Michael Pierce (American football)
Michael Pierce (born November 6, 1992) is an American football defensive end for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tulane University before transferring to Samford University and was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Professional career. Pierce was not invited to the NFL combine. At his Pro Day, he ran 10 meter split faster than any DL at the combine (1.67 vs Alex McCalister's 1.68) and performed a broad jump inside the Top 15 for DL. Baltimore Ravens. On May 3, 2016 , Pierce signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent. As a rookie in the 2016 season, Pierce appeared in all 16 games and finished the season with 35 tackles, two sacks, and one pass defended. On September 10, in the 2017 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pierce recovered a Terrell Suggs-forced fumble, which came off of quarterback Andy Dalton, in the 20–0 victory. On March 9, 2019, the Ravens placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Pierce. On May 1, 2019, the Ravens re-signed Pierce. Minnesota Vikings. On March 25, 2020, Pierce signed  a three-year, $27 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. On July 28, 2020, Pierce announced he would opt out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was placed on the reserve/opt-out list by the Vikings. Pierce returned in 2021 as a starting defensive tackle. He started the first four games before suffering an elbow injury in Week 4. He missed the next four games before being placed on injured reserve on November 13, 2021. He was activated on December 4, 2021. Pierce was released on March 15, 2022. Baltimore Ravens (second stint). On  March 17, 2022, Pierce signed a three-year, $16.5 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens.