Rishard Andre Matthews (born October 12, 1989) is a former
American football wide receiver. 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 Nevada, and was drafted by the
Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the
2012 NFL Draft
The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
. He also played for the
Tennessee Titans and
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 ...
.
Early life
Matthews was born on October 12, 1989 in
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...
. He attended
Saddleback High School
Saddleback High School is a six-year IB secondary school located in Santa Ana, California, United States, and is part of the Santa Ana Unified School District. The school was established in 1967. Its mascot is the roadrunner, and its colors are g ...
and lettered for the basketball team, averaging 9.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.3 blocks and 2.3 steals. In addition, he played for the
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team.
College career
Matthews initially signed a letter of intent committing to the
University of Oregon. Matthews attended
Bakersfield College before transferring to the
University of Nevada, Reno. In his two years at Nevada, the first catching passes from
Colin Kaepernick
Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt dur ...
, he had 147 receptions for 2,243 yards and 13
touchdowns. While at Nevada, Matthews was named second-team all-WAC as a wide receiver.
Professional career
Matthews was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round with the 227th overall selection of the
2012 NFL Draft
The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
.
Miami Dolphins
2012 season: Rookie year
Matthews recorded his first reception in a 19–14 losing effort against the Buffalo Bills on November 15. He finished the ''
Thursday Night Football
''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...
'' game with one catch for 19 yards. Overall, he finished his rookie season with 11 receptions for 151 receiving yards.
2013 season
Matthews was one of only four receivers to make the final 53-man roster in 2013. This was crucial after seeing
Dustin Keller
Dustin Kendall Keller (born September 25, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.
Keller has also been a member of the Mia ...
go down in a preseason game against the Houston Texans. Matthews was a second-year player adding to the likes of
Mike Wallace
Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. He interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career. He was one of the original correspo ...
,
Brian Hartline, and
Brandon Gibson
Brandon Lewis Gibson (born August 13, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football and basketball at Washington State and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He also pl ...
. Matthews had his first two-touchdown game in another losing effort against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 11, 2013. He finished the ''Monday Night Football'' game with 120 yards on 11 receptions. After Miami's
Brandon Gibson
Brandon Lewis Gibson (born August 13, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football and basketball at Washington State and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He also pl ...
went down in Week 11, Matthews has received a large increase in targets and a number of starts. Matthews proved to be a reliable target, specifically in the Miami win 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 ...
on December 15, 2013. Matthews caught a 24-yard reception to keep the drive alive in the 24–20 upset. The 2013 season came to an end with Matthews contributing 41 receptions for 448 yards and 2 touchdowns.
2014 season
The 2014 campaign was a lackluster performance for Matthews, who had emerged in 2013 as a reliable target, with the season ending prematurely for Matthews when off-field conduct resulted in his suspension for the final game against the
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 ...
. While Matthews had shown promise, he finished the 2014 season with 12 catches on 21 targets for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns.
2015 season
In Week 7, against the Houston Texans, Matthews reeled in a then career-high 53-yard receiving touchdown in the first quarter of the 44–26 victory. On November 30, 2015, Matthews suffered multiple fractured ribs in the
Miami Dolphins' Week 12 loss to the
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 ...
. On January 2, 2016, Matthews was placed on injured reserve. Overall, in the 2015 season, he finished with 43 receptions for 662 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.
Tennessee Titans
2016 season
On March 9, 2016, Matthews signed a three-year deal with the
Tennessee Titans. In his first season with the Titans, he set a career-high in receiving yards with 945 and with 9 receiving touchdowns. He led the Titans in both receiving yards and touchdowns.
2017 season
On September 24, 2017, Matthews scored a 55-yard touchdown during the Titans' 33–27 victory against 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 ...
. On November 16, 2017, he scored a 75-yard touchdown as the Titans lost to 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 ...
by a score of 40–17. Overall, he finished the 2017 season with 53 receptions for 795 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.
2018 season
On August 21, 2018, Matthews signed a one-year contract extension with the Titans through the 2019 season. On September 26, Matthews requested his release from the Titans, citing a lack of playing time and targets. The team granted his request the next day and released him. Matthews finished with his time with the Titans with a total of 121 receptions, 1,751 receiving yards, and 13 receiving touchdowns.
New York Jets
On October 23, 2018, Matthews signed with the
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 ...
. He played in five games recording just two catches for 13 yards before being placed on injured reserve on December 18, 2018.
New Orleans Saints
On June 13, 2019, Matthews signed with the
New Orleans Saints. He was released on August 10, 2019 after leaving camp.
Retirement
On August 12, 2019, Matthews announced his retirement from the NFL.
NFL statistics
Regular season
Postseason
Personal life
Matthews's father, Andre Matthews, and half-brother, Christopher Ruiz, served in the Marines. Ruiz was killed in a plane crash in 2015 while working as a private defense contractor in Afghanistan.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Rishard
1989 births
Living people
Players of American football from San Diego
African-American players of American football
American football wide receivers
Bakersfield Renegades football players
Nevada Wolf Pack football players
Miami Dolphins players
Tennessee Titans players
New York Jets players
New Orleans Saints players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people