Haskins was selected by the
Washington Redskins in the first round of the
2019 NFL draft, but was released after less than two seasons due to inconsistent play and questions over his work ethic. He signed with the
Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021 and served as a backup until his death the following off-season when he was fatally struck by a vehicle.
Haskins
redshirted his first year with the
Buckeyes in 2016. The following year, he was the backup to
J. T. Barrett.[9][10] He finished the season completing 40 of 57 passes for 565 yards and four touchdowns.[11] Haskins then went on to have a record-setting campaign in his sophomore season in 2018, which was his lone starting season at the school.[12][13] He claimed the single-season passing and touchdown
records for Ohio State and the
Big Ten by eclipsing the 4,000-passing yards mark and throwing 50 touchdowns, making him just one of eight
NCAA quarterbacks to ever achieve the latter in a single season.[14]
Additionally, he claimed school records in total offense in a season (4,900+ yards), total offensive yards in a game (477) and total passing yards in a game (470). In all 12 of his starts, he threw for more than 225 passing yards, including eight games of more than 300 yards, and four games of more than 400. He threw for 499 yards and five touchdowns in the
2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game, while throwing three touchdowns in the
2019 Rose Bowl, winning the MVP award in both games for his performance.[15][16]
Haskins was selected by the
Washington Redskins in the first round of the
2019 NFL draft, 15th overall.[26] Despite his high school and college
jersey number of 7 being unofficially retired by the Redskins in honor of quarterback
Joe Theismann, whose career ended with a
leg injury in 1985, Haskins requested and was granted permission from him to wear it.[27] Haskins signed his four-year rookie contract on May 9, 2019,[28] worth $14.37 million, including an $8.47 million signing bonus.[29]
Haskins saw his first action with the team in a Week 4 game against the
New York Giants in relief of
Case Keenum, who was benched for poor performance. In the game, Haskins also struggled, throwing for 107 yards and three
interceptions, including a
pick-six, as the Redskins lost 24–3.[30] During a Week 8 game against the
Minnesota Vikings, Haskins again replaced Keenum, who left the game due to a concussion. He finished the game with 33 passing yards and an interception as the Redskins lost 19–9.[31] The following week Haskins made his first career start against the
Buffalo Bills, finishing with 144 passing yards as the team lost 24–9.[32]
Haskins' first win as a starter came during Week 12 against the
Detroit Lions, where he finished with 156 passing yards, 28 rushing yards, and an interception in the 19–16 victory.[33] For his efforts, he was named the
Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week.[34] In Week 16 against the Giants, Haskins threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns before being carted off the field due to an ankle injury suffered on the first play of the third quarter, which also made him miss the following week's game.[35][36]
Prior to the 2020 season, Haskins lost around seven-percent in total body fat and was named the starter and one of the
team captains.[37][38][39] In a Week 3 loss against the
Cleveland Browns, Haskins threw three interceptions and lost a fumble.[40] The following week against the
Baltimore Ravens, he threw for a career-high 314 yards in another loss.[41] Haskins was benched in favor of
Kyle Allen prior to the Week 5 game against the
Los Angeles Rams due to coaches being unimpressed with his work ethic and performance.[42][43] In October 2020, he was fined US$4,833 for breaking league
COVID-19 protocols after making a reservation for a family friend at the team hotel in New York prior to a game against the Giants.[44]
Haskins remained as the team's backup until the Week 14 game against the
San Francisco 49ers, where he played in the second half after
Alex Smith left the game due to a calf strain.[45] He then started the following week's game against the
Seattle Seahawks because Smith had yet to recover from his injury. In the game, Haskins threw for 295 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions during a 20–15 loss.[46] Following the game, Haskins was photographed attending his girlfriend's birthday party without wearing a
face mask. Due to breaking COVID-19 protocols again, he was fined $40,000 by the team and lost his status as a captain.[47] Despite that, he started the Week 16 game against the
Carolina Panthers but was benched for
Taylor Heinicke in the fourth quarter after throwing 14 of 28 for 154 yards and two interceptions, finishing with a
passer rating of 36.9 in a 20–13 loss.[48] Haskins was released by the team the day after, with head coach
Ron Rivera saying he believed that it benefited both parties if they went their separate ways.[49]
Haskins went by the nickname
Simba, taken from the protagonist of the 1994 film The Lion King. He adopted it as a child due to his having an
afro at the time that reminded his mother of a
lion's mane. He used the nickname and the film's
coming-of-age story as motivation and incorporated it into his personal clothing brand, Kingdom of Pride.[57]
Death
Haskins died as a direct result from injuries he sustained around 7:00a.m.
EDT on April 9, 2022, after he was struck by a
dump truck while attempting to cross
I-595 near
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on foot.[58][59] He was in Florida to train with several of his Steelers teammates.[60][61] His wife, who was not traveling with him, received a call from Haskins after he had run out of gasoline for his rented vehicle letting her know of his attempt to get more at a gas station prior to being struck.[62] Haskins was knocked back several feet by a dump truck and either run over or struck a second time by an
SUV that swerved in an attempt to avoid him.[63] A toxicology report revealed Haskins had a
blood alcohol level of .24 and had also tested positive for
ketamine and
norketamine.[64]
According to a lawsuit filed about the incident, allegations claim that Haskins was drugged and robbed by a group that contained one man and three women prior to his death. It also accuses the dump truck of speeding, operating carelessly, and violating weight limit regulations. It also claims the rental truck driven by Haskins had a defect that led to it running out of gas.[65]