Gene "Geno" Raynard Atkins Jr. (born March 28, 1988) 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 ...

defensive 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 l ...

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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and was drafted by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

in the fourth round of the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the fir ...

. Atkins has twice been selected as a first-team

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

, once been selected as a second-team All-Pro and is an eight-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

er.

Early years

Atkins was born in

Pembroke Pines, Florida Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. The population of Pembroke Pines is 171,178 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous ...

on March 28, 1988. He attended

St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known ...

in Fort Lauderdale and helped his

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

team to be the Class 5A runners-up in both 2004 and 2005. As a junior at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2004, Atkins had 70 tackles (12 resulted in lost yardage), one

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

, and four fumble recoveries. In 2005, during his senior season, he had 117 tackles, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Following the season, he was named first-team all-county by the ''

Sun-Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding B ...

'' and ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

in the nation by Rivals.com and 41st best by Scout.com. 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 ...

, Atkins was one of the state's top performers in the throwing events. In the discus, he got a PR of 48.35 meters at the 2006 FHSAA 3A Region 4, placing 2nd in the finals. At the 2006 FHSAA 3A-4A Outdoor State Finals, he tied for 1st place in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's c ...

event, recording a top-throw of 18.01 meters.

College career

Atkins enrolled in the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, where he played for coach

Mark Richt Mark Allan Richt (born February 18, 1960) is a retired American football head coach, former player, and television analyst. He was the head football coach at the University of Georgia for 15 years and at the University of Miami, his alma mater, ...

Georgia Bulldogs football The Georgia Bulldogs football program represents the University of Georgia in the sport of American football. The Bulldogs compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern D ...

team from 2006 to 2009. He played as a true freshman, recording nine tackles and 0.5 sacks in 11 games. In 2007, Atkins saw significant playing time as a backup behind Kade Weston and Jeff Owens. On September 21, Owens said of Atkins's impact, "Geno is doing a heck of a job. He's contributing a lot to the defense. He's leading the defensive line in tackles for loss and I think we're tied in tackles." As of September 29, despite being a backup, Atkins was fourth in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC) with six tackles for losses along with a sack. On October 6, Atkins was named the starter over Weston and in only his second game led the team in tackles against Vanderbilt. He became the first defensive tackle to lead the team in tackles in a game since Jason Ferguson did so in 1995 and the first defensive lineman since

David Pollack David M. Pollack (born June 19, 1982) is a former professional American football linebacker who played in two seasons in the National Football League (NFL), having suffered a career-ending injury in the second game of his second season. He play ...

in 2003. Following a game against

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

in which he had five tackles, he was named SEC defensive player of the week for the week of November 17. Following, his sophomore season Atkins was named First-team All-SEC, and was the only player for Georgia other than

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. Th ...

Knowshon Moreno Knowshon Rockwell Moreno (born July 16, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of Georgia and was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He also pl ...

to be named to the team. During the press conference for Hawaii's

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 Am ...

Colt Brennan before the

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only ...

, Atkins asked for an autograph and took a photo with Brennan. Fellow Georgia defensive lineman Marcus Howard said of Atkins's antics during the press conference, "He was like acting like a groupie. All of us gave him grief for that." Despite getting Brennan's autograph before the game, Atkins sacked him in the fourth quarter, forcing him out of the game. Two games into the 2008 season, Atkins already had eight tackles and nine quarterback hurries. After the defense as a whole sacked

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

winner Tim Tebow of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

six times, Atkins said, "I think we rattled Tim Tebow and the offense. We wanted to pressure him. No one really works that well under pressure, not even the greatest quarterbacks. You put a little pressure on them, they're bound to flinch." On November 14 against Auburn, Atkins came in on offense and was the lead blocker for

Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia, where he was a first-team All-American, and was selected ...

on a quarterback sneak. In the Capital One Bowl on January 2, 2009, against

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

, Atkins had one tackle and two quarterback hurries. In 2009, Atkins was listed at No. 5 on Rivals.com′s preseason defensive tackle power ranking. He was also named to the 2009

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Am ...

watch list. In his three years after his freshman season, Atkins racked up 33 sacks, including 15 as a sophomore and 10.5 as a senior.

