Connor Halliday's NFL career is over before it began.
The record-setting quarterback from Washington State has decided to retire from football, per the Washington Post. The news surfaced just as the team opened rookie minicamp on Friday.
Halliday was not expected to unseat any of the three quarterbacks currently on the team's roster (Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy), but had the potential to develop into a backup for an NFL team.
Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan expressed considerable interest in Halliday during the pre-draft process, attending his pro day at Washington State and bringing the quarterback in for a visit before signing him as an undrafted free agent.
Halliday endured plenty of ups and downs with the Cougars but showed enough ability to earn a shot in the NFL. Playing in Mike Leach's Air Raid offense, the signal-caller set numerous school records and threw for an NCAA single-game record 734 yards in 2014, but suffered a season-ending broken leg on Nov. 1. He attended the NFL Scouting Combine in February but didn't work out as he continued to recover from the injury. He did take part in a pro-day workout for scouts in April.
As the Redskins' rookie minicamp proceeds without Halliday, former Georgia QB Hutson Mason and ex-USC walk-on Anthony Neyer will be competing after being invited to try out this weekend.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
