Riley Dixon
Current teamTampa Bay Buccaneers
Number9
PositionPunter
Birth dateAugust 24, 1993 (age 33)
Birth placeOneida, New York, U.S.
Height6 ft
Height in4
Weight lbs221
High schoolChristian Brothers Academy (DeWitt, New York)
CollegeSyracuse (2012–2015)
Draftyear2016
Draftround7
Draftpick228
Pastteams
StatusActive
Highlights
Statseason2025
Statlabel 1Punts
Statvalue 1731
Statlabel 2Punting yards
Statvalue 233,502
Statlabel 3Punting average
Statlabel 4Longest punt
Statvalue 471
Statlabel 5Inside 20
Statvalue 5260
Statlabel 6Touchbacks
Statvalue 646
PfrDixoRi00

Riley T. Dixon (born August 24, 1993) is an American professional football punter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Broncos in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL draft. He played college football for the Syracuse Orange.

Early life

Dixon attended and played high school football at Christian Brothers Academy in DeWitt, New York.[1]

College career

In 2011, Dixon joined the Syracuse Orange football team as a walk-on. He started for three years and earned All-ACC Second-Team honors in 2015, ranking sixth in SU history with an average of 42.6 yards per punt.[2][3]

Professional career

Denver Broncos (first stint)

Dixon was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL draft with the 228th overall pick.[4] He was the second of three punters selected in the draft.[5]

On May 11, 2016, the Broncos signed Dixon to a four-year, $2.42 million rookie contract, with a signing bonus of $80,009.[6] Dixon won the punting job on August 30, 2016, when the Broncos released veteran Britton Colquitt.[7] On December 11, 2016, Dixon threw a 16-yard pass on a fake punt, becoming the second Broncos punter to ever throw a pass after Chris Norman in 1986.[8] In his rookie season, he punted 89 times for a 41.3 net average, the highest by a rookie in NFL history.[9] He was named to the 2016 All-Rookie Team, the first Bronco since Chris Harris Jr. & Von Miller were both selected in 2011.[10] In the 2017 season, he had 73 punts for 3,331 net yards for a 45.63 average.[11]

New York Giants

On April 20, 2018, Dixon was traded to the New York Giants for a 2019 conditional seventh-round draft pick after the Broncos signed former Raiders punter Marquette King.[12] In the 2018 season, he had 71 punts for 3,226 net yards for a 45.44 average.[13]

On December 8, 2019, Dixon signed a three-year contract extension with the Giants.[14] He finished the 2019 season with 69 punts for 3,178 yards for a 46.1 average.[15]

On November 15, 2020, Dixon kicked a 71 yard punt in a game against the Eagles, the longest punt of his career.[16] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Giants on November 18, 2020,[17] and activated on November 23.[18] He finished the 2020 season with 65 punts for 2,911 yards for a 44.8 average.[19]

On December 21, 2021, the Giants restructured Dixon’s contract to create cap space.[20] He finished the 2021 season with 74 punts for 3,283 yards for a 44.4 average.[21]

On March 10, 2022, Dixon was released by the Giants.[22] He finished the 2022 season with 71 punts for 3,434 yards for a 48.4 average.[23]

Los Angeles Rams

On April 5, 2022, Dixon signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams.[24]

In Week 16 against the Broncos, the Rams beat Denver 51–14, without ever punting the ball. The Christmas Day contest served as Dixon's first career zero–punt game.[25]

Denver Broncos (second stint)

On March 21, 2023, Dixon signed a two-year contract with the Broncos.[26] In the 2023 season, he had 79 punts for 3,659 yards for a 46.3 average.[27] In the 2024 season, he had 77 punts for 3,597 yards for a 46.7 average.[28] During a Wild Card playoff matchup against the Buffalo Bills in 2024, Dixon completed a 17-yard pass to Marvin Mims on a fake punt play.[29]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On March 13, 2025, Dixon signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[30][31] In Week 13, Dixon punted five times, two landing inside the 10-yard line in a 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[32] He finished the 2025 season with 63 punts for 2,815 yards for a 44.7 average.[33]

