 Sendejo with the Minnesota Vikings in 2012 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 36, 34, 42, 23 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Safety | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1987-09-09)September 9, 1987 (age 37) Bulverde, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Smithson Valley(Spring Branch, Texas) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Rice (2006–2009) | ||||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2010 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Andrew Victor Sendejo (born September 9, 1987) is a formerAmerican footballsafety. He playedcollege football for theRiceOwls, and was signed by theSacramento Mountain Lions of theUnited Football League (UFL) as afree agent in 2010. Sendejo was also a member of theDallas Cowboys,New York Jets,Philadelphia Eagles,Minnesota Vikings,Cleveland Browns, andIndianapolis Colts.
Sendejo is a 2006 graduate ofSmithson Valley High School inSpring Branch, northeast ofSan Antonio, Texas. He was a two-time All-San Antonio area selection for coach Larry Hill. Also a two-time honorable mention All-State pick, and a two-time All-District 26-5A honoree. As a senior, he had 75tackles (3 for loss), fourinterceptions, eight pass deflections, one forcedfumble and one fumble recovery, helping lead the Rangers to a 13–2 record and the Class 5A semifinals. He was named Comal County defensive player of the year for his senior season efforts. He was also a regional finalist and academic All-district. Sendejo selected Rice overTulane,Army,North Texas,Northwestern andNew Mexico.[1]
In addition tofootball, Sendejo also lettered insoccer, where he was twice a second-team All-district selection and academic All-district pick, helping Smithson Valley to the district and bi-district championships. He also participated intrack & field for the Rangers; at the 2004 District 27-5A Championships, he placed third in the 400-meter dash (52.80 seconds), sixth in thetriple jump (12.04m or 39'4") and fifth in thepole vault (3.53m or 11'6"). As a junior in 2005, he posted a personal-best time of 52.02 seconds in the400-meter dash at the Texas State High School Invitational.
AtRice, Sendejo saw his senior season come to an early conclusion after suffering a severe high ankle sprain atEast Carolina that required surgery. He was a Preseason AllC-USA pick by conference coaches and a three-year starter who opened the season as the national leader among active players in solo tackles and also ranked in the top 10 among active players in career total tackles, career interceptions and interception returns for touchdowns. He was a Second-team AllC-USA preseason selection by the media in a poll conducted by theNew Orleans Times-Picayune. He also earned an Honorable Mention AllC-USA honors from league coaches even with a shortened senior season, and was named one of 12 finalist for the 2009Wuerffel Trophy, which honors the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with outstanding academic and athletic achievement. He was a three-timeESPN The Magazine District VI academic honoree as well as a three-timeC-USA All Academic Football team with a 3.55GPA insports management.
A starter from the first whistle of the season who went on to earn honorable mention freshmanAll-American recognition fromThe Sporting News andC-USA all-freshman honors from the media, Sendejo made 10 starts on the season in 11 played games, missing just theUAB game with an injury. He finished fifth on the team with 49 totaltackles from the Spur position, tied for fourth on the squad with seven tackles for loss and was second on the team by forcing threefumbles. He forced one fumble and recovered a second to set up a touchdown for the Owls againstTulsa. He opened the season with a 13-yardsack ofKevin Kolb ofHouston and closed it with a seven-yard sack of Justin Willis ofSMU.
As a sophomore in 2007, Sendejo led the team with 107tackles and fiveinterceptions. His five interceptions were the most by an Owl sinceDan Dawson tied the school record with seven in 2000 and match the third-best total by an Owl in a season. He earned honorable mention AllC-USA honors by the coaches and third-team All conference mention byPhil Steele. Also named Academic All-Conference and All-District VI for his work in the classroom as well. He closed the season strongly, registering back-to-back double figure tackle efforts againstTulane (11) andTulsa (13). He posted four double figure games on the season, including a career-best 18-tackle day atMarshall, the most by an Owl since Jeff Vanover was credited with 18 against SMU in 2001. He was namedC-USA Defensive Player of the Week againstSouthern Miss after picking off a pair of passes, forcing a fumble, and registering seven tackles, becoming the first Owl to pick off more than one pass in a game since Dan Dawson picked off three vs. Hawaii back in 2000. He was credited with eight tackles, shared a tackle for loss, forced and recovered a fumble and broke up a pass atHouston. He returned his interception againstSMU 31 yards for a score for his first careertouchdown.
