As the 2026 NFL season begins on Sept. 9, 37 former Tennessee football players are on NFL rosters.
Representing 21 different teams, 21 of the former Volswill be on active rosters, 10 were signed to practice squads and six are on injured reserve. Current UT coach Josh Heupelcoached 29 of the 37 Vols currently playing in the NFL.
Velus Jones Jr. and the Seattle Seahawks started the 2026 season with a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots on Sept. 9.
Darnell Wright, starting right tackle for the Chicago Bears, signed a four-year, $116 million contract extension this offseason.
Two of UT's most recent quarterbacks to turn professional, Joey Aguilar and Joe Milton, landed on practice squads with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys, respectively.
Five former Vols, including Saints running back Alvin Kamara and defensive end Derek Barnett, will reach 10 years played in the NFL this season. Long snapper Morgan Cox, in his 17th season, has played the seventh most seasons of anyone currently in the NFL.
Knoxville native Harrison Smith agreed to a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings to return for his 15th season on Sept. 5.
Here is the full list of 37 former Vols who will be under contract with NFL teams to start the 2026 season.
Darnell Wright (Chicago Bears)Josh Palmer (Buffalo Bills)Derek Barnett, Dylan Sampson (Cleveland Browns) Elijah Simmons (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)Bryson Eason, Omarr Norman-Lott, Trey Smith (Kansas City Chiefs)Joshua Josephs, Shy Tuttle (Washington Commanders)Princeton Fant, Joe Milton III (Dallas Cowboys)Jalen Wright (Miami Dolphins)James Pearce Jr. (Atlanta Falcons)Colton Hood, Jaylin Hyatt (New York Giants)Joey Aguilar (Jacksonville Jaguars)Joshua Dobbs, Cade Mays, Jabari Small, Tyre West (Detroit Lions)Jamal Hadden (Green Bay Packers)Chris Brazzell II (Carolina Panthers)Jermod McCoy, Dont'e Thorton (Las Vegas Raiders) Jaylen McCollough, Byron Young (Los Angeles Rams) Alvin Kamara, Cedric Tillman (New Orleans Saints)Velus Jones Jr. (Seattle Seahawks)Dominic Bailey (Houston Texans)Morgan Cox, Jalen McCurray, Alontae Taylor (Tennessee Titans)Theo Jackson, Jauan Jennings, Harrison Smith (Minnesota Vikings)
Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: See 37 Tennessee football players in NFL, including Darnell Wright, Alvin Kamara
