From Super Bowl contenders to defensive stalwarts, discover the Fighting Irish stars making an NFL playoff impact this season.
With the Pittsburgh Steelers last second victory over the Baltimore Ravens last night, the 2025 NFL Playoffs are now set. Seven teams from each of the NFC and the AFC set to square off over the coming months. With every NFL season, hundreds of college football fans look forward to watching their notable alumni compete at the professional level. For Notre Dame fans, their enjoyment of watching former players doesn't have to end with the regular season. There are 15 total former Notre Dame players that will be in this year's NFL Playoffs between the two conferences. Let's take a look at some of these notable Fighting Irish alums.
The NFC
Five of the seven teams in the NFC have former Notre Dame players that are lined up in their two deep. The No. 1 seeded Seattle Seahawks feature two former Irish defensive standouts in free safety Julian Love and defensive tackle Rylie Mills who made his first appearance for the Seahawks about a month ago coming off of the injury he sustained in the first round of the College Football Playoffs in 2024. Love has been one of their defensive leaders since arriving to Seattle in 2023; eight of this 13 career interceptions have been with the Seahawks.
The No. 2 seed in the NFC, the Chicago Bears, feature two notable alums, one of offense and one on defense. Tight end Cole Kmet is one of the two starting tight ends in the Bears offense. He has 30 receptions, 347 receiving yards and two touchdowns this season. Nickel back Nick McCloud is also listed in the two deep and started a few games before their acquisition of CJ Gardner-Johnson, but McCloud is still in the rotation.
The No. 4 seed Carolina Panthers and the No. 5 seed Los Angeles Rams feature a trio of Notre Dame offensive alumni. The Panthers starting tight ends are Tommy Tremble, who has become a focal point in this year's offense, and rookie Mitchell Evans. The two have combined for 34 receptions, 420 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season. The Rams will be relying on their run game in the post season led by former Notre Dame standout Kyren Williams who eclipsed the 1,200 yard rushing mark in back to back seasons. In four years with the Rams, Williams has racked up 3,834 rushing yards and 36 rushing touchdowns.
Finally, the Green Bay Packers, who face off against the Bears this upcoming Saturday in the wild card, feature former starting offensive lineman for the Irish, Aaron Banks. Banks has started 14 games for the Packers this season and only allowed two sacks on the year. The two other teams in the NFC, the 3rd seeded Eagles and the 6th seeded 49ers, don't have any former Notre Dame players in the two deep.
The AFC
Similar to the NFC, five of the seven teams in the playoffs for the American Football conference feature Notre Dame alumni. The No. 1 seeded Denver Broncos starting right tackle is former Notre Dame captain Mike McGlinchey. The 6-8, 315-pound right tackle has started 16 games for the Broncos this season and only allowed two sacks on the year. He's one of the higher graded offensive lineman on the roster. The No. 3 seeded Jacksonville Jaguars also feature a former Fighting Irish offensive lineman. Their starting center, Robert Hainsey, is a former tackle and built a reputation of being a stout blocker in South Bend.
The 4th seeded Pittsburgh Steelers, who were the last team to make the playoffs this season, feature wide receiver and special teams demon Ben Skowronek, who is one of the few Pro Bowlers in the playoffs that also attended Notre Dame. The 5th seeded Houston Texans also feature a pair of former Notre Dame offensive lineman. Center Jarrett Patterson and offensive tackle Blake Fisher have been in and out of the starting lineup this season due to a handful of injuries up front for the Texans. Both have played significant minutes and will likely continue seeing the field in the post season.
Finally, the Los Angeles Chargers will feature a pair of former Notre Dame captains. Unfortunately, offensive tackle Joe Alt was lost for the season due to an ankle injury, but his performance up to that point earned him a spot on the AFC Pro Bowl roster. Cornerback Cam Hart is the other notable Notre Dame alum in the playoffs for the Chargers. Hart has taken on a larger workload for the Chargers this season and picked up his first career interception this season in week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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