Matthew Ben Mulligan (born January 18, 1985) is a former American football tight end. 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 ...

The University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classified ...

. Mulligan was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He has also been a member of the Tennessee Titans,

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

, St. Louis Rams,

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

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 ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

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 ...

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. ...

, and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. He currently serves as a volunteer strength and conditioning coach for the Black Bears.

Early years

Mulligan lived in

Enfield, Maine Enfield is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,435 at the 2020 census. There is also a large seasonal population with many cottages located on Cold Stream Pond, a lake within the town. History Enfield was firs ...

and attended high school at Penobscot Valley High School in Howland, Maine. After high school, he enrolled at

Husson University Husson University is a private university in Bangor, Maine. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and as of Fall 2020 had a total enrollment of 3,476 students, including 799 graduate students in master's and doctoral programs. Husson Un ...

. Despite never playing the sport in high school, Mulligan joined Husson's football team as a tight end and thrived, transferring to the University of Maine the following season.

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Mulligan was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He was released from the Dolphins on August 30 during final cuts. However, the Dolphins re-signed him 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 following day. Mulligan remained on the practice squad until his release on November 5.

Tennessee Titans

Mulligan was signed to the

of the Tennessee Titans on November 19, 2008. Following the season, he was re-signed to a future contract on January 12. The Titans waived him on September 4.

New York Jets

Mulligan was claimed off waivers by the

on September 6, 2009. He was waived on September 23. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 24. He was promoted to the active roster on December 2.

St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams signed Mulligan on March 26, 2012. After one season with the team, Mulligan was released on March 23, 2013.

Green Bay Packers

Mulligan was signed by the

on April 9, 2013. On August 31, 2013, he was released by the Packers during final team cuts.

New England Patriots

On September 3, 2013, the

signed Mulligan, but released him just two days later. The Patriots re-signed him on September 10. On September 29, 2013, he caught the last touchdown pass of Tom Brady's 52 straight games (two shy of the NFL record) with at least one passing touchdown.

Chicago Bears

On April 8, 2014, Mulligan was signed by the

to a one-year deal. On September 16, 2014, his contract was terminated by the Chicago Bears.

Arizona Cardinals

Mulligan signed with the

on November 18, 2014. He was released on December 5, 2014.

Tennessee Titans (second stint)

On December 16, 2014 Mulligan signed with the Tennessee Titans.

Buffalo Bills

On June 18, 2015, Mulligan signed with the Buffalo Bills. On December 8, 2015, Mulligan was released by the Bills after

Nick O'Leary Nicklaus O'Leary (born August 31, 1992) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. Early life O'Leary is one of five childre ...

was promoted from the practice squad.

Detroit Lions

On April 4, 2016, Mulligan signed a one-year contract with the

. On August 29, 2016, Mulligan was released by the Lions. He was re-signed by the Lions on November 1, 2016.

References

External links

Detroit Lions bio

Tennessee Titans bio

Chicago Bears bio

New England Patriots bio

Green Bay Packers bio

New York Jets bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulligan, Matthew 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Maine Sportspeople from Bangor, Maine American football tight ends Maine Black Bears football players Miami Dolphins players Tennessee Titans players New York Jets players St. Louis Rams players Green Bay Packers players New England Patriots players Chicago Bears players Arizona Cardinals players Buffalo Bills players Detroit Lions players People from Penobscot County, Maine