Ayokunmi Christopher Oluwaseun Banjo (born February 26, 1990) is a former

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 wi ...

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

and current assistant special teams coach for the

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of the

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(NFL). He played college football at SMU. Banjo was signed by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

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 2013. He has also played for the Green Bay Packers,

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 league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, and Arizona Cardinals.

College career

Banjo attended

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

, where he played on the

SMU Mustangs football The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team representing Southern Methodist University (SMU) in University Park in Dallas County, Texas. The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the American ...

team from 2008 to 2011.

Statistics

''Source
SMUMustangs.com
'

Professional playing career

Jacksonville Jaguars

After going undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft, Banjo signed with the

on April 18, 2013. On July 25, 2013, he was released by the Jaguars.

Green Bay Packers

On July 29, 2013, Banjo was signed by the Green Bay Packers. He was re-signed by the Packers on February 26, 2014. On August 30, 2014, Banjo was released by the Packers during final team cuts. He was signed to the Packers' practice squad the following day. On December 13, 2014, Banjo was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster. He was re-signed by the Packers on March 10, 2015. Banjo was elected by teammates as a playoff captain after leading the team in

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 ...

tackles in the 2015 season. On March 8, 2016, Banjo was re-signed by the Packers. He was placed on injured reserve on October 24, 2016. On October 31, 2016, Banjo was waived by the Packers after reaching an injury settlement.

New Orleans Saints

On November 15, 2016, Banjo was signed by the

. On March 7, 2017, Banjo signed a two-year contract extension with the Saints. On March 9, 2019, Banjo signed a three-year contract extension with the Saints. He was released on August 31, 2019.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 25, 2019, Banjo was signed by the Arizona Cardinals. On April 2, 2020, Banjo was re-signed by the Cardinals. He was placed on the reserve/

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list by the team on December 31, 2020, and activated on January 5, 2021. On March 31, 2021, Banjo was re-signed by the Cardinals to a one-year contract. He was released on August 31, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 4, 2021. On September 29, 2022, Banjo was signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad after going unsigned in the offseason. He was signed to the active roster on October 12. On February 26, 2023, Banjo's 33rd birthday, he announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons in a post on his Twitter account.

Statistics

''Source
NFL.com
'

Professional coaching career

The

announced the hiring of Banjo as an assistant special teams coach under new head coach Sean Payton on February 25, 2023.

Personal life

Banjo was born to

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

parents who migrated to

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

. His mother died in 2010. His name "Oluwaseun" means "We thank God" in Yoruba.

References

External links

Green Bay Packers bio

Jacksonville Jaguars bio

SMU Mustangs bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Banjo, Chris 1990 births Living people American sportspeople of Nigerian descent American people of Yoruba descent Yoruba sportspeople Players of American football from Houston People from Sugar Land, Texas American football safeties SMU Mustangs football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Green Bay Packers players New Orleans Saints players Arizona Cardinals players