John Robert Spillane (born December 14, 1995) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Western Michigan Broncos The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I program representing Western Michigan University (WMU) in college athletics. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's coll ...

Early life

Spillane was born and grew up in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 26th-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 54,318 as of the 2020 census. Oak Park was first se ...

, and attended Fenwick High School. He played both

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

and

for the

team at Fenwick. Rated a 3-star “athlete” recruit due to his success at multiple positions, Spillane committed to play college football for

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake ...

over offers from

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

Northern Illinois Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois. The region is by far the most populous of Illinois, with nearly 9.7 million residents as of 2010. Economics Northern Illinois is dominated by ...

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, and

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Or ...

. Spillane was originally recruited to play running back for Western Michigan before eventually switching to linebacker.

College career

Spillane played four seasons for the

, appearing in 47 games (40 games). During his college career, Spillane accumulated 312

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

(32.5 for loss), 10 sacks, four

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

recoveries. He was named second-team All-

Mid American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divi ...

(MAC) selection in his junior season after recording 111 tackles, including 10.5 for loss, three sack, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. As a senior, Spillane was again named second-team All-MAC after compiling 88 tackles, 11 of which were for loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception, which he returned 35 yards for a touchdown.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

Spillane signed with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on May 14, 2018. He was cut from the 53-man roster at the end of training camp and subsequently re-signed to the Titans

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on September 2. Spillane was promoted to the Titans active roster on October 9, 2018. He made his NFL debut on October 14 in a 21–0 loss to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

. Spillane was waived by the Titans on October 29, 2018.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On February 8, 2019, Spillane was signed by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2019, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 24, 2019, but re-signed on October 8. He was promoted to the active roster on November 5. Spillane finished the season with 11 tackles in eight games played. On October 18, 2020, against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, Steelers starting inside linebacker

Devin Bush Jr. Devin Marquese Bush Jr. (born July 18, 1998) is an American professional American football, football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines football, Mic ...

tore his ACL. Spillane replaced Bush and finished the game with 5 tackles. On October 20, Steelers Coach

Mike Tomlin Michael Pettaway Tomlin (born March 15, 1972) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the Steelers in 2007, he has led t ...

announced that Spillane would be the starter for the remainder of the season. In Week 8 of the 2020 season, Spillane intercepted a pass from

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American professional football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, winning the Heisman T ...

and returned it for a 33 yard touchdown during the 28–24 win. This was Spillane's first turnover and touchdown of his career and he also finished the game with a team-high 11 tackles and a fumble recovery. In Week 10 against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

, Spillane recorded his first career sack on rookie quarterback

Joe Burrow Joseph Lee Burrow (born December 10, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes football, O ...

during the 36–10 win. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on December 12, 2020. He was activated from injured reserve on January 9, 2021. In the 2020 season, Spillane finished with two sacks, 45 total tackles, one interception, and four passes defended. Spillane re-signed with the Steelers on a one-year contract on March 24, 2021. In the 2021 season, Spillane finished with 56 total tackles in 14 games and four starts. In the 2022 season, Spillane finished with one sack, 79 total tackles, and four passes defended in 16 games and five starts. On March 11, 2022, the Steelers placed a restricted free agent tender on Spillane.

Las Vegas Raiders

On March 16, 2023, Spillane signed a two-year contract with the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

. In Week 10, he recorded seven tackles, a sack, and an interception in a 16-12 win over the Jets, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

New England Patriots

On March 13, 2025, Spillane signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the

Personal life

Spillane is the grandson of 1953

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner,

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

r and NFL halfback

Johnny Lattner John Joseph Lattner (October 24, 1932 – February 12, 2016) was an American football player who was a halfback. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1953 and the Maxwell Award in both 195 ...

References

External links

New England Patriots bioWestern Michigan Broncos bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spillane, Robert 1995 births Living people Players of American football from Oak Park, Illinois American football linebackers Western Michigan Broncos football players Tennessee Titans players Pittsburgh Steelers players Las Vegas Raiders players New England Patriots players