Ryan Francis Griffin (born January 11, 1990) 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 with ...

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. Like ...

for the

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 ...

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 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 ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, and was drafted by the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

in the sixth round of the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

. He has also previously played for 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 ...

College career

As a junior, Griffin was one of 25 tight ends to be named to the

John Mackey Award The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the award is given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, a ...

Midseason Watch List. He finished his college career with 10 touchdowns and 116 receptions, second all-time by a tight end. His six touchdowns in 2012 tied for second-most in school history for a single season. In 2012, he was named UConn's Offensive Player of the Year.

Professional career

Houston Texans

2013

The

selected Griffin in the sixth round (201st overall) of the

. Griffin was the 12th tight end drafted in 2013. On May 12, 2013, the Houston Texans signed Griffin to a four-year, $2.23 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 tran ...

that includes a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $78,680. During training camp, Griffin competed to be he third tight end on the depth chart against Phillip Supernaw and Jake Byrne. Head coach

Gary Kubiak Gary Wayne Kubiak (born August 15, 1961) is a former American football coach and quarterback. He served as head coach for the NFL's Houston Texans from 2006 to 2013 and the Denver Broncos from 2015 to 2016 before stepping down from the position ...

named Griffin the third tight end on the Texans' depth chart to begin the regular season, behind

Owen Daniels Owen Daniels (born November 9, 1982) is an American meteorologist and former American football tight end. He played college football for the University of Wisconsin, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Dra ...

and

Garrett Graham Garrett Graham (born August 4, 1986) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Wisconsin and was selected by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Early years Graham attended Brick Memor ...

. He made his professional regular season debut in the Houston Texans' season-opening 31–28 win at the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. On October 13, 2013, Griffin caught two passes for 18-yards during a 38–13 loss to the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

in Week 6. Griffin made his first career reception off a ten-yard pass by Texans' quarterback

T. J. Yates Taylor Jonathan Yates (born May 28, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who is currently the wide receivers coach for the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at North Carolina and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fi ...

in the fourth quarter. On October 8, 2013, Griffin was named the secondary starting tight end after Owen Daniels was placed on injured reserve due to a non-displaced fractured fibula he sustained in Week 5. On October 20, 2013, Griffin earned his first career start during the Texans' 17–16 loss at 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 ...

in Week 7. On November 10, 2013, Griffin scored his first career touchdown during a 27–24 loss at 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 ...

. Griffin caught his first career touchdown on a two-yard pass from Texans' quarterback Case Keenum in the second quarter. Griffin sustained 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, ...

during their loss at the Cardinals and was inactive for their Week 11 loss against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

. On December 6, 2013, the Houston Texans fired head coach

after they fell to a 2–11 record. Defensive coordinator

Wade Phillips Harold Wade Phillips (born June 21, 1947) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL. He has served as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys. He has also ser ...

was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. In Week 15, he caught a season-high six passes for 62-yards during a 25–3 loss at 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 ...

. The following week, made five receptions for a season-high 66 receiving yards in the Cardinals' 37–13 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 headquart ...

in Week 16. He finished his rookie season in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

with 19 receptions for 244 receiving yards and one touchdown in 15 games and eight starts.

2014

Griffin entered training camp slated as the second tight end on the Texans' depth chart and competed to retain the role against rookie C. J. Fiedorowicz. Head coach Bill O'Brien named Griffin the third tight end on the depth chart to start the 2014 season, behind Garrett Graham and C.J. Fiedorowicz. In Week 13, Griffin caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from Texans' quarterback

Ryan Fitzpatrick Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. During his career, Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine different teams, the most ...

during the first quarter of their 45–21 win 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 ...

. On December 21, 2014, Griffin caught a season-high three passes for 25 yards in the Texans' 25–13 victory 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 ...

in Week 16. Griffin finished the season with ten receptions for 91 yards and one touchdown in 16 games and two starts.

2015

On June 9, 2015, the Houston Texans promoted quarterbacks coach

George Godsey George Robert Godsey (born January 1, 1979) is an American football coach and former player who is the tight ends coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Miami Dol ...

to offensive coordinator. Godsey took over offensive coordinator duties from head coach Bill O'Brien. Head coach Bill O'Brien named Griffin a backup tight end to start the regular season, behind Garrett Graham and C.J. Fiedorowicz. On September 15, 2015, the Houston Texans placed Griffin on injured reserve with a designation to return after he sustained a knee injury during their season-opening 27–20 loss to the

. He was inactive for the Texans' next seven games (Weeks 2–8) due to a sprained

MCL The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3) ...

