The Jacksonville Jaguars today signed quarterback Will Furrer to their active roster to replace quarterback Jamie Martin. Furrer, 30, is a sixth-year veteran who played most recently with the St. Louis Rams. Martin was placed on injured reserve today after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Sunday against the Tennessee Oilers. Furrer and Martin were teammates with the NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals in 1995 and in the St. Louis Rams' training camp in 1997.
Furrer, 6-3 and 215 pounds, was with five different teams in his first five NFL seasons. His career began as a fourth-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears in 1992 out of Virginia Tech. He played in two games with one start for the Bears in his rookie season and then spent time with Arizona (1993), Denver ('94), Houston ('95) and St. Louis ('97).
Furrer has played in nine NFL games, starting two. He has completed 57 of 124 passes for 572 yards with two touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In college he broke Virginia Tech's passing records, completing 494 of 920 passes for 43 touchdowns to eclipse the previous records set by Don Strock. A native of Danville, Pa., Furrer grew up in Pullman, Wash., where he was a high school teammate with former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Timm Rosenbach. Furrer spent the entire 1997 season with the Rams, but he did not play in any games while backing up Tony Banks and Mark Rypien.
Martin started Sunday's game in place of injured quarterback Mark Brunell. It was Martin's first start in an NFL game, and he completed six of 11 passes for 71 yards before being injured at the end of the first half. In four appearances this season, Martin completed 27 of 45 passes for 355 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Along with Martin, safety Tawambi Settles was also placed on injured reserve today with a torn ACL. Like Martin, Settles suffered his injury in Sunday's game against Tennessee. Settles played in seven games for the Jaguars this season after being signed from the Green Bay Packers' practice squad on Oct. 28.
In addition, offensive lineman Brock Gutierrez was signed from the Jaguars' practice squad to the Cincinnati Bengals' active roster today. With today's moves, the Jaguars have one roster spot available on their active roster, as well as one opening on their practice squad.
