 Atkins with theCincinnati Bengals in 2015 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 97 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1988-03-28)March 28, 1988 (age 37) Pembroke Pines, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) | ||||||||||||||||
| College | Georgia (2006–2009) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2010: 4th round, 120th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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Gene Reynard Atkins Jr. (born March 28, 1988) is an American former professionalfootball player who was adefensive tackle in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theGeorgia Bulldogs, and was selected by theCincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the2010 NFL draft. Atkins was selected as a first-teamAll-Pro five times and is also an eight-timePro Bowler.
Atkins was born inPembroke Pines, Florida, on March 28, 1988. He attendedSt. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale and helped hishigh school football team to be the Class 5A runners-up in both 2004 and 2005. As a junior at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2004, Atkins had 70 tackles (12 resulted in lost yardage), oneinterception, and four fumble recoveries. In 2005, during his senior season, he had 117 tackles, 7.5sacks, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Following the season, he was named first-team all-county by theSun-Sentinel andMiami Herald, first-team Class 5A in the state of Florida and was also named Florida Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year. Coming out of high school, he was rated as the 24th bestdefensive end in the nation byRivals.com and 41st best byScout.com.[1]
Intrack & field, Atkins was one of the state's top performers in the throwing events. In thediscus, he got a PR of 48.35 meters at the 2006FHSAA 3A Region 4, placing 2nd in the finals.[2] At the 2006 FHSAA 3A-4A Outdoor State Finals, he tied for 1st place in theshot put event, recording a top-throw of 18.01 meters.[3]
Atkins enrolled in theUniversity of Georgia, where he played for coachMark Richt'sGeorgia Bulldogs football team from 2006 to 2009. He played as a true freshman, recording nine tackles and 0.5 sacks in 11 games.[1]
In 2007, Atkins saw significant playing time as a backup behindKade Weston andJeff Owens.[4][5] On September 21, Owens said of Atkins's impact, "Geno is doing a heck of a job. He's contributing a lot to the defense. He's leading the defensive line in tackles for loss and I think we're tied in tackles."[6] As of September 29, despite being a backup, Atkins was fourth in theSoutheastern Conference (SEC) with six tackles for losses along with a sack.[7] On October 6, Atkins was named the starter over Weston[8] and in only his second game led the team in tackles againstVanderbilt.[9] He became the first defensive tackle to lead the team in tackles in a game sinceJason Ferguson did so in 1995 and the first defensive lineman sinceDavid Pollack in 2003.[10] Following a game againstKentucky in which he had five tackles, he was named SEC defensive player of the week for the week of November 17.[1][11] Following, his sophomore season Atkins was named First-team All-SEC, and was the only player for Georgia other thanrunning backKnowshon Moreno to be named to the team.[12]
During the press conference forHawaii'squarterbackColt Brennan before theSugar Bowl, Atkins asked for an autograph and took a photo with Brennan. Fellow Georgia defensive linemanMarcus Howard said of Atkins's antics during the press conference, "He was like acting like a groupie. All of us gave him grief for that."[13] Despite getting Brennan's autograph before the game, Atkins sacked him in the fourth quarter, forcing him out of the game.[14]
Two games into the2008 season, Atkins already had eight tackles and nine quarterback hurries.[15] After the defense as a whole sackedHeisman Trophy winnerTim Tebow ofFlorida six times, Atkins said, "I think we rattled Tim Tebow and the offense. We wanted to pressure him. No one really works that well under pressure, not even the greatest quarterbacks. You put a little pressure on them, they're bound to flinch."[16] On November 14 againstAuburn, Atkins came in on offense and was the lead blocker forMatthew Stafford on a quarterback sneak.[17] In theCapital One Bowl on January 2, 2009, againstMichigan State, Atkins had one tackle and two quarterback hurries.[18]
In 2009, Atkins was listed at No. 5 onRivals.com's preseason defensive tackle power ranking.[19] He was also named to the 2009Outland Trophy watch list.[20] In his three years after his freshman season, Atkins racked up 33 sacks, including 15 as a sophomore and 10.5 as a senior.[21]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Geno Atkins' NFL Combine workout |
| 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+3⁄8 in (1.86 m) | 293 lb (133 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.85 s | 1.75 s | 2.86 s | 4.43 s | 7.33 s | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) | 34 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[22][23] | ||||||||||||
TheCincinnati Bengals selected Atkins in the fourth round (120th overall) of the2010 NFL draft.[24] He was the 12th defensive tackle selected in 2010.[25]
On July 16, 2010, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Atkins to a four-year, US$3.20 millioncontract that includes asigning bonus of $472,450.[26]
