Kai Forbath
No. 2, 5, 3, 6 | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Placekicker | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Santa Monica, California, U.S. | September 2, 1987||||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 197 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, California) | ||||||||||||
College: | UCLA | ||||||||||||
Undrafted: | 2011 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of 2020 | |||||||||||||
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Kai August Forbath (born September 2, 1987) is a former American football placekicker. He played college football at UCLA and was recognized as an All-American and the best college kicker in the country in 2009. Forbath was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2011, and has played for Washington, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Rams.
Early years
Forbath was born in Santa Monica, California. He attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks. During Forbath's last two prep seasons, he converted 26-of-33 field goal attempts and scored 213 total points, with a long field goal of 57 yards. He also forced touchbacks on 150 of 188 kickoffs and made 134-of-135 extra point attempts. Forbath also served as the team's punter and had a punting average of 46 yards that led to him being named to the Los Angeles Times' All-Star team at punter. Forbath subsequently earned high school All-American recognition by USA Today.[1] In addition to football, Forbath also played soccer in the West Valley Samba Soccer League (National Premier Soccer League). Following his senior season, Forbath was invited to play in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and the CaliFlorida Bowl.
Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Forbath was listed as the No. 1 placekicker in the nation among the class of 2006.[2] He picked UCLA over California, Notre Dame, Oregon, among others.
College career
Forbath attended UCLA, where he played for the football team from 2006 to 2010.[3] After redshirting his initial year at UCLA, Forbath made 25 of 30 field goals and all 30 points after touchdowns (PATs) for a team-high 105 points in 2007. He became the first UCLA player to record five field goals of at least 50 yards in a season, including a freshman-best 54-yarder versus Oregon. In his sophomore year, Forbath received first-team All-Pacific-10 honors after making 19 of 22 field goals on the season, including his last 13 straight.
As a junior in 2009, Forbath connected on another three field goals from 50 yards or more and had then made 9-of-12 tries from that distance. Competing with Leigh Tiffin of Alabama and Blair Walsh of Georgia, Forbath was named the winner of the 2009 Lou Groza Award, recognizing the best placekicker in college football.[4]
On September 25, 2010, Forbath kicked two field goals in leading the Bruins to an upset victory over the #7 Texas Longhorns 34–12 in front of a stadium-record 101,437 fans in Austin, Texas. In the previous week, Forbath kicked a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter to give the Bruins a 24–3 lead in the game against then-#23 Houston. UCLA defeated Houston by a score of 31–13. On November 6, 2010, Forbath kicked a game winning 51-yard field goal in the last second of the game to give the Bruins a 17–14 win over Oregon State, and he was named Pac-10 Conference Special Team Player-of-the-Week.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Although he was projected as the second-best kicker in the 2011 NFL Draft, Forbath was not selected in the Draft. On August 2, Forbath was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, but because he had a pre-existing quad injury that did not allow him to practice and that would take a lengthy time to heal, he was immediately placed on the active non-football injury list.[5] At the time, the Cowboys had an open competition for the placekicker job and were covering themselves in case a player did not emerge from the four kickers they had in training camp at one time.
On August 30, he was placed on the Non-Football Injury list, so he would not count towards the first 80-player cut and later towards the 53-player limit.[6] The performance of fellow rookie Dan Bailey made the Cowboys decide to keep Forbath on the NFI list during all of the regular season.[7]
On April 16, 2012, Forbath was waived by the Cowboys, having never participated in a practice with the team.[8]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers claimed Forbath off waivers on April 17, 2012.[9] During the preseason, Forbath made all five field goal attempts, including a successful 55-yard kick.[10][11]
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins signed Forbath on October 9, 2012, replacing Billy Cundiff.[12][13][14] Forbath made his NFL and Washington debut knocking through a 50-yard attempt as his first career NFL field goal in the home game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6 on October 14, 2012.[15] His performance was essential in Washington's victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, where he recorded 48-yard and 49-yard field goals and then converted a game-winning 34-yard field goal in overtime.[16]
On December 23, 2012, in Week 16, Forbath set the NFL record for consecutive field goals to begin a career with 17 in a row, beating Garrett Hartley, who previously held the record at 16.[17][18] The football was sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[19] In the 2012 season, he finished converting 33 of 34 extra point attempts and 17 of 18 field goal attempts.[20]
