BIOGRAPHY
Riley Reiff was born on December 1st, 1988 in Parkston, South Dakota. He is a offensive lineman in the National Football League.
Born in Parkston, South Dakota to Jo and Tom Reiff, Riley attended Parkston High School, where he was a two-time South Dakota Elite 45 team selection under head coach Jon Mitchel. Reiff was a two-way player for the Trojans, receiving first-team All-State honors at defensive end as a sophomore and junior, as well as first-team All-State honors at tight end as a senior. As a senior in 2007-08, Reiff was named South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year. During his high school career, Reiff recorded 261 total tackles, 23 sacks and eight interceptions on defense, and also caught 27 passes for 321 yards and nine touchdowns on offense.
In addition to football, Reiff also lettered in golf, track and was a three-time wrestling champion with a career record of 121-1, claiming three state titles. Reiff also excelled in the throwing events for the Parkston track and field team, owning personal-bests throws of 54'5" (16.59 m) in the shot put and 147'8" (45.01 m) in the discus throw.
Reiff was listed as a three-star defensive end prospect by Rivals.com and was ranked 28th nationally among senior strongside defensive ends. When it came to recruiting, one of Reiff's most persistent suitors was Iowa assistant coach Reese Morgan, who also lured former Vikings' linebacker Chad Greenway to Iowa City back in 2001. Reiff initially committed to the Hawkeyes in April 2007, while still a junior at Parkston. He later had second thoughts and switched his verbal commitment to Nebraska, indicating that he "pulled the trigger a little too early" with Iowa, but when the Cornhuskers started sinking under the direction of Bill Callahan, Reiff found his way back to the Hawkeyes.
After redshirting his initial year at Iowa, Reiff started 11 of 13 games on the Hawkeyes' offensive line—three at left tackle, seven at left guard and final game at right tackle. He was named third team Freshman All-America by College Football News. In his sophomore year, Reiff replaced Bryan Bulaga at left tackle, starting all 13 games of the season. He was named second team All-Big Ten by league coaches and media.
A preseason All-American, Reiff started all 13 games at left tackle in his junior season as well. He was named All-Big Ten by coaches and media, as well as All-American by Pro Football Weekly, which evaluates players on NFL prospects and draft value rather just college production. On January 4, 2012, only a few days after Iowa's loss in the 2011 Insight Bowl, Reiff announced his decision to forgo his final year of eligibility at Iowa, entering the 2012 NFL Draft.
Reiff was drafted by the Detroit Lions at 23rd overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.
On April 24, 2015, the Lions announced that they would pick up the fifth-year option of Reiff's contract.
On March 9, 2017, Reiff signed a five-year, $58.75 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. Per a source, Reiff received an $11 million signing bonus, a fully guaranteed base salary of $6.2 million in 2017, and a fully guaranteed base salary of $9.1 million in 2018 with a full guarantee at signing of $26.3 million. After 2018, the deal becomes a year-to-year proposition, with compensation of $9.5 million, $11 million, and $11.75 million in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Reiff entered his first season as a Vikings as their starting left tackle, where he started 15 games. He was released after the season on March 10, 2021.
On March 19, 2021, Reiff signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and on March 26, 2022, Reiff signed with the Chicago Bears. Reiff went on to sign with the New England Patriots in 2023.
