| No. 53 – New England Patriots | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1999-01-02)January 2, 1999 (age 27) Rochester Hills, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 231 lb (105 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Valor Christian(Highlands Ranch, Colorado) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Idaho (2017–2020) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2021: undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||||
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Christian Elliss (born January 2, 1999) is an American professionalfootballlinebacker for theNew England Patriots of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theIdaho Vandals and was originally signed as anundrafted free agent by theMinnesota Vikings. He is the son of formerDetroit Lions defensive tackleLuther Elliss and has three brothers that also play in the NFL:Kaden,Noah, andJonah.
Elliss was born on January 2, 1999, inRochester Hills, Michigan, toLuther and Rebecca Elliss. He was the third-oldest of 12 children. His older brotherKaden plays for theAtlanta Falcons in theNational Football League (NFL).[1] He attended high school atValor Christian, leading his team to the state final as a senior, and earning the South Metro co-Defensive Player of the Year award.[2] Following high school, Elliss accepted a scholarship offer fromUniversity of Idaho.
As a true freshman in 2017, playing for theirIdaho Vandals football team, Elliss played in eleven games, recording 30 tackles and one interception. He gained a starting position as a sophomore, playing in all eleven games as a starter at themiddle linebacker position. He led the team with 81 tackles and was named All-Big Sky. He changed tooutside linebacker as a junior, starting all eleven games and earning first-team All-Big Sky honors. He led the team with 4.5 sacks and placed second with 104 tackles. The 2020 season was canceled, but later a spring 2021 schedule was announced. In a shortened 2021 season with five games, Elliss made 50 tackles and was selected to first-team All-Big Sky for the second consecutive season.[1]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+3⁄4 in (1.87 m) | 228 lb (103 kg) | 31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 6 ft3+1⁄2 in (1.92 m) | 4.58 s | 1.63 s | 2.63 s | 4.29 s | 6.94 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 22 reps |
| All values fromPro Day[3] | ||||||||||||
Following the2021 NFL draft, where Elliss went unselected, he was signed as anundrafted free agent by theMinnesota Vikings.[4] Following a preseason game, he was fined $3,731 for an unnecessary roughness penalty.[5] He was released two days later on August 23.[6]
Elliss was signed to the practice squad of thePhiladelphia Eagles on September 9.[7] He was released on October 6, but re-signed with the practice squad five days later.[8] He was released on October 18.[9]
On November 3, 2021, Elliss was signed to theSan Francisco 49ers practice squad, but was released a week later.[10][11]
Elliss was re-signed to the practice squad of the Eagles on November 24.[12] Elliss made his NFL debut on January 8, 2022, in the Eagles' week 18 game against theDallas Cowboys, collecting 3 combined tackles in the 51–26 loss.[13] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on January 18, 2022.[14]
On August 30, 2022, Elliss was waived by the Eagles and signed to the practice squad the next day.[15][16] He was elevated to the active roster for their week thirteen game against theTennessee Titans, and was a key player on special teams, making five total tackles and helping block for punt returnerBritain Covey as he had the second-best single-game return average on the season.[17] He was signed to the active roster on December 23. Elliss finished the 2022 regular season with six games played and 11 total tackles.[18]
Elliss was waived by the Eagles on December 6, 2023, following the signing ofShaquille Leonard.[19]
On December 7, 2023, Elliss was claimed off waivers by theNew England Patriots.[20]
The following year, Elliss contributed to the Patriots, starting 6 games afterJa'Whaun Bentley's injury. Throughout the year, he racked up a career-high 80 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 5 passes defended, and an interception againstIndianapolis Colts quarterbackAnthony Richardson.
On March 24, 2025, the New England Patriots matched an offer sheet from theLas Vegas Raiders to retain Elliss on a two-year, $13.5 million contract.[21][22]