In Super Bowl rematch, it's a Patriots rookie who surprisingly gets first TD of NFL season

New England Patriots tight end Eli Raridon was the unlikely first touchdown scorer of the NFL season. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)AP Photo/Steven Senne

Eli Raridon wasn't far removed from his final season at Notre Dame when the New England Patriots lost Super Bowl LX to the Seattle Seahawks.

A couple months later, Raridon was a third-round pick of the AFC champions. And in his first NFL game, he made his first NFL catch count.

After a flea flicker and an underthrown pass by Drake Maye led to A.J. Brown drawing a defensive pass interference call, the Patriots called a first-and-goal play for their rookie tight end. The left side of the line made it look like a run but Raridon snuck out to the corner of the end zone where Maye hit him for a 2-yard touchdown. It was the first score of the 2026 NFL regular season. It was also the first touch of Raridon's career.

The odds of Raridon being the first touchdown scorer in Wednesday night's game was 60-to-1 at DraftKings.

First NFL catch, first NFL TD @EliRaridon!!

NBC pic.twitter.com/M9ZmApdGAt

- New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 10, 2026

Raridon's NFL career didn't start well. On a run he was blasted by Seahawks outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, who then dropped running back Rhamondre Stevenson for a loss. It was a welcome to the NFL moment for the rookie.

Later, Raridon had a better moment to remember his NFL debut.