Michael Pierce (American football)


Michael Pierce is an American football defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He played college football at Samford and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

Professional career

Pierce was not invited to the NFL combine. At his Pro Day, he ran 10 meter split faster than any DL at the combine and performed a broad jump inside the Top 15 for DL.

Baltimore Ravens

On May 3, 2016, Pierce signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent. As a rookie in the 2016 season, Pierce appeared in all 16 games and finished the season with 35 tackles, two sacks, and one pass defended. On September 10, in the 2017 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pierce recovered a Terrell Suggs-forced fumble, which came off of quarterback Andy Dalton, in the 20–0 victory. On March 9, 2019, the Ravens placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Pierce. On May 1, 2019, the Ravens re-signed Pierce.

Minnesota Vikings

On March 25, 2020, Pierce signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. On July 28, 2020, Pierce announced he would opt out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was placed on the reserve/opt-out list by the Vikings.