Matt Gutierrez

Matthew Paul Gutierrez (pronounced Gu-Terr-ez) (born June 9, 1984 in Concord, California) is an American football quarterback, currently signed to a futures contract for the Chicago Bears. Most recently he was with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Idaho State.

He has been a member of the Kansas City Chiefs and had a previous stint with Chicago Bears.

Early years
Gutierrez played high school football for perennial powerhouse De La Salle High School in Concord, California, where he never lost a game as a Spartan. He was teammates with Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

College career
Gutierrez went on to play at the University of Michigan, where he was slated to be the starter in 2004 before he suffered a shoulder injury (a torn labrum) before the season opener during pregame warm-ups. Backup quarterback freshman Chad Henne played well during the games Gutierrez was unable to play and was thus awarded the starting job. Gutierrez then transferred to Idaho State University, where he started at quarterback in 2006.

New England Patriots
After going undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft, Gutierrez was signed by the New England Patriots on May 8 as an undrafted free agent. Gutierrez played in his first career regular season game on September 9 against the New York Jets and completed his first regular-season pass for a 15-yard gain against the Miami Dolphins on December 23. He appeared in five games with the team as a rookie while being inactive for 11 others.

During the 2008 preseason, Gutierrez completed 29 out of 45 passes for 362 passing yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. On August 30, Gutierrez was part of the final cuts as the Patriots cut down to the mandatory 53-man roster. He was re-signed to the team's practice squad on September 10, then promoted to the active roster on September 13 after a season-ending injury to starter Tom Brady. He was inactive for the remaining 14 games of the season.

New England Patriots waived Gutierrez on August 3, 2009 after signing quarterback Andrew Walter.

Kansas City Chiefs
Gutierrez was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Chiefs on August 5, 2009, the team then released quarterback Ingle Martin to make room for him on the roster. Kansas City Chiefs waived Gutierrez on June 14, 2010.

Chicago Bears
Gutierrez signed with the Chicago Bears on August 18, 2010. He was released on August 30, 2010. The Bears resigned Gutierrez in Jan. 2011 to a reserve/future contract.

Omaha Nighthawks
Gutierrez was signed by the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League on September 28, 2010.