When people talk about Ghanaian football players, they tend to think about Tony Yeboah, Michael Essien, and Abedi Pele, who were superstars of association football. It’s not often American football comes into a conversation about Ghanaian athletes. However, the 2025 National Football League (NFL) season is rapidly approaching, and Ghanaian gridiron fans have a couple of players to look out for during the campaign.
Since Ebenezer Ekuban became the first Ghanaian to play in the NFL after the New England Patriots selected him as the 20th overall pick of the 1999 NFL Draft, eight more Ghana natives have graced the sport with their presence. During the 2025 season, two Ghanaian players, Ekow Boye-Doe and Thomas Incoom, hope to force their way into their respective teams’ starting lineups and ignite their professional football careers.
The top sites for sports betting Florida natives and other Americans use do not expect the teams that Boye-Doe and Incoom play for to challenge for Super Bowl LX honors this season. However, there is every chance these Ghanaian stars will burst onto the NFL scene and make a name for themselves.
Ekow Boye-Doe – Arizona Cardinals
Ekow Boye-Doe was born in Accra but immigrated to the United States with his family when he was three. Naturally athletic, Boye-Dow shone brightly for his high school and received several college offers. He committed to play college football for Kansas State after rejecting offers from Missouri State, Northern Iowa, and Tulane.
Boye-Doe, who plays as a cornerback, finished his college career with 74 tackles, 13 pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Despite those decent numbers, Boye-Doe went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, the Kansas City Chiefs signed him as an unrestricted free agent and gave him a two-year, $1,665,000 contract. Boye-Doe played six games for the Chiefs during his rookie season and received a coveted Super Bowl ring when the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVII.
The Chiefs released Boye-Doe from his contract in August 2024, and he joined the New York Giants’ practice squad in December 2024. After failing to be promoted to the active roster, Boye-Doe joined the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year, $960,000 contract in January 2025.
Thomas Incoom – Carolina Panthers
Like Ekow Boye-Doe, Thomas Incoom was born in Ghana before he and his family moved to the United States when he was 12. Incoom’s size meant his football coaches used him as a linebacker, and he took to the position like a natural. After playing for Stone Mountain High School, Incoom accepted a college scholarship from Valdosta State.
Incoom finished his college career with 146 tackles and 28.5 quarterback sacks, and an NFL franchise was predicted to select him during the sixth or seventh round. As it happened, Icoom went undrafted, but he would not be without a team for long. The Denver Broncos signed Incoom as an unrestricted free agent, giving him a three-year, $2,715,000 contract.
The Ghanaian played four games for the Broncos in 2023, making two tackles. The Broncos waived him, and he joined the Carolina Panthers on a one-year, $915,000 contract. Incoom played eight games for the Panthers last season, during which he made eight tackles. The Panthers rewarded Incoom with a one-year, $1,030,000 deal for the 2025 NFL season.
Former Ghanaian NFL Superstars
As mentioned earlier, Ebenezer Ekuban was the first Ghanaian to play in the NFL. Ekuban was a model student and a talented American football player and was inundated with college offers. He committed to North Carolina and became one of the Tar Heels’ most valuable players.
His football brilliance did not go unnoticed, and the Dallas Cowboys selected him 20th overall in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. During his rookie season, Ekuban played 16 games and made 23 tackles and 2.5 sacks, earning him a place in the 1999 NFL All-Rookie Team. Ekuban spent five seasons with the Cowboys, playing 60 games and making 114 tackles and 12.5 sacks.
Ekuban joined the Cleveland Browns in March 2004, where he made 39 tackles and 8.0 sacks in his one season in Ohio. He then joined the Denver Broncos in 2005 and played 46 games over three years. Unfortunately, he missed the entire 2007 season after tearing his Achilles tendon. Euban last played in 2008 after his one-year, $3.12 million contract expired.
Ezekiel Ansah played in the NFL between 2013 and 2020, mainly for the Detroit Lions. The former Accra native was selected fifth overall in the 2013 NFL Draft and enjoyed a remarkable career that saw him earn more than $58 million.
Ansah played 80 games for the Lions and recorded 218 tackles and 48.0 sacks before spending one season with the Seattle Seahawks and his final year in 2020 with the San Francisco 49ers. Injuries limited Ansah’s final two years in the NFL, but he left his mark on the game and paved the way for more Ghanaians to follow in his footsteps.
The New England Patriots selected Asante Samuel as the 120th pick in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Usually, cornerbacks selected that late do not go on to have a glistening career, but Samuel was different.
Samuel spent five seasons with the Patriots, winning the Super Bowl twice, and leading the league for interceptions during the 2006 campaign. After leaving the Patriots, Samuel played for the Philadelphia Eagles for four seasons, before playing for the Atlanta Falcons in 2012 and 2013, where he retired.
Samuel’s 28 pass deflections, 227 intercepted yards, and four interception touchdowns in playoff games remain NFL records. Samuel’s son, Asante Jr., is attempting to follow in his father’s footsteps; he plays for the San Diego Chargers.
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