Ray Farmer is a former American football player and executive who has had a successful career in the sport. He played college football at Duke University, where he was a standout linebacker and earned All-ACC honors. After college, Farmer was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996 and played for them for two seasons before being traded to the Indianapolis Colts.
Farmer played for the Colts for three seasons and was a key contributor on special teams. He then signed with the St. Louis Rams in 2001 and played for them for one season before retiring from playing football. After his playing career ended, Farmer began working in the front office of the Atlanta Falcons as a scout.
In 2006, Farmer was hired by the Kansas City Chiefs as their director of pro personnel. He spent three seasons with the Chiefs before being hired by the Cleveland Browns in 2013 as their assistant general manager. In 2014, Farmer was promoted to general manager of the Browns, becoming the first African American general manager in the team's history.
During his time as general manager, Farmer made several notable moves, including drafting quarterback Johnny Manziel in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. However, Manziel's career with the Browns was short-lived and he was released by the team in 2016. Farmer also made several other draft picks that did not pan out, leading to criticism of his tenure as general manager.
In 2016, Farmer was suspended by the NFL for four games for violating the league's rules on texting during games. He was fired by the Browns after the 2015 season and has not worked in the NFL since.
Despite the ups and downs of his career, Farmer is widely respected in the football world for his knowledge of the game and his ability to evaluate talent. He has been praised for his work as a scout and for his contributions to the teams he has worked for. While his time as general manager of the Browns was not as successful as he would have liked, Farmer remains a respected figure in the sport and could potentially return to a front office role in the future.
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