Geno Atkins is an American football player who plays in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals. Since he debuted in the NFL in 2010, Atkins has progressed to become one of the very best defensive tackles in the NFL. His career which has spanned nearly a decade has seen him named to the Pro Bowl, eight times. Atkins who no doubt is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL who is yet to claim the Super Bowl has had a really impressive run throughout his career. Geno Atkins biography facts, childhood, net worth and personal life present the profile and life of a famous NFL player.
Table of Contents
Geno Atkins Biography Facts, Age, Nickname, Family, Wife, Zodiac
- Full Name: Gene “Geno” Reynard Atkins Jr.
- Nicknames: Geno, Pro Bowler
- Date of Birth: March 28, 1988
- Age: 31 years
- Place of Birth: Pembroke Pines, Florida
- Nationality: American
- Height: 1.85m (6 ft 1 in)
- Weight: 136 kg (300 lbs)
- Education: St. Thomas Aquinas High School, University of Georgia
- Father: Gene Atkins
- Mother: Sandra Atkins
- Marital Status: Married
- Wife: Kristen Merritt (married 2016)
- Children: Gene Atkins (3rd)
- Occupation: American Football Player
- League: NFL
- NFL Draft: 2010 (Round 4; Pick 120) by the Cincinnati Bengals
- Current Team: Cincinnati Bengals
- Playing Position: Defensive Tackle
- Jersey Number: #97
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
Geno Atkins Childhood Story & Early Life
Gene “Geno” Reynard Atkins Jr. was born on March 28, 1988, to his parents, Gene Atkins (father) and Sandra Atkins (mother). It’s known that Gene Atkins began playing football right from a young age with the support of his father who was a former NFL football player.
At St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Atkins played in the Class 5A championship in the 2004 and 2005 season and led his side to finish in the runner-up spot on both occasions. In his final year in high school, Atkins was named the Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year in Florida and was named to the first-team Class 5A in the state of Florida. At the end of his senior year in high school, Rivals.com rated him as the 24th defensive tackle in the country, while Scouts.com ranked him 41st in the country. Atkins also participated in track and field events, where he played shot put in the FHSAA 3A-4A Outdoor State Finals in 2006, where he emerged third.
Geno Atkins College Career
After high school, Atkins proceeded to the University of Georgia, where he played in the college’s football team. In the first season in his college career, he played in just 11 games. In his second season, he earned more playing time. At the end of the season, he was named to the First-team All-SEC. His third season of college football was also a good one for Atkins who played in the Capital Bowl. He had a really successful outing in the 2009 season, which earned a place in the Outland Trophy watchlist.
Geno Atkins Professional/NFL Career & Highlights
Cincinnati Bengals (2010–date)
Atkins enlisted in the 2010 NFL Draft and was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals as its 120th pick in the fourth round. In July 2010, he signed a four-year deal with the Bengals worth $3.2 million. Throughout his rookie season, Atkins played in 16 games and started just once.
In the 2011 season, in order to get more playing time, Atkins had to compete with Tank Johnson for the starting spot in the defensive tackle position. In August 2011, he was made the starting defensive tackle. He went on to be named to his first Pro Bowl in 2012. He concluded his season by leading the Bengals to the AFC Wildcard where they lost to the Houston Rockets.
In the 2012 season, he solidified his place as the team’s starting defensive tackle. In December 2012, he received the second-highest vote for a defensive tackle to earn his second appearance in the Pro Bowl. He also recorded the 15th most single sacks in the history of the NFL with 12.5 sacks. He ended the season as one of the contenders for the defensive player of the year title. In September 2013, he signed a five-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals worth $53.32 million, which included a $15 million bonus. After playing just nine games in the 2013 season, he suffered a leg injury in November 2013. The injury left him out of action for the remainder of the season.
Following the arrival of a new defensive coordinator at the Cincinnati Bengals, Atkins retained his position as the Bengals starting defensive tackle. After he was named to the 2015 Pro Bowl as an alternate, it was announced that he will replace the Detroit Suns, defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, in the Pro Bowl, who could not play as a result of an injury.
In the 2016 season, for the fifth successive time, he was named as one of the Cincinnati Bengals starting defensive tackle. Following an impressive outing in the 2016 season, he was named to the Pro Bowl in December 2016. At the conclusion of the 2016 season, he was rated as the 68th top player in the 2017 Top 100 Players in the NFL.
His 2017 campaign was no different, as he had another impress outing, which saw him receive another Pro Bowl honour. For his impressive defensive performance in the 2017 season, he was rated 91.7 by Pro Football Focus, which was the second most grade for defensive line players in 2017. At the conclusion of the season, he was rated 63rd in the Top 100 NFL Players of 2018. In August 2018, he signed a four-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals, worth $65.3 million. The deal will see Atkins stay with the Cincinnati Bengals till 2022. His top performance continued in the 2018 season, which earned him another appearance in the Pro Bowl.
The 2019 season was yet another season which saw Atkins make his 8th appearance in the Pro Bowl team.
Geno Atkins Net Worth, Salary & Endorsement
The true value of Geno Atkins net worth is not known. In 2019, he received as much as $29 million in salary. Atkins has endorsement deals with Nike and Power bar.
Geno Atkins Personal Life
Atkins is married to Kristen Merritt, who he met when he was in college. In 2019, the couple who got married in 2016 gave birth to a son named Gene Atkins (the 3rd).
Atkins suffers a sickle cell trait since his college days.
SEE MORE: Biography facts and profile of famous NFL stars
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