Marcus Christopher Gilbert (born February 15, 1988) 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 with ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

who played in the

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(NFL) for 10 seasons. 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 ...

for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and was a member of a

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team. He was drafted by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

in the second round of the

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and played for the Steelers for eight seasons. Gilbert was also a member of the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

for two seasons, although he never played a game for the team.

Early years

Gilbert was born in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, and was a standout lineman for the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders high school football team. He was also a member of the Raiders basketball team and threw the shot put and discus for the Raiders track and field team. Gilbert's father Jeff was a

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agent who protected

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during his 2008 presidential campaign.

College career

Gilbert attended the

, where he played on coach

Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is a college football TV commentator and former American football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons fro ...

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of ...

team from

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. As a true freshman in 2006, 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 ...

. He made his first career

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for the

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in a game against Florida Atlantic in 2007 at right guard in place of the injured

Maurkice Pouncey LaShawn Maurkice Pouncey (born July 24, 1989) is a former American football center who played 11 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida, where he was a member of a BCS Na ...

. During the Gators 2008 BCS National Championship season, Gilbert started two games at left guard against

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and

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. He started in all 14 games for the Gators at right tackle in 2009, and earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors for his performance against

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

on September 26. In 2010, Gilbert started in all 13 games, playing both tackle positions. During his college career, he appeared in fifty-two games and started thirty of them.GatorZone.com, Football History, 2010 Roster
Marcus Gilbert
. Retrieved May 2, 2012.

Professional career

Entering the

, Gilbert was projected to be a third to fourth round pick. He was ranked as the ninth best offensive tackle in the draft and was invited to the NFL Combine. Gilbert attended the scouting combine and performed nearly half the drills before injuring a hamstring. He participated at Florida State's Pro Day and nearly finished the entire workout before reinjuring his hamstring during a 40-yard dash.

Pittsburgh Steelers

2011

The

selected Gilbert second round (63rd Overall) of the

. Gilbert was the ninth offensive tackle selected in the 2011 NFL Draft, where being chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers reunited him with his former Florida teammate

. He was the first offensive tackle drafted from Florida since the Pittsburgh Steelers selected

Max Starks Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

in 2004. On July 19, 2011, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Gilbert to a four-year, $3.22 million contract with a signing bonus of $847,208. He entered training camp competing with Willie Colon,

, Jonathan Scott, and

Chris Scott Christopher or Chris Scott may refer to: Sports *Chris Scott (Australian footballer) (born 1976), Australian rules footballer and coach *Chris Scott (cricketer, born 1964), English cricketer for Nottinghamshire and Durham *Chris Scott (cricketer, b ...

for a starting offensive tackle position. He was named the backup left tackle to Jonathan Scott to begin the regular season. September 18, 2011, Gilbert made his professional regular season debut and his first career start in a 24–0 victory over the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

. He was named the starting right tackle after Willie Colon was placed on injured-reserve after tearing his

triceps The triceps, or triceps brachii (Latin for "three-headed muscle of the arm"), is a large muscle on the back of the upper limb of many vertebrates. It consists of 3 parts: the medial, lateral, and long head. It is the muscle principally responsibl ...

during the season-opener against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

. During a Week 5 matchup against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

, Gilbert let the game after suffering a shoulder injury and was replaced at right tackle by Jonathan Scott. He re-aggravated the shoulder during the week and missed the Pittsburgh Steeler's Week 6 victory over 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 play ...

. On December 29, 2011, Gilbert was named the Steelers' Rookie of the Year after starting 13 games in place of the injured Colon. He finished his rookie season with 13 starts in 14 games played, helping the Pittsburgh Steelers achieve a 12–4 record and finish second in the

AFC North The American Football Conference – Northern Division or AFC North is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division was adopted after the restructuring of the 2002 NFL s ...

On January 8, 2012, he started at right tackle in his first career playoff games in a 29–23 overtime loss to 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 ...

in the AFC Wildcard game.

