Matthias Farley (born July 15, 1992) 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 ...
free safety for the
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football at
Notre Dame. Farley was signed by the
Arizona Cardinals 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 2016. He has also played for the
Indianapolis Colts, the
New York Jets and 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 hom ...
.
College career
Farley played in 52 games (26 starts) in four seasons at
Notre Dame and recorded 192 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, eight interceptions, 13 passes defensed and one forced fumble. He began his collegiate career as a wide receiver and redshirted in 2011. He moved to safety in 2012.
Professional career
Arizona Cardinals
On April 30, 2016, the
Arizona Cardinals signed Farley to a three-year,
$1.62 million
contract
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...
after he went undrafted in 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), ...
.
Throughout training camp, Farley competed for a roster spot as a backup safety and special teams contributor against
Chris Clemons,
Marqui Christian
Marqui Christian (born October 27, 1994) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at Midwestern State. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft and has also played ...
,
Durell Eskridge
{{Infobox NFL biography
, name = Durell Eskridge
, image =
, image_size =
, alt =
, caption =
, current_team =
, number = 46
, position = ...
, and Tyrequek Zimmerman. On September 3, 2016, the Cardinals waived Farley as part of final roster cuts.
Indianapolis Colts
On September 4, 2016, the
Indianapolis Colts claimed Farley off of waivers. Upon joining the team, head coach
Chuck Pagano named him the third free safety on the Colts' depth chart, behind
Clayton Geathers and
T. J. Green.
He made his professional regular season debut in the
Indianapolis Colts' season-opening 39–35 loss to the
Detroit Lions.
The following week, Farley recorded two solo tackles during a 34–20 loss at 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 headquar ...
in Week 2.
He made his first career tackle on running back
C. J. Anderson
Cortrelle Javon Anderson (born February 10, 1991) is an American football coach and former running back who is currently the running backs coach at Rice University. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, primarily with ...
in the fourth quarter after Anderson caught a six-yard pass. On January 1, 2017, Farley tied his season-high of two solo tackles in the Colts' 24–20 victory 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 ...
.
He finished his rookie season in with 11 combined tackles (eight solo) in 16 games and zero starts.
2017
During organized team activities and training camp, he competed for a job as a backup safety against
T. J. Green, Andrew Williamson,
Tyvis Powell,
Lee Hightower, and Tyson Graham. He became the frontrunner for the role of starting strong safety after rookie first round pick
Malik Hooker
Malik Hooker (born April 2, 1996) is an American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the 15th overall pick in the ...
sustained numerous injuries throughout OTA's and training camp. Defensive coordinator
Ted Monachino named Farley the starting strong safety to begin the regular season, along with free safety
Darius Butler
Darius Jermaine Butler (born March 18, 1986) is a former American football free safety. He played college football at Connecticut. Butler was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He has also played fo ...
.
He made his first career start in the
Indianapolis Colts' season-opener against the
Los Angeles Rams and recorded ten combined tackles (eight solo) in their 46–9 loss. On October 1, 2017, Farley made ten combined tackles (four solo), a pass deflection, and made his first career interception off a pass by quarterback
Russell Wilson in the Colts' 46–18 loss at the
Seattle Seahawks in Week 4.
In Week 14, Farley recorded nine combined tackles, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass by quarterback
Joe Webb during a 13–7 loss at the
Buffalo Bills. The following week, he collected a career-high 11 combined tackles (three solo) in the Colts' 25–13 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 headquar ...
.
Farley finished the season with 98 combined tackles (60 solo), seven pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and 15 starts.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
gave Farley an overall grade of 82.2, ranking 24th among all qualified safeties in 2017.
In 2018, Farley was named the backup strong safety behind Clayton Geathers. He played in five games with one start before being placed on injured reserve on October 12, 2018 with shoulder, groin, and wrist injuries.
On August 26, 2019, Farley was released by the Colts.
New York Jets
On August 30, 2019, Farley signed with the
New York Jets. Farley was released during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, but was re-signed two days later.
Tennessee Titans
On March 30, 2021, Farley was signed by 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 hom ...
to a one-year deal.
Las Vegas Raiders
On July 21, 2022, Farley was signed by the
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...
. He was waived on August 30, 2022 and signed to the practice squad the next day.
Farley was elevated to the active roster in the first three game of the regular season, against
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 ...
,
Arizona Cardinals and
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 hom ...
, and reverted the next day to the practice squad.
On September 29, 2022, the Raiders signed Farley to the active roster from the practice squad.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Personal life
Farley was raised by his parents, Mark and Falinda Farley, and has four brothers and two sisters named Timon, Nathan, Charis, Kenan, Joy and
Silas
Silas or Silvanus (; Greek: Σίλας/Σιλουανός; fl. 1st century AD) was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who according to the New Testament accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey.
Name and ...
. He does charity work, kayaks, and plays the ukulele and kazoo. He also has a German shorthaired pointer named Harper.
References
External links
Tennessee Titans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farley, Matthias
1992 births
Living people
Players of American football from Charlotte, North Carolina
American football safeties
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
Arizona Cardinals players
Indianapolis Colts players
New York Jets players
Tennessee Titans players