. On November 15, 2015, the Houston Texans activated Griffin off of their injured reserve list. In Week 12, Griffin caught a season-high four passes for 72 yards and a touchdown during a 24–6 win against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. He finished the

2015 NFL season The 2015 NFL season was the 96th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL), and the 50th in the Super Bowl era. To celebrate the 50th season of the Super Bowl, a gold-plated NFL logo and other various gold-themed promotions w ...

with 20 receptions for 251 receiving yards and two touchdowns in nine games and four starts.

2016

Griffin entered training camp slated as the second tight end on the depth chart. Head coach Bill O'Brien named Griffin the second tight end on the depth chart in 2016, behind C.J. Fiedorowicz. In Week 3, he caught a season-high eight passes for 52 yards during a 27–0 loss at 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 18, 2016, Griffin made eight receptions for a season-high 85 yards in the Texans' 21–20 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 play ...

in Week 15. He finished the season with a career-high 50 receptions for 442 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and five starts.

2017

On January 16, 2017, the Houston Texans fired offensive coordinator George Godsey. Head coach Bill O'Brien took over duties as the Texans' offensive coordinator. On March 11, 2017, the Houston Texans signed Griffin to a three-year, $9 million contract that includes $3.22 million guaranteed. He started in the Houston Texans' season-opener against the

but exited the game in the second quarter after suffering a concussion. On September 24, 2017, Griffin caught a season-high five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown during a 36–33 loss at the

in Week 3. On November 5, 2017, Griffin suffered his second concussion of the season during the Texans' 20–14 loss to the

in Week 9. On November 10, 2017, the Houston Texans placed Griffin on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. He finished the 2017 NFL season with 13 receptions for 158 receiving yards and a touchdown in seven games and six starts.

2018

Griffin entered training camp slated as the ''de facto'' No. 1 tight end on the depth chart after C. J. Fiedorowicz announced his retirement due to concern over his numerous concussions. Griffin competed to retain his role against rookie Jordan Akins. Head coach Bill O'Brien named Griffin the starting tight end to begin the 2018 NFL season. He played in 14 games with 11 starts, recording 24 receptions for 305 yards. On May 17, 2019, the Texans released Griffin.

New York Jets

2019

On July 22, 2019, Griffin was signed by the

. In Week 8 against the

, Griffin caught four passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns in the 29-15 loss. During Week 11 against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

, Griffin finished with five catches for 109 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Jets won 34-17. The performance marked his first career game with over 100 yards On November 23, Griffin signed a three-year extension with the Jets worth $10.8 million with $4 million guaranteed. On December 12, Griffin was placed on IR after suffering an ankle injury in Week 14 against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

. Overall, Griffin finished the 2019 season with 34 receptions for 320 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.

2020

Griffin was placed on the active/

physically unable to perform list Physically unable to perform (PUP) is a roster designation used in the National Football League (NFL) for players who suffered injuries during football-related activities prior to the start of training camp. Players on the PUP list may participate ...

by the Jets at the start of training camp on July 30, 2020. He was activated on August 22, 2020. He 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 COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

list by the team on December 23, 2020, and activated on December 29.

2021

Griffin entered the 2021 season as the Jets starting tight end. He suffered a knee injury in Week 15 and was placed on injured reserve on December 21, 2021. He finished the season with 27 catches for 261 yards and two touchdowns through 14 games and 12 starts. Griffin was released by the Jets on April 4, 2022.

Chicago Bears

On April 8, 2022, Griffin was signed by the

NFL statistics

Legal issues

On April 27, 2019, Griffin was arrested at Hotel Indigo in Nashville, Tennessee for public intoxication and vandalism. Griffin was allegedly drunk and punched a window inside his hotel room. He was released from jail on a $1,750 bond the next morning. The charges were later dismissed.

References

External links

New York JetsHouston Texans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Ryan 1990 births Living people People from Londonderry, New Hampshire Sportspeople from Rockingham County, New Hampshire Players of American football from New Hampshire American football tight ends UConn Huskies football players Houston Texans players New York Jets players Chicago Bears players Ed Block Courage Award recipients