Former Gators QB Graham Mertz Suffers Potential Season-Ending Injury Ahead of Second NFL Season

Former Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz's second season in the NFL may have just ended before it truly began.

Mertz, who now plays for the Houston Texans, is believed to have torn his ACL in Thursday's preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Mertz is expected to undergo additional testing to confirm his injury.

Mertz finished the 27-7 loss going 4 for 7 with 23 yards passing and 15 yards rushing on three attempts.

Texans believe QB Graham Mertz tore his ACL during Thursday night’s preseason opener vs the Chargers. There is expected to be additional testing to confirm the injury. pic.twitter.com/BP6NvwUn0r
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 14, 2026

Mertz's injury is the latest in an unfortunate injury history that limited him in his two seasons with the Gators.

After transferring from Wisconsin, Mertz played the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Gators, never finishing a season healthy.

Throwing for 2,903 yards and 20 touchdowns against just three interceptions, Mertz's 2023 season ended with a broken collarbone in the team's 11th game of the season against Missouri. He watched from the sidelines a week later as Florida lost to Florida State to knock the Gators out of bowl eligibility.

He returned to the program in 2024 to help the program transition to five-star true-freshman DJ Lagway, taking on the role as the team's starting quarterback while also mentoring Lagway. Instead, injuries, once again, limited him.

Mertz suffered a concussion in the season-opening loss to Miami, which forced him to miss a game. He would play in just four more games before a torn ACL ended his season against Tennessee. Both his collarbone and ACL injuries came on scrambles for first downs, and his career ended with a touchdown pass to Arlis Boardingham in the eventual loss to the Volunteers.

He finished the 2024 season completing 76.6 percent of his passes for 791 yards and six touchdowns against two interceptions.

Flashback to when Graham Mertz felt a pop in his knee on this 15-yard run.

He finished the drive with a 13-yard TD pass to Arlis Boardingham before finding out he had a torn ACL.

His last collegiate pass.pic.twitter.com/EoVzIpUx1L
— Nick Marcinko (@marcinko_nick) August 14, 2026

Despite his injury history, Mertz recovered quickly enough to throw at Florida's Pro Day the following March and was drafted in the Sixth Round by Houston, where he has yet to play a game but has provided depth alongside Davis Mills behind starter CJ Stroud. Before being drafted, Mertz cited his leadership capabilities despite his injury history as a reason teams should consider drafting him.

"I've had a lot of experiences in college. Obviously I'm coming off an ACL, so I know it'll take however long the team doctor thinks before I can get out there and start playing," he said at his pro day. "But my goal is, be ready to go for minicamp. My selling point is, I've been a team captain four times in college. That's kind of hard to say. Had a lot of experiences, learned from them all, and I know how to lead men. Point blank period. That's how I that's how I go. But I've learned every step of the way through my journey."

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