By Ryne Turke
Blake Hance is living proof that a small-town kid can make it to football’s biggest stage.
Over the last seven seasons, Hance has carved out a career in the NFL, turning a standout run with the Jacksonville Crimsons into stops with seven different organizations.
At the moment, life is pretty quiet for Hance, but he knows that can change in an instant. Currently a free agent after a season with the Tennessee Titans, Hance continuous to rehab injuries and stay in shape at his home in Wisconsin, hoping the next phone call he receives is an invitation to an NFL training camp.
It was easy to see early on that Hance was destined to play at the next level. His athletic resume is one of the best in school history, earning IFCA All-State Honors his senior year, finishing with nearly 1,500 receiving yards as a tight end and helping guide the Crimsons to three playoff appearances.
Ironically, it wasn’t catching passes that eventually got him to the NFL. It was protecting quarterbacks.
“[JHS Head Football] Coach Mark Grounds started talking to me about playing in college my freshman year because of my frame,” said Hance. “Then colleges started reaching out during my freshman and sophomore years and that’s when it kind of hit me that this could actually happen.”
When Hance arrived at Northwestern University, he made the move to offensive line, a transition that would change the course of his football career.
He earned All-Freshman Team honors and started 47 games for the Wildcats before signing with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Hance says the life of an NFL player isn’t as glamorous as people might imagine. In his seven years with the NFL Hance says to always be prepared for the unexpected. Sometimes that means learning a new playbook, other times you’re uprooting your life overnight to move to a new city.
“You’re basically living out of a suitcase,” Hance said. “It’s been incredibly rewarding and absolutely worth it, but there’s a lot of moving around. My wife and I learned pretty quickly not to get too comfortable because things can change overnight.”
Hance’s breakthrough came in January of 2021.
After spending much of his first two seasons waiting for an opportunity, injuries and COVID-19 circumstances suddenly thrust Hance into the lineup for the Cleveland Browns during an NFL playoff game.
“Looking back, it’s still pretty surreal,” Hance said. “That game really launched my career. There was definitely some good luck involved, but it gave me real game tape. Going from barely knowing anybody on the team to playing in a playoff game … it was wild.”
His story caught national attention after Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield made sure to mention Hance during his postgame interview, introducing him as “a guy named Blake” who he’d just met in the locker room before the game.
From there, Hance carved out the longest stretch of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, appearing in 35 games from 2022 through 2024.
Even then, nothing was guaranteed.
“The job is day-to-day unless you’re one of the guys signing huge contracts,” Hance said. “Every player is fighting to stay on the roster. Every coach is fighting to keep his job. You just learn to show up every day like it could be your last.”
Over the years, Hance has matched up against some of the best defensive players in football, including Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Maxx Crosby and Joey Bosa. The memory he immediately jumped to as his favorite happened his rookie season in Washington, sharing the field with running back Adrian Peterson.
“I grew up watching Adrian Peterson,” Hance said. “Walking into an NFL locker room and realizing you’re teammates with him … that was one of those moments where it finally hits you.”
Hance says he’s proud of his accomplishments throughout his career and hopes to have a few more chapters left in the game of football.
Keep it up Blake. We’re all rooting for you.
