Richard Christopher Rodgers II (born January 22, 1992) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...
who is a free agent. He played
college football at
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
and was drafted by 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 club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
in the third round of the
2014 NFL Draft
The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
. He has also been a member of 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
,
Washington Football Team
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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
and
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, an ...
.
Early life
Rodgers was born in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, growing up there and
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
and
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex
, Offi ...
before moving to
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...
in 2004. He attended
St. John's High School in
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'S ...
. At St. John's he was a four-time
letterman in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
and three-time letterman in
football for the Pioneers. While on the basketball team, he led the Pioneers to the state championship game all four years, including a win in 2009. As a senior, he averaged 17.8
points, 10.8
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
, 4.5
blocks, 4.1
steals and 3.4
assists playing basketball. Rodgers was named to the starting five on ESPNBoston's
MIAA All-State Boys Basketball Team along with other talented players from Massachusetts such as seniors
Pat Connaughton
Patrick Bergin Connaughton ( ; born January 6, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he primarily plays as a shooting guard.
Connaughton previously played ...
and
Jake Layman
Jake Douglas Layman (born March 7, 1994) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins.
Layman was drafted with the 47th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic before b ...
as well. He is one of 14 athletes in Saint John's history to be a member of the 1000 Point Scorers List, with 1423 points. In football, he helped lead the Pioneers to central Massachusetts super bowl championship wins his last two years. Former
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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
tight end
Rob Blanchflower
Robert J. Blanchflower (born June 8, 1990) is a former American football tight end. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football at Massachusetts.
Early life
In high school ...
was also a teammate of Rodgers in football and basketball at St. John's.
Prior to the start of his senior year, Rodgers committed to attend the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, where his father
Richard Rodgers Sr., who also played football, handled two of the five laterals in
"The Play".
Rodgers is cousins with
Jairus Byrd
Jairus Keelon Byrd (born October 7, 1986) is a former American football free safety. He played college football for the University of Oregon. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He is a three-time Pro B ...
.
College career
Rodgers played in 35 of 37 possible games (starting 11) for the
California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club team ...
during three seasons from 2011–13. He had 20
catches for 288 yards as a 2012 sophomore. He had his best season in 2013 as a junior, when he totaled career highs of 39 receptions and 608 yards receiving to rank third on the team in both categories. He finished his career at Cal with 59 receptions for 896 yards receiving (15.2 yards per catch) and two
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...
catches.
Statistics
Professional career
Green Bay Packers

Rodgers was selected in the third round with the 98th overall pick by 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 club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
in the
2014 NFL Draft
The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
. On June 12, 2014, he signed a contract with the Packers. He made his NFL debut on September 4, 2014. He did not record a catch. In Week 4, he recorded his first two catches for 52 yards against 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...
. Rodgers' first NFL touchdown came in the second quarter of the Packers' November 23, 2014 matchup versus the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...
at
TCF Bank Stadium
Huntington Bank Stadium (formerly known as TCF Bank Stadium) is an outdoor stadium located on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The stadium opened in 2009, after three years of construction. It is ...
. After rolling out far to his right, quarterback
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to t ...
completed a 1-yard touchdown pass across the width of the field to Richard Rodgers, who had completely avoided defensive coverage and was left standing alone in the corner of the endzone.
On December 3, 2015, in a Week 13 matchup against the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
, Richard Rodgers caught a
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...
from Aaron Rodgers for 61 yards with 0:00 left to beat the Lions 27–23, after the game was extended due to a
face mask
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
penalty called on Detroit.According to Elias Sports Bureau, it is the longest game-winning, game-ending Hail Mary in NFL history. The Hail Mary was quickly dubbed as "The
Miracle in Motown
The Miracle in Motown was the final play of an American football game between the NFC North divisional rivals Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions on December 3, 2015. The game, which was broadcast on television nationally on ''Thursday Night Foot ...
." After the game Richard Rodgers admitted thinking about "The Play" his father was part of stating "It's a really special moment for him and I was kind of thinking on the play before, when Aaron got the facemask, I was kind of thinking we would do something like that. Obviously it turned out differently."
Philadelphia Eagles
On April 4, 2018, 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
signed Rodgers to a one-year, $880,000 contract that included $200,000 guaranteed. He was placed on injured reserve on September 4, 2018 with a knee injury. He was activated off injured reserve on November 16, 2018. His only statistics were during a week 16 match against the
Houston Texans, where he recorded one catch for 7 yards.
On March 28, 2019, Rodgers re-signed with the Eagles on a two-year contract. He was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury on August 30, 2019. He was released from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 11. He was re-signed on December 24, 2019.
Washington Football Team
Rodgers signed with the
Washington Football Team
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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
on April 6, 2020, uniting him with his father
Richard Rodgers Sr. He was released on September 5, 2020.
Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)
On September 8, 2020, Rodgers signed back with the Philadelphia Eagles after an injury to
Joshua Perkins. After stepping in for an injured
Dallas Goedert
Dallas Clayton Goedert ( ; born January 3, 1995) is an American football tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Dakota State, and was drafted by the Eagles in the second ...
, Rodgers became the starting tight end on Week 7 following an injury to
Zach Ertz
Zachary Adam Ertz (born November 10, 1990) is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft and later won Super ...
. In Week 11 against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
, Rodgers caught two passes for 48 yards and his first touchdown since 2017. In Week 12 against 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...
, Rodgers caught a 33-yard Hail Mary pass from
Carson Wentz
Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Wentz played college football at North Dakota State, where he won two consecutive NCAA FCS n ...
in the last minute of the fourth quarter.
On June 11, 2021, Rodgers re-signed with the Eagles for the 2021 season. He was waived on August 31. He re-signed with their practice squad on September 21, 2021, but was released a week later.
Arizona Cardinals
Rodgers was signed to 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, an ...
practice squad on October 13, 2021, but was released three days later.
Philadelphia Eagles (third stint)
Rodgers was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad on October 20, 2021. He was signed to the active roster on January 15, 2022. He was placed on the Active/PUP list on July 27, 2022. He was released on August 30, 2022.
Los Angeles Chargers
Rodgers was signed by the
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
to their practice squad on September 5, 2022. He was promoted to the active roster on September 28. He was placed on injured reserve on December 10.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
References
External links
California Golden Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodgers, Richard II
1992 births
Living people
Players of American football from California
People from Martinez, California
Sportspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area
Players of American football from Worcester, Massachusetts
American football tight ends
California Golden Bears football players
Green Bay Packers players
Philadelphia Eagles players
African-American players of American football
Washington Football Team players
Arizona Cardinals players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
Los Angeles Chargers players