KeiVarae Russell

BIOGRAPHY

KeiVarae Russell was born on October 19, 1993 in Everett, Washington. He is a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers in the NFL.

Russell attended Mariner High School, where he was named to the first-team Washington class 4A by the Associated Press as a senior, after gaining 1,293 rushing yards on 177 attempts with 14 touchdowns. He was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 9th-best athlete prospect of his class. He committed to play college football for Notre Dame on December 29, 2011, over offers from California, USC and hometown Washington.

In his first year, Russell was moved from running back to cornerback following a season-ending injury to incumbent starter Lo Wood. He worked himself into a starting role for week 1 of the season vs. Navy, in Dublin, Ireland. Russell started all 13 games as a true freshman, including the 2013 BCS National Championship Game vs. Alabama. He recorded 58 tackles, including two for loss, and two interceptions, and was named a Freshman All-American by the FWAA. As a sophomore, Russell started all 13 games in 2013, registering 51 tackles, one interception and eight pass break-ups. After being suspended for seven months by the university, Russell announced on May 29, 2015 that he had been re-admitted to the university for the upcoming semester. He returned to the field and started 11 games, before missing the remaining two games with a fractured tibia. He finished his season with 60 tackles, 3.5 for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and six pass deflections. On January 4, 2016, Russell announced he would forgo his remaining eligibility at Notre Dame and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.

Russell was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round (74th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. On June 13, 2016, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Russell to a four-year, $3.15 million contract with a signing bonus of $813,128. He was the last of the Chiefs' 2016 draft class to be signed to a contract. On September 14, 2016, Russell was waived by the Chiefs. On September 15, 2016, Russell was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 17 against the Ravens, on his first career snap on defense, Russell intercepted Ryan Mallett on a deep pass intended for Breshad Perriman. On September 1, 2018, Russell was waived by the Bengals and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 18, 2018. Russell was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019. On November 26, 2019, Russell signed with the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad. He was released on December 10, 2019. Russell signed with the New York Giants on August 29, 2020. He was waived on September 5, 2020.

On October 28, 2020, Russell was signed to the Green Bay Packers' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on November 14 for the team's week 10 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He was again elevated on January 15 and 23 for the team's divisional playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams and NFC Championship Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and reverted to the practice squad again following each game. On January 26, 2021, Russell signed a reserves/futures contract with the Packers.