Peerless Price
Encyclopedia
Peerless Jilo Price is an American football
wide receiver
who is currently a free agent
. He was originally drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Tennessee
.
in Dayton in spite of being a high school All-American and was considered a spare part when he enrolled at the University of Tennessee
in 1995. Despite the low regard he was held in coming in, Price showed how much he would be missed by the time his career ended after the 1998 season.
early in the season. In addition to gaining attention for his play on the field, Price showed he was no slouch in the classroom either by being named to the Academic All-SEC team.
When Joey Kent moved on following the 1996 season, Price stepped into the starting lineup full-time as a junior, where Peyton Manning
found Price to be a dependable target. In the 1997 season, he started every game and emerged as a legitimate deep threat. He finished with 48 receptions, netting 698 yards and six touchdowns and helped guide the Vols to an SEC championship. He also was, for the second consecutive year, named an Academic All-SEC pick.
After Marcus Nash
graduated, Price stepped into the top spot on the Vols' receiving corps for the 1998 season. In spite of the top two statistical receivers in school history being gone, Price ensured that the adjustment period would be minimal. In a tight game against Alabama
, Price tied a school record with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that sparked a Vols' victory and continued their success. Tennessee finished the regular season 11-0 and faced Mississippi State
in the SEC Championship Game
. With the Vols trailing by four points in the fourth quarter, Price pulled in a spectacular pass over the shoulder for a 41-yard touchdown. Tennessee won 24-14 and earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl
against Florida State
to decide the national champion for the 1998 season.
In the final game of his career with Tennessee, Price showed a national audience what he could do. Although he caught only four of Tee Martin
's passes the entire game, he made them count. Those four catches went for a total of 199 yards and the deciding touchdown en route to a 23-16 victory and the school's first consensus national championship in 47 years. For his performance, Price was named the game's co-MVP with Dwayne Goodrich
. In spite of his exploits in college, Price still fell to the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft, where he was drafted 53rd overall by the Buffalo Bills
.
. In 2002, he caught 94 passes for 1,252 yards, and nine touchdowns. His best game came on September 15, 2002, when he caught 13 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, including a 48-yard score in overtime, during a 45-39 victory against Minnesota
. After the season, the Bills could not afford Price, but did not want to lose him without compensation. They used the Franchise Tag
to ensure that Price would be unable to sign elsewhere without the Bills receiving two first round draft picks, a price they knew that no one was willing to pay. Price was given permission to seek a trade, and the Atlanta Falcons
were willing to give up a first round pick in the 2003 draft for Price. The Bills used it to select Willis McGahee
.
division title and a bye in 2004 relying on great defense and the rushing game. He was released during the 2005 offseason.
to be the third receiver and punt returner. Price was also reunited with quarterback Drew Bledsoe
, with whom he had shared so much success in Buffalo and who actively lobbied for his signing. He was released on December 3 after catching only six passes for 96 yards (with 58 yards coming on a single pass).
On February 14, 2008, the Bills released Price.
He was recently picked up off of the waiver wire by the York Centurions of the BUAFL.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was originally drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
.
Early years
Price was lightly recruited coming out of Meadowdale High SchoolMeadowdale High School (Ohio)
Meadowdale High School is part of Dayton City Schools. Located in Harrison Township, near Dayton, Ohio, USA, it serves approximately 1000 students. The school mascot is the lion. The theme for Meadowdale is Cultural Studies...
in Dayton in spite of being a high school All-American and was considered a spare part when he enrolled at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
in 1995. Despite the low regard he was held in coming in, Price showed how much he would be missed by the time his career ended after the 1998 season.
College career
As a freshman in 1995, Price appeared in eight games in a backup role and showed glimpses of the potential that first attracted the Vols' interest. During his 1996 sophomore campaign, Price pulled in 32 receptions for three touchdowns and 609 yards; he excelled in a 35-29 loss to the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
early in the season. In addition to gaining attention for his play on the field, Price showed he was no slouch in the classroom either by being named to the Academic All-SEC team.
