Amari Henderson (born September 8, 1997) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Wake Forest. He has also been a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars and

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 expansion ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL).

Early years

Henderson played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at Mallard Creek High School in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. He recorded 25, tackles, 29 pass breakups and nine interceptions his senior year in 2014, earning AP first-team all-state honors.

College career

Henderson played

at Wake Forest from 2016 to 2019. 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 ...

in 2015. He played in 11 games, starting eight, in 2016, totaling 20 tackles, one interception and nine pass breakups. Henderson appeared in 12 games, starting 10, in 2017, accumulating 62 tackles, two interceptions and 12 pass breakups. He played in 10 games, starting nine, in 2018, recording 47 tackles and 10 pass breakups. He started 13 games in 2019, totaling 40 tackles, four interceptions, and 10 pass breakups, earning Phil Steele second team All-

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

honors. Henderson was invited to the 2020

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game for NFL draft-eligible college players, held annually in January. The event was founded in 2012 by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Players predomi ...

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

Henderson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the

(NFL) on April 29, 2020. He was waived on September 6 and signed to the

practice squad In sports, 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. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

the next day. He was released by the Jaguars on September 14, 2020.

Minnesota Vikings

Henderson was signed by the

of the NFL on June 8, 2021. He was released on August 17, 2021.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Henderson signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the

(CFL) on January 20, 2022. He was moved to the practice roster on June 5, promoted to the active roster on July 1, 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 th ...

on July 15, activated from injured reserve on July 23, and placed on injured reserve on October 6, 2022. He played in 11 games, all starts, in 2022, recording 31 tackles on defense and one fumble recovery. Henderson started all 18 games in 2023, totaling 45 tackles on defense, one

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 ...

tackle, and two interceptions. He re-signed with the team on December 15, 2023.

Personal life

Henderson's cousins Jamal Davis II and

CJ McCollum Christian James McCollum (born September 19, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his third year in the league in 2015–16, he was named the NBA Mos ...

are also professional athletes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Amari Living people 1997 births Jacksonville Jaguars players Minnesota Vikings players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players American football defensive backs Canadian football defensive backs Players of American football from Charlotte, North Carolina Players of Canadian football from North Carolina Mallard Creek High School alumni