EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Rhett Ellison, a quietly consistent performer who was respected by his teammates and a mentor to his fellow tight ends, today announced his retirement after eight NFL seasons, the last three with the Giants.
"The past few weeks, it's kind of been an emotional rollercoaster," Ellison said. "But the overwhelming feeling I have is gratitude. Just thinking back to all the people in my life, even before I put pads on, that were able to nurture and grow the gifts God put into me and make this career possible. I think that was the biggest thing that was the fun part about the retirement process, which is reflecting on those people, thanking those people, reaching out and just the lessons they taught me, the tools they gave me for my life after football."
Ellison suffered a concussion vs. the Jets on Nov. 10 and did not play in the final six games of the 2019 season. In 10 games, he caught 18 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown, on a 28-yard throw from Daniel Jones vs. Arizona on Oct. 20.
In that game against the Jets, Ellison caught a short Jones pass and turned it into a season-long 31-yard reception and helped set up the Giants' first touchdown. It was Ellison's longest reception in his three seasons with the Giants and longest since Dec. 10, 2015, when he had a career-long 41-yard gain playing for Minnesota at Arizona.
When he took the field that day, Ellison wasn't thinking it would be his final NFL appearance. But he knew the possibility existed.
"In the back of my head, there's always that, 'I get it, this could be my last game,' just because of the nature of the sport," he said. "When I ruptured my patella tendon (in 2016), that was the first time I realized, 'Oh wait, this can end at any moment.' Since that injury, it's kind of stuck with me, like, 'Don't take these games for granted. Don't take these opportunities for granted.' I was never surprised. I know injuries are a part of the game. There's no way I could have told you that was going to be my last game, but it ended up being my last game. But my mentality, just from having multiple injuries throughout my career, was you realize how short your time is on the field and you never really know when it's going to end."
Ellison signed with the Giants as a free agent on March 10, 2017, after five seasons with the Vikings. In three seasons with the Giants, he played in 40 games with 36 starts and caught 67 passes for 674 yards (10.1-yard avg.) and four touchdowns. Ellison also made a difference off the field, particularly with Project Kind, an organization that provides aid to the homeless.
"The people I met when I was with the Giants made such an impact on me," Ellison said. "One of the coolest things I got to be a part of was made possible by the Giants and it had nothing to do with playing on the field. The Giants opened up their doors to about 100 homeless people in Newark and created this event off an idea that myself and Jenny (Schumm DePaul) at Project Kind came up with. They just rolled with it without hesitation. It was so cool to see an organization open the doors to their stadium to people in need without any kind of hesitation. When I think back to my time with the Giants and just my football career in general, that was one of the coolest things, if not the coolest thing, that I've been a part of. The Giants really valued that and they valued me that way. I would definitely say the people there made this special for me the past three years."
View photos of TE Rhett Ellison, who announced his retirement on Monday.