Sendejo was an honorable mention AllC-USA pick by the coaches, second-team pick by theHouston Chronicle, whilePhil Steele placed him on his first-team, All-conference unit. He led the Owls with 94 totaltackles despite missing nearly three full games with a high ankle sprain. He also totaled 89 yards in returns, bringing back an interception 55 yards for atouchdown and returning a fumble 34 yards to set up a second score. That interception return was his second of his career for a score, with both coming against SMU. He was fifth inC-USA stats with 8.55 tackles per game (51st nationally) and 22nd inNCAA stats with 5.4 solo tackles per game. He opened the year by earningC-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors for his game vs.SMU. He had back-to-back 13-tackle efforts atMemphis andVanderbilt, then was credited with a season-high 17 tackles atTexas, one shy of his career-high of 18 set in 2007 atMarshall. He saw his streak of double-figure tackle games end at three when he was credited for three stops againstNorth Texas. In that game, he made his debut as the Owls'punt returner, fielding a pair for no gain, then returned his third for a gain of 21. He got injured early in theTulsa game and did not record a tackle. He missed theSouthern Miss game, breaking a streak of 24 consecutive games played (23 starts). He also missed theTulane game, and then returned to action againstUTEP and led the Owls with eight tackles. He closed out the regular season by recording his fifth double-figure tackle game of the year with 13 vs.Houston. It was his ninth career double-figure tackle game.
As a senior, Sendejo was named toPhil Steele's Midseason AllC-USA Third-team. He was able to play in only 7 games, after his season was cut short by a high ankle injury that required surgery. He was tied for sixth in the nation with 6.4 unassisted tackles per game at the time of his injury. He moved into a tie for second on the Owls' career tackle chart with nine stops atECU, and jumped four spots on the tackling chart with 17 tackles vs.Navy, matching the second highest game total of his career. It was his 11th career double-figure tackle game. He was theNCAA career active leader with 216 career solotackles (Sean Weatherspoon ofMissouri was second with 199) before he got hurt. He ranked fourth inC-USA and 14th in the nation with a 14.3 yard average per punt return before his injury. He returned two punts for 65 yards vs.Vanderbilt, including a career best 47 yarder, the longest by an Owl since 1998 whenLaDouphyous McCalla returned one 51 yards against Colorado State. He missed part of theTexas Tech game after injuring a wrist, but returned to finish the game. He recorded his 10th career double-digit tackle total in the opener atUAB with 15 stops. He finished his college career with 318 tackles (second in school history), 9 interceptions (seventh in school history), 2 sacks and 7 forced fumbles.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+1⁄8 in (1.86 m) | 208 lb (94 kg) | 33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 4.65 s | 1.56 s | 2.62 s | 4.04 s | 6.87 s | 34.0 in (0.86 m) | 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) | 19 reps | |
| All values from Rice'sPro Day[2][3] | ||||||||||||
Sendejo went undrafted in the2010 NFL draft, and did not receive any offers to sign as anundrafted free agent. He attendedrookie minicamp with theTampa Bay Buccaneers, but did not receive a contract offer upon completion. Sendejo also attended a tryout with theNew Orleans Saints, but did not receive any further interest from the team.[4]
On August 20, 2010, it was reported that Sendejo signed a contract with theSacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League (UFL). He started at safety for the Mountain Lions and finished the2010 UFL season with 48 combined tackles (31 solo), seven pass breakups, and two interceptions in eight games and eight starts. He tied for the second mosttackles in the league during the 2010 season and led the Mountain Lions in total tackles and interceptions.[5]
On November 24, 2010, theDallas Cowboys signed Sendejo to a two-year, $725,000 contract to join theirpractice squad as anunrestricted free agent.[6][7] On November 29, 2010, Sendejo was promoted to the active roster.[8] On December 12, 2010, Sendejo made his NFL debut during a 30–27 loss against thePhiladelphia Eagles. On December 19, 2010, Sendejo recorded his first career tackle on kick returnerBrandon Banks during a 33–30 victory against theWashington Redskins. Sendejo and teammateSam Hurd tackled Banks on a 22-yard kick return in the second quarter.[9] He finished his rookie season with one tackle in two games.[10]
Throughout training camp, Sendejo competed for a roster spot as a backup safety against Collin Zych andDanny McCray.[11] On September 3, 2011, the Dallas Cowboys waived Sendejo as part of their final roster cuts.[12]
