Quarterback Byron Leftwich signed with the Atlanta Falcons Tuesday afternoon. The five-year veteran and the seventh overall pick in the 2003 draft was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars at the close of training camp.

In his career, Leftwich has started 44 games, thrown for 9,042 yards (58.7 percent completion percentage) and 51 touchdowns (36 interceptions).

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, however a wikipedia source statedd that Leftwich signed a two year deal with the Falcons with escalators attached that could make the deal worth up to $7 million.

Leftwich Played at Marshall University in West Virginia. He gained notability after quarterbacking a 64-61 overtime victory over East Carolina University in the 2001 GMAC Bowl(in which he took on future teammate David Garrard). He is also remembered for being carried by linemen Steve Scuillo and Steve Perretta, after breaking his shin and returning to the game, down the field on multiple series as he rallied his team to a 17 point comeback against Akron in November 2002. The image of Leftwich being carried after a completion has become iconic for compassion teammates show.[1] Leftwich, along with fellow Marshall Alumni Chad Pennington and Randy Moss is also credited for helping the Mid-American Conference (MAC) gain more national attention (Marshall has since joined Conference USA).

Leftwich, for his career at Marshall completed 939 of 1,442 passes (65.1 percent) for 11,903 yards, 89 touchdowns and only 28 interceptions. He amassed 12,090 yards of total offense on 1,632 plays, ranking second on the school’s all-time record lists behind Chad Pennington.

He was the MVP of the 2000 Motor City Bowl.

Professional career

NFL Draft Day 2003

At the 2003 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens agreed to a trade to move the Ravens into position to take Leftwich. However, one of the teams had second thoughts at the last minute and the Vikings missed their pick. The Jaguars took Leftwich with the 7th overall pick.

2003 Season

Leftwich took over as the Jaguars starting quarterback in game four of his rookie year after Mark Brunell was injured in the previous week's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

2005 Season

For the first 11 games of the 2005 regular season, Leftwich was developing into the quarterback the Jaguars believed he would become when they picked him in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He obtained a passer rating of 89.3, ninth-best in the NFL, and a 3:1 touchdown:interception ratio (15:5).

However in the regular season against the Arizona Cardinals, Leftwich suffered a broken ankle after being sacked by Cardinals' safety Adrian Wilson on the first play of the game. Leftwich missed the remaining five games of the regular season. He returned against the New England Patriots in the AFC Wild Card round of the playoffs. The Patriots won 28-3.

2006 Season

Leftwich entered his fourth NFL season as the Jaguars starting quarterback. He entered the season without veteran wide receiver Jimmy Smith, who retired suddenly in May 2006. Leftwich led the Jaguars to victories on national television in consecutive weeks against the favored Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers to begin the 2006 season. Leftwich sustained an injury to his ankle after 5 games and has yet to return to the Jaguars lineup. In November, Leftwich had surgery on the injured ankle. The surgery forced the Jaguars to move Leftwich to their injured reserves, effectively ending his season.

In February of 2007, the Jaguars decided to formally name Leftwich the team's starter, favoring him instead of David Garrard or Quinn Gray. The decision was speculated to be due to the infusion of a heavy play-action offense for the 2007 season, which suits Leftwich's passing abilities greatly.

2007 Season

After a highly successful training camp but disappointing pre-season during which his backup excelled, Leftwich was displaced from the Jaguars roster before the first game of 2007. David Garrard was named the starting quarterback for the Jaguars on August 31, 2007, with the team stating that Leftwich would be either cut or traded. Leftwich was cut on September 1, 2007, making him a free agent. On September 17, he was flown out to Atlanta to meet with Atlanta Falcons officials, citing a possible signing with the team.On September 18, Leftwich signed a two year deal with the Falcons with escalators attached that could make the deal worth up to $7 million.