Matthew Charles Light is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 11-year career as an offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers. He was picked by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft.
Asante T. Samuel Sr. is an American former professional football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was born in Accra, Ghana and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He played college football for the UCF Knights and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL draft. Samuel also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. He led the NFL twice in interceptions, in 2006 and 2009, and is considered one of the all-time greatest Patriots and cornerbacks. He is the father of Asante Samuel Jr., a cornerback who was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Logan Lee Mankins is an American former professional football player who was a guard for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. After playing college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs, he was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft. He spent his final two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Selected to seven Pro Bowls and named a first-team All-Pro twice, Mankins was considered a premier guard in his 11 seasons in NFL, and was also named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
Ray Mitchell Agnew Jr. is an American football executive and former player who is the assistant general manager for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He served as the director of pro personnel with the Los Angeles Rams from 2017 to 2020.
Eugene Yon Chung is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1992 to 1997. He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies, earning All-American honors in 1991. He is also a former American football coach.
Jerod Mayo Sr. is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played with the Patriots for eight seasons. Mayo played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, where he was a first-team All-SEC, and was selected by the Patriots 10th overall in the 2008 NFL draft. During his playing career, he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year, earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors in 2010 after leading the league in tackles, and received a second Pro Bowl selection in 2012. Mayo rejoined the Patriots as an assistant coach in 2019 and was named head coach in 2024.
Brandon Lewis Gibson is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Washington State and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL draft. He also played for the St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins.
Nathaniel Perry Solder is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft and won two Super Bowls as a member of the team.
Marcus Darell Cannon is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. Prior to the 2011 NFL draft, Cannon was considered one of the top offensive tackle prospects and was selected by the New England Patriots in the fifth round with the 138th pick of the draft. He played college football at TCU.
Dwayne Lamont Allen is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, where he won the John Mackey Award as a junior, and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Allen spent his first five seasons with the Colts and was a member of the New England Patriots in his final two. During his Patriots tenure, he made consecutive Super Bowl appearances and won Super Bowl LIII.
Devin Akeem Funchess is an American former football wide receiver and current professional basketball player for the Caribbean Storm Islands of the Baloncesto Profesional Colombiano. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines as a tight end, and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.
Stephone Anthony is a former American football linebacker and current coach. He played college football at Clemson.
Shaquille Olajuwon Mason is an American football offensive guard for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). Mason played college football at Georgia Tech from 2011 to 2014 and was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft.
Joseph Cardona is an American professional football player who is a long snapper for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Cardona is also an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve holding the rank of Lieutenant.
Damiere Byrd is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers in 2015. Byrd has been a member of several other NFL teams.
Elandon Roberts is an American football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Houston. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He plays primarily as a linebacker on defense, but when injuries during the 2019 season left the Patriots without a fullback on the roster, Roberts began to play that position as well.
Amara Darboh is a Sierra Leonean-born former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. He played college football at Michigan. A native of Sierra Leone, Darboh was orphaned during the Sierra Leone Civil War and moved to Iowa at age seven. He enrolled at the University of Michigan and was the Wolverines' leading receiver with 58 catches in 2016.
The 2017 season was the Carolina Panthers' 23rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their seventh under head coach Ron Rivera. During the offseason, the team's notable free agent signings included Matt Kalil, Captain Munnerlyn and veteran Julius Peppers. Peppers previously spent his first eight seasons with the Panthers, appearing in Super Bowl XXXVIII with them. On July 17, 2017, the team announced Dave Gettleman had been relieved as general manager. His predecessor, Marty Hurney, was hired as interim general manager a day later. For the first time since 2011, the Panthers did not play the Seattle Seahawks during the regular season. The Panthers rebounded after a disappointing 2016 campaign, where they were the defending NFC champions but finished 6–10 and last in the NFC South. 2017 saw the Panthers qualify for the playoffs with an 11–5 record. However, they lost to the Saints 31–26 in the Wild Card round.
Deatrich Wise Jr. is an American football defensive end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arkansas and was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Chasen Hines is an American football guard for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU.
