Background and career
Sebastian Georg Vollmer (German pronunciation: [zeˈbasti̯a(ː)n ˈɡeːɔʁk ˈfɔlmɐ]; born 10 July 1984) is a German former professional American football player who was an offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars and was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft and played his entire eight-year career with the team. He was named a second-team All-Pro in 2010.
Born in Kaarst, Germany, Vollmer did not start playing American football until he was 14 years old. He attended Quirinus Gymnasium, a secondary school in Neuss, Germany. He played American football for the Düsseldorf Panther and helped his team to a 25–0 record and two national Junior Bowl wins. After appearing in the 2003 Global Junior Championships in San Diego, California, he was recruited by college coaches as a 250-pound tight end.
Vollmer chose to attend the University of Houston, where he played for the Houston Cougars football team beginning in 2004. He redshirted his freshman season in 2004, and appeared in eight games as a reserve tight end in 2005. After requiring back surgery as a sophomore, Vollmer switched from tight end to left tackle, where he started 25 straight games for Houston. At Houston, Vollmer's offensive line coach was Joe Gilbert, who had previously worked at the University of Toledo, where he coached another future Patriots lineman, Nick Kaczur. As a senior, he was named to the first-team All-Conference USA at left tackle.
Vollmer was not invited to the NFL Combine, but did have a private workout with Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia prior to the 2009 NFL draft.
Vollmer was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round (58th overall) of the 2009 NFL draft. On 17 July, he signed a four-year contract. Vollmer made his official NFL debut in the Patriots' first game of the season. He made his first start at left tackle, filling in for an injured Matt Light, in the Patriots' record-setting 59–0 victory in Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans, and started the next four games. After being sidelined for two weeks with a head injury, Vollmer made his sixth start of the season in Week 14 against the Carolina Panthers; Vollmer lined up at both left tackle and right tackle, in place of veteran tackle Nick Kaczur, during the game. Vollmer started the Patriots' next two games after Kaczur was injured, and when Kaczur returned in Week 17, he continued to start at right tackle, including the Patriots' playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
In 2010, Vollmer started all 16 games of the regular season at right tackle for the Patriots. He was named to the Associated Press 2010 All-Pro Team (2nd team, thus one of the four best tackles—left or right—in the NFL), but was not voted to the 2011 Pro Bowl, as "Vollmer's anonymity kept him out of the Pro Bowl".
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.
