KeiVarae Russell (born October 19, 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 wi ...
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
who is a free agent. He was drafted 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 ...
in the third round of the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
. He played
college football at
Notre Dame.
High school career
Russell attended
Mariner High School in
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat and largest city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-largest city in the ...
, where he was named to the first-team Washington class 4A by the Associated Press as a senior, after gaining 1,293 rushing yards on 177 attempts with 14 touchdowns. He was selected to play in the
U.S. Army All-American Bowl in
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
.
Considered a four-star recruit by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'', he was rated as the 9th-best athlete prospect of his class. He committed to play
college football for
Notre Dame on December 29, 2011, over offers from
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
,
USC and hometown
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
.
College career
In his first year, Russell was moved from
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
to
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
following a season-ending injury to incumbent starter Lo Wood. He worked himself into a starting role for week 1 of the season vs.
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
, in
Dublin, Ireland. Russell started all 13 games as a true freshman, including the
2013 BCS National Championship Game vs.
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 ...
. He recorded 58 tackles, including two for loss, and two interceptions, and was named a Freshman All-American by the
FWAA
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media ou ...
. As a sophomore, Russell started all 13 games in 2013, registering 51 tackles, one interception and eight pass break-ups.
On August 14, 2014, the University of Notre Dame announced that they were investigating suspected academic dishonesty on the part of several students, including members of the football team; Russell along with
DaVaris Daniels
DaVaris Daniels (born December 18, 1992) is a professional Canadian football wide receiver for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Notre Dame. After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft, ...
, Kendall Moore, and
Ishaq Williams
Ishaq Williams (born February 22, 1993) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame.
College career
As a freshman, Williams played 11 games and recorded 6 tackles. The following seaso ...
were those named in the investigation, with another player, Eilar Hardy, named a few weeks later. On October 10, 2014, following the conclusion of the school's investigation, Russell was suspended for the fall and spring semesters from the school, and did not play for the Irish in the 2014–15 season.
After being suspended for seven months by the university, Russell announced on May 29, 2015 that he had been re-admitted to the university for the upcoming semester. He returned to the field and started 11 games, before missing the remaining two games with a fractured
tibia
The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...
. He finished his season with 60 tackles, 3.5 for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and six pass deflections. On January 4, 2016, Russell announced he would forgo his remaining eligibility at Notre Dame and enter the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
.
Professional career
Russell was projected by analysts to be a second to fourth round draft selection. Although he was invited 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 Foo ...
, he was unable to perform any workouts or drills, besides the bench press, due to a leg injury. He was later able to participate at Notre Dame'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 ...
.
Kansas City Chiefs
Russell was drafted 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 ...
in the third round (74th overall) of the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
. On June 13, 2016, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Russell to a four-year, $3.15 million contract with a signing bonus of $813,128. He was the last of the Chiefs' 2016 draft class to be signed to a contract. On September 14, 2016, Russell was waived by the Chiefs. He was the earliest draft pick waived that was selected in the first four rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft. Chiefs' head coach
Andy Reid
Andrew Walter Reid (born March 19, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Reid was previously head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 to 2012. From 200 ...
explained the waiving of Russell, stating that he was unable to get comfortable with the defensive scheme, didn't stand out during training camp and preseason, and was unable to climb the Chiefs' depth chart.
Cincinnati Bengals
On September 15, 2016, Russell was claimed off waivers by the
Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 17 against the Ravens, on his first career snap on defense, Russell intercepted
Ryan Mallett
Ryan Mallett (born June 5, 1988) is a former American football quarterback who is currently the head football coach at White Hall High School in White Hall, Arkansas. He played college football at Arkansas, and was drafted by the New England P ...
on a deep pass intended for
Breshad Perriman
Breshad Perriman (born September 10, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCF and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round ...
. On September 1, 2018, Russell was waived by the Bengals and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 18, 2018. Russell was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.
Los Angeles Chargers
On November 26, 2019, Russell signed with 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 ...
' practice squad. He was released on December 10, 2019.
New York Giants
Russell signed with the
New York Giants on August 29, 2020. He was waived on September 5, 2020.
Green Bay Packers
On October 28, 2020, Russell was signed to the
Green Bay Packers' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on November 14 for the team's week 10 game against 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 ...
, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He was again elevated on January 15 and 23 for the team's divisional playoff game against the
Los Angeles Rams and
NFC Championship Game against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
, and reverted to the practice squad again following each game. On January 26, 2021, Russell signed a reserves/futures contract with the Packers. He was released on May 24, 2021.
New Orleans Saints
On August 2, 2021, Russell signed with the
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 ...
. He was released on August 31, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 20. He was waived on November 23, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Saints on January 11, 2022.
He was waived on May 3, 2022.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
References
External links
Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, KeiVarae
Living people
1993 births
Sportspeople from Everett, Washington
Players of American football from Snohomish County, Washington
American football cornerbacks
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
Kansas City Chiefs players
Cincinnati Bengals players
Los Angeles Chargers players
New York Giants players
Green Bay Packers players
New Orleans Saints players