Just a kid from the small historic town Middlefield, Conn., Tim Boyle knew that if he worked hard enough with the right attitude that anything is possible. Boyle had always had a passion for football, growing up he idolized long-time Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Boyle attended Xavier High School, an all-boys college prep school from 2010-2013. He made the varsity team his sophomore year, although he did not see the field much. During his junior season, however, he split time with senior quarterback Pat D’Amato. Then entering his senior season, the team was all his. And Boyle did not let his opportunity go to waste. He threw for over 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns with only 8 interceptions Xaiver won three state championships over the course of his four seasons. His play drew a lot of attention from scouts and he had his pick of top universities to attend to play college ball.
Boyle and his family decided that the University of Connecticut was the school for him. During my interview with Boyle, he described his college career as, “a complete 180” from his high school career. There were, “a lot of bad games, picks, and losing.” One of his bright spots at UConn was when he beat nationally ranked Houston on national television. After three seasons at Connecticut that could be described as mediocre at best, Boyle knew that he needed a change, a fresh start at a different school.
After careful consideration, Boyle decided he would play his last year of college football at Eastern Kentucky University. Boyle threw for 11 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards in his one season there and according to EKU sports, he was the first quarterback at the school to throw for over 300 yards in their first game.
Once the season ended, Boyle looked forward to training for his Pro Day, which he hoped would lead to some NFL opportunities. He trained intensively for three months in Washington, D.C. ,working on his broad jump, bench press, and 40 yard dash time. He then flew back to EKU for his Pro Day where he said he “threw really well.” He ran a 4.75 second 40-yard dash, which is not bad for a 6-feet-4-inch, 233-pound quarterback. He also put up 16 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press which is astounding when considering the fact that quarterbacks almost never take the bench as it is not a requirement.
There were several NFL scouts at the Pro Day including one from Green Bay, who started to notice Boyle. Luckily, he got a second chance to get his name out there before the draft at Yale’s Pro Day. Yale did not produce a quarterback that year and were in need of one to throw to their receivers so Boyle leaped at the opportunity to throw for them. Once again there was a Packers’ scout in attendance who this time spoke to Boyle afterwards. According to Boyle, Green Bay said they would be using one of their “Top 30 Visits” on him and were interested in him.
Unfortunately, Boyle was not selected with any of the 256 picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. However the Packers called Boyle “as soon as the draft ended” and told him that they would like to bring him to Green Bay and sign him as an undrafted free agent. He worked hard in training camp and had a tremendous preseason and earned his spot on the 53-man roster. Luckily, he was backing up a future hall of famer Aaron Rodgers. He couldn’t have asked for a better mentor at the quarterback position.
Boyle did not see the field much during his time in Green Bay aside from kneeling the ball down at the end of lopsided games. However, he learned a lot from Rodgers and had a couple of great preseasons under his belt. Then in 2021, he was released from the Packers and the Lions came calling. He signed a one-year, multimillion dollar contract with Detroit that year to back up Jared Goff. Then in week 11, after an injury to Goff, Boyle would get to live out his childhood dream of starting an NFL game. He would start three games, and his yards and touchdowns would improve each game throughout that stretch. Although the Lions lost those three games, Boyle was “happy with his steady improvement each week.” He took a lot away from his time starting under center.
Boyle said he learned how to be a better quarterback, but more importantly he learned how to be a better leader and a better man. After spending the rest of 2021 and most of 2022 with Detroit’s practice squad, Boyle was picked up by the Chicago Bears for the last couple games of the 2022 season. Boyle would appear in the last game of the season for Chicago, but did not play his best.
This March, Boyle signed with his hometown team, the New York Jets. He gives back to his community in numerous ways — hosts a football camp for kids every year, and sponsors a toy drive of one his biggest supporters. Boyle treats everyone with respect no matter who they are. He is the kind of guy that would give you the shirt off his back and do so with a smile. He is not only a great football player, but a great human being.
