Marcus Christopher Gilbert (born February 15, 1988) is an American former 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 ...

player who was an

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

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). 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

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

, and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. He was selected 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 ...

in the second round of the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

and played for the Steelers for eight seasons. Gilbert was also a member of 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 ...

for two seasons, although he never played a game for the team.

Early life

Gilbert was born in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, and was a standout lineman for the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders high school football team. He was also a member of the Raiders basketball team and threw the shot put and discus for the Raiders track and field team. Gilbert's father Jeff was a

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

agent who protected

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

during his 2008 presidential campaign.

College career

Gilbert attended 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 ...

, where he played on coach

Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is an American Sports commentator, sportscaster and former college football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green F ...

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American football, American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the ...

team from

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. As a true freshman in 2006, he was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

. He made his first career

start Start can refer to multiple topics: * Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports * Track and field#Starts use in race, Starts use in sport race * S ...

for the

in a game against Florida Atlantic in 2007 at right guard in place of the injured Maurkice Pouncey. During the Gators 2008 BCS National Championship season, Gilbert started two games at left guard against

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

and

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. He started in all 14 games for the Gators at right tackle in 2009, and earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors for his performance against

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

on September 26. In 2010, Gilbert started in all 13 games, playing both tackle positions. During his college career, he appeared in fifty-two games and started thirty of them.GatorZone.com, Football History, 2010 Roster
Marcus Gilbert
. Retrieved May 2, 2012.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Entering the

, Gilbert was projected to be a third to fourth round pick. He was ranked as the ninth best offensive tackle in the draft and was invited to the NFL Combine. Gilbert attended the scouting combine and performed nearly half the drills before injuring a hamstring. He participated at Florida State's Pro Day and nearly finished the entire workout before reinjuring his hamstring during a 40-yard dash.

Pittsburgh Steelers

2011

The

selected Gilbert second round (63rd overall) of the

. Gilbert was the ninth offensive tackle selected in the 2011 NFL Draft, where being chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers reunited him with his former Florida teammate Maurkice Pouncey. He was the first offensive tackle drafted from Florida since the Pittsburgh Steelers selected

Max Starks Maximillian Weisner Starks IV (born January 10, 1982) is an American former professional American football, football player who was an offensive tackle for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Flo ...

in 2004. On July 19, 2011, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Gilbert to a four-year, $3.22 million contract with a signing bonus of $847,208. He entered training camp competing with Willie Colon,

, Jonathan Scott, and Chris Scott for a starting offensive tackle position. He was named the backup left tackle to Jonathan Scott to begin the regular season. September 18, 2011, Gilbert made his professional regular season debut and his first career start in a 24–0 victory over the

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 ...

. He was named the starting right tackle after Willie Colon was placed on injured-reserve after tearing his

triceps The triceps, or triceps brachii (Latin for "three-headed muscle of the arm"), is a large muscle on the ventral, back of the upper limb of many vertebrates. It consists of three parts: the medial, lateral, and long head. All three heads cross the ...

during the season-opener against 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 ...

. During a Week 5 matchup against 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 ...

, Gilbert let the game after suffering a shoulder injury and was replaced at right tackle by Jonathan Scott. He re-aggravated the shoulder during the week and missed the Pittsburgh Steeler's Week 6 victory over the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. On December 29, 2011, Gilbert was named the Steelers' Rookie of the Year after starting 13 games in place of the injured Colon. He finished his rookie season with 13 starts in 14 games played, helping the Pittsburgh Steelers achieve a 12–4 record and finish second in the

AFC North The American Football Conference – Northern Division or AFC North is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division was created after the NFL realign ...

On January 8, 2012, he started at right tackle in his first career playoff games in a 29–23 overtime loss to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

in the AFC Wildcard game.

