Ryan Mueller

Ryan Mueller (born April 30, 1991) is an American former professional football defensive end and fullback. He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats. He has played for the San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL), the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL), the New York Guardians and the Vegas Vipers and Arlington Renegades of the XFL.

Early life Mueller played high school football at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Mueller was named the Eastern Kansas League Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the Kansas City Metro Defensive Player of the Year. He was a first team all-state honoree as he led the Saints to a 9–2 record and a state runner-up finish.

Mueller also played basketball and track. Mueller finished his collegiate career with a total of 39 games played, recording 116 total tackles, 16.5 sack, 4 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles.

Kansas State Wildcats football head coach Bill Snyder said this about Mueller:

Professional career San Diego Chargers After going Undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft, Mueller signed with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2015. He was released on September 5, 2015, but was resigned to the practice squad the next day. On November 4, 2015, Mueller was released from the practice squad

Philadelphia Eagles On April 1, 2016, Mueller signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles as a fullback, where he played in high school and occasionally in college. Mueller was released on May 3, 2016.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats Mueller signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League on April 17, 2017. He was released during final roster cuts on June 18, but was re-signed to the team's practice roster on August 14. He was promoted to the active roster on October 5, but was moved back down to the practice roster on October 31. He was signed to a future contract on November 4. He was transferred to the retired list on April 26, 2018. After the 2018 season, he was removed from the retired list on February 20, 2019, when his contract expired.

New York Guardians On October 16, 2019, Mueller was drafted by the New York Guardians in the open phase of the 2020 XFL draft. He was credited with the Defensive Play of the Year after batting a pass up into the air and then catching it, breaking two tackle attempts, and returning it 33 yards for a touchdown in a team win vs the Dallas Renegades 30–12 on March 7, 2020. Mueller had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.

Arlington Renegades (first stint) Mueller was selected by the Arlington Renegades of the XFL on November 17, 2022. He was released during the final wave of roster cuts, but re-signed on March 15, 2023.

Vegas Vipers On March 28, 2023, Mueller was traded to the Vegas Vipers in exchange for Vipers' quarterback Luis Perez. He was released on April 4, 2023.

Arlington Renegades (second stint) After being released by Vegas, Mueller was claimed by the Renegades on April 4, 2023, marking his second stint with the team.

San Antonio Brahmas On January 31, 2024, Mueller was signed by the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL. He was released on March 10, 2024.

Personal He is the son of Steve and Valerie Mueller and has two sisters, Katheryn and Caroline.