C.J. Beathard is one of the fastest rising stars in the National Football League (NFL). The talented American football quarterback currently plies his trade for the San Francisco 49ers. The Bay Area-based football team selected him in the 3rd round of the 2017 NFL Draft and he has gone on to record impressive career stats for the team.
Prior to him joining the 49ers, Beathard played collegiate football for the University of Iowa, appearing in a total of 40 games during which he is known to have led his team to victory on several occasions.
C.J. Beathard Started His NFL Career as a Backup Quarterback
With a sterling record as a collegiate football player at the University of Iowa, C.J. was invited to play in that year’s Senior Bowl. However, he failed to stand out after one week of practice. Notwithstanding, he attended the NFL combine and performed all the drills except the 40-yard dash, short shuttle, and three-cone drill which he skipped as a result of a hamstring injury.
Beathard also took part in Iowa’s pro day in March 2017 and at the end of the pre-draft process, NFL draft experts and scouts considered him to be a 6th or 7th-round pick. But contrary to the projections, C.J. Beathard was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He was taken with the 104th overall pick and was the sixth quarterback to be drafted that year.
All through training camp, the athlete competed for the job of the backup quarterback with 2 of his teammates which he eventually won, starting the regular season as the backup to Brian Hoyer. Beathard made his NFL debut on October 15, 2017, joining the game in the second quarter. He recorded his 1st career touchdown in the 4th quarter and was named the 49ers starter afterward.
Injuries Cost Him A Good Number Of Games
Although C.J. Beathard kept up his strong performances for a couple of weeks in the 2017 season, he did not make it to the end of the season because he suffered a leg and hip injury in the 4th quarter of the week 11 game against the Seattle Seahawks. Even though the injury was not serious, he was sidelined as his teammate, Jimmy Garoppolo, took his starting quarterback job a few days later.
From the 7 games he played in his rookie season, C.J. recorded 123-of-224 passes for 1,430 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He also made 136 rushing yards on 26 attempts for 3 touchdowns. The following season, he was supposed to be the backup to Garoppolo but the latter sustained an ACL injury during their week 3 game which ended in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Consequently, C.J. Beathard became the starter again, however, he later suffered a wrist injury in week 8 which made him not feature in other games that season. He also did not feature in the 2019 season.
C.J. Beathard Comes From a Family That Has Produced NFL Legends
The 49ers quarterback is one of the five children born to Casey and Susan Beathard. He has two brothers; Clay and Tucker, and two sisters; Tatum and Charly.
C.J.’s father Casey played as a quarterback but did not have the size for the position. Notwithstanding, he was still able to play college football while at Elon University before later settling for a career in country music. The decision turned out to be a good one as he is an award-winning songwriter.
Following in his footsteps is his son Tucker who is also a popular country music singer and songwriter. He is currently signed to Warner Music Nashville and has one studio album to his credit.
Aside from his father who tried to have a sporting career, C.J. Beathard has other close relatives who were thriving sportsmen. His paternal grandfather, Bobby Beathard, worked in the National Football League for 38 years, starting off in 1963 as a scout. In 1978, after working for about eight years as a scout, Bobby joined the Washington Redskins as a general manager. He left the Redskins in 1988 and joined the San Diego Chargers the following year.
Bobby was incredibly good at his job that he was acclaimed as the smartest man in the NFL. Following a career of well over 3 decades, he announced his retirement in 2000. He has since become a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
Also towing the family line are two of CJ’s uncles; Jeff and Kurt who work in the NFL. Jeff is a scout for the Carolina Panthers while Kurt is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Illinois State.
More so, one of C.J. Beathard’s cousins, Bobo, played as a receiver at Appalachian State University. In 2016, Bobo signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals after not being selected in the 2016 NFL Draft. Sadly, the Arizona Cardinals waived his contract which ultimately ended his career before it even started.
The Tragic Demise of Clay Beathard
C.J.’s younger brother, Clay Beathard, tried to become a professional football player as he was a starting quarterback for the New York-based LIU Sharks. Prior to him playing for the Sharks, Clay played for Iowa Western Community College men’s football team.
Unfortunately, on December 21st, 2019, the starting quarterback was murdered outside a bar in Nashville, Tennessee. Preliminary reports at the time revealed that Clay died after he was fatally stabbed by one Michael Mosley who also stabbed two other people.
The accused, who was just fresh out of jail on a $5,000 bail bond for assaulting a 37-year old woman at Walmart in December 2018, was arrested on Christmas Day 2019 in Cheatham County, Tennessee and it was unraveled that the altercation that led to the death of Clay was over a woman.
On January 7, 2020, Judge Melissa Blackburn upheld all charges brought against Mosley which included two counts of criminal homicide and one count of attempted homicide.
C.J. Beathard is in a Longterm Relationship with His College Sweetheart Madelyn Chupka
The star football player is a father but remains an unmarried man. He started a relationship with Madelyn Chupka in 2012 which can be traced to their days together at the University of Iowa. Prior to dating Chupka, C.J. Beathard has never had any publicized relationship with any woman.
It is known that Chupka is athletic and loves playing golf. The beautiful mother of one is seen regularly attending football games and cheering her man from the stands. The couple welcomed their daughter, Lyla Val Beathard, in December 2016.