In the 2013 season, Forbath converted all 26 extra point attempts and 18 of 22 field goal attempts in 13 games.[21]
On October 19, 2014, in Week 7, Forbath scored the game-winning field goal in the 19–17 win over the Tennessee Titans.[22][23] He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after scoring the overtime winning field goal against the Dallas Cowboys the following week.[24] He once again scored the game-winning field goal in the 27–24 Week 16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.[25] In the 2014 season, Forbath finished converting 31 of 32 extra point attempts and 24 of 27 field goal attempts.[26]
Washington offered Forbath a $1,542,000 right of first refusal tender on March 8, 2015,[27] which he signed on April 15, 2015.[28] Forbath was released by the team on September 14, 2015.[29]
Forbath finished his career with Washington as the second-most accurate kicker in team history, converting 87.0 percent of his field goal attempts (60-of-69). His mark of 60 field goals and 91 extra points rank fifth in franchise history.[30]
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints signed Forbath on October 19, 2015, to replace a struggling Zach Hocker, who was released by the team.[31]
Forbath played in first career game as a member of the Saints in Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts on October 25, 2015, converting on three-of-four extra point attempts in the 27–21 victory.[32] On November 1, in Week 8, Forbath ended a record-breaking 52–49 shootout against the New York Giants at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with a 50-yard field goal as time expired. On November 29, in Week 12, Forbath kicked a career-long 57-yard field goal against the Houston Texans, which is the third-longest in team history.[33] On January 3, 2016, Forbath kicked a 30-yard game-winning field goal in the regular season finale in Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons as time expired, his sixth career game-winner.[34] Forbath finished the 2015 season converting 34 of 35 extra point attempts and 10 of 15 field goal attempts.[35]
On March 10, 2016, the Saints re-signed Forbath.[36] Throughout the team's 2016 preseason, Forbath competed with Connor Barth, and the Saints ultimately kept Forbath while cutting Barth. However, a few days later, on September 6, the Saints also released Forbath in favor of an undrafted rookie kicker, Wil Lutz, who had gone through training camp with the Baltimore Ravens.[37]
Minnesota Vikings
On November 16, 2016, the Minnesota Vikings signed Forbath to a one-year, $760,000 contract after releasing incumbent kicker Blair Walsh.[38] In Forbath's first game with the Vikings, in Week 11, he converted one field goal and three extra points against the Arizona Cardinals.[39] On December 11, he kicked a season-high four field goals against the Jacksonville Jaguars.[40] He finished his first season with the Vikings converting all 15 field goal attempts and 11 of 14 extra point attempts.[41]
On October 9, 2017, Forbath kicked two field goals, including the game-winner against the Chicago Bears.[42] In Week 7 of the 2017 season, Forbath converted six field goals, including a 52-yarder, in a 24–16 win over the Ravens, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[43] He is one of three Vikings' kickers to kick six field goals in a game; the last time this happened was in 1998 (Gary Anderson).[44] On October 29, Forbath kicked four field goals against the Cleveland Browns.[45] In the 2017 season, Forbath converted 34 of 39 extra point attempts and 32 of 38 field goal attempts.[46] On January 14, 2018, Forbath kicked three field goals against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Round.[47]
On March 20, 2018, Forbath re-signed with the Vikings.[48] However, the team traded up to draft Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson the next month.[49] On August 20, 2018, Forbath was released by the Vikings after losing the starting job to the rookie Carlson.[50]
Jacksonville Jaguars
On December 14, 2018, Forbath was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as insurance for the injured Josh Lambo.[51] He was released on February 19, 2019 after playing three games for the Jaguars, making four out of his five field goal attempts.[52]
New England Patriots
On November 29, 2019, the New England Patriots signed Forbath after the team released Nick Folk, who had undergone an emergency appendectomy.[53] Forbath became the fourth placekicker on the Patriots' active roster in the 2019 season, after longtime kicker Stephen Gostkowski was placed on injured reserve after Week 4, original replacement Mike Nugent was released after four games, and Folk. He made his Patriots debut on December 1, 2019 in a Week 13 matchup against the Houston Texans handling only field goals and extra points (punter Jake Bailey handled kick-off duties) and went 1-for-2 on extra points and made a 23-yard field goal in a 28–22 loss. The Patriots waived Forbath the day after the game.[54]
Dallas Cowboys (second stint)
On December 9, 2019, Forbath was signed by the Dallas Cowboys after the team released Brett Maher.[55] He helped to stabilize the placekicker position and didn't miss a kick for the rest of the season, making 10-of-10 field goals and 10-of-10 extra points.[56]
On March 24, 2020, Forbath re-signed with the Cowboys.[57] He was released on August 1, 2020, without having a chance to compete for the kicking job against Greg Zuerlein.[58]
Carolina Panthers
On September 19, 2020, Forbath was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad,[59] and was released on September 21, 2020.[60] He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 25 and released again on September 28.[61][62]
