Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Kaare Vedvik

Kaare Vedvik
Personal information
Born: (1994-03-16) March 16, 1994 (age 30)
Stavanger, Norway
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:McPherson
(McPherson, Kansas)
College:Marshall (2013–2017)
Position:Placekicker
Punter
CFL draft:2021G / round: 2 / pick: 14
Undrafted:2018
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Field goals:0
Field goal attempts:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Career CFL statistics as of 2023
Games played:32
Punts:185
Punt yardage:8,256
Average punt:44.6
Stats at CFL.ca

Kaare Vedvik (CORE-ee VED-vick;[1] born March 16, 1994) is a Norwegian professional gridiron football placekicker and punter who is a free agent. He most recently played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Marshall and signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He has also been a member of several other National Football League (NFL) teams.

Early life

Vedvik was born and raised in Norway to a Nigerian immigrant father and Norwegian mother[2] and he first came in contact with American football when he joined the Stavanger based team AFC Show in 2011. He later spent his junior year playing for McPherson High School in McPherson, Kansas, as an exchange student in the United States. He initially wanted to play wide receiver, but his coaches at McPherson discovered he was better suited to play kicker.[3]

College career

Vedvik joined Marshall in 2013. After using a redshirt season in 2013, Vedvik served as Marshall's kickoff specialist in 2014.[4] Vedvik did not play in 2015, serving as backup punter.[5] Vedvik became Marshall's punter in 2016, and was named Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week on November 1, 2016.[6] Vedvik was Marshall's punter and placekicker in 2017. On October 14, 2017, Vedvik kicked a 92-yard punt, the 7th longest in FBS history and the longest since Ray Guy's 93-yard punt in 1972.[7] He was named 2017 C-USA All-Conference First-team as a punter.[8]

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

Vedvik was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Ravens in 2018.[9] Vedvik was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list after he was assaulted before the start of the season.[10] In the Ravens' 2019 preseason opener on August 8, 2019, he made all four of his field goals, including a 55-yard try.[11][12]

Minnesota Vikings

On August 11, 2019, Vedvik was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft.[13] He was waived on August 31, 2019, after losing the kicker job to veteran Dan Bailey.[14]

New York Jets

On September 1, 2019, Vedvik was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets.[15] In the opening game of the season against the Buffalo Bills, Vedvik missed an extra point attempt and a 45-yard field goal; the Jets lost the game 17–16.[16] He was waived on September 10, 2019.[17]

Cincinnati Bengals

On December 16, 2019, Vedvik was signed to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad.[18] His practice squad contract with the team expired on January 6, 2020.[19]

Buffalo Bills

On January 7, 2020, Vedvik signed a reserve/futures contract with the Buffalo Bills.[20] He was waived on August 19, 2020.[21]

Carolina Panthers

Vedvik was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers on August 20, 2020.[22] He was waived on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day before being waived again on September 15, 2020.[23][24][25]

Washington Football Team

Vedvik signed with the practice squad of the Washington Football Team on October 9, 2020.[26] On January 11, 2021, Vedvik signed a reserve/futures contract with Washington,[27] but was waived with a non-football injury designation on January 28, 2021.[28]

Jacksonville Jaguars

Vedvik was signed to the practice squad of the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 3, 2021.[29] He was released on September 8, 2021.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On April 15, 2021, Vedvik was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the second round of the 2021 CFL Global Draft.[30] On October 10, 2021, it was announced that he had signed with the Roughriders.[31] With an injury to the team's incumbent punter, Jon Ryan, Vedvik played in four regular season games as a punter and also played in two post-season games.[32][33]

With the Roughriders letting Ryan become a free agent in 2022, Vedvik became the team's punter for the season, where he played in all 18 regular season games where he had 107 punts for a 44.5-yard average and four singles.[33] He also handled some of the kickoffs where he had 20 kickoffs with a 66.7-yard average and one single.[33] In 2023, Vedvik began the season on the injured list and was replaced by Adam Korsak.[33]

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On August 13, 2023, it was announced that Vedvik had been traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in exchange for Antonio Pipkin.[34] He played in 10 regular season games where he had 50 punts for a 44.2-yard average with one single.[33] He also played in the team's East Semi-Final loss to the Montreal Alouettes.[33]

To begin the 2024 season, Vedvik was placed on the practice roster as Nik Constantinou became the punter for the Tiger-Cats.[35] Vedvik was later released on August 27, 2024.[36]

