Isaac "Ike" Boettger (born October 5, 1994) 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 wi ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

who is a

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 ...

. He played college football at

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

High school career

At Cedar Falls High School in

Cedar Falls, Iowa Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 40,713. It is home to the University of Northern Iowa, a public university. History Cedar Falls was first settled in March 1845 b ...

, Boettger played

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

, wide receiver,

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

and defensive back. He was lightly recruited, but impressed Iowa coaches at a junior camp despite weighing only 220 pounds. As a junior quarterback, he threw for 750 yards, 9 touchdowns, and one interception. As a senior tight end, he had 33 receptions for 452 yards and 4 touchdowns. Boettger was a team captain in both basketball and football. Boettger was teammates with

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

and NFL lineman

Ross Pierschbacher Ross Pierschbacher (born June 5, 1995) is an American football offensive guard who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. College career Orig ...

at Cedar Falls HS.

College career

After redshirting in 2013, Boettger played four seasons at

. He was healthy his freshman year, seeing reserve time and action as a blocking tight end. In 2015, Boettger started at

right tackle Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, ...

in the first six games in the Hawkeyes' Big Ten West championship season before missing the remainder of the season due to injury. He returned in 2016, starting all but one game at tackle, winning honorable mention all-Big Ten and Hawkeye Comeback Player of the Year honors. In 2017, Boettger started the first two games of the season, including a 24-3 win against eventual teammate

Josh Allen Josh or Joshua Allen may refer to: * Josh Allen (offensive lineman) (born 1991), former American football player * Josh Allen (quarterback) (born 1996), American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills since 2018 * Josh Allen (defensi ...

and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

, before missing the remainder of the season with an

achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pele ...

injury. Boettger was replaced at the right tackle position by true freshman Tristan Wirfs.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Boettger signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent on May 11, 2018. He was waived on September 1, 2018.

Kansas City Chiefs

On September 2, 2018, Boettger was claimed off waivers by 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 ...

. He was waived on September 11, 2018.

Buffalo Bills (second stint)

On September 12, 2018, Boettger was claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs. He made his NFL debut on December 2, 2018 against the

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

. The Bills placed a

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

tender on Boettger on March 17, 2021. He signed the one-year contract on April 27. Boettger’s 2021 training camp was delayed because he came down with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

and missed most of the first two weeks. He was named a backup guard to start the season, and then named the starting left guard in Week 8 following an injury to

Jon Feliciano Jon Feliciano (born February 10, 1992) is an American football center for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Miami. Early life Feliciano was born in East Meadow, New York. He is from a t ...

. He suffered a torn Achilles in Week 16 and was placed on injured reserve on December 27. On March 28, 2022, the Bills re-signed Boettger to a one year contract. He was placed on the reserve/PUP list to start the season on August 23, 2022. On December 19, Boettger was activated from reserve/PUP. On March 3, 2023, the Bills re-signed Boettger to a one year contract. He was released on August 29, 2023.

References

External links

Iowa Hawkeyes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boettger, Ike 1994 births Living people American football offensive guards Buffalo Bills players Iowa Hawkeyes football players Kansas City Chiefs players People from Cedar Falls, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa