Travis Jayvinski Benjamin (born December 29, 1989) 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 ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. 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 ...

at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

. He was selected by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

in the fourth round of the

2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

Early life

Benjamin attended

Glades Central High School Glades Central Community High School is a high school in Belle Glade, Florida. In the 2014–15 school year, its enrollment numbered 992 students. The school was a football powerhouse. In 2001, the ''New York Times'' reported that Glades Central h ...

Belle Glade, Florida Belle Glade is a city in south-central Florida and it is the far western part of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. According to th ...

, and played on the

team. He played on the state championship team as a junior and was a contributing factor to their success in the following season; finishing with eight receiving touchdowns as a senior. Was the 21st-ranked wide receiver by ESPN and 144th overall in the Class of 2008. During the 2008 Muck Bowl against rival Pahokee High School, Benjamin was covered by

Janoris Jenkins Janoris Jenkins (born October 29, 1988), nicknamed "Jackrabbit", is an American former professional American football, football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Alabama ...

and was able to make a touchdown reception. In addition to playing football, Benjamin ran for the Glades Central track team. He competed in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

and

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 gr ...

. He ran personal season bests of 10.42 seconds in the

and 6.97 meters in the long jump. He placed fourth in both the 100 meters and long jump at the 2A state meet in 2008. He also led his team to a 2A state runner-up finish in his junior year. In 2009, Benjamin ran a season-best time of 6.40 seconds in the

55 meters 55 may refer to: *55 (number) * 55 BC * AD 55 * 1955 *2055 Science *Caesium, by the element's atomic number Astronomy *Messier object M55, a magnitude 7.0 globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius *The New General Catalogue object NGC ...

at the Tom Jones Invitational. In the

60 meters 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At indoor events, the 60 metres is run on lanes set out in the mi ...

, he ran a season-best time of 6.90 seconds in the preliminary round of the Texas A&M Invitational.

College career

Benjamin played

for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

for four seasons from 2008 to 2011. As a freshman, he had 18 receptions for 293 receiving yards in 11 games. As a sophomore, he had 29 receptions for 501 yards and 4 touchdowns in 11 games. His best game came in the season opener against Florida State with four receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown. As a junior, he had 43 receptions for 743 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. As a senior, he had 41 receptions for 609 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. In 2010, Benjamin joined Miami's indoor track team. He placed fourth in the ACC Championships in the

with a season-best time of 6.74 seconds. He ran the team's three fastest times on the season in the

. Competing for the outdoor track team, Benjamin earned All-ACC honors, placing third in the

at the ACC Championships, with a time of 10.40 seconds, the fastest time of any Miami sprinter on the season. He ran the second leg of the 4 × 100 meter relay that advanced to the NCAA semifinals, that ran a season-best time of 39.57 seconds at the NCAA quarter finals, setting a school record, and placed fifth at the Penn Relays with a time of 40.35 seconds.

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Benjamin was one of 47 collegiate wide receivers to attend the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. He tied Stanford's Chris Owusu and Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill for the best 40-yard dash time among all wide receivers at the combine. He completed the majority of drills, but skipped the short shuttle and three-cone due to a leg cramp. On March 8, 2012, Benjamin attended Miami's pro day and performed the short shuttle, three-cone drill, and positional drills. 66 team representatives and scouts from the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a 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 Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

and

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

attended, including Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach

Mike Tomlin Michael Pettaway Tomlin (born March 15, 1972) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the Steelers in 2007, he has led t ...

. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Benjamin was projected to be a third or fourth round draft pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the 27th best wide receiver prospect by NFL.com and the 64th best wide receiver prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.

Cleveland Browns

2012

The

selected Benjamin in the fourth round with the 100th overall pick in the

. He was the 15th wide receiver selected in 2012. On May 10, 2012, the Browns signed Benjamin to a four-year, $2.57 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $477,000. Throughout training camp, he competed with Greg Little,

Josh Cribbs Joshua Cribbs (born June 9, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes and was sig ...

Josh Gordon Joshua Caleb Gordon (born April 13, 1991), nicknamed "Flash", is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the Baylor Bears and was ...

, Jordan Norwood, Carlton Mitchell, Josh Cooper, and Rod Windsor for the role as the second wide receiver. Head coach

Pat Shurmur Patrick Carl Shurmur (born April 14, 1965) is an American football coach who serves as the offensive coordinator at the Colorado Buffaloes football team, University of Colorado. Prior to joining the staff at Colorado, he most recently served as ...

named him the fourth wide receiver behind

Mohamed Massaquoi Mohamed Jah Massaquoi ( ; born November 24, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are ...

