Background and career
Olivier Alexander Vernon (born October 7, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the Miami Hurricanes. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft and also played for the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns.
Vernon attended American High School in Miami, Florida. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 11th best weakside defensive end prospect of his class.
Vernon attended the University of Miami, playing for the Miami Hurricanes football team for three seasons. During his career, he totaled 81 tackles, including 20.5 for loss, and nine sacks. Vernon was one of the guilty players in the 2011 University of Miami athletics scandal receiving a six game suspension for accepting bribes from a booster Nevin Shapiro.
The Miami Dolphins selected Vernon in the third round (72nd overall) of the 2012 NFL draft. Vernon was the eighth defensive end drafted in 2012. His selection ended a drought of eight years without the Miami Dolphins drafting a player from the University of Miami. The last one had been Vernon Carey in 2004. On July 25, 2012, the Dolphins signed Vernon to a four-year, $2.84 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $630,080. Throughout his first training camp, Vernon competed against Jared Odrick, Randy Starks, Jonathan Freeny, and Jamaal Westerman for a job as a starting defensive end. Head coach Joe Philbin named Vernon a backup defensive end to begin the regular season, behind Cameron Wake and Jared Odrick. He made his professional regular season debut in the Miami Dolphins' season-opener at the Houston Texans and recorded one solo tackle in their 30–10 loss. On September 23, 2012, Vernon collected a season-high five sacks and was credited for half a sack to mark the first of his career during a 23–20 loss against the New York Jets in Week 3. Vernon's first sack was alongside teammate Jared Odrick, as both of them brought Jets' quarterback Mark Sanchez down for a six-yard loss in the second quarter. In Week 6, he recorded four solo tackles and made a season-high two sacks on Rams' quarterback Sam Bradford as the Dolphins defeated the St. Louis Rams 17–14. On October 28, 2012, Vernon recorded a tackle and scored the first touchdown of his career after recovering a blocked punt by teammate Jimmy Wilson in the end zone during the first quarter of a 30–9 win at the New York Jets in Week 8. Vernon also blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt by Jets' kicker Nick Folk in the end of the second quarter. Vernon finished his rookie season in 2012 with 32 combined tackles (25 solo), 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and a touchdown in 16 games and zero starts.
During training camp, Vernon competed against Jared Odrick and Dion Jordan to be a starting defensive end, opposite Cameron Wake. Head coach Joe Philbin names Vernon and Cameron Wake the starting defensive ends to start the regular season. They began the season alongside defensive tackles Paul Soliai and Randy Starks. On September 8, 2013, Vernon earned his first career start during the Miami Dolphins' season-opening 23–10 victory at the Cleveland Browns. On December 1, 2013, Vernon collected a season-high ten combined tackles (eight solo) and recorded a season-high three sacks during a 23–3 victory at the New York Jets in Week 13. Vernon recorded one of his sacks on Jets' quarterback Geno Smith and earned another two by sacking backup quarterback Matt Simms. He finished the 2013 NFL season with 57 combined tackles (46 solo) and a career-high 11.5 sacks in 16 games and 14 starts.
Vernon entered training camp slated as a starting defensive end in 2014. Head coach Joe Philbin retained Vernon and Cameron Wake as the starting defensive ends to begin the 2014 regular season. In Week 6, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles and made 1.5 sacks on Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers during a 27–24 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Vernon started in all 16 games in 2014 and recorded 46 combined tackles (31 solo) and 6.5 sacks.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