Career statistics

NFL

Legend
Led the league
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGPPuntingPassing
PuntsYdsLngAvgNet AvgBlkIns20RetYCmpAttYdsTDIntRtg
2016DEN16894,0686845.741.3028271111600118.8
2017DEN16733,3316045.640.2223258——————
2018NYG16713,2266045.441.8020177——————
2019NYG16693,1786246.142.3229136——————
2020NYG16652,9117144.838.81282320100039.6
2021NYG17743,2836344.439.50242370100039.6
2022LAR17713,4346748.440.8219372221800104.2
2023DEN17793,6596846.342.2027202——————
2024DEN17773,5976546.742.20332511130079.2
2025TB17632,8156244.738.9229205——————
Career16573133,5027145.840.992602,34146370083.3

Postseason

YearTeamGPPuntingPassing
PuntsYdsLngAvgNet AvgBlkIns20RetYCmpAttYdsTDIntRtg
2024DEN141925348.040.50230111500118.7
Career141925348.040.50230111500118.7

College

YearSchoolConfClassPosGPunting
PuntsYdsAvg
2012SyracuseBig EastSOK2310936.3
2013SyracuseACCSOK13753,16142.1
2014SyracuseACCSRK12753,18242.4
2015SyracuseACCSRP12652,83943.7
CareerSyracuse392189,29142.6

References

  1. ^ "Riley Dixon, Christian Brothers Academy, Punter". 247Sports. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  2. ^ "Riley Dixon College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  3. ^ Andrews, Cooper (13 November 2025). "10 years into NFL career, Riley Dixon’s Syracuse ties remain strong". The Daily Orange. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  4. ^ Hayre, Chris (April 30, 2016). "Broncos draft P Riley Dixon in the seventh round". Denver Broncos. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  5. ^ "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  6. ^ Mason, Andrew (May 11, 2016). "Broncos' draft pick signings begin with Riley Dixon". Denver Broncos. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  7. ^ Swanson, Ben (August 30, 2016). "Broncos release veteran punter Britton Colquitt, paving way for Riley Dixon". Denver Broncos. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  8. ^ Jhabvala, Nicki (December 12, 2016). "Riley Dixon did something a Broncos punter hadn't done in 30 years". The Denver Post. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  9. ^ Mason, Andrew (January 5, 2017). "Just how good was Broncos punter Riley Dixon in his rookie season?". Denver Broncos. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  10. ^ DiLalla, Aric (January 17, 2017). "Riley Dixon named to PFWA All-Rookie Team". Denver Broncos. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  11. ^ "Riley Dixon 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  12. ^ Wesseling, Chris (April 20, 2018). "Punter trade! Giants acquire Riley Dixon from Broncos". NFL.com. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  13. ^ "Riley Dixon 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  14. ^ Eisen, Michael (December 8, 2019). "Giants sign Punter Riley Dixon to contract extension". Giants.com. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  15. ^ "Riley Dixon 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  16. ^ Herbert, Geoff (November 17, 2020). "Riley Dixon booms 71-yard punt; Latavius Murray nominated for award (Syracuse and CNY in the NFL)". The Post-Standard. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  17. ^ Hickey, Kevin (November 18, 2020). "Giants place P Riley Dixon, LS Casey Kreiter on COVID-19 list". Giants Wire. USA Today. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  18. ^ "McKinney, Ximines to start practicing with Giants". APNews.com. November 23, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  19. ^ "Riley Dixon 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  20. ^ Dunleavy, Ryan (December 21, 2021). "Giants restructure Kyle Rudolph, Riley Dixon contracts to add cap space". New York Post. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  21. ^ "Riley Dixon 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  22. ^ Eisen, Michael (March 10, 2022). "Giants release veteran punter Riley Dixon". Giants.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  23. ^ "Riley Dixon 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  24. ^ Jackson, Stu (April 5, 2022). "Rams sign punter Riley Dixon to one-year deal". TheRams.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  25. ^ Jackson, Stu (December 29, 2022). "Riley Dixon: First zero-punt game of NFL career "exciting"". TheRams.com. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  26. ^ DiLalla, Aric (March 21, 2023). "Broncos sign P Riley Dixon". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  27. ^ "Riley Dixon 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  28. ^ "Riley Dixon 2024 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  29. ^ "Wild Card - Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills - January 12th, 2025". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  30. ^ Smith, Scott (2025-03-13). "Bucs Upgrade Punter Position with Veteran Riley Dixon". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  31. ^ Heath, Jon (2025-03-11). "Broncos punter Riley Dixon leaves team to join Buccaneers". Broncos Wire. USA Today. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  32. ^ Gordon, Grant (December 3, 2025). "Patriots QB Drake Maye, Packers QB Jordan Love highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  33. ^ "Riley Dixon 2025 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2026-04-10.