Geno Atkins

At 36 years old, Geno Atkins has this physical status:

Gene "Geno" Reynard Atkins Jr. (born March 28, 1988) is an American football defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL).

In the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, he played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Bengals.

Atkins has been named to the First Team All-Pro twice and is a seven-time Pro Bowler.

Early years

On March 28, 1988, Atkins was born in Pembroke Pines, Florida. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale and helped his high school football team be the Class 5A runners-up in both 2004 and 2005. Atkins had 70 tackles (12 resulted in missing yardage), one intercept, and four fumble recoveries as a junior at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2004. He had 117 tackles, 7.5 sacks, four compelled fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 2005. He was named first-team all-county by the Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald, the first-team Class 5A in the state of Florida, and was also named Florida Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year. Since dropping out of high school, he was named as the nation's top defensive end by Rivals.com and Scout.com's top 41st best.

Atkins, a track & field graduate, was one of the state's top performers in the throwing competitions. He set a record of 48.35 meters at the 2006 FHSAA 3A Region 4, finishing second in the finals. He took 1st place in the shot put competition at the 2006 FHSAA Outdoor State Finals, with a top-throw of 18.01 meters.

Personal life

Kristen Merritt, Atkins' college sweetheart, married him at the St. Regis hotel in Buckhead, Atlanta, on June 25, 2016.

Atkins discovered he had Sickle cell disease during his freshman year at the University of Georgia.

Geno is the son of former New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins safety Gene Atkins.

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College career

Atkins was recruited to the University of Georgia, where he served for coach Mark Richt's Georgia Bulldogs football team from 2006 to 2009. In 11 games, he was a true freshman with nine tackles and 0.5 sacks.

Atkins saw a lot of playing time as a back-up to Kade Weston and Jeff Owens in 2007. "Geno is doing a heck of a job," Owens said of Atkins' effect on Atkins. He's played a huge part in the defense of the country. I'm leading the defensive line in tackles for loss, but I believe we're tied in tackles." Despite being a back-up, Atkins came in fourth in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in September 29, with six tackles for injuries and a sack. Atkins was named the starter over Weston, but the team was only in his second game against Vanderbilt on October 6. He was the first defensive tackle to lead the team in tackles in a game since Jason Ferguson did so in 1995 and the first defensive lineman since David Pollack in 2003. After a game against Kentucky in which he had five tackles, he was named SEC defensive player of the week for the week of November 17. Following his sophomore season, Atkins was named First-team All-SEC, and he was the only Georgia player other than running back Knowshon Moreno to be selected to the team.

Atkins, Hawaii's quarterback, Colt Brennan, requested an autograph and snapped a picture with Brennan during the Sugar Bowl press conference. "He was like behaving like a bunchie," Atkins' antics during the press conference, according to fellow Georgia defensive lineman Marcus Howard. He's been given grief for that." Despite getting Brennan's autograph before the game, the Atkins sacked him in the fourth quarter, effectively leaving him out of the game.

Atkins had eight tackles and nine quarterback hurries going into the 2008 season. Tim Tebow and the offense were rattled during the trial as a whole," Atkins said. We wanted to terrorize him. No one really does well under pressure, not even the best quarterbacks. If you put a little pressure on them, they're bound to flinch." Atkins came out on offense against Auburn on November 14 and was the lead blocker for Matthew Stafford on a quarterback sneak. Atkins had one tackle and two quarterback hurries against Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl on January 2, 2009.

Atkins debuted at No. 10 in 2009 after being ranked at No. 1 in the United States. 5 ranked No. 5 in Rivals.com's preseason defensive tackle power rankings. He was also included on the 2009 Outland Trophy watch list. Atkins had 33 sacks in his three years as a freshman and 15 as a senior, including 15 as a sophomore and 10.5 as a senior.

Professional career

In the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Atkins. In 2010, he was the 12th defensive tackle selected in 2010.

The Cincinnati Bengals signed Atkins to a four-year, US$3.20 million deal, with a signing bonus of $472,450.

He competed against Jonathan Fanene and Pat Sims for the position as the back-up defensive tackle during training camp. Atkins was the fourth defensive tackle on the depth chart to start the regular season, behind Domata Peko, Tank Johnson, and Pat Sims.

During the Cincinnati Bengals' season-opening 38-24 loss at the New England Patriots, he made his professional debut in the Cincinnati Bengals. In the Bengals' 15–10 win over the Baltimore Ravens over the weekend, he had one assisted tackle and made his first tackle in his career. Joe Flacco was suspended by Atkins and Johnson for a four-yard loss in the fourth quarter. During a 23–17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on November 14, 2010, Atkins recorded a season-high three combined tackles and a half sack. Atkins made his first appearance in Week 14 at the Pittsburgh Steelers, losing 23–7. In their 19–17 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Atkins collected two combined tackles and made his first solo sack on quarterback Colt McCoy. He played in 16 games and one start in his rookie season (ten solo), three sacks, and a pass deflection in 16 games and one start.

In preparation camp, Atkins practiced for the job as the starting defensive tackle against Tank Johnson. Since suffering from a knee injury, Pat Sims skipped training camp and the bulk of the preseason. After the Bengals decided to release Tank Johnson on August 16, 2011, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer decided to name Atkins and Domata Peko as the starting defensive tackles.

In their 27–17 victory, he started the Cincinnati Bengals' season-opener with five tackles and broke up a pass. In the Bengals' 31–24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on November 20, 2011, Atkins had a season-high six combined tackles and a sack. In 47 games and 15 starts, Atkins' second season included 47 combined tackles (26 solo), 7.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles. He led the Bengals to 7.5 sacks and tied for the most tackles by a defensive tackle in 2011. As an alternate, Atkins was selected to the 2012 Pro Bowl as an alternate. Since Vince Wilfork of the New England Patriots was unable to participate due to his participation in Super Bowl XLVI, he was officially named to his first Pro Bowl.

