Christian Kirksey
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Christian Paul Kirksey (born August 31, 1992) 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 wi ...
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
. He played college football at
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
and was drafted by the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He also played for the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, and Buffalo Bills.


High school career

Kirksey attended Hazelwood East High School in
Hazelwood, Missouri Hazelwood is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, within Greater St. Louis. It is a second-ring northern suburb of St. Louis. Based on the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 25,485. It is located north of St. Louis-L ...
, where he played on the football team and was coached by Mike Jones. He was first-team all-conference as a senior after earning honorable mention recognition as a junior. He recorded 163 tackles as a senior, with nine tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, returning one for a
touchdown 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 ...
. He helped his team win the state championship in his junior season and returned to playoffs the following year. In addition to football, Kirksey participated in
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 ...
at Hazelwood East, where he competed in relays and jumping events, helping his team win the state championship as a junior. He placed ninth in the triple jump at the 2009 MSHSAA State T&F Championships, with a leap of 44 ft 1 in. At the 2010 Suburban North Conference Championship, he placed fourth 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 ...
(20 ft 12 in) and took bronze in the
triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...
(45 ft 6 in). Kirksey was considered a three-star recruit by the ''
Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'' recruiting network.


College career

Kirksey enrolled at the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
, where he was a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes football team from 2010 to 2013. As a true freshman in 2010, he played in 10 games, primarily on special teams, recording six total tackles. In 2011, he started all 13 games for the Hawkeyes, recording 62 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, three pass break-ups and two forced fumbles. As a junior in 2012, he was named a team captain. He started all 12 games, recording 95 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two QB sacks. He also returned two interceptions for touchdowns (one 68 yards vs.
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
and one 18 yards against
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
), had four recovered fumbles, two pass break-ups and one forced fumble. In 2013, as a senior and team captain, he started all 13 games at outside linebacker, finishing third on team with 104 tackles. He also had five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, two recovered fumbles and two forced fumbles, one interception and one pass break-up. He earned honorable mention All-
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
following the season.


Professional career

On December 30, 2013, it was announced that Kirksey had accepted his invitation to appear in the 2014 Senior Bowl. Throughout the week, leading up to the game, Kirksey impressed scouts and team representatives during practice by displaying his athleticism, explosiveness, and ability to finish plays. On January 25, 2014, he participated at the
Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...
and recorded six combined tackles with 1.5 tackles for a loss during the North's 20–10 loss to the South. He had an impressive performance playing for former Atlanta Falcons' head coach Mike Smith's North team. He was one of 35 collegiate linebackers to receive an invitation to attend the NFL combine in
Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
. Kirksey attended the NFL combine, but opted to forgo the majority of combine drills and only perform the vertical jump, broad jump, and bench press. His 16 reps tied for 23rd out of the 25 linebackers who participated and he finished 21st out of 30 linebackers in the vertical. Kirksey's best performance at the combine was in the broad jump where he tied for fifth out of 30 players in his position. On March 24, 2014, Kirksey participated at Iowa's pro day, along with C. J. Fiedorowicz,
Anthony Hitchens Anthony Hitchens (born June 10, 1992) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Iowa. Early life Hitch ...
, James Morris, and nine other prospects. Representatives and scouts from 28 NFL teams attended as he performed all of the combine and positional drills and was able to increase his vertical by four inches (36"). Kirksey's unofficial time in the
40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a h ...
would've garnered him third among his position group at the combine. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Kirksey was projected to be a fourth or fifth round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 13th best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.


Cleveland Browns


2014

The
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
selected Kirksey in the third round (71st overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was the ninth linebacker selected in 2014. On June 5, 2014, the Cleveland Browns signed Kirksey to a four-year, $3.04 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $662,500. Throughout training camp, Kirksey competed against Craig Robertson for the job as the starting right inside linebacker. Head coach
Mike Pettine Michael Mark Pettine (born September 25, 1966) is an American football coach who currently is an assistant head coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2014 to 2015, an ...
named him the backup right inside linebacker to Craig Robertson to begin the regular season. He made his professional regular season debut in the Cleveland Browns' season-opener at the Pittsburgh Steelers and recorded one solo tackle and made his first career sack on
Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football ...
during their 30–27 loss. The following week, he earned the first start of his career 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 ...
, after starting right outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo was unable to play due to a shoulder injury. He went on to finish the game with four combined tackles as the Browns won 26–24. On October 19, 2014, Kirksey recorded a season-high nine combined tackles as the Browns lost 24–6 at 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 pla ...
. Kirksey started over Craig Robertson during a Week 11 matchup against the Houston Texans and tied his season-high of nine combined tackles in Cleveland's 23–7 loss. He started from Weeks 12–15 after
Karlos Dansby Karlos Montez Dansby (born November 3, 1981) is a former American football outside linebacker. He played college football for Auburn University and received All-American recognition. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round ...
suffered a knee injury during the loss to Houston. He finished his rookie season with 81 combined tackles (47 solo), two sacks, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble in eight starts, 16 games, and 343 defensive snaps.


2015

Kirksey continued to compete for the starting inside linebacker role against Robertson throughout training camp. He started the regular season as the backup inside linebacker behind Craig Robertson. On October 4, 2015, Kirksey earned his first start of the season after Craig Robertson suffered an ankle injury. He went on to collect five combined tackles and sacked San Diego Chargers' quarterback
Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was se ...
, in Cleveland's 30–27 loss at San Diego. He started the next four games at inside linebacker (Weeks 4–7) in place of Robertson. In Week 6, he recorded a season-high nine combined tackles as the Browns lost 26–23 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 headquar ...
. On November 15, 2015, Kirksey collected a combined four tackles and sacked Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during a 30–9 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished the season with 63 combined tackles (40 solo), 3.5 sacks, and a pass deflection in 16 games and five starts.


