New England Patriots (first stint) Although the Patriots considered picking Ventrone with the final pick of the
2005 NFL draft, they chose
tight end Andy Stokes as
Mr. Irrelevant; Ventrone then signed as an
undrafted free agent. Ventrone was released at the end of training camp and re-signed to the practice squad. After spending the rest of the
2005 season on the practice squad, he was allocated to
NFL Europa in the spring of
2006. There, Ventrone suffered an injury and was placed on the team's NFL Europe/Non-Football Injury list, sidelining him for the 2006 season.
New York Jets After the Patriots released Ventrone on February 13, 2007, he signed with the
New York Jets on February 21; then-Jets head coach
Eric Mangini had been Ventrone's
defensive coordinator with the Patriots in 2005. After the Jets released Ventrone in their final cutdown before the 2007 season, they signed him to their practice squad, but released him on September 12.
New England Patriots (second stint) The Patriots signed Ventrone to their practice squad on September 18, 2007 and then promoted to the team's 53-man roster on November 3. Upon the activation of
Eddie Jackson and
Chad Jackson from the
PUP list, the Patriots released Ventrone on November 7, 2007, and re-signed him to their practice squad two days later. He was again promoted to the active roster in December, and remained on the active roster for the balance of the season, including
Super Bowl XLII, in which he recorded his first NFL tackle. During the
2008 offseason, Ventrone began practicing as a
wide receiver, a position he had not played in games since he was a sophomore at
Chartiers Valley High School; he had, however, previously lined up at wide receiver on scout teams in Patriots practices. In the Patriots' third 2008 preseason game, Ventrone led all receivers with four receptions, while still playing on special teams and defense. Ventrone would go on to play in 15 games during the 2008 season, almost exclusively on special teams, recording six special teams tackles. During a July 31, 2009, press conference, Patriots head coach
Bill Belichick spoke of Ventrone: Despite those comments, however, the Patriots released Ventrone during their final cutdowns on September 5, 2009.
Cleveland Browns Ventrone signed with the
Cleveland Browns on September 16, 2009. He was re-signed to a three-year, $2.2 million deal on March 6, 2010. Ventrone was selected as a Pro Bowl Alternate as a Special Teamer in 2010 where he led the #1 ranked special teams unit in the NFL. He was Special Teams Captain in 2011 and 2012.
San Francisco 49ers Ventrone signed with the
San Francisco 49ers on June 3, 2013, and served as a special teams captain for the 2013 and 2014 seasons; he was voted "Special Teams Player of the Year" by his teammates and coaches. ==Coaching career==