Chicago Bears
On October 9, 2020, Forbath was signed to the Chicago Bears practice squad.[63]
Los Angeles Rams
On October 20, 2020, Forbath was signed by the Los Angeles Rams off the Bears practice squad.[64] He suffered an ankle injury in Week 10 and was placed on injured reserve on November 17, 2020.[65][66] He was not retained after the Rams signed kicker Matt Gay off the Colts practice squad.[67] In this time with the Rams, Forbath converted four of five extra point attempts and two of three field goal attempts.[68]
NFL career statistics
Year | Team | GP | Overall FGs | PATs | Kickoffs | Points | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blk | Lng | FGM | FGA | Pct | XPM | XPA | Pct | Blk | KO | Avg | TB | Ret | Avg | ||||
2012 | WAS | 11 | 0 | 50 | 17 | 18 | 94.4 | 33 | 34 | 97.1 | 1 | 62 | 63.2 | 15 | 45 | 23.3 | 84 |
2013 | WAS | 13 | 2 | 50 | 18 | 22 | 81.8 | 26 | 26 | 100.0 | 0 | 57 | 60.2 | 14 | 41 | 23.2 | 80 |
2014 | WAS | 16 | 0 | 49 | 24 | 27 | 88.9 | 31 | 32 | 96.9 | 1 | 54 | 61.3 | 18 | 34 | 23.1 | 103 |
2015 | WAS | 1 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 0 | 3 | 67.9 | 1 | 2 | 27.0 | 4 |
NO | 10 | 2 | 57 | 9 | 13 | 69.2 | 33 | 34 | 97.1 | 0 | 49 | 65.5 | 21 | 28 | 26.6 | 60 | |
2016 | MIN | 7 | 0 | 51 | 15 | 15 | 100.0 | 11 | 14 | 78.6 | 1 | 38 | 62.2 | 19 | 17 | 25.4 | 56 |
2017 | MIN | 16 | 1 | 53 | 32 | 38 | 84.2 | 34 | 39 | 87.2 | 2 | 88 | 63.5 | 44 | 44 | 22.5 | 130 |
2018 | JAX | 3 | 0 | 41 | 4 | 5 | 80.0 | 3 | 3 | 100.0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 15 |
2019 | NE | 1 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
DAL | 3 | 0 | 50 | 10 | 10 | 100.0 | 10 | 10 | 100.0 | 0 | 23 | 63.0 | 15 | 6 | 23.5 | 40 | |
2020 | LAR | 2 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 66.7 | 4 | 5 | 80.0 | 0 | 9 | 65.0 | 4 | 5 | 36.2 | 10 |
Total | 83 | 5 | 57 | 133 | 155 | 86.4 | 187 | 200 | 93.5 | 5 | 383 | 51.9 | 151 | 222 | 21.2 | 586 |
References
- ^ 2005 All-USA team. Usatoday30.usatoday.com (February 1, 2011). Retrieved on November 16, 2016.
- ^ "Kickers 2006", Rivals.com, January 30, 2006
- ^ "Kai Forbath College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Lou Groza Award Finalists Announced", NCAAfootball.com, November 23, 2009
- ^ "Cowboys Place LB Bruce Carter, K Kai Forbath On "Reserve/NFI"". Blogging The Boys. August 30, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Eatman, Nick (August 30, 2011). "Roster Cut To 80 After Carter, Forbath to NFI". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ^ Eatman, Nick (November 29, 2011). "Forbath Stays On NFI; Will Remain With Club". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ^ Ellis, Josh (April 16, 2012). "Cowboys Release Kicker Kai Forbath". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ^ "Bucs Add K Forbath Via Waivers". Buccaneers.com. April 17, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Abner, Caleb (August 26, 2012). "Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 Players Who Will Be Toughest to Cut". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Abner, Caleb (August 30, 2012). "Bucs vs. Redskins: Tampa Bay's Biggest Winners, Losers from Preseason Week 4". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Mike (October 9, 2012). "Washington sign kicker Forbath". Washington Post. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Wilson, Aaron (October 10, 2012). "Redskins sign Kai Forbath, cut former Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Tinsman, Brian (October 9, 2012). "Redskins Release Cundiff, Sign Forbath". Washington Football Team. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ Jones, Mike (October 14, 2012). "Kai Forbath makes 50-yarder in Redskins debut". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Tinsman, Brian (December 10, 2012). "Monday Morning Stats Pack: Redskins-Ravens". Washington Football Team. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ "Kai Forbath sets NFL record for field goals to start career". NFL.com. Associated Press. December 23, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ Tinsman, Brian (December 23, 2012). "Forbath Battles Gusty Winds For NFL Record". Washington Football Team. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ "Redskins rookie record, Forbath's record start". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kai Forbath 2012 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kai Forbath 2013 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Redskins-Titans Monday Stats Pack". Redskins.com. October 20, 2014. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- ^ Czarda, Stephen (October 19, 2014). "Kai Forbath's Boot Nets Redskins Victory". Washington Football Team. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ "Kai Forbath Earns Weekly NFC Honor". Washington Football Team. October 29, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ Skinnell, Brian (December 22, 2014). "Kai Forbath Comes Up Big In The Clutch – Again". Washington Football Team. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ "Kai Forbath 2014 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ El-Bashir, Tarik (March 8, 2015). "Redskins K Kai Forbath gets RFA tender". CSNWashington.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ Jones, Mike (April 15, 2015). "Kicker Kai Forbath signs restricted free agent tender to return to Redskins". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ Jones, Mike (September 14, 2015). "Redskins cut Kai Forbath, sign former Saints place kicker Dustin Hopkins". Washington Post. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Washington Redskins Career Kicking & Punting Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ Triplett, Mike (October 19, 2015). "Kai Forbath replacing Zach Hocker as Saints kicker". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
