The Denver Broncos on Thursday signed free-agent quarterback Cullen Finnerty, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Finnerty (6-foot-2, 223 pounds) is a second-year player who joins Denver after spending his rookie year with Baltimore. Finnerty, who entered the league with Baltimore on May 16 as a college free agent from Grand Valley State University, saw time on the Ravens' practice squad late last season and spent the final two weeks on the club's active roster.
He has yet to appear in a preseason or regular-season game in the NFL.
As a rookie in 2007, Finnerty signed with Baltimore's practice squad on Dec. 6 after the club waived him on July 24. He spent two weeks competing with that group before he was signed to the Ravens' active roster on Dec. 21. Finnerty was active but did not play during their final two games of the season.
Finnerty was a four-year starter at Grand Valley State, which he led to three national championship victories while posting the most wins (51 / 51-4 record) by a starting quarterback in college football history. He set school career records for total yards (13,474), total touchdowns (141), passing touchdowns (110) and passing yards (10,905), completing 744-of-1,312 (56.7%) of his career pass attempts.
During his senior season in 2006, Finnerty led Grand Valley State to a 15-0 record and a national championship win en route to finishing second in voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy (best player in Division II). An American Football Coaches Association All-American, Finnerty led the nation in quarterback efficiency (169.32) that season after completing 195-of-343 (56.9%) passes for 3,220 yards with 41 touchdowns.
Finnerty, who redshirted as a freshman at the University of Toledo before transferring to Grand Valley State, attended Brighton High School in Brighton, Mich. As a senior, he was named Livingston County Player of the Year and received first-team All-Area honors from Ann Arbor News.
Finnerty was born on Aug. 18, 1982, in Brighton, Mich.