Six years of college football that produced the most prolific statistics in history.
Undrafted, released three times and traded once as a pro.
Started and won a game six days after being signed off another team’s practice squad.
Waited three weeks into 2017 free agency — an interminable time — before finding a new team.
Threw the pass that delivered his team a miracle playoff win in January.
Case Keenum has packed all of those experiences into a journey that started as a seventh-grade student in Abilene, Texas, and twisted and turned its way to Houston, St. Louis, Houston (again), St. Louis (again), Los Angeles, Minneapolis and now Denver.
But when he walks onto the Broncos’ practice field Saturday morning, Keenum will encounter a new NFL experience, six years after entering the league.
He will be the guy. Finally.
He will be the leader. At last.
Keenum, 30, is not keeping the spot warm until a rookie is ready, not competing against a fellow veteran for the opening-day assignment, not fighting just to make the roster. He controls his status and is not subject to extenuating circumstances such as another player’s injury, the perceived potential of a first-round draft pick or coaching turmoil.
“The NFL is not fair — there are a lot of great players that never got a shot,” Keenum told The Denver Post. “I’ve had a shot — I’ve had multiple shots so I can’t complain about that. And every situation I’ve been in, it’s led me to here.”
Keenum’s efficiency as Sam Bradford’s replacement in Minnesota a season ago led him to the Broncos. When Bradford went down with an injury, Keenum stepped up, and led the Vikings to the NFC championship game.
The Broncos and Keenum needed each other when free agency opened in March.
The Broncos were desperate for quarterback stability after using Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch (combined 22 interceptions) during last year’s 5-11 train-wreck. And Keenum needed the Broncos. He went 12-4 for the Vikings last year, who responded by turning their back on him and signing Kirk Cousins.
Much is at stake for the Broncos, who have not experienced consecutive losing seasons in 45 years. Another offensively impotent season and sweeping changes would be expected.
And much is at stake for Keenum, who has 40 career regular season/playoff starts. Play like he did last season and he can start well into his 30s, overcoming the slights of teams who thought he was too short (listed at 6-foot-1) and didn’t have the rocket arm that many superficial coaches and executives prefer regardless of a player’s intangibles.
Those who have been at Keenum’s side are betting on him pacing a turnaround in his newest setup.
“Being the guy does wonders for a quarterback,” said Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, Keenum’s play-caller at the University of Houston. “I think you’re going to see his play continue to elevate because of that comfort level.”
Around football “forever”
Following a 24-year career coaching football at the high school and college level in Texas, Steve Keenum is an area director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Abilene, about 180 miles west of Dallas along Interstate 20.
Steve and Susan Keenum did not allow their only son (they have two daughters) to play tackle football until the seventh grade. Steve said Case played a “little” flag football in elementary school, but baseball was his sport.
“He’s always had a little bit of a competitive edge to him,” Steve said in a phone interview. “Probably the first place you saw that seriously was when he was playing Little League baseball. He was a pitcher, he was competitive and he was pretty good at it.”
Steve never officially coached Case in football, but their conversations established the foundation of Case’s renowned perseverance and football instincts.
“When he was young, I would bring film home to watch and he would sit there and watch it with me,” Steve said. . “He’s been around it forever. I taught him how to throw a ball and shoot baskets, but (later), we spent more time talking about things that were ancillary to the physical part — the mental part was what we spent our time talking.”
At Wylie High School in Abilene, Keenum went 31-11 and won a state championship. But he received just one college scholarship offer — from then-Houston coach Art Briles. The lack of interest was possibly a product of his height and the spread offense he excelled in. Keenum was redshirted in 2006 and had 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2007.
Briles left for Baylor and was replaced by Kevin Sumlin. One of Sumlin’s hires was Kingsbury, who was a record-setting quarterback for Texas Tech, played five years professionally and was beginning his coaching career. Kingsbury was an entry-level coach in 2008-09 and served as co-coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2010-11, Keenum’s final college seasons.
Kingsbury and Keenum clicked instantly.
“I’ve had a lot of great coaches — Kingsbury, though, holds a special place,” Keenum said. “He’s a great coach who works his absolute tail off and you know he’s putting everything he’s got into it and he cares about every single player. I appreciated that and what he stood for. And I still appreciate our relationship.”
Said Kingsbury: “We were both football junkies. There was just a vibe and level of respect from both sides that worked and he always wanted to know more and wanted to get better. As a young coach, that really helped me.”
In the third game of the 2010 season, Keenum sustained a torn ACL and cartilage damage that required two surgeries.
“The rehab for that was excruciating,” Steve Keenum said. “Of all the things, (the injury) is one of the toughest, if not the toughest thing, he’s had to go through.”
Granted a sixth year of eligibility because of the injury, Keenum threw 48 touchdowns and five interceptions during a 13-1 season. Despite an NCAA record 1,546 completions, 155 touchdowns and 19,217 passing yards, Keenum was not drafted as he didn’t check the NFL boxes (size, arm strength, pro-style offense experience) and signed with the Texans as a free agent.
Belief never wavered
To illustrate his erratic opportunities, here are the opening dates of Keenum’s first starts: Oct. 20 (2013), Dec. 22 (2014), Nov. 22 (2015), Sept. 12 (2016) and Sept. 17 (2017). His only opening-week start was two years ago when he started the Rams’ first nine games before the first overall draft pick, Jared Goff, replaced him.
