Ty Anthony Montgomery II (born January 22, 1993) 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 ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

. 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

Stanford Cardinal The Stanford Cardinal are the college athletics in the United States, athletic teams that represent Stanford University. Stanford's program has won 138 National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA team championships, the List of NCAA schools ...

, earning consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in 2013. Montgomery was selected as a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

in the third round of 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 ...

. In 2016, he changed positions to running back.

Early life

Montgomery attended

St. Mark's School of Texas The St. Mark's School of Texas is a private, nonsectarian, college-preparatory day school in Dallas, Texas. Established in 1906, St. Mark's educates roughly 900 boys in grades 1-12. St. Mark's is one of the wealthiest day schools in the United ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, where he was a five-sport star in

, track,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

, and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

. He played as a

, and

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the Lions football team. As a senior, he had 823

rushing Rushing means a sudden forward motion, or a surge or onslaught. Rushing may refer to: Tactics * Rush (gridiron football), advancing the ball by running on offense. On defense, charging the quarterback or kicker is a pass rush. * Human wave atta ...

yards on 93 carries and 17 catches with 10 total

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

. He had 118 catches and 36 total touchdowns during his high school career. As a standout track & field athlete, Montgomery competed as a sprinter and

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

er. At the 2011 SPC Championships, he earned first-place finishes in both the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

(10.81 s) and

200-meter dash The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

(22.20 s), while also anchoring the 4x100 squad to victory (43.15 s). He posted a career-best leap of 6.55 meters (21 ft, 3 in) in the long jump at the 2011 Lancaster Meet of Champions.

College career

Montgomery played wide receiver at Stanford University from 2011 to 2014 under head coach David Shaw. He wore uniform number 88 during his first two seasons at Stanford. When he returned for his junior season with renewed vigor, Montgomery says he switched from No. 88 to No. 7 to represent his fresh start and his faith, citing the seventh day in Christianity. Prior to the start of Montgomery's junior season, Stanford announced they would retire uniform number 7 in honor of legendary Stanford quarterback

John Elway John Albert Elway Jr. (born June 28, 1960) is an American former professional football quarterback who spent his entire 16-year career with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Following his playing career, he then spent 1 ...

and stated that "wide receiver Ty Montgomery and defensive end

Aziz Shittu Aziz Shittu Jr. (born July 27, 1994) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal. He was a member of the Philadelphia ...

will be the last to wear that jersey at Stanford." As a freshman in 2011, Montgomery contributed on offense and

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. On October 15, in a game against

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

, he had three kick returns for 147 net yards and a touchdown. On November 19, against

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, he had a 34-yard rushing touchdown on his lone carry of the game. In the

Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area since 1971. From its beginning until 2006, the game was hosted at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has be ...

against

Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

, he had seven receptions for 120 yards and a receiving touchdown. Montgomery had 24 receptions for 350 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns to go along with 42 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. As a sophomore in 2012, Montgomery continued his role on offense and special teams. Overall, he finished the season with 26 receptions for 213 yards and had 11 kick returns for 293 net yards for a 26.6 average. As a junior in 2013, Montgomery was a consensus

as a

return specialist A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

. On October 5, against

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, he had four kick returns for 204 net yards and a touchdown. In the next game against

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, he had eight receptions for 131 receiving yards to go along with three kick returns for 160 net yards and a touchdown. On November 23, against

, he had 160 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns, and 31 rushing yards with a rushing touchdown. He led the nation with a 31.2-yard

kickoff return A kickoff is a method of starting a Drive (American football), drive in gridiron football. Additionally, it may refer to a kickoff time, the scheduled time of the first kickoff of a game. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicki ...

average and scored two

. In addition, he had 61 receptions for 958 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with 159 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. As a senior in 2014, Montgomery still produced for the Cardinal, but he did suffer through some regression. In the season opener against

UC Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

, he had 77 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, and a

punt return Punt or punting may refer to: Boats * Punt (boat), a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow developed on the River Thames * Falmouth Quay Punt, a small sailing vessel hired by ships anchored in Falmouth harbour * Norfolk Punt, a type of racing ...

touchdown. Overall, he finished his senior season with 61 receptions for 604 receiving yards and three touchdowns to go along with 144 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He finished his collegiate career with 172 receptions for 2,125 yards and 15 touchdown receptions.

