Former UW quarterback Joel Stave signs free-agent deal with Cleveland

MADISON – Joel Stave refuses to give up on his dream of playing in the National Football League.

Stave, who started 41 games at Wisconsin from 2012 through ’15, has signed with the Cleveland Browns. 

Stave joins quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Drew Stanton on Cleveland's roster. The Browns drafted Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield No. 1 overall last week.

UW finished with a 31-10 record in games started by Stave, who passed for 7,635 yards and 48 touchdowns. The passing yards and touchdowns passes are the No. 2 marks in program history.

A graduate of Whitnall High School, Stave signed with Minnesota in 2016 as an undrafted free agent. 

He spent time on the practice squad of Minnesota, Seattle and Kansas City in 2016. He was on the practice squad with Washington and the New York Jets last season. 

Stave's final game at UW was the 2015 Holiday Bowl, where he was named the game's offensive MVP. The former walk-on returned from suffering a broken nose to direct seven-play, 42-yard field-goal drive to give UW a 23-21 victory over USC.