Mario Lashun Edwards Jr. (born January 25, 1994) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. He has also been a member of the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans.
Early life Mario was raised in Denton, Texas, while his father played for the Dallas Cowboys. Edwards attended Prosper High School for his freshman and sophomore year, where he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track. He started at defensive end for the state champion Eagles as a freshman. Edwards recorded 69 tackles and three sacks as a freshman on top of catching 17 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns. He then transferred to Billy Ryan High School. As a junior, he recorded 127 tackles, 50 tackles for loss and 18 sacks leading Denton Ryan to a state runner-up finish against Austin Lake Travis led by Michael Brewer. As a senior in 2011, he recorded 72 tackles and 11 sacks and was the USA Today High School Defensive Player of the Year.All-USA: Green-Beckham, Edwards Jr. named players of year Further, he earned All-American honors by USA Today, Parade, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN. In track & field, Edwards competed as a shot putter during his final two years at Denton, recording a top-throw of 15.08 meters (49 ft, 3 in) at the 2012 Richardson Invitational, where he placed first.
Regarded as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Edwards was ranked as the No. 1 defensive tackle prospect in his class. In fact, he was ranked No. 3 overall, which was Rivals.com's highest ranking for a defensive tackle prospect since Haloti Ngata (No. 2) in 2002. According to ESPN recruiting analyst Craig Haubert, Edwards was similar to Da'Quan Bowers at the same stage of their careers. Recruited by numerous schools, Edwards took official visits to Texas, Oklahoma, Florida State, and Louisiana State, before committing to the Seminoles on January 24, 2012.Mario Edwards Jr. confirms commitment to Florida StateMario Edwards Jr. makes his final decision
College career
In his true freshman year in Tallahassee, Edwards was initially projected to redshirt, but then forced into action due to the loss of Brandon Jenkins in week one. Edwards appeared in 11 games and made his first career start in the 2012 ACC Championship Game replacing Cornellius Carradine. For the season he had 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks. As a sophomore in 2013, Edwards recorded 34 tackles, 3.5 sacks and an interception. Returning as a starter his junior season in 2014, Edwards recorded 44 tackles and 3.0 sacks.
After his junior season, Edwards entered the 2015 NFL draft.Noles losing Williams, EdwardsFSU DE Mario Edwards Jr. officially declares for NFL Draft
Professional career
Oakland Raiders Edwards was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round (35th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.
On June 19, 2015, the Raiders signed Edwards to a four-year, $6.01 million contract with $3.72 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2.63 million. On December 23, 2015, Edwards was placed on injured reserve.
On September 5, 2016, Edwards was placed on injured reserve due to a hip injury. He was activated off injured reserve to the active roster on December 23, 2016.
On September 1, 2018, Edwards was waived by the Raiders.
New York Giants On September 2, 2018, Edwards was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants.
New Orleans Saints On March 15, 2019, Edwards signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the New Orleans Saints. He was released on September 5, 2020.
Chicago Bears On September 8, 2020, Edwards was signed by the Chicago Bears. He played in 15 games recording 17 tackles and a career-high 4.0 sacks.
On January 15, 2021, Edwards was suspended by the NFL for the first two games of the 2021 season for violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy. He signed a three-year, $11.5 million contract extension with the Bears on March 16, 2021.
Edwards was released by the Bears on August 30, 2022.
Jacksonville Jaguars On September 4, 2022, Edwards was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad.
Tennessee Titans On September 26, 2022, Edwards was signed by the Tennessee Titans off the Jaguars practice squad.
Seattle Seahawks On May 15, 2023, Edwards signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Houston Texans On March 19, 2024, Edwards signed with the Houston Texans. He was suspended four games on October 14, for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. In 13 appearances (12 starts) for Houston, Edwards registered two pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, three sacks, and 31 combined tackles.
On March 11, 2025, Edwards re-signed with the Texans on a two-year, $9.5 million contract. He played in 14 games for the Texans, recording 1.5 sacks and 13 combined tackles. On December 15, head coach DeMeco Ryans announced that Edwards would miss the remainder of the season due to a pectoral tear.
On March 11, 2026, Edwards was released by the Texans following a failed physical. Edwards re-signed with the Texans on August 2. On September 30, 2026, Edwards was placed on injured reserve.
NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high
Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2015 OAK 14 10 42 33 9 2.0 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 2016 OAK 2 0 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2017 OAK 14 14 27 19 8 3.5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2018 NYG 15 0 14 12 2 2.0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2019 NOR 14 0 8 6 2 3.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2020 CHI 15 0 17 11 6 4.0 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2021 CHI 12 1 8 2 6 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2022 TEN 13 7 17 11 6 3.0 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2023 SEA 15 1 21 15 6 2.0 5 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2024 HOU 13 12 31 12 19 3.0 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2025 HOU 14 0 13 6 7 1.5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2026 HOU 2 0 5 0 5 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 143 45 205 128 77 27.0 33 0 0 0 0 8 6 2 0 0
Playoffs Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2016 OAK 1 1 3 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2019 NOR 1 0 2 1 1 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2020 CHI 1 0 4 4 0 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2024 HOU 1 0 2 1 1 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 4 1 11 9 2 1.5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Personal life Edwards was born while his father, Mario Edwards Sr., was still in high school. While the elder Edwards played college football at Florida State, the younger stayed in Mississippi with his grandmother, Ruth Chambers, and Mario Sr.'s sister and two brothers. After Edwards Sr. was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2000, the family moved to the northern Dallas area.
References
External links
Houston Texans bio Florida State Seminoles bio