Arik Armstead

Arik Armstead (born November 15, 1993) is an American football defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft.

Early life
Armstead attended Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove, California. During his high school football career, Armstead had 126 tackles and 7.5 sacks. Armstead was a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and sixth best defensive end in his class. Armstead originally committed to the University of Southern California to play college football but switched to the University of Oregon. He also played basketball in high school.

College career
Armstead played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2012, making one start. He finished the 2012 season with 26 tackles and a half-sack. During the spring, Armstead joined the Ducks basketball team, where he redshirted his first year.

Armstead played in 13 games as a sophomore in 2013, recording 15 tackles and a sack. During the spring he re-joined the basketball team. Armstead played in one game before quitting to focus on football.

Armstead returned to the football team his junior season in 2014. Following the 2014 season, Armstead declared for the NFL Draft.

2015 season
The San Francisco 49ers selected Armstead in the first round (17th overall) in the 2015 NFL draft. He was the fourth defensive end selected in 2015.

Armstead was unable to attend training camp and organized team activities until Oregon's school year had concluded due to the NFL's policy that prohibits rookies joining teams until their year is officially completed. Upon arrival, he was competing for the job as the starting defensive end against Quinton Dial, Darnell Dockett, Glenn Dorsey, and Tank Carradine after it was left vacant due to the retirement of Justin Smith. Head coach Jim Tomsula named him the fifth defensive end on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Quinton Dial, Glenn Dorsey, Tank Carradine, and Tony Jerod-Eddie.

Armstead made his NFL debut in the season-opening 20–3 victory against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. During the game, Armstead recorded one tackle for loss. Two weeks later against the Arizona Cardinals, he recorded three combined tackles and made his first NFL sack on quarterback Carson Palmer for a four-yard loss in the 47–7 road loss. During a Week 11 29–13 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks, he collected a season-high six combined tackles. In the regular-season finale against the St. Louis Rams, Armstead earned his first NFL start and made a solo tackle during the 19–16 overtime victory.

Armstead finished his rookie season with 19 tackles and two sacks in 16 games and one start.

2016 season
The 49ers hired Chip Kelly as their new head coach, who was also Armstead's head coach at Oregon. Armstead competed to be the starting defensive end after Glenn Dorsey was moved to nose tackle. Armstead competed against DeForest Buckner and Quinton Dial. Kelly named Armstead and Dial the starting defensive ends for Week 1.

During the season-opener 28–0 shutout victory over the Los Angeles Rams, Armstead recorded a tackle and his first sack of the season on Case Keenum. During a Week 6 45–16 road loss to the Buffalo Bills, Armstead recorded a strip sack on Tyrod Taylor which was recovered by former college teammate DeForest Buckner. In the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Armstead had four tackles and 0.5 sacks during the 34–17 loss.

On November 8, 2016, the 49ers placed Armstead on injured reserve with a left shoulder injury. A week later, he had surgery to repair the injured shoulder. Armstead finished his second professional season with 15 tackles, a forced fumble, and 2.5 sacks in eight games and four starts.

2017 season
During a Week 2 12–9 road loss the Seahawks, Armstead recorded four tackles and his first and only full sack of the season on Russell Wilson. Three weeks later against the Indianapolis Colts, Armstead had five tackles, a pass deflection, and 0.5 sacks during the 26–23 overtime road loss.

On October 17, 2017, Armstead was placed on injured reserve after suffering a broken hand during a narrow Week 6 26–24 road loss to the Washington Redskins. He finished the 2017 season with 16 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a pass deflection in six games.

2018 season
On April 30, 2018, the 49ers picked up the fifth-year option on Armstead's contract.

During a Week 3 38–27 road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Armstead recorded two tackles and his first sack of the season on Patrick Mahomes. During a Week 7 39–10 loss to the Rams, Armstead recorded a season-high five tackles and sacked Jared Goff once. In the next game against the Cardinals, Armstead sacked rookie quarterback Josh Rosen once during the 18–15 road loss.

Armstead finished the 2018 season with 48 tackles and three sacks in 16 games and starts.

2019 season
During the season-opening 31–17 road victory over the Buccaneers, Armstead recorded five tackles and his first sack of the season on Jameis Winston. In the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Armstead had three tackles and sacked Andy Dalton once during the 41–17 road victory. The following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he recorded a tackle and forced a fumble on running back James Conner that was recovered by DeForest Buckner late in the fourth quarter to help seal a 24–20 victory.

During a Week 6 20–7 road victory over the Rams, Armstead recorded a season-high six tackles, 0.5 sacks, and recovered a fumble lost by Jared Goff. In the next game against the Redskins, Armstead had three tackles and sacked Case Keenum once during the 9–0 shutout road victory. With that sack, Armstead set a new single season career high of 3.5 sacks. The following week against the Carolina Panthers, he recorded three tackles and sacked Kyle Allen twice in the 51–13 victory.