Throughout training camp, he competed againstJonathan Fanene andPat Sims for the job as the backup defensive tackle.[27] Head coachMarvin Lewis named Atkins the fourth defensive tackle on the depth chart to start the regular season, behindDomata Peko,Tank Johnson, and Pat Sims.[28]
He made his professional regular season debut during theCincinnati Bengals' season-opening 38–24 loss at theNew England Patriots.[29] The following week, he had one assisted tackle and made his first career sack with teammateMichael Johnson in the Bengals' 15–10 victory over theBaltimore Ravens. Atkins and Johnson sackedJoe Flacco for a four-yard loss in the fourth quarter.[30] On November 14, 2010, Atkins recorded a season-high three combined tackles and a half a sack during a 23–17 loss at theIndianapolis Colts.[31] In Week 14, Atkins earned his first career start during a 23–7 loss at thePittsburgh Steelers.[32] The following week, Atkins collected two combined tackles and made his first career solo sack on quarterbackColt McCoy in their 19–17 win against theCleveland Browns.[33] He finished his rookie season with 16 combined tackles (ten solo), three sacks, and a pass deflection in 16 games and one start.[32]
Atkins competed for the job as the starting defensive tackle against Tank Johnson in training camp.[34] He received the opportunity after Pat Sims missed training camp and the majority of the preseason after sustaining a knee injury.[35] Defensive coordinatorMike Zimmer decided to name Atkins and Domata Peko the starting defensive tackles after the Bengals opted to release Tank Johnson on August 16, 2011.[36]
He started theCincinnati Bengals' season-opener at theCleveland Browns and collected five combined tackles and broke up a pass in their 27–17 victory.[37] On November 20, 2011, Atkins recorded a season-high six combined tackles and a sack in the Bengals' 31–24 loss at theBaltimore Ravens.[38] Atkins finished his second season with a total of 47 combined tackles (26 solo), 7.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 16 games and 15 starts.[39] He led the Bengals with 7.5 sacks and tiedOakland Raiders'Tommy Kelly for the most sacks by a defensive tackle in 2011.[40][41] Atkins was selected to the2012 Pro Bowl as an alternate. He was officially named to his first Pro Bowl afterNew England Patriots'Vince Wilfork was unable to participate due to his appearance inSuper Bowl XLVI.[42]
The Cincinnati Bengals received a wildcard berth after finishing third in theAFC North with a 9–7 record.[43] On January 7, 2012, Atkins started his first career playoff game and made four combined tackles and a sack on quarterbackMatt Schaub as the Bengals lost 31–10 to theHouston Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round.[44]
Atkins returned as the starting defensive tackle alongside Domata Peko to start the season. He recorded a two-sack game in Week 1 against theBaltimore Ravens.[45] In Week 4, he recorded three solo tackles and sacked quarterbackBlaine Gabbert twice during a 27–10 victory at theJacksonville Jaguars.[46] On November 18, 2012, Atkins collected a season-high six solo tackles, deflected a pass, a sack, and forced two fumbles in the Bengals' 28–6 win at theKansas City Chiefs.[47] On December 23, 2012, Atkins tied his season-high of six combined tackles, forced a fumble, and sackedPittsburgh Steelers' quarterbackBen Roethlisberger twice in their 13–10 victory.[48] He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game against Pittsburgh.[49] On December 26, 2012, it was announced that Atkins was voted to the2013 Pro Bowl and received the second most votes of any defensive tackle in 2012.[50] In the 2012 season, Atkins recorded 12.5 sacks, 54 total tackles (39 solo), two passes defended, and four forced fumbles.[51] His 12.5 sacks ranked tied for sixth in the NFL with Charles Johnson.[52] He earned first team All-Pro honors.[53] He was ranked 36th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2013.[54]
On September 2, 2013, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Atkins to a five-year, $53.32 million contract that includes a $15 million signing bonus.[55][26]
On September 29, 2013, Atkins recorded three combined tackles and a season-high 1.5 sacks during a 17–6 loss at theCleveland Browns.[56] In Week 6, he made a season-high six combined and a half a sack in the Bengals' 27–24 victory at theBuffalo Bills.[57] On October 31, 2013, Atkins recorded two solo tackles and a sack in the Bengals' 22–20 overtime loss at theMiami Dolphins onThursday Night Football.[58] He left in the second quarter after sustaining an injury to his leg. On November 1, 2013, the Bengals placed him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season after it was discovered he would have to undergo surgery to repair his torn ACL.[59] He finished the2013 season with 20 combined tackles (nine solo) and six sacks in nine games and nine starts.[60] He was ranked 48th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2014.[61]
Assistant coachPaul Guenther was hired to replaceMike Zimmer at defensive coordinator after he departed to accept the head coaching position with theMinnesota Vikings. Guenther retained Atkins and Peko as the starters at defensive tackle to begin the regular season.[62]
In Week 9, he recorded a season-high six combined tackles and deflected a pass during a 33–23 victory over theJacksonville Jaguars.[63] On November 23, 2014, Atkins made two solo tackles and recorded his first career safety on running backAlfred Blue as the Bengals defeated theHouston Texans 22–13.[64] Atkins finished the season with 34 combined tackles (20 solo), three sacks, a pass deflection, and a safety in 16 games and 16 starts.[65] He was voted as an alternate for the2015 Pro Bowl. On January 16, 2015, it was announced that Atkins would replaceDetroit Lions' defensive tackleNdamukong Suh in the Pro Bowl due to an injury.[66]
In Week 11, Atkins recorded a season-high four solo tackles and a sack during a 34–31 loss at theArizona Cardinals.[67] On December 20, 2015, he collected four solo tackles and made a season-high two sacks onSan Francisco 49ers' quarterbackColin Kaepernick in their 24–14 victory.[68] He finished the2015 season with 42 combined tackles (31 solo) and a career-high 11 sacks in 16 games and 16 starts.[69] On December 20, 2015, the NFL announced that Atkins had been voted to the2016 Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year.[70] He was selected as a player captain along withDevonta Freeman,Aaron Donald, andOdell Beckham Jr.[71] TheCincinnati Bengals finished first in theAFC North with a 12–4 record and secured home field advantage. On January 9, 2016, Atkins recorded three solo tackles and sacked quarterbackBen Roethlisberger in the Bengals' 18–16 AFC Wild Card Round loss to thePittsburgh Steelers.[72] Atkins was ranked 29th on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[73]
Head coachMarvin Lewis named Atkins andDomata Peko the starting defensive tackles for the sixth consecutive season. On December 11, 2016, he collected a season-high six combined tackles and sacked quarterbackRobert Griffin III three times in the Bengals' 23–10 victory at theCleveland Browns.[74] He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game against the Browns.[75] He finished the2016 season with 32 combined tackles (21 solo) and nine sacks in 16 games and 16 starts.[76] On December 20, 2016, it was announced that Atkins was voted to the2017 Pro Bowl, along with teammateA. J. Green.[77] He was ranked 68th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[78] Pro Football Focus gave Atkins the sixth highest overall grade of all qualifying interior defensive linemen in 2016.[79]
Atkins was named the starting defensive tackle, along withPat Sims who replaced Domata Peko after he departed for theDenver Broncos in free agency.[80] He started theCincinnati Bengals' season-opener against theBaltimore Ravens and recorded a career-high seven combined tackles and sackedJoe Flacco during a 20–0 loss.[81] The next week, Atkins collected five combined tackles and a season-high two sacks on quarterbackDeshaun Watson during a 13–9 loss to theHouston Texans.[82] On December 17, 2017, he made four combined tackles and tied his season-high of two sacks in the Bengals' 34–7 loss at theMinnesota Vikings.[83] On December 19, 2017, Atkins was named to his sixth Pro Bowl.[84] He finished his eighth season in2017 with 46 combined tackles (29 solo) and nine sacks in 16 games and 16 starts.[85] Atkins was ranked 63rd by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[86]
On August 28, 2018, Atkins signed a four-year, $65.3 million contract extension with the Bengals through the 2022 season.[87] After recording a sack in the season-opener against theIndianapolis Colts, he sackedJoe Flacco twice the next week against theBaltimore Ravens on September 13.[88][89] In week 15 against theOakland Raiders, Atkins sackedDerek Carr three times in a 30–16 win.[90] He finished the 2018 season with ten sacks and 45 total tackles (24 solo).[91] He was named to his seventh Pro Bowl.[92] He was ranked 79th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2019.[93]
In week 3 against theBuffalo Bills, Atkins recorded his first sack of the season onJosh Allen in the 21–17 loss.[94] In week 7 against theJacksonville Jaguars, Atkins sackedGardner Minshew twice in the 27–17 loss.[95] He finished the 2019 season with 4.5 sacks and 47 total tackles (18 solo).[96] He was named to his eighth Pro Bowl.[97] He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010s team.[98]
On December 16, 2020, Atkins was placed on injured reserve after undergoing shoulder surgery, an injury he had since training camp.[99] He finished the season with only one tackle through eight games.[100]
He was released on March 19, 2021.[101]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2010 | CIN | 16 | 1 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | CIN | 16 | 15 | 47 | 26 | 21 | 7.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 1 |
| 2012 | CIN | 16 | 16 | 54 | 39 | 15 | 12.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | CIN | 9 | 9 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | CIN | 16 | 16 | 34 | 20 | 14 | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | CIN | 16 | 16 | 42 | 31 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | CIN | 16 | 16 | 32 | 21 | 11 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | CIN | 16 | 15 | 46 | 29 | 17 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | CIN | 16 | 16 | 45 | 24 | 21 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | CIN | 16 | 14 | 47 | 18 | 29 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | CIN | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 161 | 134 | 384 | 228 | 156 | 75.5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 19 | 1 | |
Atkins married his college sweetheart, Kristen Merritt, on June 25, 2016, at the St. Regis hotel inBuckhead, Atlanta.[102][103]
During his freshman year at theUniversity of Georgia, Atkins learned he suffers fromsickle cell trait.[104]
Geno is the son of former NFL safetyGene Atkins.[105]
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