Since finishing third in the AFC North with a 9-7 record, the Cincinnati Bengals earned their fifth spot in the AFC North. The Bengals defeated the Houston Texans 31–10 in their AFC Wildcard game on January 7, 2012, Atkins' first career playoff game and made four combined tackles and a sack on quarterback Matt Schaub.

He was back as the starting defensive tackle alongside Domata Peko to start the season. During a 27–10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4, he had three solo tackles and suspended quarterback Blaine Gabbert. This was his first multi-sack game in his career. In the Bengals' 28–6 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, Atkins earned a season-high six solo tackles, deflected a pass, forfeited a pass, and sparked two fumbles. Atkins sacked Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twice in their 13-0 victory on December 23, 2012. He set a new high of six combined tackles, forced a fumble, and sparked a fumble. It was announced on December 26, 2012, that Atkins had been elected to the 2013 Pro Bowl for the second time in 2012. His 12.5 sacks ranked 15th in single-season sacks in football history. Atkins was also a defensive tackle of the year nominee and was given the highest overall rating of any defensive tackle in 2012 by Pro Football Focus.

The Cincinnati Bengals announced Atkins to a five-year, $53.32 million deal on September 2, 2013.

During a 17–6 loss to the Cleveland Browns on September 29, 2013, Atkins had three combined tackles and a season-high 1.5 sacks. In the Bengals' 27–24 victory over the Buffalo Bills, he made a season-high six combined and a half sack. In the Bengals' 22–20 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football, Atkins had two solo tackles and a sack on October 31, 2013. After suffering a leg injury in the first quarter, he was forced to stop in the second quarter. Since being told he'd have to have surgery to repair his torn ACL, the Bengals announced on November 1, 2013 that he would be on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. In nine games and nine starts, he had 20 combined tackles (nine solo) and six pass deflections.

After Mike Zimmer was fired to take over as the Minnesota Vikings' head coach, assistant coach Paul Guenther was hired to replace him as the defensive coordinator. Guenther kept Atkins and Peko as the starters at defensive tackle for the regular season.

During a 33-23 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, he registered a season-high six combined tackles and deflected a pass. When the Bengals defeated the Houston Texans 22–13 on November 23, 2014, Atkins made two solo tackles and registered his first career injury on running back Alfred Blue. Atkins had 34 combined tackles (20 solo), three sacks, a pass deflection, and a safety in 16 games and 16 starts during the season. He was selected as an alternate for the 2015 Pro Bowl. Atkins would recall Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in the Pro Bowl due to an injury on January 16, 2015.

During a 34-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Atkins recorded a season-high four solo tackles and a sack in Week 11. In their 24–14 victory, quarterback Colin Kaepernick scored four solo tackles and made a season-high two sacks on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He had 42 combined tackles (31 solo) and a career-high 11 sacks in 16 games and 16 starts in the 2015 season. For the second year in a row, the NFL declared Atkins to the 2016 Pro Bowl for the second year in a row. Along with Devonta Freeman, Aaron Donald, and Odell Beckham Jr., he was selected as a player captain. The Cincinnati Bengals finished first in the AFC North with a 12–4 record and a home field advantage. In the Bengals' 18–16 AFC Wildcard loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 9, 2016, Atkins had three solo tackles and fired quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Atkins was ranked 29th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

For the sixth straight season, head coach Marvin Lewis named Atkins and Domata Peko as the starting defensive tackles. In the Bengals' 33–10 victory over the Cleveland Browns on December 15, 2016, he recorded a season-high six combined tackles and fired quarterback Robert Griffin III three times. He had 32 combined tackles (2021 solo) and nine sacks in 16 games and 16 starts in the 2016 season. Atkins was selected to the 2017 Pro Bowl by debating teammate A. J. Davidson on December 20, 2016. Green. He was ranked 68th among his fellow NFL players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017. In 2016, Pro Football Focus gave Atkins the sixth highest overall rating of all qualifying interior defensive linemen.

Atkins, as well as Pat Sims, who replaced Domata Peko after he left the Denver Broncos in free agency, was named the starting defensive tackle. During a 20–0 loss, Joe Flacco began the Cincinnati Bengals' season opener against the Baltimore Ravens and scored a career-high seven combined tackles and sacked Joe Flacco. During a 13–9 loss to the Houston Texans, Atkins quarterback Deshaun Watson had five combined tackles and a season-high two sacks on him. In the Bengals' 34–7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on December 17, 2017, he had four combined tackles and tied his season-high of two sacks. Atkins was named to his sixth Pro Bowl on December 19, 2017. With 46 combined tackles (29 solo) and nine sacks in 16 games and 16 starts, he played his eighth season in 2017. From 2014 to 2017, Atkins played in 64 games in a row and reached their high point. Atkins received a overall rating of 91.5, placing him second in the top overall grade among interior defensive linemen in 2017. Atkins was ranked 63rd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

Atkins signed a four-year, $65.3 million contract extension with the Bengals through the 2022 season on August 28, 2018. Joe Flacco was fired twice against the Baltimore Ravens on September 13, after recording a sacking in the season-opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Atkins sacked Derek Carr three times in a 30–16 victory over the Oakland Raiders in week 15.

Josh Allen was suspended on Monday in week 3 against the Buffalo Bills for his first sack of the season on the 21-17 loss. In week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Atkins fired Gardner Minshew twice, causing a 27-27 loss.

After undergoing shoulder surgery, Atkins was put on injured reserve on December 16, 2020, the first injury he suffered since training camp. He had only one tackle in eight games last season.

He was born on March 19, 2021.

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