Alex Erickson

Alex Michael Erickson (born November 6, 1992) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist. He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers and was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Erickson has also been a member of the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots.

Early life At Darlington High School, Erickson rushed for 3,856 yards and 57 touchdowns, passed for 3,648 yards and 37 touchdowns and recorded 170 tackles and 14 interceptions. He was chosen to play in the WFCA All-Star game as a senior and was named the Wisconsin State Journal Small School Player of the Year. He was first-team all-state as defensive back and first-team all-conference as defensive back and quarterback after gaining 2,489 yards of total offense (1,239 rushing and 1,250 passing), scoring 33 touchdowns (20 rushing and 13 passing) and making 50 tackles with three interceptions.

College career

Erickson lettered three years at Wisconsin, finishing his career ranked 10th in school history with 1,877 receiving yards and ranked sixth all-time with 141 career receptions. In the 2013 season, he had nine receptions for 127 receiving yards in seven games. The next season, his role in the offense expanded with 55 receptions for 772 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in 13 games. For his senior season, he caught 77 passes (second in school history) for 978 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns and he was named first-team All-Big Ten Conference (media), second-team All-Big Ten (coaches), and Academic All-Big Ten (for the third consecutive year).

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals Erickson signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He was the only undrafted free agent to make the Bengals' final roster.

He started the season as the team's primary kick returner and punt returner, a spot he continued throughout the season, and as a backup receiver. For the season, he had 6 catches for 71 yards, and averaged 27.9 yards per kickoff return and 7.0 yards per punt return. His 810 kickoff return yards led the NFL in that category.

On November 19, 2017, Erickson recorded his first NFL touchdown, scoring on a 29-yard pass from Andy Dalton during the Bengals 20–17 victory over the Denver Broncos. Overall, he finished the 2017 season with 12 receptions for 180 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown to go along with 32 kick returns for 663 net yards and 39 punt returns for 278 net yards.

On September 8, 2018, Erickson signed a two-year contract extension with the Bengals through the 2020 season. He finished the 2018 season with 20 receptions for 187 yards.

Erickson posted his first career 100+ receiving yard game on October 20, 2019, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he finished with 137 receiving yards as the Bengals lost 17–27. Overall, Erickson finished the 2019 season with 43 receptions for 529 receiving yards.

Houston Texans Erickson signed with the Houston Texans on March 30, 2021. He was released on August 31, 2021.

Carolina Panthers Erickson signed with the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers on September 6, 2021, signing to their active roster a week later.

Washington Commanders Erickson signed with the Washington Commanders on May 4, 2022. He was waived on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023, and was released on May 12, 2023.

New York Jets On July 20, 2023, Erickson signed with the New York Jets. He was released on August 29, 2023.

Los Angeles Chargers On August 31, 2023, Erickson was signed to the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad. He was signed to the active roster on December 2.

New England Patriots On December 18, 2024, the New England Patriots signed Erickson to their practice squad.

Houston Texans (second stint) On January 15, 2025, Erickson was signed to the Houston Texans practice squad.

Career statistics NFL Legend Led the league Bold Career high Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Punt returns Kick returns GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD 2016 CIN 16 0 6 71 11.8 20 0 — — — — — 28 195 7.0 24 0 29 810 27.9 84 0 2017 CIN 16 0 12 180 15.0 37 1 5 16 3.2 14 0 39 278 7.1 29 0 32 663 20.7 41 0 2018 CIN 16 6 20 167 8.4 28 0 3 22 7.3 14 0 20 212 10.6 38 0 40 1,049 26.2 77 0 2019 CIN 16 6 43 529 12.3 52 0 5 33 6.6 17 0 25 157 6.3 17 0 4 79 19.8 26 0 2020 CIN 16 2 12 139 11.6 42 0 5 7 1.4 7 0 23 232 10.1 29 0 3 71 23.7 24 0 2021 CAR 17 0 3 55 18.3 25 0 — — — — — 23 204 8.9 22 0 2 57 28.5 39 0 2022 WAS 2 0 — — — — — — — — — — 4 25 6.3 13 0 — — — — — 2023 LAC 8 3 16 232 14.5 27 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 2024 NE 3 0 — — — — — — — — — — 4 41 10.3 26 0 4 106 26.5 34 0 Career 110 17 112 1,373 12.3 52 2 18 78 4.3 17 0 166 1,344 8.1 38 0 114 2,835 24.9 84 0

College

Personal life He married in 2017. Erickson graduated from Wisconsin in December 2015 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural business management.