Riley Reiff (born December 1, 1988) 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 ...
offensive tackle for the
New England Patriots 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
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 ...
and was drafted by the
Detroit Lions in the first round, 23rd overall of the
2012 NFL Draft. He previously played for the Lions from 2012 to 2016 and 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 expansi ...
from 2017 to 2020.
High school career
Born in
Parkston, South Dakota
Parkston is a city in Hutchinson County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,567 at the 2020 census.
As of 2022, Adam Doering is the city's current mayor.
History
The city was named for R. S. Parke, a landowner. Parkston was f ...
to Jo and Tom Reiff, Riley attended
Parkston High School, where he was a two-time South Dakota Elite 45 team selection under head coach Jon Mitchel. Reiff was a two-way player for the Trojans, receiving first-team All-State honors at
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
as a sophomore and junior, as well as first-team All-State honors at
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 ...
as a senior. As a senior in 2007–08, Reiff was named South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year. During his high school career, Reiff recorded 261 total tackles, 23 sacks and eight interceptions on defense, and also caught 27 passes for 321 yards and nine touchdowns on offense.
In addition to football, Reiff also lettered in
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
, track and was a three-time
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
champion with a career record of 121–1, claiming three state titles. Reiff also excelled in the throwing events for the Parkston
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
team, owning personal-bests throws of 54'5" (16.59 m) in the
shot put and 147'8" (45.01 m) in the
discus throw
The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...
.
Reiff was listed as a three-star defensive end prospect 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 ...
'' and was ranked 28th nationally among senior strongside defensive ends. When it came to recruiting, one of Reiff's most persistent suitors was Iowa assistant coach Reese Morgan, who also lured former Vikings linebacker
Chad Greenway
Chad Greenway (born January 12, 1983) is a former American football linebacker who spent his entire 11-year career with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa, and was drafted by the Viki ...
to Iowa City back in 2001. Reiff initially committed to the Hawkeyes in April 2007 while still a junior at Parkston. He later had second thoughts and switched his verbal commitment to
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
, indicating that he "pulled the trigger a little too early" with Iowa, but when the Cornhuskers started sinking under the direction of
Bill Callahan, Reiff found his way back to the Hawkeyes.
College career
After
redshirting his initial year at Iowa, Reiff started 11 of 13 games on the Hawkeyes' offensive line—three at left tackle, seven at left guard and final game at right tackle. He was named third team Freshman All-America by ''
College Football News
''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includ ...
''. In his sophomore year, Reiff replaced
Bryan Bulaga
Bryan Joseph Bulaga ( ; born March 21, 1989) is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Iowa. Bulaga was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He won Super Bowl ...
at left tackle, starting all 13 games of the season. He was named second team All-Big Ten by league coaches and media.
A preseason All-American, Reiff started all 13 games at left tackle in his junior season as well. He was named All-Big Ten by coaches and media, as well as
All-American by ''
Pro Football Weekly
''Pro Football Weekly'' (sometimes shortened to ''PFW'') is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, and website that covers the National Football League (NFL). It was owned by Pro Football Weekly LLC and headquartered in Riverwoods, Illinoi ...
'', which evaluates players on NFL prospects and draft value rather just college production. On January 4, 2012, only a few days after Iowa's loss in the
2011 Insight Bowl
The 2011 Insight Bowl, the 23rd edition of the game, was a post-season American college football bowl game, held on December 30, 2011 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona as part of the 2011–12 NCAA Bowl season.
The game was telecast at 8:0 ...
, Reiff announced his decision to forgo his final year of eligibility at Iowa, entering the
2012 NFL Draft.
Professional career
Already prior to his junior season, Reiff has been projected as a potential first round NFL Draft.
