It’s every young football player’s dream to make it to the NFL, but the reality is that only a small group of players are able to reach that goal.
For players like Gerry Green, it remains a goal to play in an NFL game, but he continues to be right there in position. The former Mississippi State linebacker/defensive end has been a part of an NFL team as a practice squad player for the last four years.
He hasn’t been able to suit up on Sundays just yet, but he’s doing something right to have the trust of NFL teams.
“It’s been a learning experience. It’s challenging at times, but I’ve learned from so many guys in the locker room,” Green said. “I’ve been able to stay in there and stick with some teams and have had to keep grinding to have these opportunities.”
In 2019, Green was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round. He didn’t make the team after the final cut just before the season, but he was immediately picked up by the New England Patriots on the practice squad.
The Colts came back to get Green the next season for his practice roster before he was waived. That’s when he was grabbed by the Washington Football team briefly before landing with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020.
Green has been with the Raiders for the last two years and signed a future contract with the team earlier this year. He really had a great experience with Las Vegas and is excited for the season ahead.
“It’s been great. The city of Vegas really embraces us and you can tell that everything is growing from year to year,” Green said. “The Raiders history is a long, rich history from Oakland to LA and all of those places. There are some great guys in the building and in that organization.”
Getting on as big of a stage as the NFL has not done anything to alter the humility of Green. If anything, it’s made him even more thankful for where he came from. The Greenville product was an excellent student and high school along with a great leader and football player.
While in Starkville, he was on the SEC Leadership Council, was on the SEC Community Service Team and was a nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy for college football’s best example of community service. Of course, the former four-star linebacker was also a pretty good football player.
In four years, Green had 161 tackles in 52 games played with 20.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, nine pass deflections, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was a member of the All-Freshman team in the SEC and had a good experience in Starkville.
His ties to MSU bring him back home every now and then. He resides in the offseason in the Tuscaloosa area, but Green tries to get back to the facilities once a year at least to check on the players and coaches.
“I try to make it once or twice during the offseason. I made it around the spring time,” Green said. “It’s always good being back in the building and being around the guys. You know they’re working hard and getting to see them is always fun.”
This preseason is the big opportunity for Green and several of his teammates. He will try to make the roster for the opening weekend and the preseason games are where he will get his chance to shine. Green and his team started things off strong with a 27-11 win in the Hall of Fame game last week against the Jaguars.