Vernon Butler Jr. (born June 14, 1994) 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 ...

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

who is a free agent. 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 ...

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...

, and selected in the first round of the

2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

by 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. T ...

Early years

Butler attended

North Pike High School The North Pike School District is a public school district based in Summit, Mississippi (USA). In addition to Summit, the district also serves rural areas in northern Pike County. Schools * North Pike High School * North Pike Middle School * Nor ...

Summit, Mississippi Summit is a town in Pike County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,705 at the 2010 census. It is part of the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town originated as a railroad town and was named Summit because it ...

. He played football, basketball and ran track. As a senior, he had 121 tackles and 13 sacks. Butler committed to

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activ ...

to play college football.

College career

As a true freshman at Louisiana Tech in 2012, Butler had 21 tackles. As a sophomore in 2013, he had 43 tackles with one sack and as a junior in 2014, he had 54 tackles and a sack. As a senior in 2015, Butler had 50 tackles with three sacks and was named first team All-

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Butler was selected in the first round with the 30th overall pick by the

. He became the highest Louisiana Tech Bulldog selected since

Troy Edwards Troy Edwards (born April 7, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for Louisiana Tech University, became o ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

. On May 13, 2016, the Carolina Panthers signed Butler to a four-year, $8.39 million contract that includes $7.94 million guaranteed and 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 $4.30 million. On May 2, 2019, the Panthers declined the fifth-year option on Butler's contract, making him a free agent in 2020. On December 22, 2019, Butler was ejected after punching Jack Doyle of 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 ...

in a 38–6 loss.

Buffalo Bills

On March 27, 2020, Butler signed a two-year contract with the

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

Las Vegas Raiders

Butler signed with the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...

on March 23, 2022. Butler was released on August 16, 2022.

New York Giants

On November 15, 2022, the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

signed Butler to their practice squad. On December 3, 2022, Butler was elevated from the practice squad for the Week 13 game against the

Washington Commanders 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) E ...

. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 22, 2023. He was released on August 30, 2023.

References

External links

New York Giants bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Vernon 1994 births Living people People from Summit, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi American football defensive tackles Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football players Carolina Panthers players Buffalo Bills players Las Vegas Raiders players New York Giants players