Professional career

2010

The

selected Atkins in the fourth round (120th overall) of the

. He was the 12th defensive tackle selected in 2010. On July 16, 2010, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Atkins to a four-year, US$3.20 million

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

that includes 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 $472,450. Throughout training camp, he competed against Jonathan Fanene and

Pat Sims Patrick Sims (born November 29, 1985) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft and has also played for the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at ...

for the job as the backup defensive tackle. Head coach

Marvin Lewis Marvin Ronald Lewis (born September 23, 1958) is an American football coach who is the special advisor to the head coach at Arizona State. Previously, Lewis was the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL) for ...

named Atkins the fourth defensive tackle on the depth chart to start the regular season, behind

Domata Peko Domata Uluaifaasau Peko Sr (born November 27, 1984) is an American football nose tackle who is a free agent. Peko was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Pago Pago, American Samoa. He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by t ...

Tank Johnson Terry "Tank" Johnson (born December 7, 1981) is a former American professional football defensive tackle in the NFL for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2004 ...

, and Pat Sims. He made his professional regular season debut during the Cincinnati Bengals' season-opening 38–24 loss at 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 ...

. The following week, he had one assisted tackle and made his first career sack with teammate Michael Johnson in the Bengals' 15–10 victory over 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 its ...

. Atkins and Johnson sacked

Joe Flacco Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football, Delaware after transferring from Pi ...

for a four-yard loss in the fourth quarter. On November 14, 2010, Atkins recorded a season-high three combined tackles and a half a sack during a 23–17 loss at 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 Week 14, Atkins earned his first career start during a 23–7 loss at the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. The following week, Atkins collected two combined tackles and made his first career solo sack on quarterback Colt McCoy in their 19–17 win against 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 Conferenc ...

. He finished his rookie season with 16 combined tackles (ten solo), three sacks, and a pass deflection in 16 games and one start.

2011

Atkins competed for the job as the starting defensive tackle against Tank Johnson in training camp. He received the opportunity after Pat Sims missed training camp and the majority of the preseason after sustaining a knee injury. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer decided to name Atkins and Domata Peko the starting defensive tackles after the Bengals opted to release Tank Johnson on August 16, 2011. He started the Cincinnati Bengals' season-opener at the

and collected five combined tackles and broke up a pass in their 27–17 victory. On November 20, 2011, Atkins recorded a season-high six combined tackles and a sack in the Bengals' 31–24 loss at the

. Atkins finished his second season with a total of 47 combined tackles (26 solo), 7.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 16 games and 15 starts. He led the Bengals with 7.5 sacks and tied Oakland Raiders'

Tommy Kelly Tommy Terrell Kelly (born December 27, 1980) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State and was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent ...

for the most sacks by a defensive tackle in 2011. Atkins was selected to the

2012 Pro Bowl The 2012 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2011 season. It took place at 2:00 pm local time on Sunday, January 29, 2012, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The AFC defeated the NFC, 59–41. The 59 poin ...

as an alternate. He was officially named to his first Pro Bowl after New England Patriots'

Vince Wilfork Vincent Lamar Wilfork (born November 4, 1981) is a former American football nose tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the University of Mi ...

was unable to participate due to his appearance in

Super Bowl XLVI Super Bowl XLVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

. The Cincinnati Bengals received a wildcard berth after finishing third in the

AFC North The American Football Conference – Northern Division or AFC North is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division was adopted after the restructuring of the 2002 NFL ...

with a 9–7 record. On January 7, 2012, Atkins started his first career playoff game and made four combined tackles and a sack on quarterback Matt Schaub as the Bengals lost 31–10 to the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their home games at NR ...

in the AFC Wildcard game.

