How did Bryce Perkins break his neck?

The Los Angeles Rams' third-year quarterback, Bryce Perkins, entered the 2020 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent. After starting QB Matthew Stafford was forced to prematurely leave the field during the last game and put into concussion protocol against the New Orleans Saints, Perkins was added to the lineup.

He had two options after breaking two vertebrae in his neck during a session in 2016, having surgery, which would almost surely force him to give up football, or spend a long time in a large neck brace in the hopes that his neck would mend itself. Although both solutions carried some risks, he claimed the choice "wasn't very tough." According to Perkins:

"I was always going to go with whichever one provided me the best shot of giving me a fighting shot to play."

Choosing the brace was an easy decision for him and by the spring after, he had recovered well enough to perform a few rounds without contact.

Bryce Perkins sustained his neck injury at an Arizona State training session in 2016 after he accidentally collided with safety Deion Guignard.

Bryce Perkins' timeline

Before he signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2020, Bryce Perkins participated in college football at Arizona State, Arizona Western, and Virginia.

In 2015, he was a redshirt freshman at Arizona State but missed the 2016 season due to an injured neck. In 2017, he switched to Arizona Western College.

In 2018, Perkins switched to the University of Virginia, where he completed his undergraduate studies and was selected as the group's starter that same year. He completed 544 of 844 passes for 6,210 yards and 47 yards during his two seasons and also ran for 1,692 yards on 439 occasions and 20 scores in that period.

After signing with the Rams before the 2020 season, he was released at the final roster cuts and joined the group's practice squad instead. For the squad's Week 17 and conference postseason games against the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers in January, he was temporarily added to the active roster. However, after each game, he was returned to the practice squad.

Following the team's triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals in the previous Super Bowl, Perkins was one of the players to get a Super Bowl ring.