Generally, though, Keenum only got to play when the starter was injured or struggling. He went 0-8 for Houston in 2013 when Matt Schaub was benched by future Broncos coach Gary Kubiak. The craziest experience was in 2014. The Texans lost Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tom Savage to injuries in the same game and brought Keenum back, signing him off St. Louis’ practice squad. He started six days later and helped beat Baltimore. In 2015, he replaced a benched Nick Foles.
Each year brought a new offensive system, new teammates to work with and concerns about his role.
“I could empathize with what he was going through,” Kingsbury said. “When you’re cut and bounce around, the mental toughness to keep your mind in the game and keep believing you can do it and play at a high level is incredible.
“Through his journey, I just wanted him to always know that I knew how good he was because I had seen what he had done. I knew it was just a matter of time that, if he was able to hang in there and keep working and keep believing, he would break through. And he obviously did.”
In March 2017, the Rams’ new coaching staff did not re-sign Keenum, leaving him a free agent. Schaub, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, Mike Glennon, Matt Barkley, EJ Manuel and Geno Smith all resigned or found new homes before Keenum landed in Minnesota.
“Kept waiting for a phone call and it never came,” Keenum said. “Just the nature of the business.”
Graylan Crain, Keenum’s long-time agent, said several teams eventually showed interest but they chose the Vikings’ one-year, $2 million deal. Keenum became the starter in Week 2 when Bradford was shelved with a knee injury. After a slow start he helped Minnesota win 12 of its final 14 games.
“We just went into attack mode and played with nothing to lose,” Keenum said. “I had had a few shots (to start) and wasn’t sure if I was going to get another one and I just put everything I had into every day.”
Playing on an elite team, Keenum totaled 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions in the regular season, earning the Vikings the NFC North title, a first-round bye and a home playoff game against New Orleans.
Great money, greater opportunity
“Gun Buffalo Right Key Left Seventh Heaven” will live in Vikings’ lore.
Three lead changes in less than three minutes left the Vikings down five points with 10 seconds remaining in in January’s NFC Divisional home playoff game against New Orleans. Keenum took the snap from his 39-yard line and threw a pass that Stefon Diggs caught at the Saints’ 34-yard line near the right sideline. Diggs scored the winning touchdown as time expired thanks to safety Marcus Williams whiffing the tackle.
Improbable to imagine. Impossible to forget.
Crain and Steve Keenum were in attendance at US Bank Stadium and Kingsbury was watching at a restaurant in Dallas.
They all remember where they were, how they were watching and what they were feeling.
Crain: “Case had about 30 friends and relatives in town for the game and I was there with my wife and I couldn’t even watch. We left the stands and went into the club area (toward the end of the game). And the rest is history.”
Steve Keenum: “I watched it until (Diggs) crossed into the end zone and then my wife and I started jumping up and down and hugging. It’s still hard to believe. Did that really happen?”
Kingsbury: “The place was called Bottled Blonde and I was watching with a bunch of Saints fans. I lost my mind. An awesome, awesome deal. I think I bought a round for the entire bar. If anybody deserved to have a play like that happen, Case did.”
Case will never forget the play, either.
“If I do, everybody will remind me of it,” he said.
The pinnacle play and win of Keenum’s NFL career was followed by a lopsided loss at Philadelphia the following week. In free agency, Minnesota went all in with Cousins ($84 million guaranteed) and the Broncos pounced similarly quickly on Keenum (two-year, $36 million contract).
“It was incredible to have Denver come out and pursue me and want me,” Keenum said. “I wanted to be here. It made sense for a lot of reasons, none of which were financial.”
Said Crain: “This is all he’s wanted the whole time. He can finally lead. He’s excited to just play ball and not look over his shoulder.”
The money was great, taking Keenum to a new income stratosphere. But the opportunity was greater. And during the offseason program he seized it, drawing universal praise for his command of the playbook, presence in the huddle and his locker/meeting room leadership. Broncos coach Vance Joseph will enter his critical second season with no concerns about the status of QB1.
“He just has that magic about him,” Kingsbury said. “When you have his type of work ethic, guys will follow you. When you treat people the right way, guys will follow you. When you take the time to know your teammates, guys will want to play hard for you. Case checks those boxes.”
From Lubbock, Kingsbury will be following the Broncos, just like Crain will be from Houston and Steve Keenum will be from Abilene. They are not going to miss any of Keenum’s best chance.
“Any dad who gets to see their son do what they love and be good at it is a special thing,” Steve Keenum said. “God has gifted him and he’s worked extremely hard to magnify that gift.”
By the numbers look at new Broncos quarterback Case Keenum
Some key numbers for Broncos quarterback Keenum
31-11
Record as the starting quarterback at Wylie (Texas) High School.
6
Years Keenum spent collegiately at Houston — he redshirted in 2006 and received a sixth year in 2011 following a 2010 knee injury.
39
Career 300-yard passing games in college, the most in NCAA history.
155/19,217
Career college touchdown passes and passing yards for Keenum, also most in NCAA history.
21-19
Record as an NFL starter (regular season and playoffs), including 12-4 with Minnesota last year.
4
The Broncos are Keenum’s fourth team, following Houston, St. Louis/Los Angeles and Minnesota.
3
Times Keenum has been released: Aug. 2012 and Aug. 2014 by Houston and Oct. 2014 by the Rams.
67.6
Keenum’s completion percentage (325 of 481) last year for Minnesota, second-best in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts.
