Photo Credit: Roman Reigns’ Instagram
Roman Reigns is among the premier athletes in WWE today, establishing him among the greatest of all time, backed by his exceptional 1316 days of WWE Championship reign. The cornerstone of his athletic progress was built from his bright football career before arriving in WWE.
Roman Reigns’ NFL career had a lot of potential, but the situation wasn’t in his favor due to the diagnosis of Leukemia, which eventually created a roadblock in his WWE career.
During the pinnacle of his football career, Roman Reigns was first picked by NFL teams, Minnesota Vikings, and then Jacksonville Jaguars. The Tribal Chief’s name was in the NFL draft 2007, but he remained undrafted despite a great promise.
After Reigns went undrafted, the Minnesota Vikings decided to bring him to the roster from the list of undrafted players a couple of months before the beginning of the NFL season in 2007. However, luck wasn’t on his side because he was diagnosed with the life-threatening disease Leukemia during the medical check-up. He turned 22 by then.
The diagnosis was a turning point in his life. Roman Reigns’ NFL dream was shattered when he was released by the Minnesota Vikings.
Three months following the release, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Roman to their off-season roster. The collaboration was short-lived, lasting only a week. The Jacksonville-based team let him go just a couple of weeks before the NFL 2007 season commenced.
After Roman Reigns’ NFL Exit, He played In The Canadian Football League
When Roman Reigns couldn’t secure a final spot either in the Minnesota Vikings or Jacksonville Jaguars, he opted to seek opportunities in his promising football career outside the country. He got the chance to play in CFL or Canadian Football Football after getting signed by Edmonton Elks in 2008.
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Unlike his NFL career, he not only featured in the off-season but also in the main season. Representing his team, Roman played a total of five CFL matches in 2008, starting three of them.
The same year, Edmonton Elks released Roman Reigns from their team, which marked the end of his football career because he officially hung up his boots from professional football. He was only twenty-three years old at the time of his retirement. Had he not been diagnosed with Leukemia in 2007, his football career trajectory would have been different.
Roman Reigns’ Early Football Days
Apart from professional wrestling, Roman Reigns has had a passion for football since he was seven years old. In his middle school and high school, the Head of the Table of WWE played football, receiving the best Defensive player’s award while studying at Escambia High School.
Following his schooling days, Reigns studied at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he excelled once again on the football team. As a part of the team, he played with future NFL star Calvin Johnson. After doing well in college football, he got a shot at getting drafted in the NFL.
Roman Reigns’ Football Career (College & Pro)
| Team | Position | Year |
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, College Football | Defensive Tackle (DT) | 2004-2007 |
| Minnesota Vikings (Pre-Season), NFL | Defensive Tackle (DT) | May, 2007 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars (Pre-Season), NFL | Defensive Tackle (DT) | August, 2007 |
| Edmonton Elks, CFL | Defensive Tackle (DT) | 2008 |
Roman Reigns’ Favorite NFL Team Is the San Francisco 49ers
Roman Reigns was drafted by Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007. However, he is not a fan of either of these teams. Moreover, the Tribal Chief resides in Tampa, Florida, but he is not a fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers either.
Surprisingly, Roman supports a West Coast team. He is a passionate and loyal fan of the San Francisco 49ers. Earlier this year, during the press conference of WrestleMania 40, the former WWE Champion was seen spotting a jersey of the five-time Superbowl Champions. He, however, seldom shows his support for the 49ers publicly.
Roman Reigns Once Picked San Francisco 49ers As His Top 5 Superbowl Contenders In 2023
Last year, amid his historic WWE Universal Championship reign, the five-time WWE Champion appeared as a special guest on Stephen A. Smith’s show on ESPN. While appearing on the show, he picked the possible top 5 Super Bowl contenders from the 2023-24 season.
From the second to fifth position, Reigns chose the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, and Buffalo Bills. His top pick from the list was his favorite team, the San Francisco 49ers. He repeatedly called the San Francisco team ‘we’, suggesting he was their staunch follower.
Talking about the 49ers on the show, Roman Reigns said,
“The number one spot, we already know what it is, the Niner gang baby, 49ers all the way. It starts with the defense. You can stop the run, you put the offense in a long third-down situation, and that’s the formula for success every single time. So the defense is always there, we run the ball, we have weapons, it’s really about just figuring out the quarterback’s positions, but we have a lot of talent there. So you know I’m expecting huge things”.
Incidentally, his prediction was nearly correct, especially about the top two. This year’s Super Bowl LVIII’s finalists were Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. Unfortunately, Roman’s team fell short of victory, as the Chiefs snatched victory by three points.
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Avik Das is an English Literature graduate with an experience of over six years as a professional writer. He has written for renowned publications such as The Sportster, Sportskeeda, Pinkvilla, and The Things