2012

During the Pittsburgh Steeler's training camp in 2012, Gilbert competed with veterans Max Starks, Chris Scott and rookies Mike Adams and Kelvin Beachum for a starting tackle position. He defeated Scott, Beachum, and Adams to win the starting right tackle job to begin the regular season. On October 11, 2012, Gilbert went down clutching his knee and was carted off the field during the second quarter of a 26–23 loss to the

. On November 26, 2012, Gilbert was placed on injured reserve with torn tendons in his ankle that he suffered during Week 5 against the Titans. His season was held to five starts due to this injury.

2013

He started the 2013 regular season as the Pittsburgh Steeler's right tackle. He started all 16 regular season games, marking his first complete season and was ranked the 44th best offensive tackle by Pro Football Focus after allowing 11 sacks.

2014

On August 19, 2014, Gilbert signed a five-year, $30.81 million contract extension with the Steelers with a $7.65 million signing bonus. On October 20, 2014, Gilbert suffered a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

and left during the second quarter of 30–23 victory over 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 ...

Monday Night Football ''Monday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''MNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that air on Monday nights. It originally ran on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1970 NFL season, 1970 t ...

. He was ruled out for the next game against the

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 ...

. He was limited to 12 starts in 2014 after he missed Weeks 13, 14, and 15 after suffering an ankle injury during practice and was replaced by Mike Adams for those three games. He finished the season ranking tenth among right tackles with a grade of 94.7 in pass blocking efficiency by Pro Football Focus and 20th among all qualifying offensive tackles and only allowed six sacks, four hits, and 19 hurries in 440 pass blocking snaps. He earned an overall grade of 74.7 by PFF for the 2014 season.

2015

On February 25, 2015, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Gilbert agreed to restructure his 2015 salary and convert his $1.15 million base salary and $3.5 roster bonus into a signing bonus. Gilbert was able to start all 16 regular season games in 2015 and played in 99.5% of the offensive snaps. He was responsible for only one sack, two hits, and ranked as the best right tackle by Pro Football Focus. He attributed his best season statistically to having a better off season program, being more health conscious, and getting into better shape. The

achieved a 10–6 record and finished second in the AFC North. After winning the AFC Wildcard they lost to the eventual Super Bowl 50 Champions the

2016

On August 15, 2016, the Steelers and Gilbert agreed to restructure $3.19 million of his 2016 salary into a bonus in order to clear $2.39 million in cap space. He started the first four games of the season and injured his ankle during a Week 4 victory over the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

. He missed the next three games but was able to return in time for Week 7 contest against 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 ...

. Gilbert started 13 games and finished the season ranked the 13th best offensive tackle by Pro Football Focus with an overall grade of 87.1.

2017

On September 17, 2017, Gilbert suffered a

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

injury during a 26–9 victory over 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 missed Weeks 3-5 due to the injury and led to Chris Hubbard starting at right tackle in his absence. He returned on October 15, 2017, but left the game after reinjuring his hamstring during a 19–13 win against the

. Gilbert missed the next two games after suffering the setback. On November 20, 2017, Gilbert was suspended for four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substance.

2018

Gilbert started five of the first six games before missing Weeks 8–14 with a knee injury. He was ultimately placed on injured reserve on December 15, 2018.

Arizona Cardinals

On March 8, 2019, the Steelers agreed to trade Gilbert to the

in exchange for a compensatory sixth round pick. The deal became official on March 13, 2019. He was placed on injured reserve on September 10, 2019, with a knee injury. On March 30, 2020, Gilbert re-signed with the Cardinals. He was placed on the active/ non-football illness list at the start of training camp on August 2, 2020. Two days later, Gilbert announced he would opt-out of the 2020 season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He announced his retirement following the season on April 26, 2021.

Personal life

On February 22, 2021, Gilbert married political commentator, congressional candidate and former Miss Ohio Madison Gesiotto. He was baptized into the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

on April 17, 2022.

References

External links

Florida Gators player profile

Pittsburgh Steelers player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Marcus 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles Florida Gators football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Arizona Cardinals players St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Florida) alumni Converts to Roman Catholicism