Trenton Gill Bio
Trenton Gill (born January 1, 1999) is an American professional football punter who plays in the National Football League (NFL). He began his football journey in North Carolina and went on to play college football at North Carolina State University, where he set school records and earned Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honors. Since entering the NFL in 2022, Gill has been a member of multiple franchises, including the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Atlanta Falcons. He is recognized as a precise and consistent punter whose leg strength has allowed him to compete at the highest level of the sport.
Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and listed at 219 pounds, Gill has built his professional reputation on field-position football, accuracy, and hang time. Although he has not always held a starting role, his career has featured stints on active rosters and practice squads across the league. He continues to pursue a sustained place in the NFL, with the 2025 season shaping up as another chapter in his journeyman trajectory.
Early Life and Background
Trenton Gill was born on January 1, 1999, in Burlington, North Carolina, and grew up in nearby Hillsborough, North Carolina. He attended Cedar Ridge High School, the same school that produced several notable athletes from the region. At Cedar Ridge, he was a multi-sport athlete who played soccer and tennis in addition to handling kicking and punting duties for the football team, giving him an unusual mix of footwork and coordination skills that later translated to his punting craft.
Gill comes from a bicultural background, as his father is English and his mother is Canadian. This international family makeup helped shape a grounded and adaptable personality as he transitioned from a small-town high school athlete to a Division I college prospect. His early exposure to multiple sports, combined with steady development as a specialist, set the stage for his recruitment by NC State.
Path to American Football
Gill’s path to American football specialization began in earnest when he joined the NC State Wolfpack. He spent five seasons with the program, redshirting his true freshman year before spending his redshirt freshman season as the backup to established punter A. J. Cole III. That period of patience behind an accomplished veteran gave Gill time to refine his technique and prepare for a starting role.
When he finally took over as NC State’s primary punter in his redshirt sophomore season, Gill broke out immediately. He set a school record with a 47.6-yard average on 56 punts, a performance that earned him third-team All-ACC recognition. His development under the NC State special-teams staff provided the foundation for his eventual jump to the professional ranks, where consistency and directional punting are essential to earning a roster spot.
Trenton Gill Career
Early Career (2017–2021)
During his five seasons at NC State, Gill steadily climbed the depth chart, beginning as a redshirt and a backup before emerging as one of the conference’s top punters. His redshirt sophomore campaign produced the school record for punting average and a third-team All-ACC selection, confirming that he had the leg strength to flip field position. Coaches trusted him with both traditional punts and coffin-corner placements as his command of the role grew.
As a redshirt senior, Gill was named first-team All-ACC, cementing his status as one of the top collegiate punters in the country. That recognition positioned him for the 2022 NFL Draft, where scouts viewed his size, hang time, and directional accuracy as attractive traits at the next level. His college production served as the launching pad for his professional career.
Chicago Bears Era (2022–2023)
Trenton Gill was selected with the 255th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, becoming the team’s punter as a rookie. He played in games throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons, contributing to the Bears’ special-teams unit and handling regular punting duties. A notable early moment came on September 11, 2022, when he drew a penalty for using a towel to wipe the field during a game against the San Francisco 49ers, a play that drew league attention to the use of foreign substances on kicking surfaces.
His tenure in Chicago came to an end on May 1, 2024, when he was waived shortly after the Bears selected Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the 2024 NFL Draft. The decision signaled a change in direction for the franchise’s special-teams philosophy and opened the door for Gill to continue his career elsewhere. Across his time with the Bears, he appeared in regular-season games and contributed consistent punting production.
Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Era (2024)
On May 15, 2024, Gill signed with the Denver Broncos, where he was brought in to compete with incumbent punter Riley Dixon for the starting job. The Broncos ultimately retained Dixon and waived Gill on August 26, 2024, ending his brief stay in Denver. Despite the short tenure, the opportunity reflected continued NFL interest in his skill set.
