The First NFL Touchdown of 2026 Came From an Iowa Native

The 2026 NFL season kicked off this week. The league's first game of the year was a rematch of last season's Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. There were some interesting prop bets you could make on which star player from either team would score the first touchdown of the NFL season. But no one had this Iowa native on their radar!

Iowa Native Scores First TD of the NFL Season

When the season is over, not many people will be able to tell you who scored the first touchdown of the season. That would be Des Moines, Iowa native Eli Raridon. The Des Moines Register reports that the Iowa native caught a pass from New England quarterback Drake Maye in the second quarter of Wednesday night's season opener in Seattle.

The touchdown gave New England a 7-0 lead. Seattle would go on to win the Super Bowl 60 rematch 13-10.

The Iowa Native Left the State to Play College Football

The Register reports that Raridon played his high school football at Des Moines Valley High School, but left the state for college. He had offers to play at Iowa, Iowa State, and Tennessee, but ultimately chose to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He played 40 games at Notre Dame, but had knee problems for much of his time in South Bend.

New England selected Raridon with the 96th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, according to the Register. He is listed as the backup tight end for the Patriots behind starter Hunter Henry.

In case you were wondering, DraftKings listed the odds of Raridon scoring the season's first touchdown at 60-1. That bet would have paid out nicely!