Ayanami Solomon

## Career highlights:

* 3x Super Bowl champion (13, 15, 19)
* 2x Super Bowl MVP (13, 15)
* 3x NFL Offensive Player of the Year (4, 8, 13)
* 6x First-team All-Pro (4, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15)
* 3x Second-team All-Pro (6, 7, 9)
* 9x Pro Bowl (3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15)
* 3x NFL receptions leader (4, 8. 15)
* 3x NFL receiving yards leader (4, 8, 15)
* 3x NFL receiving touchdowns leader (4, 8, 14)
* NFL Comeback Player of the Year (3)
* NFL All-Decade Team (15)
* Los Angeles Chargers No. 45 retired
* Baltimore Ravens No. 45 retired
* Pro Football Hall of Fame

**NFL records**

* Most receiving yards in a season: 2,006

## Career NFL statistics

**Ayanami Solomon** (born August 9) was an American professional football wide receiver for 19 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) primarily with the Los Angeles Chargers. He was nicknamed "Demon" for his speed and agility, often having up to three defenders covering him at once. He is known as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. A first-ballot hall-of-famer, the official NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame website describes him as having "the best hands in football" as he never wore gloves.

In high school, Solomon was a stunning five-star recruit and lettered in six different sports by his senior year. However, in football, he was unmatched, and ranked as one of the best high school receivers in the country, only one place short of being the best receiver in his state of California. Originally committing to UCLA, Solomon decided to attend Vanderbilt University, where he played football for two years before announcing for the NFL Draft, hoping that his high school success would be enough to be drafted in the early rounds.

However, he was ultimately drafted 145th overall in the 5th round by the Los Angeles Chargers. After a rookie season with no playing time, Solomon was quickly thrust into the starting role after injuries plagued three receivers. Throughout his time with the Chargers, he was the receiving yards, touchdowns, and receptions leader twice, and broke the record for the most receiving yards in a single season in his fourth season, becoming the first receiver to break 2,000 yards.

After 12 seasons with the Chargers, he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens. In Baltimore, he won three Super Bowls and was an MVP for two of them. By his retirement, he was known as the greatest wide receiver of all time and his jersey numbers for both the Chargers and Ravens was retired. On July 31, five days before his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he committed suicide by self-defenestration.

## Early life

Ayanami Solomon was born on August 9 in Mission Viejo, California as the second of three children. He attended Silverado High School and joined three junior varsity teams for football, basketball, and soccer. He also participated on the cross country and track teams. As a multi-athlete, Solomon spent most of his time in sports, however he retained a 4.0 GPA and passed 19 AP exams with a 5. In his sophomore year, Solomon made the varsity team for football as a wide receiver, basketball as a forward, and soccer as a forward. He later joined the tennis team although he could not participate in the county tennis tournament due to his cross country obligations.

As a junior, he captained the football, basketball, soccer, cross country, and track teams. In track, he broke the school record for the fastest 100m dash with 10.04 seconds. Despite coming from a small high school and not being seen by scouts, he appeared on Sports Illustrated as one of the top projected high school athletes, with his best performances being in football and basketball. As a result, Solomon gained numerous D1 offers for all of his sports from LSU, Alabama, Notre Dame, Penn State, UCLA, Ohio, Wisconsin, and many more.

Solomon verbally committed to UCLA coming into his senior year, where he lettered in football, basketball, soccer, track, cross country, and tennis. In his football career he accumulated 269 receptions, 6,381 yards, and 42 touchdowns, ranking him in the top ten best football players from California and the second-best wide receiver from California. He was also ranked as the 5th best basketball forward, the 17th best soccer forward, 31st best cross country athlete, 42nd best track athlete, and 102nd best tennis athlete in the state of California. He appeared again on Sports Illustrated as one of the best multi-athletes in the country, and was projected to play football as it was his best sport. He was rated as a five-star recruit from both Scout and Rivals. Nearing the end of the senior season, Solomon did not sign the official contract to commit to UCLA and instead accepted a dual academic-athletic scholarship to Vanderbilt University to study mechanical engineering and play football for the Commodores.

## College career

Solomon redshirted his freshman year at Vanderbilt and was assigned as a second-string wide receiver in his redshirt freshman year behind Steve Kartana. After half of the season in Week 6, he would start in all first halves while Kartana started the second half. He recorded a total of 16 receptions, 72 yards, and two touchdowns. In his sophomore season, Solomon started 8 games and recorded 39 receptions, 682 yards, and three touchdowns. Despite only playing for two seasons, Solomon announced he would enter the NFL Draft and would still continue his studies at Vanderbilt per his academic scholarship if he was signed.

## Professional career

Solomon participated in the NFL Combine and produced below-average statistics. While his 40-yard-dash time clocked in at 4.25, the fastest time at the combine, he demonstrated poor route-running skills and an inability to block. He became the first wide receiver to receive all 50 points on the Wonderlic test. Despite his show of athleticism, no teams requested to talk to Solomon during workouts. Solomon later stated he was surprised and expected to be drafted in the third or fourth round.

### Los Angeles Chargers (1-12)

As a rookie, Solomon did not appear in any games and sat behind Kyler Alan and Robb Williams. In his second season, he only played in one game, and he dropped his only target. It wasn't until his third season that he was given the chance to start in the preseason, where he recorded 133 yards, and four touchdowns. Shortly before the regular season, Solomon was moved to the first string. He started in all 17 games and recorded 82 receptions, 1,485 yards, and 9 touchdowns. The Chargers went 13-4 and beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round before losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in the conference championship. Solomon was named as the Comeback Player of the Year and appeared in the Pro Bowl.

