Tyler Gregory Eifert (born September 8, 1990) 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 ...

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. Lik ...

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 ...

at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main c ...

, received All-American honors, and was recognized as the top college tight end. Eifert 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 first round of the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall ...

Early years

Eifert attended Saint Vincent De Paul Catholic School and

Bishop Dwenger High School Bishop Dwenger High School is a co-educational college preparatory high school in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Dwenger is named after Joseph Gregory Dwenger, the second Bishop of the ...

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

. He played tight end and

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

and power forward in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. As a senior, he had nine

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 ...

on offense and 97 tackles and five

interceptions 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 ...

on defense. Considered only a three-star recruit by '' Rivals.com'', he chose to attend Notre Dame over other offers from

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 ...

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 t ...

, and

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mo ...

College career

Eifert enrolled in the

, where he played for the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the intercollegiate football team representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, north of the city of South Bend, Indiana. The team plays its home games at the campus' Notre Da ...

team from 2009 to 2012 under head coaches Charlie Weis and Brian Kelly. As a freshman in 2009, Eifert played in only one game after suffering a back injury. As a sophomore in 2010, he entered the season as a backup to

Kyle Rudolph Kyle Daniel Rudolph (born November 9, 1989) is an American football tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second ...

but took over as the starter after Rudolph suffered a season-ending injury. He finished the season with 27 receptions for 352 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. In his junior season, he took over the tight end starting position. As a starter, Eifert had 63 receptions for 803 yards and five touchdowns. He broke the school's tight end single-season receptions and receiving yards record, previously held by Ken MacAfee. He was named a 2011

Mackey Award The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the award is given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, a ...

finalist but did not win the award. As a senior, he had 50 receptions for 685 yards with 4 touchdowns. He also won the 2012

after being named a finalist the year before and was also named second-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

. After a 42–14 loss to the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

in the

2013 BCS National Championship Game The 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game that took place on Monday, January 7, 2013, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It featured the No. 1 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and N ...

, Eifert decided to forgo his final season of eligibility and declared his intention to enter the

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Eifert was selected in the first round with the 21st overall pick by the

in the

. On July 15, 2013, Eifert signed a four-year, $8.25 million rookie contract with the Bengals.

2013 season

On September 8, 2013, Eifert made his NFL debut, recording five receptions for 47 yards in a 24–21 loss to the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

. On September 16, Eifert caught three passes for 66 yards against 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 ...

. On October 20, Eifert caught his first career touchdown on a 32-yard pass from Andy Dalton against 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 For ...

. On December 15, 2013, Eifert caught his second touchdown of his career against the

. On December 22, Eifert left the game 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 ...

early with a

stinger A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of ve ...

injury. This injury sidelined Eifert for the season finale against 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 ...

. He finished his rookie season with 39 receptions for 445 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

2014 season

On September 7, 2014, during the first game of the 2014 season against the

, Eifert recorded three receptions for 37 yards before suffering a dislocated elbow and shoulder labrum tear after landing awkwardly on his arm while trying to twist out of a leg tackle. He was placed on injured reserve on September 10, 2014, and ended up being out for the season.

2015 season

On September 13, 2015, Eifert posted a career day with nine receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns in the season-opening victory over 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 ...

. On October 11, Eifert was Andy Dalton's biggest target in a Week 5, 27–24 comeback victory against the two-time defending NFC Champion

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

with eight receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns. On November 5, Eifert finished with five catches for 53 yards and three touchdowns in a 31–10 Bengals win over 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 ...

, tying him with

Rodney Holman Rodney Alan Holman (born April 20, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals (1982–1992), and the Detroit Lions (1993–1995) of the National Football League (NFL). Biography Hol ...

(1989) and Bob Trumpy (1969) for the Bengals franchise record for single-season touchdowns by a tight end, with nine. On November 22, Eifert caught three passes for 22 yards and two touchdowns against 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 ...

. Eifert became the franchise leader for most single-season touchdowns by a tight end. On November 29, 2015, Eifert caught a touchdown in the Bengals' 31–7 win over the St. Louis Rams. Eifert left the game in the third quarter with a stinger injury. The injury sidelined Eifert for two games until the season finale. On January 3, 2016, Eifert capped off the regular season with a touchdown in the Bengals' 24–16 win over the

. He finished the 2015 season with 52 receptions for 615 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns. Eifert earned a bid 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 ...

on Team Irvin but injured his ankle during the game. He was ranked 44th by his fellow players 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 season

On April 13, 2016, the Bengals announced that they would pick up the fifth-year option of Eifert's contract. The injury Eifert suffered in the 2016 Pro Bowl kept Eifert sidelined until Week 8 of the 2016 season. In that game, Eifert caught nine passes for 102 yards and a touchdown against the

Washington Redskins 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) ...

, his second 100-plus yard game of his career. Eifert had his first 100-yard game since the 2015 opener and the first time he's teamed with wide receiver A. J. Green for a 100-yarder as well. In Week 10, he caught three passes for 96 yards against 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 divisio ...

. In Week 12, Eifert caught five passes for 68 yards and a touchdown against the

. In Week 13, he caught a 13-yard touchdown, his third of the season, against 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 ...

. In Week 14, he caught five passes for 48 yards and a season-high two touchdowns against the

. He was placed on injured reserve on December 26, 2016, after dealing with a lingering back injury. He finished the 2016 season with 29 receptions for 394 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.

2017 season

Eifert's 2017 season was again cut short due to injuries as he played in two games and had four receptions for 46 receiving yards. On October 11, 2017, the Bengals announced that Eifert would undergo back surgery for the second consecutive season, putting him out for the rest of the year. He also had a cyst surgically removed from his knee.

2018 season

Tyler Eifert vs Cleveland Browns DEC2019

On March 15, 2018, Eifert signed a one-year contract to remain with the Bengals. During a Week 4 matchup against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...

, Eifert was carted off the field in the second quarter with a right ankle injury. The following day, it was revealed that Eifert suffered a broken ankle and would undergo corrective surgery, missing the remainder of the season. In four games, he totaled 15 receptions for 179 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

2019 season

On March 16, 2019, Eifert signed a one-year contract to remain with the Bengals. He appeared in all 16 games and started four. He totaled 43 receptions for 436 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 30, 2020, 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 ...

signed Eifert to a two-year contract. In Week 2 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 ...

, Eifert caught three passes for 36 yards and his first touchdown as a Jaguar during the 33–30 loss. He finished the 2020 season with 36 receptions for 349 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. In February 2021, the Jaguars declined Eifert's team option.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Eifert's brother Grady played basketball for

and started on the 2018–19 team. He moved on to become a graduate assistant for the Boilermakers following his collegiate career. Eifert's brother-in-law is

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 divis ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

Zack Martin Zachary Edward Martin (born November 20, 1990) is an American football offensive guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted 16th overall by the Cowboys in the f ...

, who is married to Eifert's sister, Morgan. Martin and Eifert were teammates and roommates at the

References

External links

*
Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eifert, Tyler 1990 births Living people Indiana Republicans American football tight ends Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Cincinnati Bengals players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Fort Wayne, Indiana Jacksonville Jaguars players Ed Block Courage Award recipients