Jonathan Bullard (born October 22, 1993) 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 ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and was selected by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

in the third round of the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

, and has also played for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

and

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

Early life

Bullard attended Crest Senior High School in

Shelby, North Carolina Shelby is a city in and the county seat of Cleveland County, North Carolina. It lies near the western edge of the Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte-Concord, North Carolina, Concord, North Carolina, NC-South Carolina, SC Charlotte metropolitan a ...

. As a senior, he had 82

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 ...

and 16 sacks. Bullard was a five-star recruit and was ranked as the best

in his class. He committed to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

to play

College career

Bullard played in all 13 games and made two starts as a true freshman at Florida in 2012. He had 27 tackles and 1.5 sacks. As a sophomore in 2013, he played in 11 games with eight starts and recorded 33 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He started all 12 games and had 52 tackles with 2.5 sacks his junior year in 2014. Bullard returned to Florida his senior season rather than enter the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Bullard was selected in the third round (72nd overall) by the

in the

. He signed his rookie contract on June 6, 2016. He made his NFL debut on September 11 against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

. On October 9, Bullard recorded his first sack of his career, taking down

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

' Andrew Luck. He finished his rookie season with one start in fourteen games, recording eighteen tackles and a sack. Bullard recorded his first career pass break-up on September 28, 2017, as well as a tackle against the

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 ...

. On October 29, he logged his first forced

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 ...

against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

, stripping running back

Mark Ingram II Mark Valentino Ingram II (born December 21, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football running back and current on-air personality for Fox Sports. He played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played ...

In a blowout loss to the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

, Bullard got his first and only sack of the 2017 season, bringing down quarterback

Carson Wentz Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the North Dakota State Bison, where he won two consecutive NCAA FCS national championships as the starter. Wentz was s ...

on November 26. He finished his second season with three starts, recording 26 tackles, a sack, and two pass breakups. Bullard was waived during the final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 1, 2019, Bullard was claimed off waivers by the

. 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 6, 2019, with a hamstring injury. He finished the season with 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks through nine games and six starts. On April 3, 2020, Bullard re-signed with the Cardinals. On September 5, Bullard was released during final roster cuts. He was re-signed to the

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 ...

a day later.

Seattle Seahawks

On October 7, 2020, Bullard was signed to the active roster of the

off the Cardinals' practice squad. He was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list by the Seahawks on January 9, 2021, and activated on January 21.

Atlanta Falcons

On April 1, 2021, Bullard signed a one-year contract with the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

Minnesota Vikings

On June 2, 2022, Bullard signed with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on December 10, 2022. He was activated on January 7, 2023. Bullard re-signed with the Vikings on March 21, 2023. He played in all 17 games with 14 starts, recording a career-high 44 tackles and two sacks. On March 13, 2024, Bullard re-signed with the Vikings.

References

External links

Minnesota Vikings bioFlorida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullard, Jonathan 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Shelby, North Carolina American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles Florida Gators football players Arizona Cardinals players Atlanta Falcons players Chicago Bears players Seattle Seahawks players Minnesota Vikings players