Trades Ten Years Later - Matt Schaub from Houston to Oakland
You'll want to familiarize yourself with the term "pick six."
The Names: Oakland Raiders receive: Matt Schaub. Houston Texans receive: 2014 6th round pick (#181, Alfred Blue).
The Team Context: Rich Gannon was awesome from 1999 through 2002 as quarterback for the Oakland Raiders. In that last year, he won an MVP award and led the Raiders to a Super Bowl appearance. But he was 37 years old by then and the wheels came off quickly — after finishing 11-5 in their AFC Championship season, the Raiders fell to 4-12 in 2003 and finished with five or fewer wins in all but two seasons over the next decade. The two outliers were 8-8 finishes in 2010 and 2011 that managed to sniff respectability. But as a general matter, the Raiders were not smelling respectable. The team was a revolving door of coaches and quarterbacks, with six head coaches and seven leading passers in the 2004-2013 (inclusive) decade. Note that I didn’t say “seven starting quarterbacks,” I said “seven leading passers,” as in the passing yard leader for the season. Four players had one season as the Raiders’ leading passer (Andrew Walter in 2006, Daunte Culpepper in 2007, Jason Campbell in 2010, and Terrelle Pryor in 2013) while three guys managed to defend their title in a second consecutive season (Kerry Collins from 2004-05, Carson Palmer from 2011-12, and notorious draft bust Jamarcus Russell from 2008-09). That list of names is often even worse than it sounds; Daunte Culpepper’s team-leading season consisted of 1,331 passing yards due to injuries, with Josh McCown sneaking into second with 1,151 yards of his own.
While the team was clearly bad, they were also in a rare period of moderate stability. Reggie McKenzie had been hired as general manager in January 2012 and hired a head coach of his choosing in Dennis Allen. While the first season was seen as a write-off given how comprehensively awful the Raiders’ prior team-building had been, continued stickiness in 2013 was less well-received. In particular, Allen’s continued swapping of Terrelle Pryor and undrafted rookie Matt McGloin suggested a lack of clear vision from Allen and offensive coordinator Greg Olson. The time had come to find a real quarterback and start winning.
The Player Context: On March 22, 2007, the Houston Texans held a press conference to announce their new starting quarterback, Matt Schaub. The next day, the Texans announced that they had released David Carr. When the Texans formed as an expansion franchise ahead of the 2002 season, they made Carr their first overall pick and franchise quarterback. That didn’t really work out well for anybody; Carr was sacked more than any quarterback in the NFL and the team didn’t have a winning record for any of his five seasons as the starter.
Prior to his arrival in Houston, Matt Schaub had a bizarre posture in the NFL that not many guys have replicated. Schaub was a star quarterback for the University of Virginia before he was drafted in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons had an entrenched young quarterback in former Virginia Tech star Michael Vick, so there was no realistic pathway to Schaub starting in Atlanta. But he had been a well-regarded draft prospect and continued to impress in limited opportunities. Schaub even won the MVP Award at the 2005 American Bowl in Tokyo, a preseason game that occurred 12 times in the 16 years leading up to 2005 but has not been repeated since. Here he is with the swords he won:
After three years in Atlanta, Schaub became a restricted free agent. While the Falcons still had the contractual right to match an offer sheet from another team, it made more sense to send Schaub somewhere where he could finally get a chance to start. Houston turned out to be the place, with the Texans sending two second-round picks and agreeing to swap first-round picks (#8 and #10) with the Falcons in exchange for Schaub.
The timing could not have been worse for Atlanta. Over the next few months, search warrants were executed at Michael Vick’s home in Newport News that revealed his substantial involvement in a large dogfighting ring. Just before the 2007 season began, he entered a guilty plea on federal dogfighting conspiracy charges and spent the next two NFL seasons in some form of incarceration. The Falcons went from two starting quarterbacks to zero and played Joey Harrington at the position for most of 2007. Vick never played for the team again.
Meanwhile, Schaub took over in Houston and led the team to its first ever .500 season in 2007. He checked off an impressive set of achievements, from the franchise’s first winning season in 2009 to its first playoff appearance in 2011 (though a Lisfranc injury caused Schaub to miss the actual playoffs) to a 12-4 season in 2012 that is still the best record in Texans history. On the way, Schaub put up consistent and occasionally gaudy numbers, leading the NFL in passing yards with 4,770 in 2009 (his first of two Pro Bowl seasons). He left everything on the field, sometimes literally, like when he lost part of his ear while being sacked in 2012 and then returned to the game after missing just one play. Schaub set every meaningful franchise passing record during his time with the Texans (it wasn’t a very old franchise) and still holds most of them (still isn’t very old).