2012

During the Pittsburgh Steeler's training camp in 2012, Gilbert competed with veterans Max Starks, Chris Scott and rookies Mike Adams and

Kelvin Beachum Kelvin Lee Beachum Jr. (born June 8, 1989) is an American football offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at SMU and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seven ...

for a starting tackle position. He defeated Scott, Beachum, and Adams to win the starting right tackle job to begin the regular season. On October 11, 2012, Gilbert went down clutching his knee and was carted off the field during the second quarter of a 26–23 loss to the

. On November 26, 2012, Gilbert was placed on injured reserve with torn tendons in his ankle that he suffered during Week 5 against the Titans. His season was held to five starts due to this injury.

2013

He started the 2013 regular season as the Pittsburgh Steeler's right tackle. He started all 16 regular season games, marking his first complete season and was ranked the 44th best offensive tackle by

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after allowing 11 sacks.

2014

On August 19, 2014, Gilbert signed a five-year, $30.81 million contract extension with the Steelers with a $7.65 million signing bonus. On October 20, 2014, Gilbert suffered a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

and left during the second quarter of 30–23 victory over the

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. He was ruled out for the next game against 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 ...

. He was limited to 12 starts in 2014 after he missed Weeks 13, 14, and 15 after suffering an ankle injury during practice and was replaced by Mike Adams for those three games. He finished the season ranking tenth among right tackles with a grade of 94.7 in pass blocking efficiency by

and 20th among all qualifying offensive tackles and only allowed six sacks, four hits, and 19 hurries in 440 pass blocking snaps. He earned an overall grade of 74.7 by PFF for the 2014 season.

2015

On February 25, 2015, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Gilbert agreed to restructure his 2015 salary and convert his $1.15 million base salary and $3.5 roster bonus into a signing bonus. Gilbert was able to start all 16 regular season games in 2015 and played in 99.5% of the offensive snaps. He was responsible for only one sack, two hits, and ranked as the best right tackle by

. He attributed his best season statistically to having a better off season program, being more health conscious, and getting into better shape. The

achieved a 10–6 record and finished second in the AFC North. After winning the AFC Wildcard they lost 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

2016

On August 15, 2016, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Gilbert agreed to restructure $3.19 million of his 2016 salary into a bonus in order to clear $2.39 million in cap space. He started the first four games of the season and injured his ankle during a Week 4 victory over 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 ...

. He missed the next three games but was able to return in time for Week 7 contest against 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 ...

. Gilbert started 13 games and finished the season ranked the 13th best offensive tackle by

with an overall grade of 87.1.

2017

On September 17, 2017, Gilbert suffered a

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...

injury during a 26–9 victory over the

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 ...

. He missed Weeks 3-5 due to the injury and led to Chris Hubbard starting at right tackle in his absence. He returned on October 15, 2017, but left the game after reinjuring his hamstring during a 19–13 win against the

. Gilbert missed the next two games after suffering the setback. On November 20, 2017, Gilbert was suspended for four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substance.

2018

Gilbert started five of the first six games before missing Weeks 8–14 with a knee injury. He was ultimately placed on injured reserve on December 15, 2018.

Arizona Cardinals

On March 8, 2019, the Steelers agreed to trade Gilbert to the

in exchange for a compensatory sixth round pick. The deal became official on March 13, 2019. He was placed on injured reserve on September 10, 2019, with a knee injury. On March 30, 2020, Gilbert re-signed with the Cardinals. He was placed on the active/ non-football illness list at the start of training camp on August 2, 2020. Two days later, Gilbert announced he would opt-out of the 2020 season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He announced his retirement following the season on April 26, 2021.

Personal life

On February 22, 2021, Gilbert married political commentator, congressional candidate and former

Miss Ohio The Miss Ohio Scholarship Program selects the representative for the U.S. state of Ohio to compete for the title of Miss America. The pageant is held annually, during the "Miss Ohio Festival" week, at the historic 1,600 seat Renaissance Theatre ...

Madison Gesiotto Madison Mari Gesiotto Gilbert (née Gesiotto; born March 20, 1992) is an American attorney, beauty queen, and political candidate. Gesiotto Gilbert won Miss Ohio USA 2014 and represented Ohio at that year's Miss USA. She was previously the author ...

. He was baptized into the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

on April 17, 2022.

References

External links

Florida Gators player profile

Pittsburgh Steelers player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Marcus 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles Florida Gators football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Arizona Cardinals players St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Florida) alumni Converts to Roman Catholicism