Shortly after his release, Gill signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad on September 24, 2024, and was promoted to the active roster on October 23. He appeared in games for Tampa Bay later that fall before being waived on December 2, 2024. Through these moves, Gill remained active in the league, ready for the next opportunity.
Atlanta Falcons Era (2025–Present)
On January 1, 2026, Gill was signed to the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad, and he signed a reserve/future contract with Atlanta on January 5, securing his place with the organization into the offseason. The Falcons later released him on April 27, making him a free agent once again. Even with that release, the late-winter signing demonstrated that teams still viewed him as a serviceable punting option.
Heading into the 2025 season, Gill remained an active professional in search of his next roster home. His journeyman experience with multiple franchises has given him a broad understanding of different coaching philosophies and special-teams schemes, traits that continue to attract NFL interest.
Driving Style and Strengths
Although the term “driving style” is most often used for racing, in football terms Gill’s strength lies in his leg power and his ability to flip field position with a single punt. Listed at 6 foot 4, he generates strong contact with the ball and has produced impressive averages at both the college and professional levels. His directional kicking and willingness to handle coffin-corner punts have been central to the value he offers special-teams coordinators.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the defining moments of Gill’s early NFL career came on September 11, 2022, when he was penalized for using a towel to wipe the field against the San Francisco 49ers, a high-profile reminder of the league’s rules on game-day substances. He also set the NC State school record for punting average during his redshirt sophomore season and earned first-team All-ACC honors as a redshirt senior, both of which stand as his most notable career milestones to date.
Trenton Gill Career Wins
As a punter, Trenton Gill’s statistical production is measured in punting yards, average distance, and placement rather than wins and losses in the traditional sense. Across his NFL career through the 2024 season, he recorded 160 punts for 7,295 yards, an average of 45.6 yards per punt, with 47 punts downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. Those numbers reflect a player who has consistently contributed to field-position battles for each of his teams.
College Highlights
Gill’s most memorable collegiate moment came during his redshirt sophomore season, when he set the NC State school record with a 47.6-yard average across 56 punts, a performance that earned him third-team All-ACC recognition. He later elevated his profile as a redshirt senior with a first-team All-ACC selection, confirming his status among the top punters in the conference.
Other Performances
Beyond his headline seasons, Gill provided reliable veteran punting for the Chicago Bears during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns and contributed on special teams for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers late in 2024. Although he did not log extensive regular-season stats with Denver or Atlanta, his practice-squad and brief active-roster stints kept him within the league’s pipeline.
Trenton Gill Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Trenton Gill’s family background is rooted in two countries, with his father being English and his mother being Canadian. While the family is not a traditional football lineage, the international household gave Gill a multicultural upbringing. He grew up in Hillsborough, North Carolina, where he attended Cedar Ridge High School and developed as a multi-sport athlete before specializing in punting.
Personal Life
Public details about Gill’s personal life remain limited. He has not publicly disclosed a spouse or partner, and there are no confirmed reports about children. He has continued to live and train in the United States as he pursues his NFL career, with an active presence on social media where he occasionally shares updates about his professional journey.
2025 Season Performance
Trenton Gill entered the 2025 NFL calendar as a free agent following his release from the Atlanta Falcons in late April. After spending time on Atlanta’s practice squad and signing a reserve/future contract in January, he once again found himself searching for a roster opportunity. His journeyman status has kept him closely tied to special-teams units across the league, even when a permanent starting role has not materialized.
As the 2025 season progresses, Gill’s primary objective is to secure a place on an active roster where he can contribute on game days. His experience with four franchises, combined with his punting averages and directional accuracy, make him a reliable option for teams seeking veteran stability at the position. Special-teams coordinators around the league have continued to monitor his availability.
Looking ahead, Gill’s outlook depends largely on opportunity. A strong training-camp showing or a midseason need at the punter position could revive his path to a sustained starting role. Regardless of the outcome, his journey from Cedar Ridge High School to multiple NFL franchises underscores the perseverance required to maintain a career in professional football.