Finding longevity in the NFL at any level is an impressive feat. Doing so as an undrafted free agent out of college takes some serious determination. After seven years in the NFL, cornerback Andre Chachere failed to find his way onto a roster in 2025, and today he announced his decision to retire from the NFL.
Chachere came out of San Jose State, where he played almost exclusively on the outside as a cornerback. After seeing few snaps as a freshman, he found a consistent role coming off the bench in his sophomore year. His strongest season came in a breakout junior campaign that saw him intercept four passes, returning them for a total of 117 yards, and register 14 passes defensed as a full-time starter. His production dipped a bit in his final year, though, and Chachere went undrafted in 2018, initially signing with the Texans.
Patient and determined, Chachere didn’t make his NFL debut until his fourth year in the league. After failing to make the initial 53-man roster in Houston, he started the season on the Texans’ practice squad but ended up in Detroit, signing to the Lions’ taxi squad in mid November. He was briefly called up to the active roster as a rookie in Detroit but didn’t see any game time. After failing to make the Lions’ 53-man roster the next year, Chachere signed to the Cardinals’ practice squad, was released a month later, signed to the Panthers’ practice squad, then was signed off the Panthers’ p-squad to the Cardinals’ active roster, again failing to see any game time. After getting cut in the offseason, Chachere spent the 2020 season on the Colts’ practice squad.
Once again failing to make an initial 53-man roster, Chachere was claimed off waivers by the Eagles for the 2021 season. He finally made his way into an NFL game, initially serving mostly on special teams before earning his first career start in the final week of the regular season. He remained in Philadelphia in 2022, but after appearing in 16 games the prior year, he only saw action in seven games in his second season making it onto the field. Waived again in the offseason, Charchere was claimed off waivers by the Cardinals, marking his third stint with the team. In the most active season of his career, he found his way onto the field as a nickelback for the Cardinals, spending a good portion of his snaps back at safety, in the slot, and in the box after playing in college on the outside. Appearing in all 17 games that season, he made five starts.
Chachere failed to make one more 53-man roster the next year and signed to the Jaguars practice squad for less than a month before a fourth stint in Arizona on the practice squad. Chachere has made the decision to end his playing career with eyes on an unclear future. After working three full years before making his NFL debut and spending so much time on the waiver wire, he still found a way to make an impact for a short time on an NFL defense and lasted seven years in the league.