In the AFC Championship against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chris Hogan was Tom Brady’s favorite target. Ending the game with 9 receptions for 180 yards and two touchdowns, Hogan broke the record for the most receiving yards in a playoff game in patriots history. After bouncing around the league for six years, playing for four teams, Hogan has finally found a home in New England. While many players have a career of always moving teams, always getting released, never settling down, it is Hogan’s background that is different from others. However, it is no surprise Hogan is having his best years under Bill Belichick.

Christopher James Hogan was born in Wyckoff, New Jersey on October 24, 1988. He was an outstanding athlete at Ramapo High School, playing football and lacrosse.  He was a first-team All-New Jersey as a junior and senior in lacrosse and an all-state first teamer as a senior in football. Obviously, he was a tremendous athlete, but he had a hard decision to make coming out of high school. Hogan had to make the choice of playing football or lacrosse in college. He choose lacrosse and accepted a scholarship to play at Penn State in 2007. He was a big part of the team from the beginning. As a freshman, he started all 13 games, scoring seven goals. As a junior, Hogan scored 29 goals on 133 shots, was named first-team All-ECAC, and was voted captain for his senior season. However, his ankle sprain in 2008 prevented him from playing in his sophomore year, so he still had one year of eligibility coming out of college. After graduating from Penn State, he immediately secured a spot at Monmouth on the football team. Hogan played wide receiver and cornerback. He finished at Monmouth with 12 receptions for 147 yards and three TDs.

His numbers in his last year at Monmouth showed his potential as a deep threat. Hogan jumped around as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, and the Buffalo Bills. Playing few snaps, Hogan was continually cut. After some productive years in 2014 and 2015 with the Bills, with a combined 77 receptions for 876 yards and six TDs, Hogan was beginning to attract attention. In 2016 as a restricted free agent, Hogan joined the Patriots on a 3 year, $12 million offer. This happened as the result of Bill Belichick describing how Hogan was a “burner,” with incredible athleticism. In his first season in New England, he ended the season with 38 receptions for 680 yards and 4 touchdowns; his 17.89 yards per catch was second only to DeSean Jackson’s 17.95. Hogan proved to be a great addition for the Patriots.

It has certainly been a rollercoaster career for Chris Hogan, but it looks like he has finally found a home in New England. It just shows how an injury is not always a bad thing, it can open doors to new opportunities that you never know would come.