Chauncey Rivers (born June 12, 1997) 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

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). 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

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

and

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the college athletics, athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA D ...

, as well as junior college football for the East Mississippi Lions. Undrafted in the

2020 NFL draft The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

, Rivers has played two seasons in 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), as a member of 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 ...

and

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

College career

Georgia

As a freshman in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, Rivers played in four games totaling four tackles on the season. After being arrested on

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

charges for the third time in seven months, Rivers was dismissed from the team.

East Mississippi

Rivers transferred to

East Mississippi Community College East Mississippi Community College (EMCC), formerly East Mississippi Junior College, is a public community college in Scooba, Mississippi. EMCC serves and is supported by Clay, Kemper, Lauderdale, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha counties in ...

. While at East Mississippi, he was featured in the second season of the

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documentary series ''

Last Chance U ''Last Chance U'' is an American documentary television series that is produced by and premiered on Netflix. The six-episode first season explores the football program at East Mississippi Community College, which features several collegiate at ...

'', where he played under head coach Buddy Stephens. After playing in 12 games for the Lions, Rivers totaled 25 solo tackles and 20 assists for a total of 45, along with eight sacks for a loss of 44 yards.

Mississippi State

After his 2016 campaign at East Mississippi, Rivers was considered to be among the top junior college

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

s in the country. This allowed him to get consideration once again from Division I colleges. After enrolling at

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

, Rivers received an academic redshirt for the 2017 season. During his 2018 season, as a redshirt junior, Rivers played in all 13 games the team played, totaling 339 snaps. Rivers made 24 tackles and miss just 1 tackle on the season. Despite not being a starter, Rivers finished fifth on the team in tackles for loss with seven and had 2.5 sacks as well as 19 pressures.

College statistics

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

Rivers was signed by 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 ...

following the

. He was waived during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and signed to the team's

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 ...

the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on December 2 for the team's week 12 game against 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 ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. On January 18, 2021, Rivers signed a reserve/futures contract with the Ravens. He was waived on August 4, 2021.

Green Bay Packers

On August 5, 2021, Rivers was claimed off waivers by the

. On August 31, Rivers made the Packers' initial 53-man roster. He was placed on injured reserve on October 7, with a torn ACL.

Houston Roughnecks

On November 17, 2022, Rivers was drafted by the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL. The Roughnecks brand was transferred to the

Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducin ...

when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

DC Defenders

On February 28, 2024, Rivers signed with the

DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMaho ...

of the United Football League (UFL).

Birmingham Stallions

On March 8, 2024, Rivers was traded to the

Birmingham Stallions The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their ...

in exchange for offensive tackle Jahmir Johnson. He was waived on March 22, 2024.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

On April 11, 2024, Rivers signed with the

of the

(CFL).

NFL career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

East Mississippi Community College Lions BioMississippi State Bulldogs Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivers, Chauncey 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Stone Mountain, Georgia Georgia Bulldogs football players Mississippi State Bulldogs football players Baltimore Ravens players Green Bay Packers players Houston Roughnecks players DC Defenders players Birmingham Stallions (2022) players