Smallcollege QB looks to beat long odds with 49ers
Some rookie NFL quarterbacks use part of their signing bonus to buy a new car or a house.
Broc Rutter isn’t one of those QBs.
He’s thinking of spending the entire bonus he received from the 49ers on smallerticket stuff.
“I’ll probably buy my family a nice meal, or maybe get some golf clubs,” said Rutter, who went undrafted. “Something like that. Actually, that probably won’t buy a new set of golf clubs.”
He’s right. Rutter received a $279 signing bonus, which is $23,999,721 less than that of the No. 1 pick, Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow, and might be an unofficial modernday NFL record for small sums.
It’s OK to laugh. Rutter was a good sport earlier this week when he explained his baby bonus. He originally agreed to a contract that included no bonus, but the 49ers thought of Rutter when they had a little less than $300 left over in their undraftedrookie signing pool. Rutter hasn’t spent it yet. He won’t get his check until after he takes his physical this summer when he reports for training camp.
“It’s kind of funny,” Rutter said. “My agent loves to tell the story. I’m just grateful for the opportunity. There is no price on this opportunity.”
Rutter hasn’t struck it rich, but he’s not complaining. That’s because he spent most of his college career assuming he wouldn’t realize his childhood dream of landing in the NFL.
Rutter played at North Central College, a Division III school of about 3,000 in his hometown of Naperville, Ill., that’s not known as a pipeline to the pros. Three NCC players have appeared in a regularseason NFL game and the last, in 1987, was a replacement player during that season’s strike.
However, Rutter, who transferred to NCC after a redshirt season at Indiana State, demanded NFL attention in a career stuffed with video gamelike stats and team success.
Rutter, 6foot2 and 204 pounds, set the D3 record for career passing yards (14,256) and last year won the Gagliardi Trophy, given to D3’s best player, while leading the Cardinals to a 141 record and the program’s first national championship. He threw for 4,591 yards with 56 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2019 to cap a fouryear career in which the Cardinals went 456 in his starts.
In January, he was the only D3 player who played in the Hula Bowl. He completed 3 of 4 passes and threw a 28yard touchdown pass in his lone drive at the allstar game for NFL prospects.
He has spent part of his offseason training with former NFL QB Sage Rosenfels in Denver. And he’s now back in his suburban Chicago hometown and getting in onfield work with a group that includes NFL tight ends Cameron Brate and James O’Shaughnessy, who are also from Naperville.
The 49ers were among a group of about eight teams in contact with Rutter before the draft.
“The 49ers were the team I’d talked to the most before the draft and throughout my whole senior season,” Rutter said. “I felt like it was a perfect fit for me. … I was just looking for the best opportunity and didn’t really care who gave me the biggest signing bonus or most guaranteed money. I just wanted to be in a place that gave me a chance to succeed.”
Rutter believes he can develop best under head coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff, who oversee an offense suited for dropback QBs. He pointed to another smallschool QB, Jimmy Garoppolo, from Eastern Illinois, as an inspiration. Garoppolo grew up in Arlington Heights, Ill., about 30 miles from Rutter’s hometown.
“I’ve been able to learn so much from him just in the short time we’ve had meetings together,” Rutter said. “He’s been a great teammate to me.”
Rutter is a long shot to make the 53man roster, although he could land on the practice squad. He’d presumably have to beat out thirdstringer C.J. Beathard, a 2017 thirdround pick who has spent three seasons with the 49ers and made 10 career starts.
Meanwhile, Rutter won’t get his first onfield work until training camp in late July because the coronavirus pandemic has wiped out offseason practices.
He understands few expect him to stick around beyond this summer. Last year, 11 of the 1,696 players who survived the NFL’s final roster cuts had played at a D3 college. That group didn’t include a QB.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity and, quite honestly, that’s all I needed,” Rutter said. “A lot of the circumstances are kind of going against me. And kind of my whole life, I’ve loved that chipontheshoulder mentality, going against all odds.
“Not a lot of guys get to go from a Division III school to the NFL. So I know the chips are stacked against me. But I’m most comfortable when my back is against the wall and I’ve got to go fight for a spot. I’m super excited to go attack this opportunity and make the most of it.”