Matteo Rook
 | |||||||||||
No. 6 Washington Redskins | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | |||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: July 6, 1997 (age 25) | |||||||||||
| Place of birth: Milford, Deleware | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: Milford High School (Milford, DE) | |||||||||||
| College: Virginia | |||||||||||
| NFL Draft: 2022 / Round: 6 / Pick: 184 | |||||||||||
| Debuted in 2021 for the Atlanta Falcons | |||||||||||
Career history
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Roster status: Active | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of Week 12, 2022 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Matteo Rook is a quarterback on the Washington Redskins. He played his collegiate career at Virginia, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 6th round of the 2021 NFLHC Draft.
Contents
Early Life
Rook was born in Milford, DE. His parents were both accountants and his older brother was a baseball star. Rook looked up Christian Skaggs growing up, deciding to pursue football instead of baseball. He became the starter for Milford High School as a sophomore. The team won the state championship his senior season as he set school records for passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Recruiting
Rook was offered a scholarship early in the recruiting process and accepted it in the first round. His older brother, Richard, played Baseball at Virginia, so early on Matteo became familiar with the University and felt comfortable.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matteo Rook QB |
Milford, DE | Milford High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 231 lb (105 kg) | Round 1 | |
Skill: Potential:
| ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
| ||||||
College Career
Rook attends Virginia and is studying Finance and Accounting. He intends to become a CFA and a CPA.
2016 Season
Rook was red-shirted in his true freshman year. Bob Dowler was the established starter, and Coach npklemm decided to give Matteo an extra year of eligibility as well as giving Rook an extra year to finish school.
2017 Season
Rook was announced the starter in Spring Practice. His only real competition coming from fellow QB recruit Raymond Collins. In his first start, he beat Joel King and the Houston Cougars while throwing 4 Touchdowns. The team went on to finish 5-7 and Rook set school records for most Touchdown Passes in a season (20) and best Quarterback Rating in a season (139.892).
2018 Season
After a very good Freshman season, there was a lot of attention around Rook as he entered his sophomore season. But he would get off to a slow start. He eventually got in to a rhythm in the middle of a season and had one of his best performances in the Commonwealth Cup against Virginia Tech. He performed very poorly in the Independence Bowl as the Cavaliers would eventually lose 16-34 to Connecticut. He beat his own record for most Touchdowns in a season (41) and set the record for most Passing Yards in a season in school history (4,131). He also set the school record for career passing yards having 7,114 yards at the end of the season (Bob Dowler previously held the record with 7,069). He also set the school record for career passing touchdowns with 61 (Bob Dowler previously held the record with 31).
2019 Season
Rook returned to form in 2019, upping his completion percentage and Quarterback Rating. He threw significantly fewer passes, yards, and Touchdowns. However, he threw 11 few Interceptions than he did in 2018. The team had it's best season in school history as they Went 10-2 in the regular season, losses to Nevada and Pittsburgh. They faced West Virginia in the Orlando Bowl, the Mountaineers controlled the game and the Cavaliers lost their second consecutive bowl game and finished 10-3. They were ranked #25 in the Final Coach's Poll, the first time in school history the Cavaliers finished a season ranked. Rook set school season records in: QB Rating (146.49) and Completion % (65.52)
College Statistics
Through the conclusion of the 2019 season, Rook's statistics are as follows.
| Season | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comp | Att | Yards | Pct. | TD | Int | QB Rating | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | |
| 2016 |  Redshirted | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | 12 | 12 | 256 | 395 | 2,983 | 64.81 | 20 | 10 | 139.89 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| 2018 | 13 | 13 | 358 | 633 | 4,131 | 56.56 | 24 | 16 | 118.83 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| 2019 | 13 | 13 | 323 | 493 | 4,001 | 65.52 | 27 | 13 | 146.49 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| 2020 | 13 | 13 | 326 | 513 | 3,975 | 63.55 | 34 | 11 | 146.22 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| NCAA Career Totals | 51 | 51 | 1,263 | 2,034 | 15,090 | 62.09 | 105 | 50 | 136.53 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
Professional Career
Draft
Rook entered the 2021 NFLHC Draft, but draft experts were unsure on if he'd be drafted. He was selected 184th overall, in the 6th round, by the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons had drafted Rook to be their backup for A.J. Jefferson, after Rook's stellar collegiate career. Rook was forced into action as a rookie, appearing in two games, but not looking the part of the quality backup the Falcons had been hoping for.
The Falcons waived Rook, who had been replaced as lead backup by rookie 1st rounder Donald Culver, along with falling behind UDFA pickup Michael Thompson in the pecking order, prior to Week #11 of 2022.
Arizona Cardinals
Rook was signed to the Cardinals practice squad prior to Week #12 of the 2022 season, joining fellow 2021 NFLHC Draft 6th round pick Niko Kaufman.
Rook was promoted to the active roster following a 2022 Week 13 loss, replacing on the active roster fellow ex-Falcon Greg Shipp, who had been waived to the practice squad.
The Cardinals did not extend an offer to Rook following the season, and he became a free agent.
Washington Redskins
The Redskins signed Rook to a 2-year, $1.0M, 50% GTD deal in 2023 Free Agency.
Professional Statistics
Year Team Sheets Passing Rushing Rating Comp Att Pct Yds YPA TD Int Att Yds Avg TD 2021 ATL 2 30 57 52.63 303 5.32 0 4 0 0 0.00 0 38.85 2022 ATL/ARI 0 0 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0 0 0 0.00 0 0.00 Career 2 30 57 52.63 303 5.32 0 4 0 0 0.00 0 38.85
