APRIL 25 • 2024 | 17

practice squad is a good oppor-
tunity to learn the offense, build 
chemistry and show the team 
and coaches you’re ready to be 
playing on Sundays.
”
Firkser loved the opportunity 
to play for Lions head coach 
Dan Campbell, who played 
tight end in the NFL for a 
decade, including three seasons 
with the Lions from 2006-2008.
“Campbell showed a lot of 
involvement at the tight end 
position and was always giving 
us pointers,
” Firkser said. “He 
trusts his players and coaches 
and gets the most out of us. 
He made sure we were always 
working hard, competing and 
getting better.
”
Firkser grew up in central 
New Jersey and attended 
Temple Shaari Emeth in 
Manalapan, where he became a 
bar mitzvah in 2008.
In high school, he competed 
in the 2013 Maccabi Games for 
basketball, in Israel, alongside 
Spencer Weisz, who now plays 
for Hapoel Afula in the Israeli 
Basketball Premier League.
“I enjoy the tradition and 
family aspect of Judaism and 
how you can make connections 
with other Jewish people,
” 
Firkser said. “I enjoy sharing 
information about the culture 
and traditions with other peo-
ple.
”
Firkser recently had an 
opportunity to connect with 
Greg Joseph, the kicker for the 
rival Minnesota Vikings, who is 
also Jewish.

HIS FOOTBALL JOURNEY
Out of Manalapan High School, 
Firkser was recruited by many 
Ivy League schools for football 
and basketball. His initial plan 
was to play both, but he ulti-
mately pursued football.
Firkser played on an unde-
feated Harvard team in 2014 
and a 2015 team that shared the 
Ivy League Championship with 
Dartmouth and Penn.

“It’s a grind to balance foot-
ball and academics, but every-
one there is doing the same 
thing,
” Firkser said. “I enjoyed 
Harvard and met some great 
people. I learned a lot from 
being there.
”
Although Harvard isn’t 
known as a football power-
house, the Crimson have pro-
duced their fair share of NFL 
talent in recent years.
Tim Murphy, who recently 
retired after three decades as 
Harvard’s head football coach, 
also coached the tight ends. 
Before Firkser, Murphy coached 
Kyle Juszczyk, who played in 
two Super Bowls for the San 
Francisco 49ers.
“
Anthony poured his heart 
into football,
” Murphy said. 
“He became a dynamic force 
in a position that lined up in 
various spots, including tight 
end, wide receiver, slot and 
fullback. Besides being an NFL 
caliber player, Anthony was an 
outstanding student and one 
of the nicest kids you will ever 
meet. He was and is ‘class’ per-
sonified.
”
Harvard tight end Cameron 
Brate won a Super Bowl with 
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and 
Firkser’s former teammate Ben 
Braunecker played tight end 
for the Chicago Bears, before 
trading in his cleats for a stetho-
scope.
Despite his success at 
Harvard, playing in the NFL 
wasn’t on Firkser’s radar until 
after his junior season of 2015. 
He was on some NFL prospect 
lists and also received some 
phone calls from agents.
The 6-foot-2, 246-pound 
tight end went undrafted in 
the spring of 2017 and signed 
a free agent contract with the 
New York Jets, who play 47 
miles away from his hometown 
(Ironically, Firkser grew up a 
Baltimore Ravens fan).
After he was cut by the Jets, 
Firkser signed with the Kansas 

City Chiefs practice squad. He 
had an opportunity to work 
with KC’s backup quarterback, 
Patrick Mahomes, who had yet 
to establish himself as a house-
hold name.
“It was exciting to see the 
start of Mahomes’ career in 
Kansas City,
” Firker said.
Firkser also had the opportu-
nity to practice alongside Chiefs 
tight end Travis Kelce.
“Kelce is a really smart foot-
ball player, so being able to lis-
ten to him talk about film and 
how and why he did something 
was really valuable for me in my 
first year in the league,
” Firkser 
said. “He always had a big per-
sonality, too.
”
After two seasons on the 
Chiefs’ practice squad, Firkser 
caught his big break with the 
Titans, accumulating 111 catch-
es for 1,196 yards and seven 
touchdowns from 2018-2021.
When Firkser was at 
Harvard, he never dreamed 
he’
d have the chance to go up 
against Tom Brady and the 
nearby New England Patriots 
dynasty.
In January 2020, Firsker 
caught his first postseason 
touchdown as the Titans 
spoiled the former University 
of Michigan quarterback’s last 

home game with New England 
in a 20-13 victory.
“I had a bunch of family and 
friends at that game,
” Firkser 
said. “I’ll probably remember it 
for the rest of my life.
”
Firkser also caught a touch-
down pass in a 35-24 loss to 
his former team, the Chiefs, in 
a 35-24 AFC Championship 
Game loss.
After Tennessee, Firkser 
signed a free agent contract 
with the Atlanta Falcons where 
he caught nine passes for 100 
yards in 2022.
That prompted the Patriots 
to sign him to a free agent con-
tract where he played for leg-
endary coach Bill Belichick.
“It was cool to see his orga-
nization and the way he runs a 
team,
” Firkser said. “It was an 
intense environment. It’s similar 
to what we had in Tennessee 
with Mike Vrabel. Belichick 
sat down with us as a tight 
end room and showed us Rob 
Gronkowski film.
”
Although still ready to make 
a 2024 NFL roster, Firkser has 
begun to consider life after 
football. He’s leaving his options 
open with either working in 
the business world or perhaps 
pursuing a graduate degree in 
architecture. 

 Firkser 
Made an Impact 
 in Detroit Lions’ 
Historic Season

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE DETROIT LIONS

