Trent Green is one of those guys who somehow feels like he played for every team in the league. Honestly, if you grew up watching football in the late 90s or early 2000s, he was just there—a fixture of the Sunday afternoon broadcast. But when you actually sit down and look at the trent green dates joined data, his career path looks less like a straight line and more like a chaotic road trip through three different professional leagues.
He wasn't some blue-chip prospect. He was an eighth-round pick. Does anyone even remember the eighth round? It doesn't even exist anymore. In today's NFL, a guy drafted that late is lucky to make the practice squad, let alone start 113 games.
The Rough Start: 1993 to 1997
Most people think Green started with the Redskins. He didn't.
He was actually drafted by the San Diego Chargers on April 26, 1993. He signed his first contract on July 15, 1993, but he never touched the field. Not once. After a year of holding a clipboard, the Chargers cut him loose on August 22, 1994.
What followed was a weird, blink-and-you-miss-it stint in Canada. He joined the BC Lions of the CFL in late 1994 (specifically signing on October 28). It didn't stick. He was released by the Lions just two weeks later on November 10. For a guy who eventually became a Pro Bowler, getting cut from the CFL is a pretty humbling low point.
Then came Washington. He joined the Redskins on April 25, 1995. This is where the narrative usually begins for most fans, but even here, he was basically invisible for three years. He threw exactly one pass in 1997. One. It went for zero yards.
1998: The Accidental Breakout
1998 was the year everything changed. Gus Frerotte got hurt, and suddenly, this 28-year-old "career backup" was the guy. He threw for 3,441 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Washington offered him a four-year, $12 million deal to stay. He said no. He bet on himself, and that decision lead to one of the most famous "what if" moments in NFL history.
The St. Louis Era and the Injury That Changed Football
On February 15, 1999, Green signed a four-year, $17.5 million contract with the St. Louis Rams. He was the hand-picked starter for Dick Vermeil. He was supposed to be the face of the franchise.
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Then came the preseason game against the Chargers. A hit by Rodney Harrison tore Green's ACL.
You know the rest. Kurt Warner, a guy who had been stocking groceries, stepped in and started the "Greatest Show on Turf." Green had to watch from the sidelines as the team he was supposed to lead won Super Bowl XXXIV.
He stayed with the Rams through the 2000 season, mostly as a backup, though he did start five games when Warner broke his hand. Even in that limited time, he was efficient. He helped the Rams set a then-record for passing yards in a season. But it was clear St. Louis was Warner's town.
The Kansas City Years (2001–2006)
If you want to talk about when Trent Green actually became "Trent Green," you have to look at April 20, 2001. That’s the date he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a first-round pick.
It was a perfect marriage. He joined a team with a massive offensive line and a guy named Priest Holmes.
- 2003: He leads the Chiefs to a 13-3 record.
- 2004: He throws for 4,591 yards.
- 2005: Another 4,000-yard season at age 35.
He was a workhorse. Between 2001 and 2005, he started 80 consecutive games. He was only the fourth quarterback ever to have three straight 4,000-yard seasons—joining the ranks of Marino, Fouts, and Manning.
The Final Chapters: Miami and the Return
The end was kind of brutal. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins on June 6, 2007. He was 37 years old. In a game against the Houston Texans, he suffered a severe concussion that basically ended his season and nearly his career.
He didn't want to go out like that.
He signed back with the St. Louis Rams on March 14, 2008. It was a sentimental move, returning to the place where his career almost ended before it started. He played in three games, started one, and then officially called it quits.
He retired on June 12, 2009.
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Why the Trent Green Dates Joined Matter
Looking at these dates tells a story of incredible persistence. Most guys would have quit after being cut from the CFL.
Green didn't even start a real NFL game until he was nearly 30. Think about that. Most QBs today are considered "old" by 32. He didn't even get his first Pro Bowl nod until he was 33.
If you're tracking his career for research or just because you're a die-hard Chiefs fan, here is the basic flow of his professional timeline:
- San Diego Chargers: Drafted April 1993, Released August 1994.
- BC Lions (CFL): Joined October 1994, Released November 1994.
- Washington Redskins: Joined April 1995, Left after 1998 season.
- St. Louis Rams (Stint 1): Joined February 1999, Traded April 2001.
- Kansas City Chiefs: Joined April 2001, Traded June 2007.
- Miami Dolphins: Joined June 2007, Released February 2008.
- St. Louis Rams (Stint 2): Joined March 2008, Retired June 2009.
He finished with 28,475 passing yards and 162 touchdowns. Not bad for an eighth-rounder who couldn't catch a break for the first five years of his career.
If you want to truly understand his impact, go back and watch the 2003 Chiefs. That offense was a machine, and Green was the one pulling all the levers. He was never the flashiest guy, but he was exactly what those teams needed.
Today, you can hear him on CBS as an analyst. He's been doing that since 2014, proving that even after the hits and the concussions, he still knows the game better than almost anyone else in the booth.
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To get the most out of this career history, you should compare his 2001-2005 stats against current AFC West quarterbacks. You'll find that his efficiency and yardage totals actually hold up remarkably well even in the modern, pass-heavy era of the NFL.