# Ted Karras (offensive lineman)

Theodore John Karras III (born March 15, 1993) is an American professional football center for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Illinois, and was selected in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, with whom he won two Super Bowl championships. He spent the 2020 season with the Miami Dolphins before returning to New England the next season.

## Early life

Karras was born on March 15, 1993 to Jennifer and Ted Karras Jr. Raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Karras attended Cathedral High School where he played football as an offensive lineman with the Fighting Irish Leprechauns. The 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), 295 pounds (134 kg) Illinois native helped the Fighting Irish to win state championships in the 2008 and 2010 seasons. Karras earned All-State honors during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Indiana Digest named Karras on its Top 15 selection. Rated a three-star recruiting prospect by Rivals.com and ESPN.com, Karras was also ranked among ESPN's Top 25 offensive guard prospects. Karras graduated in 2011 and received four collegiate football offers including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State and UCLA.

## College career

Karras committed to Illinois over 15 other offers including his top four choices. After redshirting the 2011 season, Karras entered his first active season in 2012, starting as a right guard. His first start was made in the opening game defeating Western Michigan. Karras also proved instrumental in the Fighting Illini's 44-0 victory over Charleston Southern. He started in all 12 games of his first active season.
During his sophomore season in 2013, Karras suffered an ankle injury while at practice. This caused him to miss the opening season game against Southern Illinois. He returned to play as a starting right guard in 10 games during the season. His sophomore season performance earned him an offensive lineman accolade as he was part of the greatly improved offensive line of that year. Returning for his junior season in 2014, Karras started again as a right guard for the first nine games before sitting out the last four games due to a knee injury, sustained in the game against Ohio State. In his senior season in 2015, Karras played starting right guard during which he served also as team captain. He started in all 12 games of the season, totaling 43 starts during his collegiate career. Karras was named three times to the Academic All-Big Ten including in the 2012, 2014 and 2015 seasons. Karras earned a bachelor's degree in communications in 2014 with a plan to complete a master's program in the fields of recreation, sport and tourism.

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
| 6 ft 3+3⁄4 in (1.92 m) | 307 lb (139 kg) | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 5.34 s | 1.88 s | 3.07 s | 4.70 s | 8.15 s | 26.5 in (0.67 m) | 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m) | 32 reps |
| All values from Pro Day ||||||||||||

### New England Patriots (first stint)

Karras was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round (221st overall) in the 2016 NFL draft. He made the Patriots 53-man roster and was the starting right guard in the season opener against the Cardinals due to the injuries of Shaq Mason and Jonathan Cooper. He split time with Mason in Week 2 but was reverted to a reserve role for the rest of the season after Mason resumed his starting role in Week 3. Karras contributed to the Patriots finishing with a 14–2 record and earning the top-seed for the AFC playoffs.
On February 5, 2017, Karras was part of the Patriots team that won Super Bowl LI. In the game, the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 34–28 in overtime.
On September 2, 2017, Karras was released by the Patriots and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 7, 2017. He made his first start of the season in Week 11 at center, filling in for starter David Andrews, who was out with an illness. Karras and the Patriots reached Super Bowl LII, but were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 41–33.
Karras entered 2018 as a backup guard and center. He started two games at right guard in place of an injured Shaq Mason. The Patriots reached Super Bowl LIII where they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13–3. He played four special teams snaps in the loss.
Karras began the 2019 season as the Patriots' starting center after David Andrews was placed on season-ending injured reserve. He appeared in and started 15 regular season games in the 2019 season.

### Miami Dolphins

On March 20, 2020, Karras signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. He started all 16 games at center for the Dolphins in 2020.

### New England Patriots (second stint)

On March 19, 2021, Karras signed a one-year contract with the Patriots. After being named a backup guard to begin the season, he was named the starting left guard in Week 7 following a poor performance from Michael Onwenu and started the remainder of the season.

### Cincinnati Bengals

On March 18, 2022, Karras signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. Karras was the starting center for the team during the 2022 season, and was named a captain. He started all of the Bengals' games in the 2022 season. He would reprise both roles for the 2023 season. He started in all 17 games in the 2023 season. On June 13, 2024, Karras signed a one-year contract extension through the 2025 season.

## Personal life

Karras is a third-generation NFL player. His grandfather, Ted Karras Sr., and grand uncles, Lou Karras and Alex Karras, played in the NFL from the 1950s until Alex retired in 1970. His father, Ted Karras Jr., played during the 1987 season. He is also the seventh family member over three generations to play football in the Big Ten Conference. Ted attended the same school, Saint Matthew Catholic School in Indianapolis, Indiana, (K-8) as Nick Martin of the Houston Texans, Zack Martin of the Dallas Cowboys, and Cap Boso of the Chicago Bears. Karras is a self-proclaimed fan of and trivia expert on The Office TV series.