Former Hawkeye Quarterback Cut Once Again by Minnesota Vikings
Since Nate Stanley was drafted in the seventh round with the 244th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, he hasn't gotten much experience as a professional.
At the highest level of football, it takes a lot to a starting or backup position, let alone be considered talented enough to earn a spot on the roster or practice squad.
For the majority of Stanley's NFL career, it's been a lot of fighting tooth-and-nail to do the latter.
And now, for the second time in his stint with the Vikings, the Menomonie, Wisconsin native was waived from the active roster. In 2021 he was waived during final cuts and spent the season on the injured reserve after he went unclaimed by the 31 other NFL teams.
He spent his rookie season (2020) on the practice squad for Minnesota.
During his tenure as the starting quarterback for the Hawkeyes, Stanley was largely considered a middle-of-the-road quarterback, only earning Big Ten honors once when he was named to the Honorable Mention Team as a senior in 2019.
He started all 39 games over his three years as the starter and finished with a 27-12 overall record. The 6'5, 212-pound gunslinger ended his career with 8,297 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. He's second all-time in passing yards and passing touchdowns at Iowa.
Stanley was also the second Hawkeye quarterback ever to finish 3-0 in bowl games, joining Ricky Stanzi. Iowa won the Pinstripe Bowl 27-20 over Boston College when he was a sophomore, the Outback Bowl 27-22 over Mississippi State when he was a junior, and the Holiday Bowl 49-24 over USC when he was a senior.