A former Notre Dame pass rusher now in his seventh NFL season, Khalid Kareem has carved out a career as a reliable rotational linebacker across five franchises.
Khalid Kareem built his reputation at Notre Dame as a disruptive edge presence before the Cincinnati Bengals drafted him in 2020. Since then he has bounced through several NFL rosters as a depth linebacker and special-teamer, landing with the Giants after stops in Indianapolis, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Path to the league
Kareem started 26 of 43 games at Notre Dame from 2016 to 2019, finishing his college career with 109 tackles, 13 sacks, and 26 tackles for loss. The Cincinnati Bengals selected him in the fifth round, 147th overall, of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Kareem has played for the Bengals, Colts, Bears, and Falcons since entering the league, settling into a rotational edge and linebacker role. His signature NFL moment came in Week 11 of his 2020 rookie season, when he sacked Washington quarterback Alex Smith for his first career takedown.
2025 season recap
Kareem spent the 2025 season with the Atlanta Falcons as part of their linebacker rotation, continuing the journeyman path that has defined his career. He carries career totals of 41 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and two pass deflections into the current campaign.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Khalid Kareem
- ESPN: Khalid Kareem
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
4 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | falcons | 4 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | falcons | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | bears | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | colts | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | bengals | 7 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | bengals | 16 | 19 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Notre Dame
- Hometown
- Detroit, MI, USA
- Age
- 28
- Status
- active
