Nathan Stanley (born August 26, 1997) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Iowa and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, for whom he spent two seasons with.

Stanley attended Menomonie High School in Menomonie, Wisconsin. During his career, he had 3,674 yards and 36 touchdowns. He committed to the University of Iowa to play college football. Stanley also played baseball and basketball in high school.^[1]

Stanley spent his freshman season at Iowa as a backup to C. J. Beathard.^[2][3] He appeared in five games, completing five of nine passes for 62 yards. With Beathard graduating, Stanley was named Iowa's starting quarterback in 2017.^[4][5] In his first career start, he passed for 125 yards and three touchdowns.^[6] Stanley started 39 consecutive games compiling a 27–12 record, including a 3–0 record in bowl games. He finished his career second all-time in passing yards and touchdowns in Iowa football history.

Stanley was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round with the 244th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.^[11] He was waived by the Vikings during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and was signed to the practice squad the next day.^[12][13] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Vikings on January 4, 2021.^[14]

On August 31, 2021, Stanley was waived/injured by the Vikings and placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. On July 19, 2022, Stanley was cut by the Vikings.^[15]

On April 29, 2023, Stanley confirmed that he was retired from football and would focus on teaching the sport rather than playing.^[16]

Stanley is a Christian.^[17] He also enjoys hunting, fishing, and woodworking.^[18]