He lost his final three starts of the regular season in close games decided by five points or less, but the Irish' 6–5 record was good enough for a Liberty Bowl bid, where Kiel got the start for the first time since the Miami game and led the Irish to a 19–18 victory over Doug Flutie's 13th-ranked Boston College team.

[8] After an unsuccessful offseason rehab, Notre Dame sent Beuerlein to a California orthopedist in April, where the doctor discovered a bone chip in his collarbone, which had ground away much of his acromioclavicular joint.

In his final collegiate game, Beuerlein threw three second-half touchdowns, helping lead the Irish to an upset over the 17th ranked USC Trojans.

[11] The win gave Beuerlein a perfect 4-0 record against the Trojans, the only Notre Dame quarterback ever to do so besides Ralph Guglielmi from 1951 to 1954.

He graduated in 1987 with a degree in American Studies, having broken nearly every passing and total offense record in Notre Dame history.

He made his NFL debut in 1988 under new head coach Mike Shanahan, starting and winning the season opener against the San Diego Chargers 24–13, his first game in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since upsetting USC in college two years prior.

[15] Beurlein was eventually benched for the more experienced Jay Schroeder, who had been acquired from the Washington Redskins only one day before the season opener.

[17] Less than a week before the start of the 1991 season, the Raiders traded Beuerlein to the Dallas Cowboys, who desired a back-up for Troy Aikman, in exchange for a fourth round draft choice.

According to head coach Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys had "been actively pursuing Beuerlein for quite some time", including a trade agreement worked out in January that Davis reportedly backed out of.

With Aikmain's knee healthy enough to start the first playoff game at the Chicago Bears, Johnson decided to continue playing Beuerlein, a move that upset Aikman at the time.

[28] Beuerlein led the Cardinals to victories in four of their last five games, including passing for three touchdowns and a career-high 431 yards in a 30–27 overtime win at Seattle.

[28] The newly renamed Arizona Cardinals hired Buddy Ryan as both head coach and general manager in 1994.

Head coach Tom Coughlin decided to go for a two-point conversion and the win, which failed and the Jaguars lost 17–16.

Beuerlein reportedly had a confrontational relationship with head coach Coughlin, and finished the season as the third quarterback behind rookie Rob Johnson.

Before the 1996 season, the Carolina Panthers signed Beuerlein to a three-year contract, as a backup to second-year QB Kerry Collins.

Beuerlein also served as a mentor to Collins, relating his stories of watching other young quarterbacks struggle in their early years before becoming stars.

[41] Beuerlein threw 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, completing 63% of passes for 2613 yards, however the Panthers finished with a 4–12 record and head coach Dom Capers was fired.

"[45] In the final week against the Saints, Beuerlein threw a team record five touchdown passes in a win, but the Panthers failed to make the playoffs due to the NFL's tie breaker rules.

[55] Those that remain include: Before the 2001 season, Beuerlein signed with the Denver Broncos to back up Brian Griese,[59] reuniting him with Mike Shanahan, his Raiders coach from the 1980s.

[60] Before the 2003 season, after the Broncos signed former Cardinals QB Jake Plummer to be their new starter, Beuerlein considered retiring at age 38, but decided to play one more year after Shanahan personally visited his home and asked him to stay.

Beuerlein played poorly, throwing three interceptions as the Vikings blitzed him relentlessly, sacking him five times and knocking him down on numerous other occasions.

Although the injury was expected to keep him out for only a maximum of six weeks, the Broncos needed the roster spot and he was placed on injured reserve, ending his season and ultimately his career.

[53] Only one week after his finger injury, Beuerlein reflected on the many struggles he had to endure in his NFL career to Sports Illustrated's Peter King.

[1] In 2024 Beuerlein became the Compass Media Networks Dallas Cowboys radio analyst, replacing longtime legend Danny White who had held the position since the broadcasts began in 2011.