Coming off a season in which fate dealt him a cruel blow, Matt Leinart is starting over again.
The 28-year-old quarterback signed with the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday and will back up Carson Palmer.
Leinart was Palmer's backup at USC in 2002 when Palmer won the Heisman Trophy. After Palmer was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, Leinart took over for the Trojans and won two national titles and a Heisman of his own.
Last season, Leinart appeared to have his shot at redemption when Matt Schaub went down with a season-ending foot injury in November. Leinart was set up for success on a loaded Houston Texans team, then promptly broke his collarbone in his first start.
Back into the shadows he went, until Tuesday. Leinart wasn't supposed to be a backup journeyman, but that's where he is now. Time will tell if he'll have another chance to alter his legacy.
