Zachary Jonathan Pagett Sudfeld (born April 17, 1989) 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 ...

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 ...

. He was signed by 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 ...

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 2013. 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 ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Early years

Sudfeld attended

Modesto Christian High School Modesto Christian School is a private Christian school in Salida, California, on the outskirts of Modesto. It was formerly affiliated with the Assemblies of God;Private school directory, 2013–14, updated August 6, 2014, downloadable aPri ...

Modesto, California Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

. Sudfeld was named to the first-team all-state as a tight end. He also earned the first-team all-district and all-league honors in high school. His younger brother, Nate, is a quarterback for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

Professional career

New England Patriots

On May 3, 2013, Sudfeld signed with the

. Sudfeld's size and catching ability led at least one Patriots reporter to call Sudfeld a "baby Gronk," referring to

tight end

Rob Gronkowski Robert James Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played h ...

. During the Patriots' second preseason game, against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, Sudfeld scored on a

two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...

from

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...

and on a 22-yard touchdown from

Ryan Mallett Ryan Mallett (born June 5, 1988) is a former American football quarterback who is currently the head football coach at White Hall High School in White Hall, Arkansas. He played college football at Arkansas, and was drafted by the New England ...

. On October 3, 2013, Sudfeld was released from the Patriots, after lackluster performances, where Sudfeld made no receptions.

New York Jets

Sudfeld was claimed off waivers by 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 October 4, 2013. He caught 5 passes for 63 yards on the season. Sudfeld suffered an

anterior cruciate ligament injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

in minicamp and was waived on June 15, 2015. He cleared waivers a day later and was placed on the injured reserve list. On September 3, 2016, Sudfeld was released by the Jets as part of final roster cuts.

Personal life

Sudfeld has a twin brother named Matt, who is director of strategic development of a humanitarian organization that was started by his grandparents. He also has two sisters: Juliana, who played volleyball for Wheaton College in Illinois, and Sarah, who played basketball for The King's College in New York City. His younger brother Nate is a quarterback for the

References

External links

Nevada Wolf Pack bioNew York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sudfeld, Zach 1989 births Living people American football tight ends Sportspeople from Santa Cruz, California Nevada Wolf Pack football players New England Patriots players New York Jets players Modesto Christian School alumni