SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Five NFL seasons. Five NFL teams.
That’s the path that brought former BYU and Granger High standout Khyiris Tonga to the doorstep of the Super Bowl.
The nose tackle has found a place he fits into with New England, and he’ll be on the field when the Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Sunday (4:30 p.m. MST, NBC) at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
“I look back on my journey, I’m just appreciative of all the teams that gave me an opportunity, appreciative of all the coaches who gave me a shot,” Tonga told the Deseret News on Wednesday during an exclusive interview.
How did things wind up leading to the Super Bowl for Tonga?
“Nothing’s given. You’ve got to earn it every week, no matter who you play and who you go against. You’ve got to earn your respect in this league,” he said.
Finding a home in New England — and contributing on offense
Let’s breeze through the first few years of Tonga’s NFL path.
Tonga, following a career at BYU where he anchored the Cougars’ defensive line, originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft pick by the Chicago Bears in 2021.
His time in the Windy City lasted a little over a year before he was released prior to his second season with the Bears.
Atlanta briefly added him to its practice squad, then Minnesota became Tonga’s home for much of the 2022 season and all of 2023.
Then there was a one-year deal in Arizona, all before New England signed Tonga to a one-year, $2.7 million deal last offseason.
That’s a lot of bouncing around, but with the Patriots, things have clicked as he mans the middle of the defensive line alongside Milton Williams and Christian Barmore while posting 24 tackles and a pair of pass deflections during the regular season.
“I’m nothing but grateful for my time and my journey, but super grateful for the Patriots for letting me just be me, giving me a home and let me play,” Tonga said.
One fun little side story to this season: New England has even been willing to let Tonga line up on offense as a fullback, something Tonga did a bit of at BYU. He also played tight end in high school.
All totaled, the 335-pound Tonga has played 18 offensive snaps this season between the regular season and postseason, coming in as a short-yardage blocker.
“The offensive coaches came up to me one day after practice, kind of jokingly saying, ‘Hey, we need you at fullback. Will you be ready?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I got you,’ kind of a joking thing. And then next thing you know, I’m over here taking notes on the D-line and I’m in the offensive room meeting with the tight end coach,” Tonga said.
The move has involved some good-natured teasing, “but I think they know that I’m willing to do it,” he says.
Could Tonga tote the ball one of these times, like William “The Refrigerator” Perry did in the Bears’ 1986 Super Bowl win over New England?
“I’m not looking for no touchdown. I’m just looking to win,” he said, with a smile.
‘The big dogs come out in January’
Tonga and his Patriots defensive front teammates have been peaking at the right time.
During the Patriots’ postseason run, New England has given up an average of 71.3 rushing yards per game and has 12 sacks.
That included a six-sack effort in a 16-3 wild-card round win over the Los Angeles Chargers that had first-year head coach Mike Vrabel declare after that victory, “The big dogs come out in January.”
The next challenge? Facing Seattle in February.
That’s a stiff test, as they face a high-scoring Seahawks offense led by quarterback Sam Darnold, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back Kenneth Walker III.
“I’m nothing but grateful for my time and my journey, but super grateful for the Patriots for letting me just be me, giving me a home and let me play.”
— New England defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga
In two postseason games, Walker has rushed for 178 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
“It will be a challenge. It starts off with their backs, (they’re) very good up front. They work well together in the run game,” Tonga said. “From a rushing standpoint, we got to be on our Ps and Qs up front.”
If Tonga and the Patriots can dominate the trenches again, it’ll increase their odds of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
“I give them a lot of credit, defensively, for what they’ve done,” Vrabel said of what he’s seen from his defensive unit during the postseason. “We’ll need our best effort on Sunday in order to help us win the football game.”
Earlier this week, Pro Football Focus highlighted some defining numbers behind New England’s stellar run defense during the postseason.
The Patriots are allowing just 3.1 yards per carry in the playoffs, the lowest of any team to reach the Super Bowl in the past four years, per PFF.
Tonga, along with Williams and Barmore, has played a pivotal role in that, as all three have elevated their efficiency in the postseason.
Tonga, in particular, has seen his PFF run-defense grade jump from 54.6 during the regular season to 74.4 during the playoffs.
“It’s really just a big chip on our shoulders as a D-line. I mean, Vrabel started it off, ‘big dogs come out in January.’ I think everybody took that personally and took it up to them as a challenge to be able to go out and to be a big dog, try to be dominant. And I think our D-line ran with that,” Tonga said.
In the divisional round, during a 28-16 win over the Houston Texans, Tonga had a fourth-quarter sack that helped extinguish one of Houston’s final chances to rally.
Then, in the AFC championship game in snowy and frigid Denver, Tonga made another critical play.
Amid driving snow that dictated gameplay during the second half, the Broncos, trailing 10-7 in the fourth quarter, were set up with prime field position at the New England 33 following a 26-yard punt.
On the first play of the ensuing drive, though, Tonga dropped running back RJ Harvey for a 3-yard loss, and three plays later, a 45-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
“That’s football. That’s really where you get the love for the game that comes in for football. We knew that it could have been bad weather, so we were prepared. And then when it hit, we didn’t flinch,” Tonga said.
“I’m fortunate enough to never experience a real cold game, but that Denver game was probably one of my coldest I’ve ever been in. But like I said, it was so much fun.”
Steadying influences in his life
Tonga’s path to his current place in the NFL involved its share of hardships — and people willing to help him along the way.
In an episode of “Deep Blue” on BYUtv, Tonga shared how his mother experienced homelessness when he was a teenager, and he ended up being adopted by George and Siu Tonga.
That familial transition helped him grow his faith. Tonga is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“It’s everything to me. That’s who I am, and that’s hopefully something that I can be when someone looks at me — it’s not just a football player, but a Christian man and a good man, and my faith is everything to me,” Tonga said. “(It) has taught me a lot and I’m still learning, but still growing.
“And the fact that I have the knowledge that I do have, it’s very comforting to know, especially at a time like this. I love my faith.”
His mom Siu and his older brother Joe are among those that Tonga said he is able to rely on for advice and help managing hard times.
“I lean on them, and God, heavy in my life. He’s blessed me with so much, and all I can do is hopefully represent and do good in life, and be able to just give back as much as I can, because I’ve been given so much down here,” Tonga said.
The former Cougar also found another influential person in BYU coach Kalani Sitake.
“I enjoyed my time at BYU, a lot of great memories, even better memories off the field with a lot of good guys,” he said.
Now, he’s one of a handful of former Cougars representing BYU in the NFL, a group that includes former teammate Fred Warner, an All-Pro linebacker in San Francisco, and Los Angeles Rams superstar receiver Puka Nacua.
“I love it, being able to see all the BYU boys ball and represent BYU,” Tonga said. “We need more guys coming out. I can’t wait to see those guys come out and play and represent BYU on the biggest stage as well.”
For now, it’s all led to a path where Tonga is one step away from football’s biggest prize: a Super Bowl title. It’s a journey that Tonga is blessed to traverse.
“I’m just grateful and just excited for the opportunity. We’ve been running with it, but just try to be where my feet is and just take advantage of all the opportunities I have,” he said. “I’m enjoying it, and I’m loving everything that’s been happening.”
