Remember J.R. Redmond? He was the second player Bill Belichick ever drafted with the New England Patriots. He’s also an oft-forgotten part of the early Patriots dynasty, having played a key role in the team’s first Super Bowl win. Let’s check in and see what Redmond is doing these days.
Where are former Patriots now? J.R. Redmond | (2001-2003)
The 47-year-old Redmond lives out in Carson, California. He’s the owner of Urban Ink Printing, a screen-printing company he started his rookie season. After leaving the NFL, he also jumped into work as a trainer and coach, working with high school athletes and eventually NFL Draft prospects.
In a 2023 interview, Redmond said he suffered pre-frontal lobe brain damage from his years playing football. That led to him struggling with his mental health and brain function. At one point, Redmond said, he fumbled for 20 minutes trying to draw up a formation on the board in front of his team.
Redmond told the Boston Globe in 2018 that he was at “rock bottom” when he started visiting the Crosby Clinic in 2014 to seek treatment.
Redmond said he “had to be treated for quite some time,” spending six months living in the clinic before receiving outpatient treatment for another five years.
Redmond said those treatments and the tools they provided gave him a “new lease on life.” Now, he hopes to give back through philanthropy to help those who are going through similar ordeals.
Redmond started the Silverback Foundation, which provides “counseling for depression and cognitive treatment for traumatic brain injuries.” The foundation also runs an after-school program that provides classes, nutritional education and counseling for children.
A California native who was a star at Arizona State, Redmond played his first three NFL seasons in New England. His best season came during his rookie year in 2000, when he had 125 carries for 406 yards.
His most famous performance came in the closing minutes of Super Bowl XXXVI on the famous final drive led by Tom Brady.
Brady completed five passes on that drive to set up the game-winning field goal. The first three completions went to Redmond, who turned quick checkdown passes into positive gains to move New England from its own 17-yard line to its 41.
Redmond’s three receptions and 24 receiving yards were both the second-most of any Patriots player that day, behind only Troy Brown. Without Redmond as a safety valve, Brady may never have gotten that final drive rolling.
After three seasons with the Patriots, Redmond spent two years with the Oakland Raiders. He last appeared during the 2004 season, playing 16 games. That year, he caught a career-high 32 passes for 233 yards.