On September 4, 2011, theNew York Jets claimed Sendejo off of waivers and signed him to their active roster.[13] His signing was marred in minor controversy as it was speculated the New York Jets signed him in a bid to gain intelligence of the Dallas Cowboys' defense. At the time, the New York Jets' head coach wasRex Ryan and his twin brother,Rob Ryan, was the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator. Cowboys' quarterbackTony Romo stated during a press conference that Rob Ryan had made minor adjustments to the defense to prevent any information to possibly be passed on to the Jets. On September 13, 2011, the New York Jets waived Sendejo.[14] The following day, Sendejo was signed to the Jets' practice squad after clearing waivers. On September 27, 2011, the Jets released Sendejo from their practice squad.[15] After his release, Sendejo verified that the Jets coaching staff had in fact asked him about the Dallas Cowboys' defense, but mainly asked him to verify some tendencies.[14]
On November 29, 2011, theMinnesota Vikings signed Sendejo to a two-year, $900,000 contract.[7] On December 11, 2011, Sendejo made his Minnesota Vikings' debut and recorded one solo tackle during their 34–28 loss at theDetroit Lions in Week 14. He was inactive as a healthy scratch the following week before appearing in the last two regular season games.[16] He finished the 2011 season with three combined tackles (two solo) in three games and zero starts.[17]
Sendejo entered training camp and competed for a roster spot as a backup safety againstJamarca Sanford,Robert Blanton, andEric Frampton.[18] Head coachLeslie Frazier named Sendejo the third strong safety on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind rookieHarrison Smith and Jamarca Sanford.[19]
He was inactive for theMinnesota Vikings' season-opening 26–23 victory against theJacksonville Jaguars after sustaining an ankle injury during the preseason.[20] He missed another two games (Weeks 4–5) after aggravating his ankle injury.[21] In Week 7, he made a solo tackle onPatrick Peterson during a five-yard punt return in the third quarter of a 21–14 win against theArizona Cardinals.[22] Sendejo played primarily on special teams in 2012 and finished the season with six solo tackles in 13 games and zero starts.[17] The Minnesota Vikings finished second in theNFC North with a 10–6 record and earned a wildcard berth. On January 5, 2013, Sendejo appeared in his first career playoff game and recorded a season-high two combined tackles during a 24–10 loss at theGreen Bay Packers in the NFC Wildcard Game.[23]
Sendejo became an exclusive rights free agent in 2013 and was required to re-sign with the Vikings if he was offered a contract. On March 15, 2013, the Minnesota Vikings signed Sendejo to a one-year,$630,000 contract for the required veteran league minimum.[24]
Throughouttraining camp, Sendejo competed to be the starting strong safety againstMistral Raymond, Robert Blanton, Jamarca Sanford, Brandan Bishop, andDarius Eubanks.[25] Head coach Leslie Frazier officially named Sendejo a backup strong safety, behind Jamarca Sanford and Mistral Raymond, to start the regular season.[26] On September 19, 2013, the Minnesota Vikings signed Sendejo to a two-year, $2 millioncontract extension that includes $400,000 guaranteed and asigning bonus $200,000.[7][27][28]
On September 29, 2013, Sendejo earned his first career start in place of Jamarca Sanford, who was inactive due to ahamstring injury.[29] Sendejo recorded four solo tackles in a 34–27 victory against thePittsburgh Steelers in London during their Week 4 contest. In Week 7, Sendejo made his first start at free safety and recorded six combined tackles during a 23–7 loss at theNew York Giants. He started nine consecutive games at free safety (Weeks 7–15) after Harrison Smith was placed on injured reserve/designation to return due to a turf toe injury.[30][31] On November 7, 2013, he collected a career-high 16 combined tackles (eight solo) in the Vikings' 34–27 victory against theWashington Redskins in Week 10.[32] The following week, Sendejo had 11 combined tackles (six solo) during a 41–20 loss at theSeattle Seahawks in Week 11. On December 8, 2013, Sendejo recorded three combined tackles, two pass deflections, and made his first career interception in a 29–26 loss to theBaltimore Ravens.[33] He intercepted a pass by quarterbackJoe Flacco that was originally intended for tight endEd Dickson in the fourth quarter.[34] He finished2013 with a career-high 84 combined tackles (52 solo), two pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and ten starts.[17] On December 30, 2013, the Minnesota Vikings fired head coachLeslie Frazier after they finished fourth in the NFC North with a 5–10–1 record.[35]
