Whittemore welcomed to Atlanta

Former Kansas QB signs as free agent with Falcons

Thursday, 11 days after the NFL draft ended, Bill Whittemore found a home when he signed a free-agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

“I’m excited to see something happen,” said Whittemore, who passed for 2,385 yards during his senior year at Kansas University. “I was a little frustrated. I’m excited to go down there and see what happens.”

Whittemore (6-foot, 205 pounds) set a KU single-season record with 18 touchdown passes in 2003, but his size and a history of injuries kept him out of the April 24-25 draft. That didn’t surprise Whittemore, but he had hoped to be offered a free-agent contract sooner.

“There were still options we were exploring,” said Whittemore, who had a tryout last week with Edmonton of the Canadian Football League. “We weren’t done yet.”

Whittemore might have played more in the CFL, but he stands to make more money in the NFL even if he never gets on the field.

Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed, but the NFL rookie minimum is $230,000, and the minimum for second-year players is $305,000. Tom Mills, Whittemore’s agent, said the quarterback likely would have made $40,000 to $45,000 Canadian as a CFL rookie.

Whittemore’s two-year deal is contingent on making the Falcons’ 53-man roster at the conclusion of training camp.

“They were about the only team left in the league that didn’t have four quarterbacks,” Mills said of Atlanta. “Most of the teams will go to camp with at least four.”

On April 27, the Falcons cut quarterback Kurt Kittner, who played in seven games and made four starts last season while starter Michael Vick was sidelined because of a leg injury.

Cutting Kittner left Atlanta with Vick (6-0, 215), veteran backup Ty Detmer (6-0, 189) and rookie Matt Schaub (6-5, 237) before the Falcons added Whittemore on Thursday.

Atlanta likely will carry three quarterbacks, which means Whittemore will have to climb over one of those players on the depth chart. If he doesn’t make the cut, there’s a possibility he could remain with the franchise as a member of the scout team. Being invited to training camp also makes him eligible to play in NFL Europe next season.

Whittemore liked the fact that Atlanta already has two quarterbacks his size on the roster.

“That tells me they don’t care about height,” he said. “That pleases me. They’re going to look at things other than that.”

Whittemore, who graduated in December and is finishing up a graduate course, will report for the Falcons’ offseason training program May 16.

While Vick — a 2002 Pro Bowl selection — is expected to return, the Falcons likely will try to protect him during the preseason.

“We don’t expect him getting much work in the preseason games, and that will create opportunities for the other quarterbacks,” Mills said. “Bill will have an opportunity to showcase his ability for the Falcons and the other teams in the league.”

Staying in Atlanta would be just fine with Whittemore, a native of Brentwood, Tenn.

“I love Atlanta,” he said. “I couldn’t have picked a place I’d rather be if it wasn’t Nashville.”