References

  1. ^ "Kaare Vedvik Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Young, Lindsey (August 26, 2019). "These Seven Nigerians are part of the Minnesota vikings roster". Africans in America. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "Det er duket for første NFL-kamp med Kåre Vedvik på banen!". amerikanskfotball.tnfj.com. August 2018.
  4. ^ "BOGACZYK: Vedvik Gives Herd a Leg Up on Kickoffs". Marshall University Athletics.
  5. ^ "BOGACZYK: Hands Down, Vedvik Foots Big Role for Herd". Marshall University Athletics.
  6. ^ "Vedvik Named Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week". Marshall University Athletics.
  7. ^ Moriarty, Morgan (October 14, 2017). "Feast your eyes on this gorgeous 92-yard punt, the longest in FBS since 1972". www.sbnation.com. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  8. ^ "FB: 2017 All-Conference Awards". conferenceusa.com. December 5, 2017.
  9. ^ "Kaare Vedvik". www.baltimoreravens.com.
  10. ^ Meehan, Sarah; Shaffer, Jonas (September 6, 2018). "'I thank God that he's going to be OK': Ravens' Kaare Vedvik out of hospital after assault". The Baltimore Sun.
  11. ^ Hensley, Jamison (August 9, 2019). "Bears bound? Ravens' Kaare Vedvik kicks up trade value another notch". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  12. ^ Smith, Michael David (August 9, 2019). "Ravens kicker/punter Kaare Vedvik continues to impress". ProFootballTalk.com. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  13. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (August 11, 2019). "Ravens trade kicker Kaare Vedvik to Vikings for pick". NFL.com. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  14. ^ "Vikings Announce Roster Moves, Set Initial 53-Man Roster". Vikings.com. August 31, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  15. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (September 1, 2019). "Jets Claim 4 Players, Add Another 7 to Practice Squad". NewYorkJets.com.
  16. ^ Stypulkoski, Matt (September 8, 2019). "Jets' Adam Gase sure made it sound like Kaare Vedvik's time is already up". NJ.com. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  17. ^ Greenberg, Ethan. "Jets Sign K Sam Ficken". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  18. ^ "Bengals Sign Kaare Vedvik To Practice Squad". Bengals.com. December 16, 2019.
  19. ^ @HBalzer721 (January 7, 2020). "Bengals practice-squad contracts expired Monday: LB Davin Bellamy (signed to Texans practice squad); WR Cody Thompson; K Kaare Vedvik" (Tweet). Retrieved January 9, 2020 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ Brown, Chris (January 7, 2020). "Bills sign punter/kicker Kaare Vedvik as reserve/future free agent". BuffaloBills.com.
  21. ^ Glab, Maddy (August 19, 2020). "Bills sign punter Lachlan Edwards". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  22. ^ Simmons, Myles (August 20, 2020). "Panthers acquire kicker/punter Kaare Vedvik". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  23. ^ Simmons, Myles (September 5, 2020). "Panthers reduce roster to 53 players". Panthers.com.
  24. ^ Simmons, Myles (September 6, 2020). "Panthers announce initial practice squad additions". Panthers.com.
  25. ^ @MylesASimmons (September 15, 2020). "The #Panthers have cut K/P Kaare Vedvik from their practice squad" (Tweet). Retrieved October 4, 2020 – via Twitter.
  26. ^ Alper, Josh. "Washington puts Steven Sims on injured reserve, signs Joshua Garnett". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  27. ^ "Football Team's Kaare Vedvik: Signs future contract". CBSSports.com. January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  28. ^ "Kaare Vedvik: Waived with injury". CBSSports.com. January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  29. ^ "Roster Moves: Jaguars sign TE Jacob Hollister and K Kaare Vedvik". Jaguars.com. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  30. ^ "2021 Global Draft Tracker". CFL.ca. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  31. ^ "Roughriders Add Global Kicker and American Linebacker". Saskatchewan Roughriders. October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  32. ^ "Riders 'very pleased' with how rookie punter Kaare Vedvik is replacing Jon Ryan". 3DownNation. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  33. ^ a b c d e f "2024 CFL Guide" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  34. ^ "Riders acquire quarterback Antonio Pipkin in trade with Ti-Cats". Canadian Football League. August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  35. ^ "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  36. ^ "Ticats release Global Punter Kaare Vedvik, American DB". Canadian Football League. August 27, 2024.