Greg Joseph is a team favorite (ADAM BETTCHER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP).
Greg Joseph was described as the only Jewish player in the league last season. In all due respect to the Atlanta Jewish Times, that’s just not true. Joseph is interestingly often viewed as the most prominent Jewish individual in the NFL.
Don’t forget Jake Curhan, A.J. Dillion (who we wrote about last year here), and Michael Dunn, who are all openly Jewish current NFL players. Greg Joseph has a very important role in the league, but we want to acknowledge everyone fairly. Perhaps Joseph stands out because he is from South Africa—a bit of an anomaly in the league. We appreciate all representation. Let’s get to know this famous placekicker!
Greg Joseph’s Journey
Joseph has an unusual journey to the NFL. He is one of four South African NFL players in history. Joseph was one of three boys born in Johannesburg to his parents, Glen and Ilana Joseph. The Joseph family immigrated to Florida in 2001. They desired to leave Africa, and Ilana Joseph had family already in the state.
Always an athlete, Greg played football and soccer at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy as a child and high school football at American Heritage School in the Boca Raton area in Florida. Joseph was talented at both soccer and football, but he weighed the odds of a scholarship for either sport and opted to specialize in football. A man with a plan.
Greg Joseph attended FAU in Boca Raton for five years. He made the Owls proud of his academic and athletic talent. On his LinkedIn profile, he identifies first as being a father, which is so sweet. He is also a self-proclaimed investor in addition to placekicking for the NFL. Joseph also highlights his two degrees: a BS in Exercise Science and Health Promotion and an MBA from FAU. The placekicker was juggling finishing his MBA with playing in the NFL. We love the focus on academics!
NFL Career
The NFL would have been foolish to overlook a talent like Greg Joseph. He got more records at FAU than he did degrees. Joseph is the all-time leader in field goals, points scored, points after touchdown, and field goals attempted. Which single-game record didn’t he get for the Owls? As if that wasn’t enough, he also made the longest field goal in FAU history.
Joseph has a bit of a tough journey through the NFL—the norm for the majority of NFL players. He has played for 11 different teams from 2018 to 2024. He is unsigned for the 2025-2026 career, but there is plenty of time left for him to get signed. It appears that he is often moved along from team to team due to being replaced by an up-and-comer. The kicking talent in the NFL is often lower than their UFL counterparts, so there has to be a space for a talented player like Greg Joseph! He had the longest kick in Minnesota Vikings franchise history in 2022, after all.
Greg Joseph began his career with the Miami Dolphins and the Cleveland Browns in 2018, the Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans in 2019, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, and his longest stint of three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. In 2024 he played for five different teams: Green Bay, both New York City teams, the Detroit Lions, and the Washington Commanders. Allegedly, there may have been an injury settlement with the New York Giants.
An Exploration of Identity
One constant in Greg Joseph’s life is his Jewish faith. Unlike some other Jewish American talents in the NFL, he is both Jewish ethnically and religiously. This feels important as it is a very fair representation of the Jewish American community in the United States at large. We love highlighting everyone and their unique story and perspective.
Greg Joseph’s Faith
In Cleveland, Joseph connected to the Jewish community immediately. He did this everywhere we went; it’s just not always highlighted in an article. Greg Joseph worked together with Rabbi Yossi Freedman to put up a mezuzah outside of the young man’s apartment. A mezuzah is a piece of parchment with specific verses from the Torah that is traditionally placed in the entrance of a home. He also celebrated Yom Kippur with Freedman in the Chabad of Downtown Cleveland in 2018.
Joseph has an ever-present heart to serve. The Browns had an off-day for practice on Tuesdays, and he worked together with his team’s community relations people to sign up for community service each week. He may not have been in Cleveland long enough to connect with the Jewish community, but he especially desired to serve them. Ilana Joseph instilled this attitude in her son—she and her family often focused on lending a helping hand in their community in Florida.
Joseph was quoted as saying, “The Browns are in a position to win, but while I’m here, I want to get involved in the community. I want to try to go talk to and inspire Jewish kids all across Cleveland to let them know that it’s possible to do basically whatever you want. It’s not just football, it’s not just sports. If you have a goal, my big thing is, put your head down and work. Anything is possible.” You’ve inspired far more than just Cleveland kids, Greg. You’ve spread your beautiful message to kids in 10 different cities.
A Greater Focus
In recent years, Greg Joseph has been on an exploration of his family’s story. He knew he had Eastern European roots and that his Lithuanian family had fled their home country in the 1920s due to growing antisemitism, but that was all. As a young man, he feels inspired to explore his own background and the greater Jewish experience in general.
He had this powerful quote to say in 2023: “My dad is half Lithuanian, a quarter German and a quarter Polish, so he’s looked back and seen how his family was affected by the war and possible family members who were tragically lost in the Holocaust. Obviously it’s personal to me because of my religion and my pride in being Jewish … but I think it’s more crucial than ever for people to educate themselves on these horrific events in history – not just the Holocaust – so we can do our best as the human race to be the most humane we can be and stop these tragic events from ever happening again in the future.”
On his own journey to educate himself, he has put that NFL income to good use by traveling to many important destinations. He puts an emphasis on visiting Holocaust museums like the Memorial Museum located in Washington, DC, different Eastern European ghettos like Auschwitz and Warsaw, as well as an NFL goodwill tour to 12 different Polish military bases.
Final Thoughts
Greg Joseph is a key member of the NFL Jewish American community. In order to have the best version of the NFL that we can have, we need to highlight the contributions of all members of the NFL community. Especially minority groups that are often overlooked or ignored. Joseph has a passion for inspiring Jewish children in particular, and we are proud to amplify that goal. This young man brings important awareness to Jewish history from his perspective, educating himself and others.
Joseph is a multifaceted, talented individual. He is a great example of emphasizing the importance of education and athletics, which will help him transition successfully from an NFL placekicker to a contributing member of general society. That is often a tough transition for many athletes, and his emphasis on education and multiple streams of income through football and investment can serve to inspire other athletes and children. We love the balanced approach! Keep an eye out for other Jewish American Heritage Month 2025 articles here throughout May.