2016

Kirksey was slated to be the starting inside linebacker after Craig Robertson departed during
free agency 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 ...
to 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 ...
. New head coach
Hue Jackson Hue Jackson (born October 22, 1965) is an American football coach who is the head football coach at Grambling State University. An offensive assistant at both the collegiate and professional levels, he held coordinator positions in the Nation ...
named Kirksey the starting right inside linebacker, alongside Demario Davis, to start the season. He started the Cleveland Browns' season-opener at the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
and recorded six combined tackles and sacked
Carson Wentz Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Wentz played college football at North Dakota State, where he won two consecutive NCAA FCS ...
during 29–10 loss. On October 9, 2016, Kirksey collected a season-high 16 combined tackles in the Browns' 33–13 loss to the New England Patriots. During a Week 10 contest at 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 ...
, he made 13 combined tackles and deflected a pass as the Ravens routed the Browns 28–7. In Week 17, Kirksey recorded 12 combined tackles and sacked Ben Roethlisberger, for his third time in his career, during a 27–24 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kirksey had an impressive season in 2016 and led the Browns with 148 combined tackles (96 solo), 2.5 sacks, and three pass deflections in 16 games and 16 starts.


2017

On May 30, 2017, the Cleveland Browns signed Kirksey to a four-year, $38 million contract extension that includes $20 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $6 million. Former Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator
Ray Horton Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (g ...
was fired after the 2016 season and replaced by
Gregg Williams Gregg Williams (born July 15, 1958) is an American football coach. He most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) from 2019 to 2020. Previously, he was head coach of the Buffalo ...
who switched the base defense from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense. Kirksey was moved from starting inside linebacker to starting weakside linebacker. During a Week 2 matchup at 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 ...
, Kirksey made nine combined tackles and sacked Joe Flacco as the Browns lost 24–10. On October 22, 2017, he recorded a career-high 17 combined tackles during a 12–9 loss to 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 hom ...
. On November 19, 2017, Kirksey collected 14 combined tackles and sacked Jacksonville Jaguars' quarterback
Blake Bortles Robby Blake Bortles (born April 28, 1992) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football at UCF, where he received ...
in a 19–7 loss. He finished the season with 136 combined tackles (86 solo), five pass deflections, and 3.5 sacks in 16 games and 16 starts. His 138 tackles finished second in the team, behind
Joe Schobert Joseph Robert Schobert (born November 6, 1993) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Schobert played college football at Wisconsin where he won t ...
's 144.
Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
gave Kirksey an overall grade of 59.6, ranking 52nd among all qualified linebackers in 2017.


2018

On October 7, 2018, Kirksey recorded a season-high 12 tackles against the Baltimore Ravens. On October 14, Kirksey intercepted
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 ...
'
Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was se ...
, his first-career interception. The very next week he would pick off
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) South division. The cl ...
' quarterback Jameis Winston and recover a Cameron Brate fumble on October 21, 2018, marking his second-career interception and third-career fumble recovery. On November 7, he was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.


2019

On September 21, 2019, Kirksey was placed on injured reserve with a chest injury. On March 10, 2020, Kirksey was released by the Browns after six seasons.


Green Bay Packers

On March 17, 2020, Kirksey signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Green Bay Packers. Kirksey made his debut with the Packers in Week 1 against 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 ...
. During the game, Kirksey led the team with 12 tackles (6 solo) in the 43–34 win. This victory was Kirksey's first Week 1 win in his career. In Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, Kirksey recorded another 12 tackles during the 42–21 win. He was placed on injured reserve on October 3, 2020, with a pectoral injury. He was activated on November 14, 2020. In Week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts, Kirksey led the team with 11 tackles and recorded his first interception as a Packer off a pass thrown by
Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was se ...
during the 34–31 overtime loss. In Week 16 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 hom ...
on ''Sunday Night Football'', Kirksey sacked and intercepted
Ryan Tannehill Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, where he was a wide receiver until his junior year, an ...
once each, also recording a solo tackle for loss and a pass deflection during the 40–14 win. On February 19, 2021, Kirksey was released by the Packers.


Houston Texans

Kirksey signed with the Houston Texans on March 24, 2021. He was named the Texans starting middle linebacker in 2021. He started the first eight games before being placed on injured reserve on November 6, 2021. He was activated on December 4. On March 11, 2022, Kirksey signed a two-year contract extension with the Texans. On August 28, 2023, Kirksey was released.


Buffalo Bills

On August 30, 2023, Kirksey was signed to the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills. On September 21, 2023, he announced his retirement from the NFL.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Postseason


In popular culture

Kirksey is featured in ''
Madden NFL 15 ''Madden NFL 15'' is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League and published by EA Sports. The game was announced for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on April 28, 2014, and was released on ...
''; however, when used in the gamemode "Madden Ultimate Team" and he is on 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 hom ...
; due to a
glitch A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among ...
, his in-game avatar appears as 1 ft 2 in in height, which makes him the first "Foottall" player in ''Madden'' history. Kirksey later appeared in a trailer
EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network ...
created for the game that features the glitch.EA Trailer
/ref>


References


External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirksey, Christian 1992 births Living people African-American players of American football American football linebackers Buffalo Bills players Cleveland Browns players Green Bay Packers players Houston Texans players Iowa Hawkeyes football players Players of American football from St. Louis 21st-century African-American sportspeople