Andre Roberts (American football) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Andre Roberts

Roberts with the New York Jets in 2018
No. 12, 19, 18, 7
Position:	Wide receiver Return specialist
Personal information
Born:	(1988-01-09) January 9, 1988 (age 37) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:	Spring Valley (Columbia)
College:	The Citadel (2006–2009)
NFL Draft:	2010 / Round: 3 / Pick: 88
Career history
Arizona Cardinals (2010–2013) Washington Redskins (2014–2015) Detroit Lions (2016) Atlanta Falcons (2017) New York Jets (2018) Buffalo Bills (2019–2020) Houston Texans (2021) Los Angeles Chargers (2021) Carolina Panthers (2022)
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Pro (2018) 2× Second-team All-Pro (2020, 2021) 3× Pro Bowl (2018–2020) 2× NFL kickoff return yards leader (2018, 2021)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 262 Receiving yards: 3,079 Receiving touchdowns: 15 Return yards: 8,631 Return touchdowns: 6
Player stats at PFR

Andre McXavier Roberts (born on January 9, 1988) is a former American football player. He was a wide receiver and a return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). Andre played college football for The Citadel Bulldogs. The Arizona Cardinals picked him in the 2010 NFL draft. He played for many teams during his NFL career, including the Cardinals, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, and Carolina Panthers.

Early Life and High School Sports

Andre Roberts grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska. He went to Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina. There, he was a star in two sports: football and track.

Football Achievements

As a senior, Andre earned All-region and All-area honors in football. He helped his team, the Vikings, win the regional championship. They also reached the state semi-finals. Andre was named MVP for his great play in the 2005 North-South All-Star game.

Track and Field Success

Besides football, Andre was also very good at track and field. He helped his team win the state championship in 2003. In his senior year, they finished second in the state. Andre earned All-State recognition that season. He ran fast times, including 11.2 seconds in the 100-meter dash. He also ran 21.91 seconds in the 200-meter dash and 48.60 seconds in the 400-meter dash.

College Career at The Citadel

Andre Roberts attended The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina from 2006 to 2009. He played football and ran track there.

Football Records

In college football, Andre was chosen for the All-Southern Conference team three times. He was also a two-time FCS All-American. He set many school records for The Citadel. These included records for catches in a game (14), a season (95), and his whole career (286). He also set records for receiving yards in a season (1,334) and career (3,743). Andre scored many touchdowns, setting records for touchdowns in a game (4), a season (14), and his career (37). He also had records for punt return yards in a season (461) and career (1,160). Overall, he set a career record for all-purpose yards with 5,203.

Track and Field at The Citadel

Andre also joined The Citadel's outdoor track team in March 2007. He won his first Penn Relays Championship watch. At the Furman Invitational, he finished third in the 400 meters. He also came in second in the 200 meters. He ran his fastest college 200-meter time at the Chanticleer Invitational. Andre ran the final part of the 4x100-meter relay team. This team won at the Penn Relays for the fifth time in a row for Citadel. He graduated in three and a half years with a degree in accounting.

Professional Football Journey

Andre Roberts had a long career in the NFL, playing for several teams.

Arizona Cardinals (2010–2013)

The Arizona Cardinals drafted Andre Roberts in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was the 88th player chosen overall. The Cardinals got this draft pick by trading another player, Anquan Boldin, to the Baltimore Ravens.

As a rookie, Andre started as a punt returner. As the season went on, he played more and became the team's second wide receiver. He scored his first NFL touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. He scored his second touchdown, a 74-yard catch, on Christmas Day against the Dallas Cowboys.

Washington Redskins (2014–2015)

Roberts with the Washington Redskins in 2014

In March 2014, Andre Roberts signed a four-year contract with the Washington Redskins. He wanted to wear number 12, which he had worn in Arizona. He donated $12,000 to a football camp to get the rights to that number. He was expected to be the Redskins' second wide receiver. However, after DeSean Jackson joined the team, Andre became the third receiver. He also became the team's main return specialist.

In a game against the New York Giants, Andre scored his first touchdown for the Redskins. It was an 18-yard pass. In the 2015 season, he returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers. Later that year, he was placed on injured reserve because of a knee injury, which ended his season. The Redskins released him in May 2016.

Detroit Lions (2016)

Andre Roberts signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions in June 2016. On October 2, 2016, he returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears. In another game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had another punt return touchdown, this time for 55 yards. Andre also made important catches during the season. He finished the year with 14 catches for 188 yards and one touchdown.

Atlanta Falcons (2017)

In March 2017, Andre Roberts signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. In his first game with the Falcons, he returned kickoffs and punts. He was the Falcons' main kick and punt returner in 2017. He only had one catch for 12 yards on offense that year.

New York Jets (2018)

Andre Roberts signed with the New York Jets in March 2018. In the first game of the season, he scored his first punt return touchdown as a Jet. It was a 78-yard return. In a game against the Houston Texans, he caught a touchdown pass and had 93 yards in kick returns. Because of his great play, he was chosen for the 2018 AFC Pro Bowl as a return specialist. In another game, he had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He also had a career-high 215 return yards in that game.

Andre finished the 2018 season with career bests for both punt and kickoff returns. He had 324 punt return yards and led the league with 1,174 kickoff return yards. He also had 10 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown on offense. He was the first Jets player to be named to the All-Pro team since 2011.

Buffalo Bills (2019–2020)

Roberts at the 2020 Pro Bowl

In March 2019, Andre Roberts signed a two-year contract with the Buffalo Bills. During the 2019 season, he caught three passes. He also returned 53 kicks for 888 yards. He was named an alternate for the Pro Bowl.

On September 5, 2020, the Bills released Andre, but they re-signed him the next day. In the 2020 season, he caught four passes for 34 yards. He returned 29 punts for 286 yards and 32 kick returns for 961 yards. He led the league with 30.0 yards per kick return. Andre led the AFC in total return yards. He was named a Pro Bowler and Second-team All-Pro again.

Houston Texans (2021)

Andre Roberts signed a two-year deal with the Houston Texans in March 2021. However, the Texans released him on October 18, 2021.

Los Angeles Chargers (2021)

On October 21, 2021, Andre Roberts signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. In the 2021 season, he played in 16 games for two different teams. He mostly played on special teams, returning kicks and punts. He led the league in total kickoff return yards with 1,010.

Carolina Panthers (2022)

Andre Roberts signed with the Carolina Panthers on May 2, 2022. He was placed on injured reserve on September 13, 2022, due to a knee injury. He was able to play again on December 31. He played in three games in the 2022 season, only on special teams.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season Stats

Playoff Stats