When Joey Kent moved on following the 1996 season, Price stepped into the starting lineup full-time as a junior, where Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
found Price to be a dependable target. In the 1997 season, he started every game and emerged as a legitimate deep threat. He finished with 48 receptions, netting 698 yards and six touchdowns and helped guide the Vols to an SEC championship. He also was, for the second consecutive year, named an Academic All-SEC pick.
After Marcus Nash
Marcus Nash
Marcus DeLando Nash is free agent wide receiver, formerly of the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos 30th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft...
graduated, Price stepped into the top spot on the Vols' receiving corps for the 1998 season. In spite of the top two statistical receivers in school history being gone, Price ensured that the adjustment period would be minimal. In a tight game against Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, Price tied a school record with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that sparked a Vols' victory and continued their success. Tennessee finished the regular season 11-0 and faced Mississippi State
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
in the SEC Championship Game
SEC Championship Game
The SEC Championship Game refers to the game determining the Southeastern Conference's football season champion. The championship game pits the SEC Western Division representative against the Eastern Division representative in a game held after the regular season has been completed. Thus far, nine...
. With the Vols trailing by four points in the fourth quarter, Price pulled in a spectacular pass over the shoulder for a 41-yard touchdown. Tennessee won 24-14 and earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
against Florida State
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a...
to decide the national champion for the 1998 season.
In the final game of his career with Tennessee, Price showed a national audience what he could do. Although he caught only four of Tee Martin
Tee Martin
Tamaurice Nigel "Tee" Martin is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League and Canadian Football League...
's passes the entire game, he made them count. Those four catches went for a total of 199 yards and the deciding touchdown en route to a 23-16 victory and the school's first consensus national championship in 47 years. For his performance, Price was named the game's co-MVP with Dwayne Goodrich
Dwayne Goodrich
Dwayne Lewis Goodrich is a former American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League...
. In spite of his exploits in college, Price still fell to the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft, where he was drafted 53rd overall by the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Buffalo Bills (1999-2002)
Price enjoyed his greatest success as the secondary receiver for the Buffalo BillsBuffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In 2002, he caught 94 passes for 1,252 yards, and nine touchdowns. His best game came on September 15, 2002, when he caught 13 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, including a 48-yard score in overtime, during a 45-39 victory against Minnesota
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. After the season, the Bills could not afford Price, but did not want to lose him without compensation. They used the Franchise Tag
Franchise Tag
In the National Football League, the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has access each year to only one franchise tag and one...
to ensure that Price would be unable to sign elsewhere without the Bills receiving two first round draft picks, a price they knew that no one was willing to pay. Price was given permission to seek a trade, and the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
were willing to give up a first round pick in the 2003 draft for Price. The Bills used it to select Willis McGahee
Willis McGahee
Willis Andrew McGahee III is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
.
Atlanta Falcons (2003-2004)
Price was supposed to be the great receiver that the Falcons needed to excel. He is regarded as a disappointment, as during his two-year stint with in Atlanta, Price was unable to produce any breakthrough numbers, and was considered a great bust. The Falcons earned the NFC SouthNFC South
The NFC South is a division in the National Football Conference of the National Football League. It was created prior to the 2002 NFL season, when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams. The NFC South currently has four members: the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New...
division title and a bye in 2004 relying on great defense and the rushing game. He was released during the 2005 offseason.
Dallas Cowboys
In 2005, he signed a one-year deal with the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
to be the third receiver and punt returner. Price was also reunited with quarterback Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
, with whom he had shared so much success in Buffalo and who actively lobbied for his signing. He was released on December 3 after catching only six passes for 96 yards (with 58 yards coming on a single pass).
Buffalo Bills (2006-2007)
Price re-signed with the Bills and regained his #2 wide receiver role. He caught game-winning touchdowns against the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings before being placed on injured reserve on October 19, 2007 after having season-ending neck surgery.On February 14, 2008, the Bills released Price.
He was recently picked up off of the waiver wire by the York Centurions of the BUAFL.