Ty Anthony Montgomery II (born January 22, 1993) 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 ...
wide receiver 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
Stanford. Montgomery was drafted as a
wide receiver by the
Green Bay Packers in the third round of the
2015 NFL Draft. In 2016, he changed positions to running back.
Early years
Montgomery attended
St. Mark's School of Texas
The St. Mark's School of Texas is a nonsectarian preparatory day school for boys in grades 1–12 in Dallas, Texas, United States, accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest.
History
St. Mark's traces its origins to the T ...
in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, where he was a five-sport star in football, track, basketball, baseball, and
lacrosse. He played as a
wide receiver,
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
, and
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
for the Lions
football team. As a senior, he had 823 rushing yards on 93 carries and 17 catches with 10 total touchdowns. He had 118 catches and 36 total
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
during his high school career.
As a standout
track & 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 ...
athlete, Montgomery competed as a sprinter and long jumper. At the 2011 SPC Championships, he earned first-place finishes in both the
100-meter dash (10.81 s) and
200-meter dash
The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...
(22.20 s), while also anchoring the
4x100 squad to victory (43.15 s). He posted a career-best leap of 6.55 meters (21 ft, 3 in) in the
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...
at the 2011 Lancaster Meet of Champions.
College career
Montgomery played wide receiver at Stanford University from 2011 to 2014 under head coach
David Shaw. He wore uniform number 88 during his first two seasons at Stanford. When he returned for his junior season with renewed vigor, Montgomery says he switched from No. 88 to No. 7 to represent his fresh start and his faith, citing the seventh day in Christianity. Prior to the start of Montgomery's junior season, Stanford announced they would retire uniform number 7 in honor of legendary Stanford quarterback
John Elway and stated that "wide receiver Ty Montgomery and defensive end
Aziz Shittu will be the last to wear that jersey at Stanford."
As a freshman in 2011, Montgomery contributed on offense and special teams. On October 15, in a game against
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
, he had three kick returns for 147 net yards and a touchdown. On November 19, against
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, he had a 34-yard rushing touchdown on his lone carry of the game. In the
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been pla ...
against
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
, he had seven receptions for 120 yards and a receiving touchdown. Montgomery had 24 receptions for 350 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns to go along with 42 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
As a sophomore in 2012, Montgomery continued his role on offense and special teams. Overall, he finished the season with 26 receptions for 213 yards and had 11 kick returns for 293 net yards for a 26.6 average.
As a junior in 2013, Montgomery was a consensus
All-American as a
return specialist
A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...
. On October 5, against
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, he had four kick returns for 204 net yards and a touchdown. In the next game against
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, he had eight receptions for 131 receiving yards to go along with three kick returns for 160 net yards and a touchdown. On November 23, against
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, he had 160 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns, and 31 rushing yards with a rushing touchdown. He led the nation with a 31.2-yard
kickoff return
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in gridiron football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team". The receiving team is then entitled to ''return' ...
average and scored two
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
. In addition, he had 61 receptions for 958 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with 159 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
As a senior in 2014, Montgomery still produced for the Cardinal, but he did suffer through some regression. In the season opener against
UC Davis
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...
, he had 77 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, and a punt return touchdown. Overall, he finished his senior season with 61 receptions for 604 receiving yards and three touchdowns to go along with 144 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He finished his collegiate career with 172 receptions for 2,125 yards and 15 touchdown receptions.
Collegiate statistics
Professional career
2015 NFL Draft
Montgomery was selected in the third round (94th overall) by the
Green Bay Packers in the
2015 NFL Draft. On May 21, 2015, Montgomery signed his contract with the Packers.
Green Bay Packers
2015
On September 13, he made his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears and had three kick returns for 106 net yards. On September 28, against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had his first professional receiving touchdown. He was placed on
injured reserve on December 21, 2015, after sustaining an ankle injury against the
San Diego Chargers in Week 6. He finished his rookie season with 15 receptions for 136 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
2016
For the first four games of the
2016 season, Montgomery saw only 17 snaps on offense and was held to zero catches. However, in a Week 6 game against the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
he began seeing time in the backfield due to injuries to running backs
Eddie Lacy
Edward Darwin Lacy Jr. (born June 2, 1990) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Alabama, where he was a member of three BCS National Championship teams in the 2009, 2011, and 2012 seasons. He was drafted by ...