Entering the 2013 season, the Texans had high expectations and an appropriate sense of urgency. Schaub had just turned 32 along with franchise legend Andre Johnson. While the past few years of playing Competitive Football were a great change of pace from the prior years of playing Texans Football, Houston fans wanted to win playoff games and seriously contend for the Super Bowl. Fans making game-by-game predictions saw the Texans finishing 2013 with a repeat of 2012’s 12-4 record, and journalists making aggregate predictions saw the team finishing even better at 13-3. In particular, it was framed as a make-or-break season for Schaub, who needed to step up and lead the franchise to playoff success.
The 2013 season started out strong in Houston, with a 31-28 win over the Chargers in week one (a game in which the Texans had initially trailed 28-7) and an overtime 30-24 win over the Titans in week two. But that second game featured a tough lowlight for Schaub where Titans defensive back Alterraun Verner intercepted Schaub’s 3rd and 21 pass and returned it 23 yards to score a touchdown. The next week, the Texans lost 30-9 to the Ravens, with Baltimore’s go-ahead score coming on a painful lowlight for Schaub where Ravens linebacker Daryl Smith intercepted Schaub’s 1st and 10 pass and returned it 31 yards to score a touchdown. The next week, the Texans lost 23-20 in overtime to the Seahawks, which featured a heartbreaking lowlight for Schaub where Richard Sherman intercepted Schaub’s 3rd and 4 pass and returned it 58 yards for the game-tying touchdown. Things completely went off the rails in week five’s 34-3 loss to the 49ers, which started on a brutal lowlight for Schaub where Tramaine Brock intercepted Schaub’s first pass of the game and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown. Unsurprisingly, a fourth consecutive week with a pick-six set a new NFL record and equally unsurprisingly, neither Schaub nor the 2013 Texans ever recovered. The Texans lost every game for the remainder of the season and finished 2-14 (which is just like finishing 12-4 if you move some numbers around).
Schaub broke his pick-six streak in a week six loss to the St. Louis Rams, where he arguably escaped on a technicality as an ankle injury forced him out of the game in the third quarter. The home fans in Houston responded to this development by cheering Schaub’s injury as he laid on the turf unable to stand, earning them fierce rebukes from other Texans players and a swift karmic reward later that game, when Schaub replacement T.J. Yates threw an interception that Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree returned 98 yards for a touchdown. Schaub sort of had his job taken by former Houston Cougars star Case Keenum even as he returned from ankle injury; Keenum wasn’t exactly playing well either, but he had clear advantages over Schaub in that he was a young guy from the local university and he hadn’t thrown pick-sixes in four consecutive weeks. When Keenum continued losing every single game, Schaub regained his starting job at the end of the year, but the bridges had been burned. As the season came to a close on a 14-game losing streak, the Texans were suddenly looking at a first overall draft pick and an awful team that would owe $14 million to a quarterback they didn’t want to play if Schaub stayed on the roster.
The Trade: Schaub’s relationship with Houston had entered a unique realm of toxicity. His play had cratered so suddenly and so dramatically that keeping him around and giving him away for nothing were both equally unpalatable options. Amid rumors that Schaub may be cut, the Texans held firm in seeking a trade. The Raiders were highly interested in Schaub and identified him as their top quarterback target, but played hardball of their own as they insisted that there was “almost zero chance” that they would pick up the $14 million tab. When the Texans signed Ryan Fitzpatrick as a free agent, the whispers surrounding Schaub-to-Oakland became much louder.
By March 16, we reached the point where the Texans and Raiders were in “serious trade talks” surrounding Matt Schaub. By March 21, things had progressed such that Oakland was expected to trade a “2014 late-round pick” to the Texans for Schaub, which was confirmed as a sixth-rounder later that morning in a report that also informed us that Schaub had reduced the money guaranteed on his contract. The Texans and Raiders had each won in their games of hardball. That same day, the Texans’ website published an article commemorating Matt Schaub’s time with the team. “When looking back on Schaub’s body of work as a Texan, it’s important to not just view it through the narrow prism of what happened on the field in 2013,” the article says, subliminally pleading with the reader to not burn their Matt Schaub jerseys.
The Results: Coming into training camp 2014, Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson spoke to the media with excitement about their new starting quarterback, Matt Schaub. The Raiders saw his performance in 2013 as an aberration that was remarkably discolored by a few bad decisions leading to touchdowns for the opposing team. Olson said that while “they crucified [Schaub]” in Houston (without being entirely clear who “they” were), the Raiders brass looked forward to getting him with the team and boosting his confidence.
