Whittemore, who played at KU in 2002 and 2003, signed a free-agent contract with the New York Jets on Tuesday, becoming the third former Jayhawk to join the Jets.

Whittemore will fight for a quarterback spot on the Jets’ roster alongside returning starter Chad Pennington, as well as Jay Fiedler, Brooks Bollinger and Kevin Eakin. All but Eakin have NFL experience.

Tuesday’s signing was Whittemore’s second with an NFL team since leaving KU. A year ago, he inked a free-agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons after going undrafted, only to be waived in July. This spring he played for the Arena Football League’s Nashville Kats, close to his hometown of Brentwood, Tenn.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Whittemore had a solid, albeit brief, career at KU. When he wasn’t sidelined because of injuries, he appeared in 18 games for Kansas, passing for 3,308 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also rushed for 817 yards and 15 more scores.

Whittemore will join former Jayhawks Adrian Jones and Austine Nwabuisi on New York’s roster. Jones was taken by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, while Nwabuisi signed as an undrafted free agent last month.