Tanner Gregory Purdum (born August 15, 1984) is a former

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 ...

long snapper In American football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and extra point attempt ...

who played seven seasons 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 ...

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). Purdum comes from

Ava, Missouri Ava is the only incorporated city in Douglas County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,894 at the 2020 census. Ava is the county seat of Douglas County. The city was founded in 1871. It was renamed ''Ava'' in 1881, the town's origin ...

. He was signed by 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 ...

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 2009. 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 ...

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

On April 7, 2009, the

signed Purdum with the intention of having him compete for the starting job of long snapper. On August 13, 2009, the Chiefs waived Purdum in favor of

Thomas Gafford Thomas Edward Gafford (born January 29, 1983) is a former American football long snapper. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Houston. Gafford has also been a member of the ...

New York Jets

On February 5, 2010, the New York Jets signed Purdum to a three-year contract after incumbent long snapper

James Dearth James Dearth (born January 22, 1976) is a former American football long snapper. Dearth, who attended Tarleton State University, was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the New ...

, who was an unrestricted free agent at the time, had a few snaps that were "off the mark" in the 2009 season. Purdum was recommended to the team by former Chiefs and Jets punter

Louie Aguiar Louis Raymond Aguiar (born June 30, 1966 in Livermore, California) is a former American football Punter (football position), punter. In his career, he played for the Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe), Barcelona Dragons (1991) of the World League of ...

. On March 10, 2017, Purdum signed a one-year contract extension with the Jets. On September 2, 2017, Purdum was released by the Jets after the team traded for rookie long snapper

Thomas Hennessy Thomas Hennessy was an Irish Cumann na nGaedheal politician and medical practitioner. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann at a by-election on 11 March 1925 for the Dublin South constituency, after the resignation of the Cumann na nGaedhe ...

. At the time, Purdum was the longest-tenured player on the team, and the last remaining player on the roster who had appeared in a playoff game for the Jets. On March 28, 2018, Purdum announced his retirement from the NFL.

Personal life

Purdum is married to his wife, Kara. He received his master's degree in education from Baker in 2009. Purdum graduated from Ava High School in Ava, Missouri in 2003.

References

External links

New York Jets Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Purdum, Tanner 1984 births Living people Sportspeople from Enid, Oklahoma Players of American football from McLennan County, Texas Players of American football from Texas American football quarterbacks American football long snappers Baker Wildcats football players Kansas City Chiefs players New York Jets players People from Ava, Missouri