Nate Boyer, the 34-year-old former Green Beret trying to make it in the NFL as a long snapper, has been released by the Seattle Seahawks, according to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer.
Seahawks release Nate Boyer, the former Green Beret trying to make it as a long snapper
The team reportedly needed a roster spot to sign former Kansas State quarterback Jake Waters.
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Boyer spent six years in the military and did multiple tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq before earning an honorable discharge in 2009. After that he enrolled in the University of Texas, where he walked onto the football team despite never playing a down of organized football before. He eventually became the team’s long snapper and this offseason, after going undrafted, was signed by the Seahawks and invited to training camp.
Boyer served as a backup to veteran long snapper Clint Gresham, whose presence made it unlikely that Boyer would ever make the team's final roster.
Still, the Seahawks believe that Boyer has the talent to be a long snapper in the NFL, but they needed the roster spot for a skill position player, according to Glazer.
On Monday the website NFL Draft Diamonds reported that Seattle was planning on signing former Kansas State quarterback Jake Waters to take snaps while Tarvaris Jackson recovers from an ankle sprain. That report was confirmed by Pro Football Talk. As a result, the Seahawks were forced to let Boyer go.
This news comes just days after Boyer's NFL debut. He made five snaps during the Seahawks' preseason game against the Broncos on Friday and before the game led the team onto the field while carrying an American flag.
“That was cool,” Boyer said after the game, via the Seahawks’ official website. “I was actually pretty emotional, just because I always think about my buddies who I fought with, or the ones who are overseas right now. And usually in college you don’t stay out there for the National Anthem, so that got to me too. That whole thing. But just knowing how many of those guys were watching, it’s really special.”
Boyer has yet to comment publicly on the news, but the chances of him making an NFL roster appear to be slim. That said, this is a man who’s spent his life overcoming long odds. There’s no reason to believe he won’t be able to do so again.
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