But in the second-round of the 2014 draft, the Raiders set the seeds of blood vengeance in motion. Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr, the younger brother of the David Carr whose job Schaub had taken in Houston, was selected with intent to serve as the backup behind Schaub and hopefully take over a few years down the road. Raiders coach Dennis Allen affirmed that “Matt Schaub is our starting quarterback,” a statement which lasted until about preseason. Schaub was nursing injuries and ineffective compared to the electric Carr, and Carr was ultimately named the starter for week one. Schaub served as a backup and kick holder in his time in Oakland and only threw passes in two games. The first was a disaster of a trick play attempt against Cleveland in week seven, which the play-by-play describes as “Matt Schaub pass incomplete intended for Mychal Rivera is intercepted by Tashaun Gipson at OAK 48 and returned for 35 yards. Matt Schaub fumbles, recovered by Matt Schaub at OAK 48.” The second was more robust mop-up duty in a 52-0 loss to the Rams, where he got to make nine pass attempts as an actual quarterback. Naturally, one of those pass attempts resulted in an unfortunate lowlight for Schaub where Rams defensive back Trumaine Johnson intercepted Schaub’s 3rd and 18 pass and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown. The Raiders released Schaub after the season, but at least they had their franchise quarterback in Derek Carr.
The Texans used pick #181 in the draft to select running back Alfred Blue out of LSU. Houston probably won the trade by halftime of week one, after Blue blocked a punt from Washington punter Tress Way and returned it for a touchdown. Blue typically served as a backup or change-of-pace running back during his five years in Houston behind Arian Foster or Lamar Miller, with very notable outliers like a 23-7 win over the Browns where he had 36 rushes for 156 yards or a 19-9 win over Tampa Bay where he had 31 rushes for 119 yards. Blue was one of the best draft picks the Texans made that year – not bad in return for a guy who was probably going to be cut anyways.
The Aftermath: Given that Schaub was 34 and had now been run out of two separate football towns with dire quarterback situations, it may surprise you to learn that he was still going to earn nearly $20 million playing football. The first $3 million came in 2015, when he signed a one-year deal to serve as Joe Flacco’s backup in Baltimore. When Flacco tore his ACL in November, Schaub got next week’s start in a 33-27 win over the Browns. Despite the win, this game featured a bummer of a lowlight for Schaub where Browns linebacker Karlos Dansby intercepted Schaub’s 3rd and 7 pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown. Schaub started the next week as well, this time losing 15-13 to the Miami Dolphins. You’re not going to believe this, but this game featured perhaps the worst lowlight yet for Schaub, where Dolphins defensive end Derrick Shelby intercepted Schaub’s 2nd and 4 pass and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown. This pick-six came about thirty seconds after another Schaub interception had set up the Dolphin’s previous touchdown, which would provide all the scoring they needed to win. Schaub was replaced by Jimmy Clausen for the next game amid reports of a chest injury.
Despite the fact that Schaub had shown little inclination to break his addiction to throwing pick-sixes, he reunited with the Falcons on a one-year, $2.75 million contract to back up Matt Ryan. The Falcons were great this year and made it to a Super Bowl, meaning that Schaub didn’t have to do very much at all. He threw 3 passes and completed one of them. The Falcons were so incredibly proud of Schaub for going an entire season without throwing a pick-six in his three chances to do so that they rewarded him with a healthy two-year, $9 million extension that offseason. Over those two years, he had sparing game action that required him to throw seven passes (roughly $1.29 million per attempt) and complete five of them (precisely $1.8 million per completion). These efforts earned him one final contract extension for two years, $3.78 million (bringing the cumulative post-Oakland total to about $18.5 million).
An injury to Matt Ryan required Schaub to actually work for his money in 2019. Schaub was called into action to start a game against the Seahawks on October 27, 2019. The Falcons would lose 27-20 and fall to 1-7, but don’t let that detract from Matt Schaub’s heroism. At the age of 38 and making his first start for the team in 15 years, Schaub was 39 for 52 and threw for 460 yards, setting a Falcons franchise record for completions and coming close to the record for passing yards. Schaub also threw an interception to Mychal Kendricks, but fortunately had the assistance of legendary center Alex Mack. Surely aware of what was at stake for his quarterback if this interception was returned for a touchdown, Mack leveled Kendricks with a strong tackle to stall the return at one yard. That was Schaub’s last meaningful game action; after serving out his contract as a backup, he retired after the 2020 season. He now works for the Falcons in a coaching capacity, with the job title “football analyst.”
Alfred Blue signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars after his five seasons in Houston, but suffered an injury and was waived from the team before playing a game. I’m completely unable to find out what he’s been up to since then (there’s a lawyer in Dallas named Alfred Blue but they aren’t the same guy). In his NFL career, Alfred Blue made less money than Matt Schaub did in his final two years as a backup.
Miscellaneous: Matt Schaub’s Wikipedia page has absolutely no “personal life” section. Matt Schaub’s old Houston house went on the market in 2023; he had about a 10-mile commute to work through some consistently horrible traffic.
March 25, 2014
Detroit Tigers receive: Alex Gonzalez
Baltimore Orioles receive: Steve Lombardozzi