Hercules Mata'afa

Hercules Mataafa (born September 18, 1995) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington State Cougars, earning consensus All-American honors in 2017. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018.

College career Mataafa attended and played college football at Washington State University. As a junior in 2017, Mataafa was a consensus All-American and was named the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year. He was also named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. On December 31, 2017, Mataafa declared his intentions to enter the 2018 NFL draft.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings Mataafa signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2018. However, on June 6, he suffered a season-ending injury to his ACL. He was waived/injured on June 20, 2018, and was placed on injured reserve after clearing waivers. He was signed back to the Vikings for the 2019 preseason. He managed to make the final roster coming out of training camp. On September 15, 2019, in his NFL debut, he recovered an Aaron Rodgers fumble in a loss to the Packers.

Mataafa was waived by the Vikings on October 13, 2020, and re-signed to the practice squad two days later. He was elevated to the active roster on October 31 for the team's Week 8 game against the Green Bay Packers, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He was promoted to the active roster on November 6, 2020.

On August 31, 2021, Mataafa was waived by the Vikings.

Washington Football Team The Washington Football Team signed Mataafa to their practice squad on December 14, 2021. He was released on December 22.

Jacksonville Jaguars On December 28, 2021, Mataafa was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad, but was released six days later.

New Jersey Generals Mataafa signed with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League on May 19, 2022. He re-signed with the Generals on October 11, 2023. The Generals folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

Birmingham Stallions On January 5, 2024, Mataafa was selected by the Birmingham Stallions during the 2024 UFL dispersal draft. He signed with the team on February 28. Mataafa was released on March 10.