A former quarterback-turned-tight end who carries one of football's most decorated family names into the NFL.
Qadir Ismail is a tight end on the Chicago Bears' active roster and the son of former NFL wide receiver Qadry Ismail, nephew of Hall of Fame-caliber return man Raghib Ismail. After starting his college career at quarterback, he converted to receiver and eventually tight end, going undrafted in 2024 and working through four practice squads before sticking in Chicago.
Path to the league
Ismail, born in Boca Raton, Florida and raised playing football, basketball and track at The John Carroll School in Bel Air, Maryland, began his college career at Villanova as a quarterback before converting to wide receiver. He transferred to Samford prior to the 2022 season and finished his collegiate career there as a receiver, going undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Ismail's path to the NFL was defined by his positional versatility, having played quarterback, wide receiver and eventually tight end at the professional level. He comes from an accomplished football family: his father Qadry Ismail played receiver in the NFL for a decade, and his uncle Raghib "Rocket" Ismail was a college football legend and longtime NFL and CFL standout.
2025 season recap
Ismail signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and spent time on their practice squad. In 2025 he moved through the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars practice squads before landing with the Chicago Bears in late November. He signed a reserve/future contract with Chicago in January 2026 and now holds a spot on the Bears' active roster as a tight end.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Qadir Ismail
- ESPN: Qadir Ismail
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Tight End
- Group
- offense
- College
- Samford
- Hometown
- Bel Air, MD, USA
- Age
- 26
- Status
- active