On August 4, 2014, the Minnesota Vikings activated Sendejo off of their physically unable to perform list after he fully recovered from back surgery he underwent in April.[36] He competed againstRobert Blanton andAntone Exum to be the starting strong safety. Head coachMike Zimmer named Sendejo the backup free safety, behind Harrison Smith, to start the 2014 regular season.[37] In Week 15, he started in place of Blanton, who was unable to play due to a leg injury. Sendejo recorded six combined tackles, in Blanton's absence, as the Vikings lost 16–14 at theDetroit Lions. Defensive coordinatorGeorge Edwards chose to keep Sendejo as the starting strong safety for the remaining two games (Weeks 16–17), although Blanton had recovered from his leg injury.[38] On December 28, 2014, Sendejo collected a season-high nine combined tackles during a 13–9 win against theChicago Bears in Week 17.[39] He finished the season with 27 combined tackles (20 solo) and a forced fumble in 16 games and three starts.[17]
During training camp, Sendejo competed against Robert Blanton, Antone Exum, andAnthony Harris to retain the job as the starting strong safety.[40] Head coachMike Zimmer named Sendejo the starting strong safety to start the regular season, opposite free safetyHarrison Smith.[41]
He started in theMinnesota Vikings' season-opener at theSan Francisco 49ers and made three solo tackles and blocked a field goal in their 20–3 loss.[42] On the 49ers' opening drive, Sendejo blocked a 28-yard field goal attempt by kickerPhil Dawson and it was recovered by teammateMarcus Sherels at the Vikings' 44-yard line.[43] He was sidelined for the Vikings' Week 4 loss at theDenver Broncos due to a knee injury. On November 8, 2015, Sendejo collected seven combined tackles, a pass deflection, and was credited with half a sack to mark the first of his career during a 21–18 overtime victory against theSt. Louis Rams in Week 9. He sacked quarterbackNick Foles for an eight-yard loss with teammateLinval Joseph in the third quarter.[44] Sendejo aggravated his knee injury and was inactive for two more games (Weeks 13–14). In Week 16, he made three solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byEli Manning during a 49–17 win against theNew York Giants.[45] On January 3, 2016, Sendejo collected a season-high 14 combined tackles (nine solo) in the Vikings' 20–13 win against theGreen Bay Packers in Week 17.[42] He finished the2015 season with 74 combined tackles (58 solo), three passes defensed, and one interception in 13 games and 13 starts.[17] He ranked 78th among the 88 qualified safeties in 2015 from Pro Football Focus.[46]
The Minnesota Vikings finished the 2015 season first in theNFC North with an 11–5 record and earned a playoff berth. On January 10, 2016, Sendejo started his first career playoff game and made three solo tackles and a pass deflection during the Vikings' 10–9 loss to theSeattle Seahawks in the NFC Wildcard Game.[42]
On March 5, 2016, the Minnesota Vikings signed Sendejo to a four-year, $16 million contract that includes $3.95 million guaranteed.[46][7]
On September 18, 2016, Sendejo collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (nine solo) during a 17–14 win against theGreen Bay Packers in Week 2. In Week 5, he made six combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception in the Vikings' 31–13 win against theHouston Texans. The following game, Sendejo deflected a pass and made an interception during a 21–10 loss at thePhiladelphia Eagles in Week 7.[47] He was inactive for the Vikings' Week 8 loss at theChicago Bears after injuring his ankle the previous week.[29] On December 31, 2016, the Minnesota Vikings placed Sendejo on injured reserve due to a knee injury he sustained in practice.[48] Sendejo finished the2016 season with 69 combined tackles (45 solo), four pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and was credited with half a sack in 14 games and 14 starts.[17] Sendejo earned an overall grade of 78.6 from Pro Football Focus in 2016.[49]
Sendejo entered training camp slated as the starting strong safety. Head coach Mike Zimmer officially named Sendejo and Harrison Smith the starting safety duo to begin the 2017 regular season.[50] On September 24, 2017, Sendejo recorded five combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass attempt by quarterbackJameis Winston in the Vikings' 34–17 victory against theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[51] The following week, he collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (five solo) during a 14–7 loss to theDetroit Lions in Week 4.[51] He was inactive during a Week 6 win against theGreen Bay Packers due to agroin injury.[29] In Week 7, Sendejo delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit while tackling wide receiverMike Wallace which caused Wallace to exit the game a due to aconcussion. The next day, Sendejo was suspended one game for violating the league's player safety rules.[52] On December 10, 2017, Sendejo recorded nine combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made an interception off a pass byCam Newton in a 31–24 loss at theCarolina Panthers.[53] He completed the 2017 season with 80 combined tackles (54 solo), seven passes defensed, and two interceptions in 13 games and 13 starts.[17]Pro Football Focus gave Sendejo an overall grade of 86.8, which ranked 11th among all qualified safeties in2017.[54]
