Rod Gardner

For the Canadian politician, see Rod Gardner (politician).

Rod Gardner

No. 82, 85, 87
Position	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born	(1977-10-26) October 26, 1977 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school	Raines (Jacksonville)
College	Clemson (1997–2000)
NFL draft	2001: 1st round, 15th overall pick
Career history
Washington Redskins (2001–2004) Carolina Panthers (2005) Green Bay Packers (2005) Kansas City Chiefs (2006)
Awards and highlights
2× Second-team All-ACC (1999, 2000)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions 242 Receiving yards 3,165 Receiving touchdowns 23 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Roderick F. Gardner (born October 26, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers.

College career

Gardner played college football at Clemson University, where he started as a quarterback and safety on the practice squad (as a true freshman) before switching to wide receiver his sophomore year. He was selected as a second team All-ACC during his junior year after setting the school record for catches, yards, and receptions per game. His senior year, he not only made first team All-ACC, but was a first team All-American as well. In 2000, he was one of the ten finalists for the Biletnikoff Award after posting six touchdowns on 51 receptions and 956 yards.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	Vertical jump
6 ft 2+1⁄4 in (1.89 m)	219 lb (99 kg)	33 in (0.84 m)	10 in (0.25 m)	4.48 s	36.0 in (0.91 m)
All values from NFL Combine

Washington Redskins

Gardner was chosen by the Washington Redskins with the 15th overall selection in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft. During his rookie year, he was selected as NFC Offensive Player of the Week after a 208-yard, one touchdown performance against the Carolina Panthers. His history at quarterback would lead the Redskins to utilize him on trick plays during games; during the 2003 NFL season he was 2-for-3 for 46 yards and two passing touchdowns (to Chad Morton and Trung Canidate).

Carolina Panthers

After four seasons in Washington, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers during the 2005 offseason for a sixth-round pick in the 2006 NFL draft. He spent most of the season fourth on the Panthers' depth chart, behind Steve Smith, Keary Colbert, and Ricky Proehl.

Green Bay Packers

Gardner was waived by the Panthers on December 16, 2005, and he was then signed by the Green Bay Packers on December 19, 2005. He re-signed with Green Bay on March 21, 2006. On September 2, 2006, Gardner was waived by the Packers.

Kansas City Chiefs

In September 2006, he signed a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2006 with the Chiefs, he only had 2 receptions for 17 yards. He was released before the 2007 season.

NFL statistics

Year	Team	GP	Receiving						Rushing
			Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	FD	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	FD
2001	WSH	16	46	741	16.1	85	4	28	1	16	16.0	16	0	1
2002	WSH	16	71	1,006	14.2	43	8	51	1	1	1.0	1	0	0
2003	WSH	16	59	600	10.2	35	5	30	—	—	—	—	—	—
2004	WSH	16	51	650	12.7	51	5	30	3	7	2.3	11	0	2
2005	CAR	11	9	84	9.3	15	1	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
	GB	2	4	67	16.8	33	0	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006	KC	14	2	17	8.5	13	0	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
Career		91	242	3,165	13.1	85	23	148	5	24	4.8	16	0	3

Personal life

Gardner competed on the thirty-sixth season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race with his wife Leticia, finishing in third place.