Ronnie Perkins

BIOGRAPHY

Born on September 29, 1999, Ronnie Perkins built his life and career on the enduring spirit of football, becoming an inbound entrepreneur of defensive tackles and sacks on the field. Joining the ranks of the American football elite, Perkins went on to play as a professional linebacker for a variety of NFL teams, most recently the Arizona Cardinals.

Ronnie Perkins’s journey began at Lutheran High School North in St. Louis, Missouri, where he honed his defensive skills and emboldened his name in the realm of football. As a senior in 2017, he became a beacon in the world of local school football, earning the esteemed title of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro football defensive player of the year. Making strides in his budding career, he went on to provide an impressive performance at the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Perkins’s next commitment was to the University of Oklahoma, where he brought his Missouri-forged fervor to the college football scene. As a true freshman in 2018, he asserted his dominance by initiating seven games, generating 37 tackles, and driving five sacks. Persevering through the strenuous college football battleground, he managed to cover all 13 games he participated in his sophomore year, producing a total of 38 tackles and six sacks before encountering a major setback. He was, unfortunately, suspended for the 2019 Peach Bowl due to a failed drug test and continued to serve his suspension well into his junior year in 2020.

Perkins utilized his suspension period as a stepping stone in his path towards professional football. His perseverance was rewarded when he was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round, 96th overall, of the 2021 NFL draft. This marked a career-defining moment, with him signing a four-year rookie contract with New England on July 20, 2021. However, he experienced another delay in his career trajectory where, after remaining inactive for the first 13 games of the season due to injury, he was positioned on injured reserve on December 17 of that year, not managing to be an active game participant in his rookie year.

Navigating through these professional challenges, Perkins went through multiple transitions with his career. Being placed on injured reserve on August 23, 2022, and subsequently being waived by the Patriots and re-signed to the practice squad on August 29, 2023, marked a significant period of variability in his professional journey. Yet, displaying remarkable resilience, he found a new opportunity in his career on September 18, 2023, when he was signed by the Denver Broncos off the Patriots’ practice squad.

Despite this, his tenure with the Broncos was not without tumult, with Perkins being released on December 14, only to be re-signed to the practice squad soon after. He managed to secure a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024, however, this was short-lived as he was officially designated as waived/injured by the Broncos on August 6, 2024. Post his brief stint with the Broncos, he entered the Phoenix-based Arizona Cardinals’ troop in October 2024, beginning another exciting chapter in his professional football life.

Throughout his career, Ronnie Perkins has showcased immense determination and resilience, consistently overcoming setbacks to return to the field. This narrative of his football journey narrates the highs and lows of an athletic career and the unwavering spirit of an athlete who manages to rise again, regardless of adversity.