2012

He returned as the starting defensive tackle alongside Domata Peko to start the season. In Week 4, he recorded three solo tackles and sacked quarterback Blaine Gabbert during a 27–10 victory 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 ...

. This marked his first career multi-sack game. On November 18, 2012, Atkins collected a season-high six solo tackles, deflected a pass, a sack, and forced two fumbles in the Bengals' 28–6 win at 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 t ...

. On December 23, 2012, Atkins tied his season-high of six combined tackles, forced a fumble, and sacked Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback

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 ...

twice in their 13–10 victory. On December 26, 2012, it was announced that Atkins was voted to the

2013 Pro Bowl The 2013 Pro Bowl was the National Football League (NFL)'s sixty-third annual all-star game which featured players from the 2012 season. It took place at 2:30 pm Hawaii–Aleutian Time ( UTC−10:00; 7:30 pm Eastern Time) on Sunday, Ja ...

and received the second most votes of any defensive tackle in 2012. His 12.5 sacks ranked 15th in most single season sacks in NFL history. Atkins was also a defensive player of the year candidate and received the highest overall grade of any defensive tackle in 2012 from Pro Football Focus.

2013

On September 2, 2013, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Atkins to a five-year, $53.32 million contract that includes a $15 million signing bonus. Geno Atkins 2014 Bengals training camp

On September 29, 2013, Atkins recorded three combined tackles and a season-high 1.5 sacks during a 17–6 loss at the

. In Week 6, he made a season-high six combined and a half a sack in the Bengals' 27–24 victory at 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 ...

. On October 31, 2013, Atkins recorded two solo tackles and a sack in the Bengals' 22–20 overtime loss at the

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

on ''

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 2 ...

''. He left in the second quarter after sustaining an injury to his leg. On November 1, 2013, the Bengals placed him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season after it was discovered he would have to undergo surgery to repair his torn ACL. He finished the season with 20 combined tackles (nine solo) and six pass deflections in nine games and nine starts.

2014

Assistant coach Paul Guenther was hired to replace Mike Zimmer at defensive coordinator after he departed to accept the head coaching position with 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 ...

. Guenther retained Atkins and Peko as the starters at defensive tackle to begin the regular season. In Week 9, he recorded a season-high six combined tackles and deflected a pass during a 33–23 victory over the

. On November 23, 2014, Atkins made two solo tackles and recorded his first career safety on running back

Alfred Blue Alfred Calvin Blue III (born April 27, 1991) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Blue is from Boutte, Louisiana and attended Hahnville High School. He played ...

as the Bengals defeated the

22–13. Atkins finished the season with 34 combined tackles (20 solo), three sacks, a pass deflection, and a safety in 16 games and 16 starts. He was voted as an alternate for the 2015 Pro Bowl. On January 16, 2015, it was announced that Atkins would replace Detroit Lions' defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in the Pro Bowl due to an injury.

2015

In Week 11, Atkins recorded a season-high four solo tackles and a sack during a 34–31 loss at the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play th ...

. On December 20, 2015, he collected four solo tackles and made a season-high two sacks on San Francisco 49ers' quarterback

Colin Kaepernick Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt ...

in their 24–14 victory. He finished the season with 42 combined tackles (31 solo) and a career-high 11 sacks in 16 games and 16 starts. On December 20, 2015, the NFL announced that Atkins had been voted to the

2016 Pro Bowl The 2016 Pro Bowl (branded as the 2016 Pro Bowl presented by USAA for sponsorship reasons) was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2015 season, which was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 31, 2016. As of ...

for the second consecutive year. He was selected as a player captain along with

Devonta Freeman Devonta Cornellius Freeman ( ; born March 15, 1992) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. High sc ...

Aaron Donald Aaron Charles Donald (born May 23, 1991) is an American football defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh, where he received unanimous All-American honors, and ...

