Eric Decker

At 37 years old, Eric Decker has this physical status:

Eric Thomas Decker (born March 15, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who competed in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons.

In the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, he played college football and college baseball at the University of Minnesota and was drafted by the Denver Broncos.

He spent four seasons with the Broncos, later the Tennessee Titans for a year.

Early years

Decker attended Rocori High School in Cold Spring, Minnesota. He was in school when the Rocori High School shooting occurred, hiding in a cupboard with other students until they were rescued by police officers. Decker was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and baseball. He was named all-conference, all-area, and all-section champion in each sport. In addition, Decker was named the football team MVP two years in a row. He had 2,156 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns in his prep football career.

Personal life

Jessie James, a country singer, married Decker on June 22, 2013. They have three children, a daughter born in March 2014, a son born in September 2015, and a second son born in March 2018. During the national anthem in 2017, Eric Decker and his wife Jessie protested athletes kneeling to raise concerns of racial injustice and police brutality.

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College career

Decker attended the University of Minnesota. He made his collegiate debut against Kent State and had just one reception for a 39-yard touchdown from quarterback Bryan Cupito. He completed a 22-yard pass on September 23, during a game at Purdue. Decker finished with 378 receiving yards and three touchdowns as a freshman.

Decker's role in the offense as a sophomore increased. In a season-opening loss to Bowling Green, he had seven receptions for 128 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns against Miami (OH). In a loss to FAU, he had 12 receptions for 165 receiving yards and one touchdown. In a loss to North Dakota State on October 20, he throws a 20-yard touchdown pass to Ralph Spry. He finished with 909 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Decker led the team in receptions and receiving yards, and tied for second place in receiving touchdowns with Ernie Wheelwright, a Golden Gophers' 1-11 record, as the team's season came to an end.

Decker's rookie season began with ten receptions for 89 receiving yards and a touchdown against Northern Illinois. He had six receptions for 86 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the following game against Bowling Green, as well as a 12-yard touchdown rush. In next week's match against Montana State, he had nine receptions for 157 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. He had seven receptions for 122 yards and one receiving touchdown against FAU, bringing the Golden Gophers' 4–0 record to begin. Decker had 13 receptions for 190 receiving yards against Indiana in the following week's match against Ohio State, where Minnesota suffered their first setback of the season. In the 42-21 loss, Minnesota qualified for the Insight Bowl against Kansas, where Decker had eight receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. Decker's junior season ended with 84 receptions for 1,074 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a runner on the Golden Gophers' receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.

Decker met with Thomas Goudy, a wide-out coach in St. Louis, Missouri, in early spring 2009. Goudy supported Decker with his ball-holding skills. Decker spent three weeks in his preparation camp before beginning the summer conditioning camp. Decker started the season with a strong game that had been a staple of his Gophers' careers. Decker was fourth in the country in receiving yards with 183 yards against Syracuse, 113 yards against the Air Force, and 119 yards and two touchdowns against California in three games. Decker was dubbed the third best wide receiver in college football by Sports Illustrated columnist Stewart Mandel, behind Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant and Georgia's A. J. Green. Decker had eight receptions for 84 yards and two receiving touchdowns against Northwestern, and he had eight receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown against Wisconsin in the following game. Decker would miss the remainder of the season after suffering a sprained foot against Ohio State on October 27, 2009. Decker led the way for 758 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a senior.

Decker played outfield for the Minnesota baseball team. The Milwaukee Brewers and the Minnesota Twins selected him in the 39th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.

Professional career

Decker's senior season was cut short due to a surgical procedure he underwent to restore torn ligaments in his left foot. As a result, he was unable to participate in both the NFL combine and Minnesota's pro day workout. On the Wonderlic test at the combine, he scored 43 points, the highest score for the group of prospects who took the exam in Indianapolis.

Decker was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round with the 87th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He was paid four years in 2013 and received $2,522,000. Decker sat out during Broncos rookie mini-camp and OTA's due to foot surgery. Josh McDaniels, the Broncos' head coach, said he hoped to be able to help them out of a situation where (it's) the last day of minicamp on June 13th and all of a sudden we have a foot injury. "Hopefully, everyone will be ready by August."

Decker was signed to a four-year deal by the Broncos on July 27, 2010. Decker led all NFL rookies in receptions in the preseason, but the Broncos' depth at receiver meant no action in the offense until late in the regular season. He did play on special teams, but he did not reach seven special teams tackles while delivering 17 kickoffs for 429 yards, giving him 25.2 yards per return average.

After fellow rookie Demaryius Thomas went down with an injury, the Broncos began to mix Decker into the game more. Decker had six receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown in his rookie season.

