Brandon King (born June 8, 1993) 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 with ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

who is a free agent. He has also played at both

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

positions and has contributed extensively on

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 ...

. He was signed by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2015 and won

Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confer ...

and

Super Bowl LIII Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...

with the Patriots. 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 ...

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

in his final two years of collegiate eligibility, after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons playing at Highland Community College.

College career

Brandon King played at the

position at

Thompson High School Thompson High School is a high school located in the city of Alabaster, Alabama. History In the early 1920s, Shelby County Schools had determined there was enough population in the northwestern area of Shelby County to create a high school. T ...

in Alabama and for the Highland Scotties of the

Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) is a college athletic conference that is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). As of 2007, the KJCCC was home to more than 3,000 student-athletes in the 19 me ...

. In his sophomore season, King recorded 118

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking up ...

and was ranked as the fifth best

in the national community college rankings. In July 2012, King verbally committed to transfer to the

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May, 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. The first ...

and to play for the Jaguars football team. However, in January 2013, King announced that he had changed his mind, and on

National Signing Day National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a member of the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association ( ...

a month later, signed to play for the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

beginning in the 2013 FBS season. At Auburn, King played behind Robenson Therezie at the "star" safety position, seeing action in every game of his first season for the Tigers, albeit mostly on

. Halfway through his senior season, King was moved to defensive end by his coaches, who were looking for increased speed at the position.

Professional career

Pre-draft

King was not ranked as a top safety prospect and did not receive an invitation to the

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...

. On March 3, 2015, King participated at Auburn's

pro day The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

, along with

Cameron Artis-Payne Cameron Artis-Payne (born June 23, 1990) is an American professional football running back for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Auburn, and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the ...

Angelo Blackson Angelo Sierre Blackson (born November 14, 1992) is an American football defensive tackle of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Auburn and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draf ...

Quan Bray Jaquan Bray (born April 28, 1993) is an American gridiron football wide receiver for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Auburn, and signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free a ...

Sammie Coates Sammie Coates Jr. (born March 31, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Auburn, where he played in the 2013 SEC Championship Game and 2014 BCS N ...

Reese Dismukes Reese Dismukes (born October 20, 1992) is a former American football center. Early years Dismukes attended Spanish Fort High School in Spanish Fort, Alabama, where he played football and competed in track. He was a four-star recruit by Rivals.c ...

Corey Grant Corey Grant (born December 22, 1976) is the head coach for the Carleton Ravens football team of U Sports. He is a former professional wide receiver in the Canadian Football League where he played for 11 years and won two Grey Cup championships. ...

Nick Marshall Nicholas Deshawn Marshall Sr. (born June 30, 1992) is an American football cornerback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Fo ...

C. J. Uzomah Christopher James Uzomah ( ; born January 14, 1993) is an American football tight end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Auburn and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round ...

Jermaine Whitehead Jermaine Rasheed Whitehead (born March 12, 1993) is a former American football free safety. He played college football at Auburn, and was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He was also a member of the Baltimore ...

Gabe Wright Gabriel Alexander Wright (born April 3, 1992) is an American football defensive tackle for the DC Defenders of the XFL. He played college football at Auburn and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Wright ...

, Trovon Reed, and nine other teammates. King performed all of the combine and positional drills for scouts and representatives from all 32 NFL teams. He was projected to go undrafted and was ranked as the 72nd best

strong safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...

prospect by NFLDraftScout.com.

New England Patriots

2015

On May 8, 2015, the

signed King as an undrafted free agent after he went unselected in the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

. The contract King agreed to was for three years and $1.57 million. With the Patriots depth at both safety positions, King was relegated to competing for a role on special teams. On September 5, 2015, King was released by the Patriots as part of their final roster cuts and was 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. On October 10, 2015, the Patriots signed King to their active roster after releasing cornerback

Bradley Fletcher Bradley Fletcher (born June 25, 1986) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa. Fletcher als ...

