Twelve years after entering the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick with the Washington Redskins, quarterback Sage Rosenfels announced his retirement over the weekend on Facebook.
Rosenfels went unsigned after being released by the Minnesota Vikings late last August, an indication that he no longer was viewed as a reliable clipboard holder.
Dubbed "The Sage Rosenfels Experience" early in his career with the Miami Dolphins, Rosenfels offered the ideal size plus arm strength to instigate a quarterback controversy, even if the team was never invested enough to entrust him with the starting job.
The crest of Rosenfels' career was a five-game audition with the Houston Texans as Matt Schaub's 2007 stand-in, tossing 15 touchdowns in nine games and five starts. The Vikings reportedly were willing to part with a third-round pick for the opportunity to have Rosenfels compete with Tarvaris Jackson in 2008, but the Texans decided to keep the best insurance policy in the game.
Rosenfels ended up starting 12 games over 10 seasons with the Dolphins, Texans, Vikings and New York Giants, finishing his career with a 6-6 record. Even if he wasn't quite Earl Morral, he still was the best backup in the game a half-decade ago.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.