Chris Banjo

Ayokunmi Christopher Oluwaseun Banjo (born February 26, 1990) is an American football safety for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at SMU. Banjo was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He has also played for the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints.

Chris Banjo

Banjo with the Packers in 2015
No. 31 – Arizona Cardinals
Position:	Safety
Personal information
Born:	February 26, 1990 Houston, Texas
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school:	Kempner (Sugar Land, Texas)
College:	SMU
Undrafted:	2012
Career history
Jacksonville Jaguars (2013)* Green Bay Packers (2013–2016) New Orleans Saints (2016–2018) Arizona Cardinals (2019–present)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-C-USA (2010)
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Total tackles: 125 Sacks: 0.0 Forced fumbles: 1 Fumble recoveries: 1 Interceptions: 3 Pass deflections: 8 Player stats at NFL.com

College career

Banjo during his tenure at SMU

Banjo attended Southern Methodist University, where he played on the SMU Mustangs football team from 2008 to 2011.[1]

Statistics

Source: SMUMustangs.com

Year	Team	G	GS	Tackles					Interceptions						Fumbles
				Total	Solo	Ast	Sck	SFTY	PDef	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TDs	FF	FR
2008	SMU	12	8	61	40	21	0.0	0	0	1	33	33.0	33	0	0	0
2009	SMU	13	13	86	45	41	0.0	0	5	1	16	16.0	16	0	3	1
2010	SMU	14	14	92	60	32	0.0	0	8	2	25	12.5	25	0	0	0
2011	SMU	12	12	82	50	32	0.0	0	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	2
Total		51	47	321	195	126	0.0	0	15	4	74	18.5	33	0	3	3

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	206 lb (93 kg)	4.50 s	1.57 s	2.58 s	4.27 s	7.19 s	39.5 in (1.00 m)	10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)	23 reps
All values are from Pro Day[2]

Jacksonville Jaguars

After going undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft, Banjo signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on April 18, 2013.[3] On July 25, 2013, he was released by the Jaguars.[4]

Green Bay Packers

On July 29, 2013, Banjo was signed by the Green Bay Packers.[5]

He was re-signed by the Packers on February 26, 2014.[6] On August 30, 2014, Banjo was released by the Packers during final team cuts.[7] He was signed to the Packers' practice squad the following day.[8] On December 13, 2014, Banjo was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster.[9]

He was re-signed by the Packers on March 10, 2015. Banjo was elected by teammates as a playoff captain after leading the team in special teams tackles in the 2015 season.[10]

On March 8, 2016, Banjo was re-signed by the Packers.[11] He was placed on injured reserve on October 24, 2016.[12] On October 31, 2016, Banjo was waived by the Packers after reaching an injury settlement.[13]

New Orleans Saints

On November 15, 2016, Banjo was signed by the New Orleans Saints.[14] On March 7, 2017, Banjo signed a two-year contract extension with the Saints.[15]

On March 9, 2019, Banjo signed a three-year contract extension with the Saints.[16] He was released on August 31, 2019.[17]

Arizona Cardinals

On September 25, 2019, Banjo was signed by the Arizona Cardinals.[18]

On April 2, 2020, Banjo was re-signed by the Cardinals.[19]

Statistics

Source: NFL.com

Year	Team	G	GS	Tackles					Interceptions						Fumbles
				Total	Solo	Ast	Sck	SFTY	PDef	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TDs	FF	FR
Regular season
2013	GB	16	1	19	17	2	0.0	0	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2014	GB	3	0	1	1	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2015	GB	16	1	16	15	1	0.0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2016	GB	2	0	2	2	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
	NO	7	0	5	5	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2017	NO	16	0	12	10	2	0.0	0	1	1	0	0.0	0	0	1	1
2018	NO	16	0	10	8	2	0.0	0	3	2	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Total		76	2	65	58	7	0.0	0	7	3	0	0.0	0	0	1	1
Postseason
2013	GB	1	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2014	GB	2	0	2	1	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2015	GB	2	0	2	2	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2017	NO	2	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2018	NO	2	0	1	1	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Total		9	0	5	4	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0

Personal life

Banjo was born to Nigerian parents who migrated to Houston. His mother died in 2010.[20]

His name "Oluwaseun" means "We thank God" in Yoruba.[21][22]

References

1. "SMU Mustangs: Chris Banjo". SMUMustangs.com. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
2. "Chris Banjo - Southern Methodist, FS : 2012 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
3. "Jaguars sign DE Pannel Egboh and safety Chris Banjo". Jaguars.com. April 18, 2013. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
4. Oehser, John (July 25, 2013). "Jaguars sign kicker, wide receiver". Jaguars.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
5. "Packers announce roster moves". Packers.com. July 29, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
6. "Packers sign RB Michael Hill, re-sign S Chris Banjo". Packers.com. February 26, 2014. Archived from the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
7. "Packers release 18, place four on IR". Packers.com. August 30, 2014. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
8. "Packers announce practice squad". Packers.com. August 31, 2014. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
9. "Packers sign Banjo to active roster, place Lattimore on IR". Packers.com. December 13, 2014. Archived from the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
10. "Packers elect playoff captains". Packers.com. January 6, 2016. Archived from the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
11. Demovsky, Rob (March 8, 2016). "Packers to retain special-teams ace Chris Banjo on exclusive-rights deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
12. "Packers promote WR Allison, S Whitehead to active roster". Packers.com. October 24, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
13. Silverstein, Tom (October 31, 2016). "Packers release safety Chris Banjo". PackersNews.com. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
14. Katzenstein, Josh (November 15, 2016). "Saints place linebacker Michael Mauti on non-football injury list". NOLA.com.
15. Teope, Herbie (March 7, 2017). "Saints sign Chris Banjo to a two-year, $2.6 million deal". NOLA.com.
16. Katzenstein, Josh (March 9, 2019). "Saints to re-sign safety Chris Banjo with 3-year deal". NOLA.com.
17. "New Orleans Saints make roster reductions to 53". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 31, 2019.
18. Urban, Darren (September 25, 2019). "Cardinals Sign Veteran Safety Chris Banjo". AZCardinals.com.
19. Urban, Darren (March 23, 2020). "Jonathan Bullard, Chris Banjo Return To Cardinals". AZCardinals.com.
20. Dunne, Tyler (August 27, 2013). "Chris Banjo's promise to his mother before her death drives on-field effort". JSOnline.com. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
21. "Oluwaseun - Nigerian names & meanings". OnlineNigeria.com. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
22. "Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Oluwaseun". BehindTheName.com. Retrieved October 27, 2016.

External links

• Green Bay Packers bio
• Jacksonville Jaguars bio
• SMU Mustangs bio
• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · ESPN · CBS Sports · Yahoo! Sports · Pro Football Reference