Matthew J. Ioannidis ( ; born January 11, 1994) 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 ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

who played seven 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). He played

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Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

and was drafted by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Ioannidis played six seasons with Washington before spending the seventh and final season of his NFL career with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

Early life

Ioannidis grew up in the Ringoes section of Raritan Township, New Jersey and attended Hunterdon Central Regional High School. The middle of three boys, Matt and his brothers Andrew and Kevin, grew up playing football, basketball, and lacrosse.

College career

Ioannidis attended and played

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

from 2012 to 2015.

Statistics

Professional career

Washington Redskins / Football Team

Ioannidis was selected by the

in the fifth round, 152nd overall, in the 2016 NFL draft. On September 3, 2016, he was waived by the Redskins, but re-signed with their

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. He was promoted to the active roster after Kedric Golston 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 ...

. Ioannidis made his NFL debut on September 25, 2016, in a 29–27 win against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. He appeared in ten games during his rookie season, making seven

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 ...

. In 2018, Ioannidis played in 14 games with nine starts, recording 31 combined tackles, a 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 ...

, and 7.5 sacks, which finished third on the team. On April 18, 2019, Ioannidis signed a three-year, $21.75 million contract extension with the team. Ioannidis finished the 2019 season setting new career highs with 64 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and one pass deflection. Ioannidis tore his biceps in the Week 3 2020 season game 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 ...

and was placed on

. He finished the 2020 season with seven tackles and 1.5 sacks over three games. He tested positive for

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 ...

in November 2020 and was placed on the team's COVID-19 reserve list until recovering and being placed back on injured reserve later that month. On December 15, 2021, Ioannidis was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list, but reactivated five days later. Ioannidis was released on March 16, 2022.

Carolina Panthers

On March 18, 2022, Ioannidis signed with the

. He played in and started 13 games during the 2022 season and recorded 37 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 pass deflection, and 1 forced fumble. His NFL playing career ended after he accepted his first coaching job in 2024.

Coaching career

In September 2024, it was announced that Ioannidis was hired by Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School as an assistant defensive line coach.

References

External links

Temple Owls bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ioannidis, Matt 1994 births Living people American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles American people of Greek descent Sportspeople of Greek descent Hunterdon Central Regional High School alumni People from East Amwell Township, New Jersey Players of American football from Hunterdon County, New Jersey Temple Owls football players Washington Football Team players Washington Redskins players Carolina Panthers players