, Greg Little, and Josh Gordon. He made his professional regular season debut in the Cleveland Browns' season-opener 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

and had one reception for 12-yards and a carry for 35-yards during their 17–16 loss. His first career reception came in the second quarter on a 12-yard pass by

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Brandon Weeden. The following week, he earned his first career start during the Browns' 34–27 loss at 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

. On September 23, 2012, Benjamin caught two passes for 44-yards and scored his first career touchdown in the Browns' 24–14 loss to the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. His first career touchdown receptions came on a 22-yard pass from Brandon Weeden in the third quarter. The following week during a Week 4 matchup against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

, Benjamin had the first punt return of his career for a 40-yard gain and had two kick returns for a total of 47-yards during a 23–16 loss. In Week 14, he returned a punt for a 93-yard touchdown to set a franchise record for longest punt return by a rookie in Cleveland's 30–7 routing of 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

. On December 16, 2012, Benjamin made a season-long 69-yard touchdown reception in the Browns' 38–21 loss to 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

. On December 30, 2012, he made a season-high four receptions for 43 receiving yards as Cleveland lost 24–10 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. He finished his rookie season with 18 receptions for 298 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while also carrying the ball six times for 66-yards. Benjamin was used sparingly as a returner with Josh Cribbs entrenched in the role and finished the season with three kick returns for 76-yards and three punt returns for 149-yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, head coach

was fired after the Cleveland Browns finished last in the

AFC North The American Football Conference – Northern Division or AFC North is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division was created after the NFL realign ...

with a 4–12 record.

2013

He entered an open competition for the vacant starting wide receiver role after the departure of

. Benjamin competed against Greg Little, Josh Gordon, Davone Bess, and Jordan Norwood. Head coach Rob Chudzinski named Benjamin the starting punt and kick returner after

departed in free agency. He started the Cleveland Browns' season-opener against the

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

and caught three passes for 44-yards in their 23–10 loss. In Week 5 against the Bills in 2013, Benjamin returned a punt 79-yards for a touchdown en route to a 37–24 victory. On October 27, Benjamin suffered a torn ACL injury and missed the remainder of the season. He finished the season with five receptions for 105 receiving yards and had one carry for 45-yards in eight games and three starts. At the time of his injury, Benjamin was seventh in the league in punt return average.

2014

Head coach

Mike Pettine Michael Mark Pettine (born September 25, 1966) is an American football coach who is the assistant head coach and outside linebackers coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of the Cleveland Br ...

was hired by the Browns for the season and held an open competition for the starting wide receiver role after

was suspended in August. Benjamin competed with newly acquired free agents

Nate Burleson Nathaniel Eugene Burleson (born August 19, 1981) is a Canadian-American television host, football commentator, and former football player. He played professionally as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Playing college footba ...

, Miles Austin, and

Andrew Hawkins Andrew Austin Wyatt Hawkins (born March 10, 1986) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns and two seasons for the Mon ...

. He was named the third wide receiver and starting slot receiver behind Miles Austin and Andrew Hawkins. Benjamin played in the Cleveland Browns' season-opener at the

and caught two passes for 20-yards and a touchdown during the 30–27 loss. His touchdown came in the fourth quarter on a nine-yard pass from quarterback

Brian Hoyer Axel Edward Brian Hoyer (born October 13, 1985) is an American professional American football, football quarterback. Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for eight different teams, the second-most in league hi ...

to tie the game 27–27 before Steelers' kicker Shaun Suisham made a 47-yard field goal to win the game. On October 5, 2014, Benjamin made a season-high four receptions for 48-yards and caught two touchdown receptions during a 29–28 victory at 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. He caught a 17-yard touchdown and a six-yard touchdown pass from Brian Hoyer in the fourth quarter to help lead the Browns in a comeback victory. It was the first multi-touchdown game of his career. During a Week 15 matchup against the

, Benjamin had two punt returns for 24-yards and made his first career tackle on Bengal's linebacker Rey Maualuga after he intercepted a pass attempt by quarterback Johnny Manziel, intended for receiver

Taylor Gabriel Taylor James Gabriel (born February 17, 1991) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football at Abilene Christian, he signed with the Cl ...

, and returned it 33-yards during the Browns 30–0 loss. He finished the season with 18 receptions for 314-yards and three touchdowns in 16 games and zero starts.

2015

Benjamin received competition for the starting wide receiver job after the Browns signed longtime veterans

Dwayne Bowe Dwayne Lorenzo Bowe (born September 21, 1984) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football at Louisiana State University, and was selected ...

and

Brian Hartline Brian Jack Hartline (born November 22, 1986) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Ohio State. He played college football at Ohio State, and was selected by the Miami D ...

after Miles Austin departed in free agency and Josh Gordon received a second suspension for the full 2015 season. Head coach Mike Pettine surprisingly named Benjamin the starting wide receiver for the first time of his career, along with Andrew Hawkins, after he had a productive training camp where he was called the "most improved teammate" by Donte Whitner. Although Bowe and Hartline were slated as the projected starters. He started the Cleveland Browns' season-opener against 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

and made three receptions for 89-yards and a touchdown as they lost 31–10. The following week, he caught three passes for 115 receiving yards and two touchdowns receptions in a 28–14 victory over the

