Video: No. 2 QB Life In The NFL Has Been Good To Former Wolverines

Chad Henne re-signed with the Kansas City Chiefs this week, on a two-year deal worth $6.7 million. If he retires at the end of the contract, at 36 years old, and there is no indication he will, he would have made $40 million during a 14-year NFL career. Not bad for a career backup that has started 53 of 192 potential regular-season games.

Henne’s career in the NFL is reminiscent of another former Wolverine that spent most of his 16 professional seasons as a preferred No. 2 quarterback, Todd Collins.

Collins graduated Michigan in 1994 a two-year starter, second all time in career passing at U-M with 5,858 yards and currently sits in sixth place. A second-round pick of the Buffalo Bills, Collins was the franchise’s second-stringer QB in 1995 and 1996 and then got his shot to take over the huddle in 1997.

Collins started 13 of 16 games, completing 55.0 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The inauspicious performance sealed Collins’ fate as he would spend the majority of his next 13 NFL seasons as the Chiefs’, Redskins’ and Bears’ clipboard-holding quarterback.

But that was not a bad life to live. Collins made a little more than $18 million during his career, $22 million in today’s dollars. Which means he made about $1 million for each of his 21 NFL career starts or $31,000 for every pass he made and $56,000 for every pass he completed.

Collins was such a hot commodity as a No. 2 signal-caller that at the age of 37 he made $4 million as Washington’s backup despite the fact that he appeared in just six total games the three combined seasons prior.

Michigan’s all-time leader in passing yards with 9,715 and first in touchdowns with 87, Henne was, like Collins, also a second-rounder that began his career as a backup, in Miami, biding his time. He got his first big opportunity in his second season, in 2009, taking over for opening-day starter Chad Pennington.

Over the next two seasons, Henne would start 27 games, but would accumulate a record of 13-14. He would complete 61.1 percent of his 941 passes for 6,179 yards but he had more interceptions, with 33, than touchdowns, 27, and he has spent most of his NFL career since then a backup, getting one more shot in 2013 with Jacksonville, but going 4-9, again with a negative touchdown-to-interception ratio.

As a competitor, Henne probably burns for another shot, but in terms of professional livelihood, he can’t complain. The former Wolverine quarterback has made $622,641 per NFL start, $17,000 per NFL pass attempt and $27,000 per NFL completion.

For Collins and Henne, there are probably a few career regrets – though Henne did earn a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Chiefs this past year – but considering the average shelf life for an NFL quarterback is three years in the league, their 28, going on 30, combined years of service and $48 going on $54 million made, makes them both huge success stories.