- ^ "Saints vs. Colts – Box Score – October 25, 2015 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Saints vs. Texans – Box Score – November 29, 2015". ESPN. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Saints vs. Falcons – Game Recap – January 3, 2016". ESPN. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kai Forbath 2015 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Alper, Josh (March 10, 2016). "Saints re-sign Kai Forbath". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- ^ Erickson, Joel A. (September 6, 2016). "Saints choose rookie kicker Wil Lutz over Kai Forbath". The Advocate. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Vikings Sign Kicker Kai Forbath". Vikings.com. November 16, 2016. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings - November 20th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Long, Mark (December 11, 2016). "Vikings beat Jaguars 25-16 for 1st road win since September". Pro32: Head to Head. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "Kai Forbath 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Peters, Craig (October 9, 2017). "Game Recap: Vikings Outlast Bears for 20-17 Victory". Minnesota Vikings. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ Lam, Quang M. (October 25, 2017). "Carson Wentz, Amari Cooper among Players of Week". NFL.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Players with at least six field goals converted in a single game, Minnesota Vikings". StatMuse. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Boyer, Zac (October 29, 2017). "Keenum, Forbath help Vikings win 33-16 vs. Browns in London". Pro32: Head to Head. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "Kai Forbath 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Campbell, Dave (January 14, 2018). "Stunner: Keenum-Diggs TD sends Vikings past Saints 29-24". Pro32: Head to Head. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ Gantt, Darin (March 20, 2018). "Vikings bring back kicker Kai Forbath". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Bergman, Jeremy (April 28, 2018). "Vikings trade two pick to draft kicker Daniel Carlson". NFL.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Smith, Eric (August 20, 2018). "Vikings Release Forbath, Place Aruna on IR, Announce Other Moves". Vikings.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Jaguars make roster moves". Jaguars.com. December 14, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Charean (February 19, 2019). "Jaguars cut Kai Forbath". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Patriots sign K Kai Forbath; Release K Nick Folk". Patriots.com. November 29, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Patriots claim DL Albert Huggins from Philadelphia; Release K Kai Forbath". Patriots.com. December 2, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Shook, Nick (December 9, 2019). "Cowboys cut kicker Brett Maher, sign Kai Forbath". NFL.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kai Forbath 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Charean (March 18, 2020). "Cowboys re-signing Kai Forbath". ProFootballTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Phillips, Rob (August 1, 2020). "Kai Forbath Released; Rookie LB Waived/Injured". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ Simmons, Myles (September 19, 2020). "Panthers activate Woodrow Hamilton from practice squad". Panthers.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Bouda, Nate (September 21, 2020). "Panthers Release K Kai Forbath From PS, Re-Sign OL Aaron Monteiro". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Michael David (September 25, 2020). "Panthers cut Trumaine Johnson, add Kai Forbath to practice squad". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ "Kai Forbath: Cut from Carolina's practice squad". CBSSports.com. September 28, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (October 9, 2020). "Roster Moves: Bears sign Kai Forbath to practice squad". Chicago Bears. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ Jackson, Stu (October 20, 2020). "Rams sign kicker Kai Forbath". TheRams.com. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
- ^ DaSilva, Cameron (November 15, 2020). "Rams kicker Kai Forbath has ankle injury, questionable to return Sunday". Rams Wire. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Rams put LT Whitworth, S Rapp, K Forbath on injured reserve". USA TODAY. Associated Press. November 17, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ DaSilva, Cameron (November 17, 2020). "Rams place Whitworth and 2 others on IR, sign K Matt Gay". Rams Wire. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kai Forbath 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
External links
- Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- UCLA Bruins bio
- 1987 births
- Living people
- All-American college football players
- American football placekickers
- Dallas Cowboys players
- New Orleans Saints players
- Players of American football from Santa Monica, California
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
- UCLA Bruins football players
- Washington Redskins players
- Minnesota Vikings players
- Jacksonville Jaguars players
- New England Patriots players
- Carolina Panthers players
- Chicago Bears players
- Los Angeles Rams players