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Dont'a Hightower

Retired

New England Patriots · OLB

Dont'a Hightower recorded 116 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 10 rostered seasons with New England Patriots.

▶Best highlights

4.5

tackles/gm

17

playoff games

9

indexed seasons

116

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A provisional five-game introduction to Dont'a Hightower's most significant indexed performances.

NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS

LOS ANGELESRAMS

New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Rams

Super Bowl LIII · Feb 3, 2019

2 tackles · 2 sacks · 0 INT

NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS

New England Patriots vs Atlanta Falcons

Super Bowl LI · Feb 5, 2017

2 tackles · 1 sacks · 0 INT

NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS

SEATTLESEAHAWKS

New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks

Super Bowl XLIX · Feb 1, 2015

5 tackles · 0 sacks · 0 INT

NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS

MINNESOTAVIKINGS

New England Patriots vs Minnesota Vikings

Regular Season · Sep 14, 2014

8 tackles · 2 sacks · 0 INT

TENNESSEETITANS

NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS

Tennessee Titans vs New England Patriots

Wild Card · Jan 4, 2020

8 tackles · 0 sacks · 0 INT

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from Dont'a Hightower's indexed NFL box scores.

Career high: 13 total tackles

NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS

BALTIMORERAVENS

New England Patriots vs Baltimore Ravens

Regular Season · Nov 3, 2019

13 tackles · 0 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 2 sacks

NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS

LOS ANGELESRAMS

New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Rams

Super Bowl LIII · Feb 3, 2019

2 tackles · 2 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 4 tackles for loss

NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS

WASHINGTONCOMMANDERS

New England Patriots vs Washington Commanders

Regular Season · Oct 6, 2019

8 tackles · 1.5 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 3 quarterback hits

NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS

PHILADELPHIAEAGLES

New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles

Regular Season · Nov 17, 2019

1 tackles · 1 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 1 forced fumble

NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS

New England Patriots vs Atlanta Falcons

Super Bowl LI · Feb 5, 2017

2 tackles · 1 sacks · 0 INT

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped Dont'a Hightower's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

2007–2013

Dont'a Hightower

An explosive offense chases another title

New England Patriots · The near-perfect reinvention

The 2007 Patriots went 16–0 before a Super Bowl upset, then the roster reloaded around two young tight ends and returned to the championship game.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

2014–2019

Dont'a Hightower

Three more championships complete the run

New England Patriots · The second dynasty

New England won three Super Bowls in five seasons through goal-line defense, the largest comeback in Super Bowl history and another dominant defensive plan.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

2020–present

Dont'a Hightower

Christian Gonzalez

The franchise searches beyond its defining partnership

New England Patriots · After Brady

Brady's departure ended the sport's longest dynasty and began a full organizational transition after Belichick's final seasons.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

Pro Bowl selection · 2016, 2019Super Bowl champion · 2014, 2016, 201810 NFL seasons116 career games308 career solo tackles27 career sacksCollege: AlabamaDrafted by: NEDraft pick: 25Jersey: 5417 playoff appearances3 Super Bowl appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 9, 2012Most recent: Jan 15, 2022

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history