In October 2011, ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
''′s Tony Pauline ranked him as the No. 14 prospect on his midseason draft board. Prior 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 ...
in February 2012, Reiff was still perceived as a top-15 pick. At the combine, Reiff displayed decent athleticism but disappointed with his measureables; his arms—although longer than those of
Joe Thomas () and
Jake Long ()—were deemed too short for an NFL left tackle. As a result, Reiff dropped out of the first round in some post-combine mock drafts. However,
Mike Mayock still ranked him the No. 2 offensive tackle, behind
Matt Kalil, after the combine,
just as he did prior to the combine.
Detroit Lions
2012 season
![Detroit Lions offensive tackle Riley Reiff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Detroit_Lions_offensive_tackle_Riley_Reiff.jpg)
Reiff was drafted by the
Detroit Lions at 23rd overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. He was the second of only two offensive tackles selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft (behind
Matt Kalil, who was selected 4th overall by the Vikings). Reiff's duties in his rookie campaign were limited to that of a blocking tight end/H-back. He earned his first career start in Week 4 against 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 expansi ...
on September 30. Reiff had one start at the left tackle position coming in the teams Thanksgiving Day matchup against the
Houston Texans. In Week 14, he rotated in the offensive line as usual and also returned a short kickoff for 10 yards. Despite his limited role in the 2012 season, Reiff was rated as the Lions top run blocker by
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 ...
(PFF). He was voted by his teammates for the Mel Farr Rookie of the Year Award.
2013 season
After veteran Lions tackle
Jeff Backus retired before the start of the 2013 season, Reiff took over his position at left tackle. He prepared for his expanded duties by adding over 12 pounds of muscle. He started at left tackle in the season opener game against Minnesota on September 8 and helped the Lions gain 481 yards of total offense. Reiff ended up starting all 16 games at left tackle and helped pave the way for 15 rushing touchdowns and an average of 392.1 net yards per game, the sixth-best mark in the league. Regarding to pass blocking, the Lions ranked second in the NFL in sacks allowed with 23.
2014 season
In 2014, Reiff started his mainstay at left tackle in Week 1 against the
New York Giants on September 8 and provided protection that led to 20 first downs for the Lions offense. He missed the first game of his NFL career due to injury on Thanksgiving Day, but rebounded to start all 15 games he played in.
2015 season
On April 24, 2015, the Lions announced that they would pick up the fifth-year option of Reiff's contract.
Minnesota Vikings
On March 9, 2017, Reiff signed a five-year, $58.75 million contract with 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 expansi ...
. Per a source, Reiff received an $11 million signing bonus, a fully guaranteed base salary of $6.2 million in 2017, and a fully guaranteed base salary of $9.1 million in 2018 with a full guarantee at signing of $26.3 million. After 2018, the deal becomes a year-to-year proposition, with compensation of $9.5 million, $11 million, and $11.75 million in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Reiff entered his first season as a Vikings as their starting left tackle, where he started 15 games.
Reiff entered 2018 as the Vikings starting left tackle and a team captain, starting 13 games and missing three with a foot injury.
Reiff was placed on the reserve/
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 ...
list by the team on December 30, 2020. He was released after the season on March 10, 2021.
Cincinnati Bengals
On March 19, 2021, Reiff signed with the
Cincinnati Bengals and was named their starting right tackle for the 2021 season, starting 12 games before being placed on injured reserve on December 16, 2021.
Chicago Bears
On July 26, 2022, Reiff signed with the
Chicago Bears.
New England Patriots
On March 20, 2023, Reiff signed with the
New England Patriots.
Personal life
Before his time in the NFL, Reiff was an avid fan of the
Oakland Raiders.
Reiff has a younger brother, Brady Reiff, who was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and played defensive end 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 ...
from 2015 to 2019.
References
External links
NFL Combine bioDetroit Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reiff, Riley
1988 births
Living people
People from Parkston, South Dakota
Players of American football from South Dakota
American football offensive tackles
Iowa Hawkeyes football players
Detroit Lions players
Minnesota Vikings players
Cincinnati Bengals players
Chicago Bears players
New England Patriots players