During a Week 10 27–24 overtime loss to the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, Armstead had three tackles and sacked Russell Wilson 1.5 times. In the next game against the Cardinals, Armstead had two tackles and sacked rookie quarterback Kyler Murray once during the 36–26 victory. The following week against the Green Bay Packers on NBC Sunday Night Football, he recorded five tackles and sacked Aaron Rodgers twice in the 37–8 victory.

The 2019 season was a breakout season for Armstead. He recorded 54 tackles, a team-leading 10 sacks, two pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and starts. Armstead also ranked second on the 49ers regarding tackles for loss with 11.

The 49ers finished atop the NFC West with a 13–3 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #1-seed. Armstead made his playoff debut in the NFC Divisional Round against the Vikings. During the game, Armstead recorded two tackles and sacked Kirk Cousins once in the 27–10 victory. In the NFC Championship Game against the Packers, he recorded three tackles and strip-sacked Rodgers during the 37–20 victory. During Super Bowl LIV against the Chiefs, Armstead recorded three tackles in the 31–20 loss.

2020 season
On March 16, 2020, Armstead signed a five-year, $85 million contract extension with the 49ers with $48.5 million guaranteed.

During a Week 2 31–13 road victory over the New York Jets, Armstead recorded three tackles, a pass deflection, and his first sack of the season on Sam Darnold. Two weeks later against the Philadelphia Eagles on NBC Sunday Night Football, Armstead had five tackles and 0.5 sacks in the 25–20 loss.

Armstead was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on November 16, 2020, and was activated nine days later. During a Week 15 41–33 road loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Armstead recorded a season-high eight tackles and two sacks.

Armstead finished the 2020 season with 49 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three pass deflections in 16 games and starts.

2021 season
During a narrow Week 3 30–28 loss to the Packers on NBC Sunday Night Football, Armstead recorded a tackle and his first sack of the season. During a Week 9 31–17 loss to the Cardinals, Armstead had a season-high 10 tackles and a sack. During a Week 13 30–23 road loss to the Seahawks, he recorded four tackles and a sack. During a Week 17 23–7 victory the Houston Texans, Armstead had eight tackles and 0.5 sacks. In the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, he recorded seven tackles and sacked Matthew Stafford 2.5 times during the 27–24 overtime road victory.

Armstead finished the 2021 season with 63 tackles and six sacks in 17 games and starts. The 49ers finished the season with a 10–7 record and made the playoffs as the #7-seed. During the Wild Card Round against the Cowboys, Armstead recorded four tackles and sacked Dak Prescott once in the 23–17 road victory. In the Divisional Round against the Packers, Armstead had five tackles and sacked Aaron Rodgers twice during the 13–10 road victory.

2022 season
On November 10, 2022, Armstead revealed that he was rehabbing a hairline fracture in his left ankle. Armstead finished the 2022 season with 11 tackles in nine games and starts.

Despite his limited playing time during the regular season, Armstead performed well in the playoffs. In the Wild Card Round against the Seahawks, he recorded two tackles and sacked Geno Smith once during the 41–23 victory. During the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles, Armstead had five tackles and sacked Jalen Hurts once in the 31–7 road loss.

2023 season
During a Week 5 42–10 blowout victory over the Cowboys on NBC Sunday Night Football, Armstead recorded two tackles and 0.5 sacks. Three weeks later against the Bengals, he had four tackles and sacked Joe Burrow twice in the 31–17 loss.

Following a Week 9 bye, the 49ers went on the road to face the Jacksonville Jaguars. In that game, Armstead recorded three tackles and 0.5 sacks during the 34–3 victory. In the next game against the Buccaneers, he had three tackles and a sack during the 27–14 victory. The following week on Thanksgiving against the Seahawks, Armstead recorded five tackles and a sack during the 31–13 road victory. Armstead made his final regular-season appearance in Week 14 against the Eagles before missing the next five games with foot and knee injuries.

Armstead finished the 2023 season with 27 tackles and five sacks in 12 games and starts. He returned in time for the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Packers and had three tackles during the 24–21 victory. During the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions, Armstead recorded two tackles and recovered a fumble that was forced by Tashaun Gipson in the 34–31 comeback victory. In Super Bowl LVIII, Armstead recorded six tackles and a sack during the 25–22 overtime loss to the Chiefs. Two days after losing the Super Bowl, it was revealed that he was playing through a knee injury during the playoffs, which later turned out to be a torn meniscus. Armstead told reporters that he suffered the injury after the Week 13 42–19 road victory over the Eagles. He required surgery on the meniscus, which will cause him to miss most off-season activities.

On March 13, 2024, Armstead was released by the 49ers.

Jacksonville Jaguars
On March 15, 2024, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Armstead to a three-year, $51 million contract.

Personal life
Armstead is a Christian. He and his wife, Melinda, have two daughters.

Armstead's brother, Armond, played college football at USC and in the Canadian Football League.

Armstead played in Chess.com's BlitzChamps, a rapid tournament for NFL players. He finished last in his group behind Larry Fitzgerald and Will Davis, and for personal reasons, he was not able to play the consolation game. As a result, the players split the $22,500 consolation prize fund equally amongst their charities.