Dear Old Gold
Fansided

Iowa football: Adam Gettis surviving the journeyman life in the NFL

By Andrew Wade

TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 29: Guard Adam Gettis #73 of the Washington Redskins watches play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers August 29, 2013 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 29: Guard Adam Gettis #73 of the Washington Redskins watches play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers August 29, 2013 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Adam Gettis isn’t as widely remembered as other past Iowa football lineman such as Brandon Scherff or Bryan Bulaga, but he’s carved out a nice NFL career.

Life as a 5th round draft pick isn’t expected to be easy, nor is it expected to be long-lasting yet here Adam Gettis still stands. The former Iowa football player Adam Gettis is going into his 8th season in the NFL and he will be donning his 6th different NFL jersey as he suits up for the Atlanta Falcons.

The journeyman life isn’t what most desire, but considering Gettis’ collegiate career, this is about as good as he could have asked for. Due to injuries and considerable depth, Gettis started just 16 games over 3 seasons for the Iowa football team with 13 of those starts coming in his senior season. His senior season was pretty impressive though as he was named Second Team All-Big Ten, but at 6’4” and 280 pounds, he is a bit undersized.

In addition to his size, there were concerns about strength at the next level, but playing for the Iowa football team provided him the technical capabilities to at least stick around for a bit, which is exactly what he has done.

Gettis was drafted in the 5th round by the Washington Redskins and has since spent time with the Steelers, Giants, Raiders, and Buccaneers. In that time he has seen action in 17 games while starting just 1.

In 2019, Gettis will be playing on the veteran minimum contract of $805K for the Atlanta Falcons, but will he stick around?

The Falcons drafted two linemen in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and signed two more college free agents from this class as well to compete. Given the contract difference between the veteran minimum and a college free agent deal, Gettis will need to show he deserves to stay more so than the other. He will need to set himself apart because if not, he could be looking for his 7th team.

Next. Matt Miller says Hawks' o-line is the best. dark

If the younger guys are able to get within spitting distance of Gettis’ talent this year, it could be the end of the road for the former Iowa football player.