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) at preseason week 1 game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) runs after the catch during a week 9 NFL football against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017 in East Rutherford, N.J. Los Angeles won 51-17. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
New York Giants' Rhett Ellison (85), second from left, celebrates his touchdown with Darius Slayton during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Giants wide receiver Bennie Fowler (18) celebrates with tight end Rhett Ellison (85) and wide receiver Cody Latimer (12) after scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter of a preseason NFL football game, Friday, Aug. 16, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) is tackled by New York Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland (51) during an NFL football game Nov. 10, 2019 in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jets defeated the Giants 34-27. (Damian Strohmeyer via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) catches a pass during warm-ups prior to an NFL game against the New York Giants, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots defeated the Giants 35-14. (Margaret Bowles via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison watches against the Detroit Lions during an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
New York Jets' Brandon Copeland (51) tackles New York Giants' Rhett Ellison (85) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Dallas Cowboys safety Darian Thompson (23) covers New York Giants receiver Rhett Ellison (85) during an NFL football game, Monday, Nov. 4, 2019, in East Rutherford, NJ. The Cowboys defeated the Giants, 38-17. (James D. Smith via AP)
New York Jets' Jamal Adams (33) chases New York Giants' Rhett Ellison (85) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Steven Ryan)
New York Giants' Rhett Ellison, right, celebrates his touchdown with Darius Slayton during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) catches a pass during warm-ups prior to an NFL game against the New York Giants, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots defeated the Giants 35-14. (Margaret Bowles via AP)
New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty (32) in coverage as New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) runs a route during an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019 in Foxborough, Mass. New England won 35-14. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) is tackled running the football during an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots defeated the Giants, 35-14. (Ryan Kang via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) runs with the football during an NFL preseason football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019 in Cincinnati. The Giants defeated the Bengals 25-23. (Scott Boehm via AP)
New York Giants wide receiver Bennie Fowler (18) celebrates a touchdown reception with New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) during a week 14 NFL football game on Sunday December 9, 2018 in Landover Md. (Evan Pinkus via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) is tackled by New York Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland (51) during an NFL football game Nov. 10, 2019 in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jets defeated the Giants 34-27. (Damian Strohmeyer via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) runs the football during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Bills defeated the Giants, 28-14. (Ryan Kang via AP)
New York Giants" Rhett Ellison (85) during an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. (Tom DiPace via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) reaches for a pass during an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins Sunday September 29, 2019 in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) runs with the ball during an NFL game against the Chicago Bears, Friday, Aug. 16, 2019, East Rutherford, NJ. The Giants defeated the Bears 32-13. (Al Tielemans via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison runs with the football as he warms up prior to action against the Dallas Cowboys during a NFL football game, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys won, 20-13. (G. Newman Lowrance via AP)
Chicago Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack (52) tackles New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) celebrates a touchdown with his team mates during a week 3 NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Sunday September 23, 2018 in Houston (Evan Pinkus via AP)
New York Giants' Rhett Ellison (85) catches a 2-point conversion against the Carolina Panthers in the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Jason E. Miczek)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) runs after the catch in front of Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Riley Bullough (49) during a week 11 NFL football game on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018 in East Rutherford, N.J. New York won 38-35. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) dives for a touchdown after catching a pass as Houston Texans linebacker Zach Cunningham (41) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) is blocked by Detroit Lions cornerback Quandre Diggs (28) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Friday, Aug. 17, 2018, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) slides in the end zone after catching a pass for a touchdown in front of Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Cameron Lynch (52) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers won 25-23. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
New York Giants running back Rhett Ellison, right, talks to his wife, Raina Ellison, and their 9-month-old daughter, Kaia, at the end of a workout during NFL football training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
New York Giants running back Rhett Ellison holds his 9-month-old daughter, Kaia, at the end of a workout during NFL football training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison tosses up his 9-month-old daughter, Kaia Ellison, after a workout at NFL football training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
New York Giants running back Rhett Ellison, right, holds his 9-month-old daughter, Kaia, as his wife, Raina Ellison, looks on at the end of a workout during NFL football training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Project Kind community event at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) celebrates with tight end Evan Engram (88) after scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) takes part in a week 10 regular season game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday November 10th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants running back Rhett Ellison, left, runs with the ball against cornerback Curtis Riley during NFL football training camp, Wednesday, April 25, 2018, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
New York Giants' Rhett Ellison (85) is tackled by Washington Redskins' Zach Vigil (56) and D.J. Swearinger (36) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) comes down with a pass for a touchdown against Dallas Cowboys strong safety Xavier Woods (25) during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Giants TE Rhett Ellison (85) during a week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) (center) celebrates after a touchdown catch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oct. 1, 2017 in Tampa, Fla. Tampa won 25 - 23. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) celebrates with tight end Evan Engram (88) after scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) scores on a 2-yard touchdown reception in front of Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Cameron Lynch (52) and Giants' Jerell Adams (89) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) runs with the ball during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, East Rutherford, NJ. The Giants defeated the Chiefs 12-9. (Al Tielemans via AP)
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) (center) celebrates after a touchdown catch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oct. 1, 2017 in Tampa, Fla. Tampa won 25 - 23. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10), tight end Rhett Ellison (85) and Geno Smith (3) warm up prior to an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
New York Giants TE Rhett Ellison during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) slides after am emdzone touchdown catch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oct. 1, 2017 in Tampa, Fla. Tampa won 25 - 23. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
New York Giants Media Day Photography Shoot.
