Jets Give Deal to Former Bear Who Held Sign Looking for NFL Job

Joe Anderson's outside-the-box thinking finally paid off.

The wide receiver was signed to the New York Jets' practice squad Tuesday, about six weeks after he stood outside the Houston Texans' stadium for a few days with a sign asking for an NFL job.

Anderson posted a picture of himself holding a piece of cardboard box with the words "Not homeless ... but STARVING for success" on Instagram that quickly went viral. He also wrote on the sign in black marker: "Will Run Routes 4 Food" and added the hashtags: Whateverittakes, UnderDog, Hungry and IBelieve.

He practiced with the Jets on Tuesday, rejoining former Chicago teammate and fellow wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

Anderson was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Southern in 2012 and played in nine games, mostly on special teams, for parts of two seasons. His 2013 season ended with an abdominal and groin injury that landed him on injured reserve and he was later waived.

He was with Philadelphia in the 2014 offseason and spent time in the CFL, but had been out of a job in football this season.

Anderson took a desperate and creative approach for looking for a new employer by hitting the streets. He stood outside the Texans' facility at NRG Stadium in Houston and held up his sign for everyone to see.

"Lord it's all in your hands," he wrote on Instagram last month in his caption to the photo. "All I know is that I believe it by faith and see it all happening even when it looks like a joke before the eyes of man!"

The married father of two added that it was not a publicity stunt, but he was doing it to fulfill a dream and to inspire others to do the same.

"It's bigger than just collecting a check to me, straight up!" Anderson wrote. "The way I do what I do and why I do what I do isn't just to score touchdowns and gain fame. That's far from the case. I don't need all that 'cause I'm already famous in spirit and you can't get no (more) famous than that. When I get my shot, you'll see what the Lord is truly about to do in my life and I pray with all my heart it inspires you to never give up."

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#NothingWillStopMe Lord it's all in your hands, all I know is that I believe it by faith and see it all happening even when it looks like a joke before the eyes of man! I fill myself with humility and say let your Will be done and use me to allow others to believe in your power!!!! Im not looking at my situation with a worldly mindset and that's what's gonna seperate me my hunger can't be matched my heart can't be compared too, I'm outside the Houston Texans facility every morning, because I kno what type of gift God has blessed me with!!! A lot of people don't really live out the meaning #WhateverItTakes they just sayin it!!! You gotta really live that junk if you say it and believe in yourself and trust in the Lord, and living it don't just mean hold up a sign!! Oh there is much pain behind holding this sign an it's not from bein doubted or the underdog, like how bad do you really want it?? Forget a publicity stunt Boyz is Really HUNGRY out hur dawg to the point if the coach wanna line up I'll route him up too, to the point if it's special teams an the REF get in the way I'll hit him too!! It's something flickering in my head everyday with much Humility and WILL power to go the extra mile when it come to believing in myself and proven all doubters wrongI'm not just chasing greatness for myself/family but for all the people that lack faith and wanna quit and don't believe God still moves, DAWG if you gotta DREAM GO GET THAT!! Let ZERO What If's stand in the way go to the grave on E, not off what someone told you you can't do...Create and tell your testimony don't be ashamed of it, do it all for the glory of the kingdom take yourself outta the picture I'm out here on FAITH, it's bigger than just collecting a check to me straight up! The way I do what I do and why I do what I do isn't just to score touchdowns and gain fame that's far from the case I don't need all that cause I'm already famous in spirit an you can't get no famous than that, when I get my shot you'll see what the Lord is truly about to do in my life and I pray wit all my heart it inspires you to never Give up.When your purpose means more than your situation God will give you favor

A post shared by Joe Anderson (@_joeanderson) on Nov 6, 2015 at 5:38am PST

Marshall saw the post last month and was moved by Anderson's actions.

"Wow, this is humility right here," Marshall wrote on Instagram.

He added that Anderson was "one of the hardest-working guys I've had the pleasure of playing with" while they were with the Bears.

"Some may call him #crazy," Marshall wrote. "Hell, I had to stop and really see his strength in this. I watched this guy grow so much. JOE you're the kinda of guy I want to play with. You're the guy I want in my FOXHOLE. I don't care if it's covering kicks. #mindovermatter."

Anderson, 27, played at Louisiana Tech before transferring to Texas Southern and playing for three years there while recording 154 catches for 2,010 yards and 13 touchdowns. As a rookie with the Bears in 2012, he had three special teams tackles in the final three games of the season. He had another special teams tackle the next season in six games, and returned five kicks for 82 yards.