. The following day, he made his professional regular season debut and recorded two solo tackles in a 30–6 victory at 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

. On November 23, 2015, King collected two solo tackles and forced the first fumble of his career in a 20–13 victory over the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

. During the third quarter, King was assigned to be the gunner on the punt recovery team, opposite

Matthew Slater Matthew Wilson Slater (born September 9, 1985) is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCLA, where he received first-team All-Pac-10 honors, and was ...

. He forced the Bills' punt returner

Leodis McKelvin Leodis Anquan McKelvin (born September 4, 1985) is a former American football cornerback and return specialist. He played college football for Troy Trojans football, Troy University and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills 11th overall in the 2008 NF ...

to fumble and it was recovered by Patriots' linebacker

Jonathan Freeny Jonathan Freeny (born June 15, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Rutgers. He has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Rush, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New ...

. King finished his rookie season with 12 combined tackles (ten solo) in 13 games and played solely on special teams. His 12 special teams tackles finished second on the team behind only

's 17. The Patriots finished the season atop the

AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the d ...

with a 12–4 record. On January 16, 2016, King played in his first career playoff game and assisted on a tackle during the Patriots' 27–20 victory In the AFC divisional game against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. The following game, he recorded two solo tackles in the Patriots 20–18 loss to the eventual

Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) cha ...

Champions the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

2016–2020

On April 7, 2016, King signed his exclusive rights free agent tender to remain with the Patriots. The contract terms were for one year and $525,000 King competed with

Cedric Thompson Cedric Thompson (born February 10, 1993) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Minnesota. Early life Born in Los Angeles, Thompson grew up in Bombay Beach, California. He has two siblings, brother Tedric and sister ...

throughout

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

for a job as a backup strong safety. He was named the third string strong safety behind

Patrick Chung Patrick Christopher Chung (born August 19, 1987) is a Jamaican-American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Oregon and wa ...

and Jordan Richards to start the season. On October 16, 2016, King recorded a season-high two combined tackles during a 35–17 victory over the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

. He finished the 2016 season with ten combined tackles (7 solo) in 16 games and zero starts. On February 5, 2017, King was part of the Patriots team that won

. In the game, the Patriots defeated 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

by a score of 34–28 in overtime. Throughout the playoffs, he appeared in all three games and assisted on one tackle in the AFC divisional round 34–16 victory over the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

. On April 12, 2017, King signed his exclusive rights free agent tender to remain with the Patriots. He made the Patriots' 53-man roster after establishing himself as a core special teamer in his previous two years with the team. On October 29, 2017, King forced his first career safety while defending a

punt return In gridiron football, a punt is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. The most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team, usually on the final d ...

when he tackled

Travis Benjamin Travis Jayvinski Benjamin (born December 29, 1989) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Miami. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draf ...

in the endzone during the Patriots' 21–13 victory over 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 ...

. The Patriots reached

Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conferen ...

, but lost 41–33 to 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 plays ...

with King recording 1 tackle. On March 8, 2018, King signed a two-year contract extension with the Patriots for $2.6 million. King helped the Patriots reach

, which they ended up winning against the

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

by a score of 13–3 on February 3, 2019. On May 17, 2019, King signed a two-year contract extension with the Patriots through the 2021 season. 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 th ...

on August 25, 2019 with a torn quad. King was placed on the active/

physically unable to perform list Physically unable to perform (PUP) is a roster designation used in the National Football League (NFL) for players who suffered injuries during football-related activities prior to the start of training camp. Players on the PUP list may participate ...

(PUP) at the start of training camp on August 2, 2020. He was moved to the reserve/PUP list on August 11.

Indianapolis Colts

On April 13, 2022, the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

signed King. He was released on August 30, 2022.

Personal life

King invests in

cryptocurrency A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. It i ...

and posts about it on Twitter. He invests in

Shiba Inu The is a breed of hunting dog from Japan. A small-to-medium breed, it is the smallest of the six original and distinct spitz breeds of dog native to Japan. Its name literally translates to "firewood dog". A small, alert, and agile dog that c ...

References

External links

New England Patriots profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Brandon 1993 births Living people People from Shelby County, Alabama Auburn Tigers football players Highland Scotties football players Players of American football from Alabama American football safeties New England Patriots players Indianapolis Colts players