New York Giants TE Rhett Ellison (85) during a week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants Media Day Photography Shoot.
New York Giants TE Rhett Ellison during week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants TE Rhett Ellison during week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, TX
New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison (85) at preseason week 1 game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
TE Rhett Ellison (85) at New York Giants Training Camp 2019 at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, NJ
Ellison entered the NFL as a 2012 fourth-round draft choice (128th pick overall) by the Vikings from Southern California. He played in 13 games with 77 starts and finished with 118 receptions for 1,189 yards and seven touchdowns. He also played in one postseason game.
An outstanding run blocker, Ellison helped Adrian Peterson rush for 1,000 yards three times and win a most Valuable Player Award when they were Vikings teammates and opened holes for Saquon Barkley when he rushed for 1,307 yards and captured the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Ellison's most productive season as a receiver was in 2018, when he played in 14 games with 12 starts and had career-high totals of 25 catches for 272 yards and scored one touchdown, a 16-yarder at Houston in the Giants' first victory of the season.
In addition to his game-day production, Ellison spent many hours in the meeting rooms and on the practice field helping the Giants' younger tight ends, like Evan Engram.
"He's definitely the best teammate I ever had," Engram said. "Rhett not only helped me with so many things on the field, but helped me off the field, too. I'm going to miss him. He's definitely going to be a friend of mine for life."
Engram arrived in 2017 as a first-round draft choice with a reputation as an outstanding receiver and adequate blocker. Conversely, Ellison was viewed as strong on the block, but not quite as proficient catching the ball. That helped them form a bond to build on their strengths and help each other improve their weaknesses.
When the younger players had a question about an assignment, need a blocking tip or help running a pass route, Ellison was their answer man.
"He's like a walking teach tape," said Engram, who has led the Giants with 64 receptions as a rookie in 2017. "You can pull up any play that he's on and that's exactly how the play is supposed to be done whether it's a route, whether it's a certain blocking technique we have to execute. He's a really good professional, he's a really good technician. He's a perfect example to learn from."
Ellison is 31. He and his wife, Raina, have a two-year-old daughter and a son born last month. Other than being a devoted husband and father, he isn't certain where his next step will take him.
"From talking to former teammates that have retired, their advice is always take it slow," he said. "You're so used to going all out all the time that you just feel like you have to jump back into something, maybe before you're ready. First and foremost, we're just going to take our time. It's going to be fun just getting more quality time with my family, with my extended family, and just getting to be at holidays for the first time in probably a decade. Just enjoying my family and friends and reflecting on everything. But the number one thing for us is service. How can we find ways to serve? So, we're going to take our time figuring that out."
Ellison's dad, Riki, was a standout linebacker at USC standout from 1978-82 and helped the Trojans win the 1978 National Championship. Riki Ellison was a three-time Super Bowl champion with San Francisco and a 10-year linebacker with the 49ers (1983-89) and the L.A. Raiders (1990-92).
After being around the game his entire life, will Ellison miss football?
"Being a part of the team, being with my teammates, the locker room, the cafeteria, the camaraderie are what I'm going to miss most," Ellison said. "I think the process, too, of just the physical preparation. I was kind of weird in that I loved the physical preparation before the season. My favorite time of year was training camp. I was just a little bit off that way. But that's what I think I will miss the most, my teammates and just the physical preparation. Game days, I don't know. I'll know exactly how I feel when Sunday rolls around, but the immediate reaction is I'm going to miss my teammates and I'm going to miss just the physical preparation of the game."
The Giants and the game will certainly miss him.
Giants App
Download the Giants' official app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices
