Former Rutgers Football players make moves this NFL offseason
NFL Free Agency began earlier this week, as it becomes a bit of chaos around the league with trades and signings going down left and right. Players from all over the league are making moves to new teams, and some are getting large paydays in the process and that includes several former Rutgers players.
With that being said, we decided to track all the movement for the former Scarlet Knights in the NFL below.
Isaih Pacheco to the Detroit Lions
Former Rutgers star running back Isiah Pacheco has signed with the Detroit Lions, Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday afternoon.
Pacheco replaces veteran back David Montgomery (who was traded to the Houston Texans) and will join the Lions backfield alongside All-Pro running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Across four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Pacheco rushed for 2,537 yards, 14 touchdowns, and of course won two Super Bowl rings in the process.
The Rutgers alum has played in just 23 of a possible 37 games across the past two seasons due to nagging injuries (including postseason).
Sebastian Joseph-Day to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Former Rutgers defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day has signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Adam Schefter reported Saturday afternoon.
The former sixth round pick from the 2018 NFL Draft, Joseph-Day spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, two years with the Los Angeles Chargers, one year with the San Francisco, and two with the Tennessee Titans.
Throughout all those years, Joseph-Day has become pretty productive. He’s racked up 314 total tackles, 15.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, six pass break-ups and even an interception. Arguably his biggest achievement over those years was winning the 2022 Super Bowl aka Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams.
Tre Avery re-signs with Cleveland Browns
Former Scarlet Knights cornerback Tre Avery has bounced around the league a bit since being picked up as an undrafted free agent back in 2022. In his first season, he ended up making the Tennessee Titans roster and would stick with the team through the entire 2022 and 2023 seasons before being cut halfway through the 2024 season. He would go on to have stints with the 49ers, Patriots, Buccaneers, and most recently the Browns over the next one and a half seasons.
During his time in Cleveland last season, Avery appeared in 10 games and had 13 tackles, but he did enough to convince the franchise to bring him back this offseason, as he re-signed with the team despite having a totally new regime under Todd Monken.
Christian Izien to the Detroit Lions
Another former Rutgers standout, safety / nickel Christian Izien made quite the name for himself with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the past few seasons going from undrafted free agent to starter under head coach Todd Bowles.
Izien appeared in 45 games (15 starts) over three seasons down in Tampa, where he logged 165 total tackles (111 solo), eight tackles for loss, five pass break-ups, and three interceptions. Just like Pacheco, he also inked a one year deal with the Detroit Lions this offseason.
OTHER NOTABLE RUTGERS GRADS IN FREE AGENCY: FB Michael Burton
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