Matthew Gotel

Matthew Gotel (born January 2, 1999) is an American football nose tackle for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Snow Badgers and West Florida Argonauts and has also been a member of the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL and the Atlanta Falcons.

Early life and college career
Gotel was born on January 2, 1999, in Tacoma, Washington. He attended Lakes High School in Lakewood, Washington, and was a member of their highly-successful football team under coach Dave Miller. His only offer to play college football came from the junior college ranks in Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. He totaled 19 tackles as a freshman in 2017 and 26 as a sophomore in 2018.

Gotel was noticed by a football recruiter at the University of West Florida while playing in a bowl game for Snow College. He liked the school and enrolled there in 2019. He helped them win an NCAA Division II national championship that season while totaling 31 tackles. The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a senior in 2021, he posted 26 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks.

Seattle Seahawks
Gotel paid his way to being one of 58 players at the rookie minicamp of the Seattle Seahawks, for players not selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. He impressed the team and was offered a contract as an undrafted free agent. He was waived on August 20, 2022.

Atlanta Falcons
Gotel had a brief stint with the Atlanta Falcons and was released.

San Antonio Brahmas
Gotel joined the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL after having been selected in the 2023 XFL Draft. He made the Brahmas final roster and appeared in all 10 games for the team, making 23 tackles.

Atlanta Falcons (second stint)
Gotel signed with the Falcons on August 4, 2023. He was released three days later.

Seattle Seahawks (second stint)
Gotel signed with the Seattle Seahawks on August 17. He was released at the final roster cuts and subsequently re-signed to the practice squad. He was released from the practice squad on November 10, then re-signed on January 1, 2024. He was elevated to the active roster for the team's season finale in Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024.