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Tomorrow night the NFL season kicks off, and that means several Purdue players will be in pursuit of a Super Bowl ring. Last season it was Rob Ninkovich that walked away with his second ring before he retired in the offseason.
Every team has cut down to its 53-man rosters, so here is the list of Purdue guys that made it.
Atlanta Falcons – Ricardo Allen – Rico very nearly got his first ring last season. It took Atlanta’s historic collapse to rob him of a title. He is entering his 3rd season as Atlanta’s starting free safety, however, and could be in line for a big contract after the year.
Carolina Panthers – Kawann Short – It was a big offseason for KK, as he officially got paid. He is entering his fifth season, but is in year one of a 5-year, $80.5 million contract that was worth $35 million in guaranteed money.
Dallas Cowboys – Anthony Brown – Brown had a big first season in Dallas last year and has made it to year two. He played in all 16 games last year, starting nine of them and making 55 tackles with an interception.
Green Bay Packers - DeAngelo Yancey – Purdue’s lone draft pick, Yancey was signed to the practice squad after he was cut late in the preseason.
Kansas City Chiefs - Akeem Hunt – Hunt spent most of the preseason with Houston, the team he played with last season, but was cut. Kansas City liked what they saw, however, and scooped him up for their practice squad.
New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees – One of the elder statesmen of the NFL now, Brees is entering his 17th season and is in line for some of the all-time passing records over the next two or three years. He needs less than 6,000 yards to pass Peyton Manning for the yardage record, less than 500 completions to pass Brett Favre for that record, and 74 touchdowns to reach Manning for that record. It will likely take at least two full seasons to get all three, but he can become the NFL’s third 70,000 yards, 6,000 completions, and 500 touchdowns passer with Manning and Favre this year. Not a bad career.
San Francisco 49ers - Raheem Mostert – Mostert had a big preseason game for San Francisco against Minnesota in week 3 and turned it into a roster spot. He officially has 1 carry for 6 yards in his career, but expected to be a kick returner for San Francisco. It is only his third year in the league, but he has already been on the official roster for Miami, Baltimore, Cleveland, Chicago, and now San Francisco.
Seattle Seahawks - Cliff Avril – Avril has the second most experience of any Purdue player, as he is entering his 10th season in the league. He is in year 3 of a multi-year deal and is set to make $4.5 million.
Seattle Seahawks - Jordan Roos – Roos did it! He pulled off the difficult trick of making a roster as an undrafted rookie free agent. He is now a key reserve at left guard.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Kevin Pamphile – Pamphile has developed into a regular starter at guard as he enters his 4th season in Tampa.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ryan Russell – Russell has had a rough go, but he made the roster here in year three after 8 games with Tampa last season.
Tennessee Titans - Dennis Kelly– Kelly is on a new contract with Tennessee in year six. It is a modest 2-year, $3 million contract, but it is good money.
Washington Redskins – Ryan Kerrigan - Kerrigan is in year three of a 5-year, $57.5 million contract with over $23 million guaranteed. He can opt out after this season, and he is making $8.25 million.