TheMinnesota Vikings finished atop of their division with a 13–3 record and earned a first round bye. On January 10, 2018, Sendejo collected four solo tackles, deflected two passes, and made an interception during Minnesota's to 29–24 comeback victory against theNew Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Round. He intercepted a pass attempt thrown by quarterbackDrew Brees in the first quarter that was originally intended for wide receiverTed Ginn Jr.[55] The following week, Sendejo collected four solo tackles as the Minnesota Vikings were routed 38–7 by thePhiladelphia Eagles in theNFC Championship Game.[51]
In 2018, Sendejo started the first five games before suffering a groin injury in Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was inactive the next six games before being placed on injured reserve on November 27, 2018.[56] On March 11, 2019, the Vikings declined the option on Sendejo's contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.[57]
On March 18, 2019, thePhiladelphia Eagles signed Sendejo to a one-year contract.[58] In week 2 against theAtlanta Falcons, he recorded his second career sack onMatt Ryan in the 24–20 loss.[59] In week 6 against theMinnesota Vikings, he recorded an interception off former teammateKirk Cousins in the 38–20 loss.[60] He was waived on November 5, 2019.[61]
On November 6, 2019, Sendejo was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Vikings.[62]In Sendejo's first game back with the Vikings, he recorded a team high 7 tackles and intercepted a pass thrown byBrandon Allen in the 27–23 comeback win over theDenver Broncos in week 11.[63]In week 14 against theDetroit Lions, Sendejo intercepted a pass thrown by rookie quarterbackDavid Blough late in the fourth quarter to seal a 20–7 Vikings win.[64]
On March 27, 2020, Sendejo signed a one-year contract with theCleveland Browns.[65] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on December 29,[66] and activated on January 7, 2021.[67]
On September 14, 2021, Sendejo was signed by theIndianapolis Colts.[68]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Total | Ast | Sck | Sfty | PDef | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TDs | FF | FR | YDs | ||
| 2010 | DAL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | -- | 0 | -- | -- | 0.0 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | NYJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | -- | 0 | -- | -- | 0.0 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | MIN | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | -- | 0 | -- | -- | 0.0 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | MIN | 13 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | -- | 0 | -- | -- | 0.0 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | MIN | 16 | 10 | 84 | 52 | 32 | 0.0 | -- | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | MIN | 16 | 3 | 27 | 20 | 7 | 0.0 | -- | 0 | -- | -- | 0.0 | -- | -- | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | MIN | 13 | 13 | 74 | 58 | 16 | 0.5 | -- | 3 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | MIN | 14 | 14 | 69 | 45 | 24 | 0.5 | -- | 4 | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | MIN | 13 | 13 | 80 | 54 | 26 | 0.0 | -- | 7 | 2 | 70 | 35.0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | MIN | 5 | 5 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 0.0 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | PHI | 9 | 1 | 28 | 23 | 5 | 1.0 | -- | 2 | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 15 | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | MIN | 6 | 2 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 0.0 | -- | 2 | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 15 | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | CLE | 14 | 14 | 67 | 51 | 16 | 0.0 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 124 | 75 | 483 | 345 | 138 | 2.0 | 0 | 23 | 9 | 134 | 16.3 | 36 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
Sendejo is ofMexican descent.[70][71] He earned a degree insports management from Rice.On March 2, at 3:05pm at the historic Rice stadium, Andrew was engaged to fellow Rice alumni Annie Kadota, class of 2012.
