Oregon Football Players Set for International NFL Games: Ducks Across The Pond

More than a dozen former Oregon Duck football players are set to play in the five international NFL games this fall.

Oct 30, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Johnny Mundt (86) scores a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

More than a dozen former Oregon Duck football players are set to fly across the pond, or at least the border, for international NFL games.

The NFL announced five games will be played in three countries next season. More than a dozen Pro Ducks are currently on team rosters slated for the international games.

Week 1 | Sept. 6 | Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Mar 1, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon defensive back Evan Williams (DB66) works out during the NFL Combine. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Former Oregon safety Evan Williams and the Green Bay Packers will head south to Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil, for their season-opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6. This will be the first Friday night game of the opening weekend in over 50 years.

The Packers selected Williams in the fourth round of this year's NFL Draft. As a Duck, Williams was All-Pac-12 in his senior season, leading Oregon with 82 total tackles and adding a career-high 4.5 sacks. Prior to 2023, he earned All-Mountain West accolades at Fresno State.

Week 5 | Oct. 6 | New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings

Oregon defensive lineman Taki Taimani laughs during an interview at the 2023 Oregon Football Media Day Monday, July 31, 2023, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

Former Oregon offensive lineman Jake Hanson and the New York Jets will battle the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Oct. 5. That Vikings roster includes veteran tight end Johnny Mundt and rookies cornerback Khyree Jackson and defensive lineman Taki Taimani.

Hanson is heading into his second year with the Jets, where he started four of the seven games he appeared in last year. In his first two NFL seasons, he notched playing time in 11 games with one start for the Packers.

Mundt has played his best football in Minnesota after five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. With the Vikings, he has appeared in 34 games, wracking up 36 catches for 312 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Vikings selected Jackson in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. In his sole season for the Ducks he started all 12 games and led the team with three interceptions. Prior to Oregon, Jackson played for Alabama and Fort Scott Community College.

Taimani went undrafted this year but was signed by the Vikings. Originally playing at Washington, Taimani spent his final two seasons in Eugene. As a senior, he ranked second among all Pac-12 interior defensive linemen with an 82.3 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus, and fifth with a 76.1 overall grade.

Week 6 | Oct. 13 | Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Chicago Bears

Sep 24, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Chicago Bears linebacker Noah Sewell (44) warms up against the Kansas City Chiefs. / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Also playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, former Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead and the Jacksonville Jaguars will meet linebacker Noah Sewell and the Chicago Bears on Oct. 13.

One of the longest tenured Pro Ducks, Armstead spent the past nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. While there, he played in 116 games, starting 97, and accumulated 279 total tackles and 33.5 sacks. His eight sacks in 12 playoff games are the second-most in 49ers franchise history.

Sewell is entering his second season in the NFL. As a rookie, he tallied six total tackles over 13 games.

Week 7 | Oct. 20 | New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Sep 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (6). / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Sticking around in London for another week, Sewell and the Jaguars will go across town to Wembley Stadium and face off with cornerback Christian Gonzalez and the New England Patriots. This will be Jacksonville's 13th international game, far outpacing the Miami Dolphins who are next with six.

Gonzalez earned four starts as a rookie, but saw his season end with a shoulder injury in October. He was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Month in September. Heading into 2024, Gonzalez is going back to his Oregon roots and is being allowed to wear the No. 0.

Week 10 | Nov. 10 | New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers

Nov 19, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers safety Vonn Bell (24) reacts with cornerback Troy Hill (13). / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Seven Pro Ducks are on the rosters for the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers, who will meet in the final international game of the year at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

The Giants roster includes receiver Chase Cota, defensive lineman Jordon Riley, defensive lineman Casey Rogers, and linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Panthers roster includes defensive tackle Popo Aumavae, cornerback Troy Hill, and linebacker DJ Johnson.

Cota has yet to appear in an NFL game after going undrafted in 2023. Last year, he signed with the Detroit Lions but was ultimately waived, leading to practice squad stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans. Cota signed a reserve/future contract with the Giants in January.

Riley saw time in just eight games as a rookie, collecting tackles in four of the final games of the season.

A teammate of Riley's at both Oregon and Nebraska, Rogers went undrafted in 2024. In Eugene, he made 14 starts and played in 27 games, tallying 56 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Thibodeaux is entering his third year in the league. The 2022 fifth overall pick was 12th in the NFL last year with 11.5 sacks. He has 91 total tackles and 15.5 sacks over 31 career games.

Aumavae signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent last month. As a Duck, he was Pac-12 All-Conference First Team in 2021. He missed the 2022 season with injury but returned in 2023 to play in all 13 games, totaling 18 tackles and 3.0 sacks.

Hill is now on his fourth NFL team, having spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Rams, and Cleveland Browns. He joined Carolina in 2023 and played in all 16 games, notching 44 total tackles and adding one interception that he returned 84 yards for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals.

A third round pick in 2023, Johnson appeared in 13 games last season for the Panthers. As a rookie, he was mostly utilized in run situations, with teams often electing to run plays to the opposite side of the field.