Hercules Mata'afa (born September 18, 1995) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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 formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Washington State Cougars The Washington State Cougars (known informally as the Cougs) are the sport, athletic teams that represent Washington State University. Located in Pullman, Washington, WSU is a member of the Pac-12 Conference in NCAA Division I. The athletic pr ...

, earning consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in 2017. He signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

in 2018.

College career

Mata'afa attended and played college football at Washington State. As a junior in 2017, Mata'afa was a consensus

and was named the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year. He was also named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year by the ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

''. On December 31, 2017, Mata'afa declared his intentions to enter the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Mata'afa signed with the

as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2018. However, on June 6, he suffered a season-ending injury to his ACL. He was waived/injured on June 20, 2018, and was placed on injured reserve after clearing waivers. He was signed back to the Vikings for the 2019 preseason. He managed to make the final roster coming out of training camp. On September 15, 2019, in his NFL debut, he recovered an

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears foo ...

fumble in a loss to the Packers. Mata'afa was waived by the Vikings on October 13, 2020, and re-signed to the practice squad two days later. He was elevated to the active roster on October 31 for the team's Week 8 game against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He was promoted to the active roster on November 6, 2020. On August 31, 2021, Mata'afa was waived by the Vikings.

Washington Football Team

The

Washington Football Team 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

signed Mata'afa to their practice squad on December 14, 2021. He was released on December 22.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On December 28, 2021, Mata'afa was signed to 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

practice squad, but was released six days later.

New Jersey Generals

Mata'afa signed with the

New Jersey Generals The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League (USFL) established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983 to 1985, winning 31 regular season games and losing ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

on May 19, 2022. He re-signed with the Generals on October 11, 2023. The Generals folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

Birmingham Stallions

On January 5, 2024, Mata'afa was selected by the

Birmingham Stallions The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their ...

during the

2024 UFL dispersal draft The 2024 UFL dispersal draft was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2024 UFL season and disperse the rosters from the eight teams from its component conferences, the XFL and USFL, that were not retained i ...

. He signed with the team on February 28. He was released on March 10, 2024.

References

External links

Washington State Cougars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mata'afa, Hercules 1995 births Living people People from Lahaina, Hawaii Sportspeople from Maui County, Hawaii Players of American football from Hawaii American sportspeople of Samoan descent American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles Washington State Cougars football players All-American college football players Minnesota Vikings players Washington Football Team players Jacksonville Jaguars players New Jersey Generals (2022) players Birmingham Stallions (2022) players Pacific Islander American players of American football