, and Odell Beckham Jr. The

finished first in the

with a 12–4 record and secured home field advantage. On January 9, 2016, Atkins recorded three solo tackles and sacked quarterback

in the Bengals' 18–16 AFC Wildcard loss to the

. Atkins was ranked 29th on the

NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 The NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 was the sixth season in the series. It aired on May 4, 2016. It ended with reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton being ranked #1. The Kansas City Chiefs had the most players selected with nine, while the Chicago Bears Th ...

2016

Head coach

named Atkins and

the starting defensive tackles for the sixth consecutive season. On December 15, 2016, he collected a season-high six combined tackles and sacked quarterback

Robert Griffin III Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RG3 and RGIII, is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Baylor, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected second overa ...

three times in the Bengals' 33–10 victory at the

. He finished the season with 32 combined tackles (21 solo) and nine sacks in 16 games and 16 starts. On December 20, 2016, it was announced that Atkins was voted to the

2017 Pro Bowl The 2017 Pro Bowl (branded as the 2017 Pro Bowl presented by Aquafina for sponsorship reasons) was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2016 season, which was played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, on January 29, 2 ...

, along with teammate A. J. Green. He was ranked 68th by his fellow players on the

NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 The NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 was the seventh season in the series. It ended with reigning Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady being ranked #1. This made Brady the first player to be voted #1 more than once. It was also just the second time the #1 ranked ...

. Pro Football Focus gave Atkins the sixth highest overall grade of all qualifying interior defensive linemen in 2016.

2017

Atkins was named the starting defensive tackle, along with

who replaced Domata Peko after he departed for 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 ...

in free agency. He started the Cincinnati Bengals' season-opener against the

and recorded a career-high seven combined tackles and sacked

during a 20–0 loss. The next week, Atkins collected five combined tackles and a season-high two sacks on quarterback

Deshaun Watson Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson, where he led the team to a national championship in 2 ...

during a 13–9 loss to the

. On December 17, 2017, he made four combined tackles and tied his season-high of two sacks in the Bengals' 34–7 loss at the

. On December 19, 2017, Atkins was named to his sixth Pro Bowl. He finished his eighth season in with 46 combined tackles (29 solo) and nine sacks in 16 games and 16 starts. Atkins played in 64 consecutive games and started 60 from 2014 to 2017.

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 Atkins an overall grade of 91.5, ranking him second with the highest overall grade among interior defensive linemen in 2017. Atkins was ranked 63rd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

2018

On August 28, 2018, Atkins signed a four-year, $65.3 million contract extension with the Bengals through the 2022 season. After recording a sack in the season-opener against the Indianapolis Colts, he sacked

twice the next week against the Baltimore Ravens on September 13. In week 15 against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

, Atkins sacked Derek Carr three times in a 30–16 win.

2019

In week 3 against the

, Atkins recorded his first sack of the season on

Josh Allen Josh or Joshua Allen may refer to: * Josh Allen (offensive lineman) (born 1991), former American football player * Josh Allen (quarterback) (born 1996), American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills since 2018 * Josh Allen (defensi ...

in the 21–17 loss. In week 7 against the

, Atkins sacked

Gardner Minshew Gardner Flint Minshew II (born May 16, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He began his college football career at Northwest Mississippi, winning the NJCAA National Footb ...

twice in the 27–17 loss.

2020

On December 16, 2020, Atkins was placed on injured reserve after undergoing shoulder surgery, an injury he had since training camp. He finished the season with only one tackle through eight games. He was released on March 19, 2021.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Atkins married his college sweetheart, Kristen Merritt, on June 25, 2016, at the St. Regis hotel in Buckhead, Atlanta. During his freshman year at the

, Atkins learned he suffers from Sickle cell trait. Geno is the son of former

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 ...

and

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

Gene Atkins Gene Reynard Atkins (born November 22, 1964) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins from 1987 to 1996. He played previously for Florida A&M and James S. ...

References

External links

Cincinnati Bengals profile

Georgia profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Geno 1988 births Living people American football defensive tackles Cincinnati Bengals players Georgia Bulldogs football players American Conference Pro Bowl players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida African-American players of American football 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people Ed Block Courage Award recipients