on May 25, 2022.

New Jersey Generals On May 25, 2022, Lauletta was claimed off waivers by the New Jersey Generals. He was released on June 9, 2023.

Lauletta announced his retirement on September 7, 2023.

Career statistics

Professional Year Team League Games Passing Rushing 2018 NYG NFL 2 0 0 5 0.0 0 0.0 0 1 0.0 1 -2 -2.0 0 2022 PIT USFL 4 2 31 63 49.2 270 4.3 0 0 60.9 3 18 6.0 0

College Season Team GP Passing Rushing Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg Lng TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD 2013 Richmond 3 16 21 76.2 108 5.1 17 2 0 150.8 3 8 2.7 0 2015 Richmond 14 241 391 61.6 3,598 9.2 79 19 15 147.3 78 116 1.5 7 2016 Richmond 11 220 349 63.0 3,022 8.7 66 24 8 153.9 49 −28 −0.6 1 2017 Richmond 11 281 433 64.9 3,737 8.6 93 28 12 153.2 68 90 1.3 4 Career 39 758 1,194 63.5 10,465 8.8 93 73 35 151.4 198 186 0.9 12