. Benjamin was responsible for three of the Browns' touchdowns during the game, catching a 60-yard and 50-yard touchdown pass from Johnny Manziel and returning a punt return for a 78-yard touchdown in the second quarter and was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. During a Week 3 matchup against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

, Benjamin made four receptions for 45-yards and one touchdown in their 27–20 loss. On October 18, 2015, Benjamin caught a season-high nine passes for a season-high 117 receiving yards as the Browns went on to lose 26–23 to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. In Week 10, he made seven catches for 113-yards and caught his fifth touchdown reception of the season in a 30–9 loss at the

. Benjamin would finish the season with career-highs of 68 receptions for 966 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions in 15 starts and 16 games. Unfortunately, the Cleveland Browns finished last in the AFC North for the fourth consecutive season with a 3–13 record and head coach

was fired after the season. Although the Cleveland Browns and Benjamin both were adamant about getting a new contract before the beginning of free agency and attempted to reach an agreement multiple times, discussions between both sides broke down and Benjamin entered the market.

San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers

2016

On March 9, 2016, the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

signed Benjamin to a four-year, $24 million contract with $13 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $5 million. Benjamin entered training camp slated as one of the starting wide receivers with

Keenan Allen Keenan Alexander Allen (born April 27, 1992) is an American professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the California Golden Bears before leaving after his junior year. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the th ...

. Head coach Mike McCoy named him and Allen the official starters to begin the regular season. He made his official San Diego Chargers' debut in their season-opener at the

and caught seven passes for 32-yards in a 33–27 loss. The next week, Benjamin made six catches for 115 receiving yards and caught his first touchdown as a member of the Chargers on a 45-yard pass from

Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football for the ...

in their 38–14 win against 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 ...

. On October 9, 2016, he had seven receptions for a season-high 117 receiving yards in the Chargers' 34–31 loss at the

. He was unable to play in the Chargers Week 10 game against the

after sustaining a knee injury. Benjamin finished the season with 47 catches for 677 receiving yards and four touchdowns in eight starts and 14 games. It was reported that Benjamin dealt with multiple injuries throughout the season that limited his playing time and ability to start all 16 games.

2017

Benjamin entered the season under his fifth head coach in six seasons after the Los Angeles Chargers hired Anthony Lynn to be their new head coach. He entered training camp facing stiff competition for one of the starting wide receiver jobs after the Chargers drafted Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams seventh overall. He also had to contest with

Tyrell Williams Tyrell Williams (born February 12, 1992) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football at Western Oregon and was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He also played for the ...

and

Dontrelle Inman Dontrelle Javaar Inman (born January 31, 1989) is an American former Gridiron football, football wide receiver. He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers football, Virginia Cavaliers and was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars of the N ...

who both started for the Chargers throughout the 2016 season. In the Los Angeles Chargers' season-opener against the

on ''Monday Night Football'', Benjamin recorded three receptions for 43-yards and caught a 38-yard receiving touchdown from quarterback

in their 24–21 loss. On September 24, 2017, Benjamin caught five passes for a season-high 105 receiving yards in Los Angeles' 24–10 loss to the

. In Week 7, Benjamin scored on a 64-yard punt return plus a 42-yard receiving touchdown in a 21–0 win over the Broncos, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. The next week, against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, Benjamin caught a season-high tying five passes for 64-yards and a touchdown, but muffed a punt at the Chargers' 8-yard line and then retreated into his own end zone, where he was tackled; the result was a Patriots

safety Safety is the state 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 The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

as the Chargers lost 21–13.

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the American sports programming division of Paramount Global that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried by its broadcast network CBS and streaming service Paramount+, as well as the operator of its cable channel CBS Sports N ...

went on to call it "one of the worst punt returns in NFL history." Overall, he finished the 2017 season with 34 receptions for 567 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

2018

In a crowded position group, Benjamin totaled 12 receptions for 186 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 2018 season.

2019

On April 16, 2019, Benjamin signed a one-year contract extension with the Chargers through the 2020 season. He was placed on injured reserve on October 17, 2019, with a quad injury.

San Francisco 49ers

On April 3, 2020, Benjamin signed a one-year contract with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. On August 5, 2020, Benjamin announced he would opt out of the 2020 season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. On August 31, 2021, Benjamin was released by the 49ers and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to active roster on October 9, 2021.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

*
Miami Hurricanes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, Travis 1989 births Living people 2011 University of Miami athletics scandal American football return specialists American football wide receivers Cleveland Browns players Los Angeles Chargers players Miami Hurricanes football players Players of American football from Belle Glade, Florida San Diego Chargers players San Francisco 49ers players