and
James Starks. He finished the game with 10 receptions for 98 yards in the Packers' 30–16 loss. In the next game, Montgomery had another 10-catch performance and rushed for 60 yards on nine carries against the
Chicago Bears. After having little playing time as a running back due to a sickle-cell trait, head coach
Mike McCarthy
Michael John McCarthy (born November 10, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). From 2006 to 2018, he was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. In 2011, he led t ...
declared Montgomery a
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
on December 13, 2016. In the following week's game against the Bears, Montgomery recorded career highs in carries (16) and yards (162). He also then passed
Aaron Rodgers as the team's leading rusher for the 2016 season. He finished the 2016 season with 457 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 44 receptions, and 348 receiving yards.
2017
On September 10, 2017, in the season opener against the
Seattle Seahawks, Montgomery had 19 carries for 54 yards, which included a six-yard rushing touchdown, in the 17–9 victory. In the next game, a 34–23 loss to the
Atlanta Falcons, he had 10 rushes for 35 yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with six receptions for 75 yards and a receiving touchdown. The receiving touchdown was
Aaron Rodgers's 300th career touchdown pass. Montgomery broke his ribs during Week 4 against the
Chicago Bears, an eventual 35–14 Packer victory, and missed the next game at the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
, a 35–31 Packer victory. He returned for the 23–10 loss at 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 ...
, but was the backup to emerging rookie running back
Aaron Jones. After Jones went down with a knee injury in Week 10 at the Bears, Montgomery came in and had a 37-yard rushing touchdown, but left the game after re-injuring his ribs. After missing the next two games, he was placed on injured reserve on December 1, 2017, after undergoing season-ending surgery for an apparent wrist injury. He finished the 2017 season with 273 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 23 receptions, 173 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown.
2018
In Week 8 against the
Los Angeles Rams, the Packers were losing by a score of 29–27 with 2:05 left in the game when Montgomery returned a kick from the endzone and fumbled the ball. The ball was recovered by the Rams and they went on to win the game. After the game, it was reported that Montgomery had been taken off the field for a drive and was told to take a knee on the kick return. Montgomery would be traded just two days after the game and with less than an hour left before the trade deadline. In seven games with the Packers in 2018, he totaled 26 carries for 105 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with 15 receptions for 170 receiving yards.
Baltimore Ravens
On October 30, 2018, Montgomery was traded to 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 it ...
in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the
2020 NFL Draft. In six games with the Ravens, he had 83 rushing yards and ten receptions for 65 yards. In the
Wild Card Round loss to the
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 ...
, he had six kick returns for 106 net yards.
New York Jets
On April 11, 2019, Montgomery signed with the
New York Jets. In the 2019 season, Montgomery totaled 32 carries for 103 rushing yards to go along with 13 receptions for 90 receiving yards.
New Orleans Saints
Montgomery signed with
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 ...
on May 15, 2020. He was placed on injured reserve on September 26, 2020, with a hamstring injury. He was activated on November 6, 2020.
In Week 17 against the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
, Montgomery rushed for 105 yards during the 33–7 win.
On March 6, 2021, Montgomery re-signed with the Saints on a one-year contract. In the 2021 season, Montgomery appeared in 14 games and finished with 15 carries for 44 rushing yards and 16 receptions for 95 receiving yards.
New England Patriots
On March 17, 2022, Montgomery signed a two-year, $3.6 million contract with the
New England Patriots. He was placed on injured reserve on September 13.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
References
External links
New England Patriots bioStanford Cardinal bio*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Ty
1993 births
All-American college football players
American football return specialists
American football running backs
American football wide receivers
Baltimore Ravens players
Green Bay Packers players
Living people
New Orleans Saints players
New York Jets players
Players of American football from Jackson, Mississippi
Players of American football from Dallas
Stanford Cardinal football players
St. Mark's School (Texas) alumni
New England Patriots players