Joe Cardona

Joe Cardona

refer to caption Cardona in the 2015 NFL season.
No. 49 New England Patriots
Position:	Long snapper
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1992-04-16) April 16, 1992
Place of birth:	El Cajon, California
Height:
Weight:
Career information
High school:	El Cajon (CA) Granite Hills
College:	Navy
NFL draft:	2015 / Round: 5 / Pick: 166
Career history
New England Patriots (2015–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2015
Games played: 16 Tackles: 3 Player stats at NFL.com

Joseph "Joe" Cardona (born April 16, 1992) is an American football long snapper for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). As a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Cardona is also an officer in the U.S. Navy; as of the 2015 season, Cardona is the only active NFL player who is also an active member of the United States Armed Forces.

Cardona was drafted in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2015 NFL draft. He played college football for Navy. He is only the fourth player designated as a long snapper ever to be drafted, and the second highest-drafted long snapper in NFL history, after Ryan Pontbriand.

Early life

Joe Cardona grew up in El Cajon, California, the son of Patrick and Margaret Cardona. Joe has two older siblings Arthur and Adrienne Hernandez, and one younger sister Sophia Cardona. He attended Granite Hills High School, lettering two years in football and four years in lacrosse, earning conference lacrosse MVP as a senior. He graduated in 2010.

College career

After high school, Cardona attended the Naval Academy Prep School for one year before enrolling in the Naval Academy, where he majored in economics. At Navy, he was a four-year starter in football as a long snapper, where he was not charged with a single bad snap. During his four years at Navy, the Midshipmen compiled a 30–21 record, including four wins over arch-rival Army, and played in three bowl games.

Professional career

On May 2, 2015, the New England Patriots selected Cardona in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2015 NFL draft, making him the fourth pure long snapper to be drafted in NFL history (and the second drafted by the Patriots, after Jake Ingram). His Naval assignment has been delayed until after the 2015 NFL season so that he will be able to play in the NFL. The Patriots officially signed Cardona to his rookie contract on June 4, 2015. The structure of his contract is unusual, reflecting the uncertainty of his availability in future seasons. The signing bonus of $100,000 is less than the expected bonus of about $190,000 expected for his draft slot, but he can earn $100,000 in roster bonuses if he is on the 53-man roster or an injury list at any point in 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons.

On Thursday night, September 10 in the league's opening game of the 2015 season, Cardona made his official NFL debut as long snapper in the Patriots' 28-21 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On May 13, 2016, SECNAV Ray Mabus approved Cardona's request (and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Keenan Reynolds') to play in the NFL for the 2016 season.