College statistics

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

2015

Montgomery was selected in the third round (94th overall) by the

in the

. On May 21, 2015, Montgomery signed his contract with the Packers. On September 13, he made his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears and had three kick returns for 106 net yards. On September 28, against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had his first professional receiving touchdown. 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 21, 2015, after sustaining an ankle injury against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

in Week 6. He finished his rookie season with 15 receptions for 136 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

2016

For the first four games of the 2016 season, Montgomery saw only 17 snaps on offense and was held to zero catches. However, in a Week 6 game against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

he began seeing time in the backfield due to injuries to running backs

Eddie Lacy Edward Darwin Lacy Jr. (born June 2, 1990) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide football, Ala ...

and James Starks. He finished the game with 10 receptions for 98 yards in the Packers' 30–16 loss. In the next game, Montgomery had another 10-catch performance and rushed for 60 yards on nine carries 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. After having little playing time as a running back due to a sickle-cell trait, head coach

Mike McCarthy Michael John McCarthy (born November 10, 1963) is an American professional American football, football coach who most recently was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) from 2020 Dallas Cowboys season, 2020 t ...

declared Montgomery a

on December 13, 2016. In the following week's game against the Bears, Montgomery recorded career highs in carries (16) and yards (162) along with two touchdowns. He also then passed

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears foo ...

as the team's leading rusher for the 2016 season. He finished the 2016 season with 457 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 44 receptions, and 348 receiving yards.

2017

On September 10, 2017, in the season opener 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

, Montgomery had 19 carries for 54 yards, which included a six-yard rushing touchdown, in the 17–9 victory. In the next game, a 34–23 loss to 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 ...

, he had 10 rushes for 35 yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with six receptions for 75 yards and a receiving touchdown. The receiving touchdown was

' 300th career touchdown pass. Montgomery broke his ribs during Week 4 against the

, an eventual 35–14 Packer victory, and missed the next game at the Cowboys, a 35–31 Packer victory. He returned for the 23–10 loss at 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 ...

, but was the backup to emerging rookie running back Aaron Jones. After Jones went down with a knee injury in Week 10 at the Bears, Montgomery came in and had a 37-yard rushing touchdown, but left the game after re-injuring his ribs. After missing the next two games, he was placed on injured reserve on December 1, 2017, after undergoing season-ending surgery for an apparent wrist injury. He finished the 2017 season with 273 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 23 receptions, 173 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown.

2018

In Week 8 against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

, the Packers were losing by a score of 29–27 with 2:05 left in the game when Montgomery returned a kick from the endzone and fumbled the ball. The ball was recovered by the Rams and they went on to win the game. After the game, it was reported that Montgomery had been taken off the field for a drive and was told to take a knee on the kick return. Montgomery would be traded just two days after the game and with less than an hour left before the trade deadline. In seven games with the Packers in 2018, he totaled 26 carries for 105 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with 15 receptions for 170 receiving yards.

Baltimore Ravens

On October 30, 2018, Montgomery was traded to 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 ...

in exchange for a seventh-round pick 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 ...

. In six games with the Ravens, he had 83 rushing yards and ten receptions for 65 yards. In the

Wild Card Round A wild card (also wildcard or wild-card and also known as an at-large berth or at-large bid) is an invitation to a tournament or a playoff berth awarded to a team or individual that does not qualify via an automatic bid. In some events, wildcards ...

loss to the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

, he had six kick returns for 106 net yards.

New York Jets

On April 11, 2019, Montgomery signed with the

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

. In the 2019 season, Montgomery totaled 32 carries for 103 rushing yards to go along with 13 receptions for 90 receiving yards.

New Orleans Saints

Montgomery signed with

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 ...

on May 15, 2020. He was placed on injured reserve on September 26, 2020, with a hamstring injury. He was activated on November 6, 2020. In Week 17 against 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 ...

, Montgomery rushed for 105 yards during the 33–7 win. On March 6, 2021, Montgomery re-signed with the Saints on a one-year contract. In the 2021 season, Montgomery appeared in 14 games and finished with 15 carries for 44 rushing yards and 16 receptions for 95 receiving yards.

New England Patriots

On March 17, 2022, Montgomery signed a two-year, $3.6 million contract with 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 ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on September 13. On August 29, 2023, Montgomery was released by the Patriots and 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 ...

. He was promoted to the active roster on September 9. On December 8, 2023, Montgomery was waived. On September 20, 2024, Montgomery announced his retirement from football.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

Stanford Cardinal bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Ty 1993 births All-American college football players American football return specialists American football running backs American football wide receivers Baltimore Ravens players Green Bay Packers players Living people New Orleans Saints players New York Jets players Players of American football from Jackson, Mississippi Players of American football from Dallas Stanford Cardinal football players St. Mark's School (Texas) alumni New England Patriots players