In 2011, Decker's role in Denver's offense soared. Decker returned a fourth quarter punt for a 90-yard touchdown during a Week 1 Football matchup against the Oakland Raiders, but the Broncos lost 23-20. Denver defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 24–22 in Week 2, the second on a 52-yard touchdown for his first professional appearance. Decker had a career-high seven catches for 48 yards in Denver's Week 3-17-1914 loss to the Tennessee Titans on September 25, his first appearance in Week 3-17. Decker continued his good play over the next four weeks by hauling in 18 yards and four touchdowns. The Broncos defeated Denver 17–10 in a divisional road game against the Kansas City Chiefs on November 13, with the first being almost forfeited in off a deflection and the other being knocked down by the defender. Decker was ruled out of the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the playoffs due to injury.

Decker finished the 2011 season with 44 receptions for 612 yards and eight touchdowns.

Decker seemed to be on a collision course with veteran quarterback Peyton Manning directing Denver's offense entering the 2012 regular season. When asked about the receivers' eagerness to work with Manning, Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said on May 12 that Decker and fellow receiver Demaryius Thomas were "like two little boys in a candy store right now." Decker played in Manning's baseball game in Colorado in April and started training with him before beginning training camp.

Decker had a breakout season in 2012. He had eight receptions for 136 yards against the Houston Texans in Week 3. He had seven touchdowns in five games from Week 4 to Week 9. He had eight receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15. He played back-to-back games against the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16-17. Decker completed the 2012 season with 85 receptions for 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was ranked 20th in the league in terms of wide receivers and the 13 touchdowns were the second most among wide receivers in 2012. In the 38–35 2OT loss, Broncos had six receptions for 84 receiving yards in the Broncos' Divisional Round match against the Baltimore Ravens.

Decker was instrumental in Peyton Manning's historic passing season in 2013. Decker had eight receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders in Week 3. He had eight receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7. Decker earned the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award for his career against the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday with eight catches for 174 yards and a team record tying four touchdowns. He continued his good play against the Tennessee Titans with eight receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown. He had ten receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns against the Houston Texans in Week 16. Decker finished the 2013 season with 87 receptions for 1,288 yards, both career highs, and 11 touchdowns. In the Divisional Round against the San Diego Chargers, he had two receptions for 32 yards. In the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots, he had five receptions for 73 yards in the 26–16 victory. The Broncos reached Super Bowl XLVIII, but they lost 43–8 to the Seattle Seahawks, but not so much. In the Super Bowl, the decker was restricted to one reception for six yards due to poor coverage by the Seahawks' defensive backs.

Decker signed a five-year, $36.25 million contract with the New York Jets on March 12, 2014. In the 19–14 victory over the Oakland Raiders, he had five receptions for 74 yards in his Jets' debut. Decker was intercepted 11 times in Week 37-24's victory over the Miami Dolphins and finished with a career-high 10 receptions for a career-high 221 yards and a touchdown. In Week 15, against the Tennessee Titans, he had seven receptions for 100 yards. He had 74 receptions for 962 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns in the 2014 season.

Decker led the season with a receiving touchdown in all of his first four games from Weeks 1–6. He had three straight games with a receiving touchdown from Week 8-10. In Week 13, he had season-highs against the New York Giants, with eight receptions for 101 receiving yards. He had four straight games with a receiving touchdown from Weeks 14-17. Decker had 80 passes for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns in his most productive season with the Jets.

Decker was fined $9,115 on Wednesday for a late attack he took on cornerback Josh Shaw on the Cincinnati Bengals' opening day. Due to a shoulder injury, the Jets put Decker on injured reserve on October 12. He had nine receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns in three games in the 2016 season.

The Jets informed Decker on June 6, 2017 that he would either be traded or released by the end of the week, effectively ending relations with him. The Jets officially released Decker on June 12, 2017.

Decker agreed to a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans worth $3.85 million on June 18, 2017.

Decker had three receptions for ten yards in his Titans debut in the season opener against the Oakland Raiders. The Titans lost by a score of 26–16. In a 37–16 road victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had three receptions for 32 yards, a kickoff return for 22 yards, and a touchdown onside kick in Week 2. In a 23–20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, Decker scored his only touchdown of the regular season on an 11-yard pass from Marcus Mariota.

Decker led to 54 receptions for 563 yards and a touchdown in the 2017 season.

Decker won on the road 22–21 in the Wild Card Round against the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason. In the 35–14 road loss, he had six receptions for 85 yards against the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round.

Decker signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots on August 2, 2018. Decker and Josh McDaniels, the Patriots' offensive coordinator and former head coach of the Denver Broncos, were reunited with him as a result of the change.

Decker resigned from football on August 26, 2018.

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