In his fourth season, he recorded 138 receptions, 2,006 yards, and 21 touchdowns. He set the record for the most receiving yards in one season, and was the leader in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. The Chargers went 15-2 and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional and lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the conference. He was named to the first-team All-Pro, Pro Bowl, and as the Offensive Player of the Year. In his fifth season, he suffered from a season-ending injury in a fractured elbow in Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers. In his sixth season, he recorded 80 receptions for 1,193 yards and and 7 touchdowns. The Chargers went 13-4 , beating the Houston Texans in the divisional round and the Las Vegas Raiders in the conference round before losing the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles. Solomon was named to the second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl.

In his seventh season, Solomon recorded 76 receptions for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Chargers went 14-3 and beat the Cleveland Browns in the divisional, and the Miami Dolphins in the conference. The Chargers would lose to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Solomon was named to the second-team All-Pro. In his eighth season, Solomon recorded 112 receptions for 1,668 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was the leader in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. The Chargers went 14-3 and beat the Tennessee Titans in the divisional before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the conference. Solomon was named to the Pro Bowl, first-team All-Pro, and as the Offensive Player of the Year. In his ninth season, Solomon recorded 102 receptions for 1,419 yards and 10 touchdowns, being the leader in receptions. The Chargers went 8-9 and did not make the playoffs. Solomon was named to a Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro.

In the beginning of his tenth season, rumors circulated that Solomon was going to be traded to the Arizona Cardinals for wide receiver Collin Greer, a first round pick, a second round pick, and two fourth round picks. However, Solomon debunked these rumors and stated that he planned to spend the rest of his career with the Chargers. He recorded 84 receptions, 1,227 yards, and 8 touchdowns, and the Chargers went 9-8 and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wildcard playoffs. In his eleventh season, he recorded 102 receptions and 1,497 yards with 11 touchdowns. The Chargers went 5-12. He was named to the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro. In his twelfth season, he recorded 92 receptions and 1,312 yards with 9 touchdowns. The Chargers went 12-5 and lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional playoff.

Following the season, Solomon was traded to the Baltimore Ravens for two first round and two second round draft picks. The Chargers stated that he was traded due to being unable to reach a contract agreement, however, Solomon denied this, and accused the Chargers of trading him in favor of paying the quarterback more. The allegation is believed by most fans to be true, as following Solomon's departure from the team, Chargers quarterback Khalil Ross received a contract extension 198.2 million over three years.

### Baltimore Ravens (13-19)

In Solomon's first season in Baltimore, he recorded 90 receptions for 1,274 yards and 8 touchdowns. The Ravens went 14-3, beating the Las Vegas Raiders in the divisional round and the Tennessee Titans in the conference round before winning the Super Bowl against the Minnesota Vikings. Solomon was named the Super Bowl MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and first-team All-Pro. He also played in the Pro Bowl. In his second season, he recorded 87 receptions, 1,521 yards, and 14 touchdowns. He was named as the receiving touchdowns leader. The Ravens went 11-7 and lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional playoffs. Solomon was named to the first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl.

In his third season, he recorded 120 receptions for 1,752 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named as the leader in receptions and receiving yards. The Ravens went 16-1 and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional, and the Kansas City Chiefs in the conference. The Ravens then won the Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons, and Solomon was named Super Bowl MVP. He was named to the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro. He was also selected for the NFL All-Decade Team, and listed as the 10th of the NFL's 100 Best Active Players list. In his fourth season, he was injured for the first time since his fifth season with the Chargers, and suffered an ankle sprain, taking him out for six weeks. He recorded 63 receptions and 982 yards for 10 touchdowns. The Ravens went 13-4, and beat the New York Jets in the divisional round before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the conference round.

In his fifth season, he recorded 85 receptions, 1,184 yards, and 11 touchdowns. The Ravens went 13-4 and lost to the New England Patriots in the divisional playoffs. In his sixth season, he recorded 97 receptions for 1,243 yards and 9 touchdowns, the Ravens went 14-3 and lost to the Miami Dolphins in the divisional round. In his final and seventh season, he recorded 65 receptions for 1,002 yards and 8 touchdowns. The Ravens went 13-4 and beat the Buffalo Bills in the divisional, as well as the Los Angeles Chargers in the conference. They would win the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers. Solomon announced his retirement shortly after the victory.

Following Solomon's retirement, his jersey number for both the Chargers and Ravens, 45, was retired in his honor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a first-ballot on his first year of eligibility. After his death, both the Chargers and Ravens held memorial services at their respective stadiums. At his high school, Silverado, the school's football stadium was renamed as the Solomon Stadium. He was selected for the NFL All-Time Team ten years after his death. In accordance to his will, all of his savings were donated to charity, and his property assets passed to his husband.

## Contract history

For his rookie contract, Solomon signed a four-year $3.42 million contract. He was extended with a five-year $170.81 million contract with the Chargers, and subsequently another three-year contract worth $102.6 million. Upon his trade to the Ravens, he received a five-year $210.25 million contract, and then a four-year $164.89 million contract. However, he only played two years of that contract before retiring. In total, he earned $586.77 million from contracts throughout his entire career.

## Personal life

Solomon married former Vanderbilt teammate and fellow NFL player Zack Kilo when he was 23 years old. They had two children together, Ayanami Solomon II and Antonio Kilo, whom both went on to play in the NFL. Both of Solomon's siblings, Ayame and Akari also played in the NFL. After football, he purchased mansions around Los Angeles and San Francisco to renovate and sell. Two days before he was to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Solomon committed suicide by throwing himself out of the window of his penthouse in New York City.