THE MOMENT WILL forever play in WR Alex Bachman’s head, serving as a reminder of the uncertainty he has dealt with while trying to live out his NFL dreams. Playing for the New York Giants in 2021, he was certain that he would be elevated from the practice squad for the team’s road matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
On Sunday, Bachman will face off against his former team, the Giants, with the Las Vegas Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET on CBS) still holding on to that memory.
This season with the Raiders, despite the 2-13 record, has provided more stability compared with his stints with the Los Angeles Rams, Giants and Houston Texans. Bachman was signed to the active roster in October and has carved himself a role as a punt returner.
Still, he lives with the thought that each day could be his last in the league and that he might have to find another opportunity elsewhere. To that end, Bachman drives a rental car and stays in a guesthouse to avoid putting his name on an apartment lease that he might have to break at any moment.
There have been days when the 29-year-old pondered the idea of putting away the cleats. However, Bachman’s passion for football allows him to keep pushing forward.
“There’s nothing in life that can prepare you for the NFL, but I wouldn’t change anything at the end of the day,” he told ESPN.
“It’s such an emotional roller coaster,” Dave said. “I’ve told him, ‘I would have been gone a while ago.’ But he just keeps going.”
But Dave knows it would be hard to persuade Alex to give up because he has gone above and beyond to get to this point. At Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California, Bachman had to play free safety despite a desire to be a wide receiver.
Through three seasons, he didn’t record a reception, so to show colleges that Alex could play wide receiver, Dave had to film him during various football camps and 7-on-7 tournaments that he had attended.
After his junior year of high school, Bachman took it upon himself to travel to Wake Forest so he could show the coaching staff his film. The issue was that he didn’t have any film that showed him playing wide receiver in pads, so the staff asked Bachman to attend the program’s football camp.
He stood out during Wake Forest’s camp so much so that it prompted the Demon Deacons to offer him a scholarship, and he didn’t waste any time committing. In the fall of his senior year at Oaks Christian, Bachman finally earned offensive snaps. He totaled 13 catches for 195 yards and a touchdown in seven games.
At Wake Forest, Bachman totaled 82 catches for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns in 32 games. His best season came as a senior, when he caught 37 passes for 541 yards and six scores.
He had his eyes on the NFL, but his parents said they couldn’t continue to pay for all of his training fees.
“When it came to the NFL, we said, ‘You’re gonna have to chip in. How bad do you want this?'” Leslie said. “He’s very driven, and you have to be to continue on this path.”
For six months during his senior year, Bachman said he made $2,500 a month as an Uber driver. Between picking up people at night, he would find tracks to train on. The money earned through Uber and the checks Bachman had received from his grandparents were enough to pay for training ahead of Wake Forest’s 2019 pro day.
“I know a lot of teams were there [for] the other guys on my team, but I was hoping to blow the doors off it and create some conversation,” Bachman said. “I think running [the time] I did is the reason why I first got my opportunity to get into the NFL in the first place.”
BACHMAN’S UNDERDOG JOURNEY to play Division I football still couldn’t prepare him for what he would eventually have to endure in the NFL.
Bachman signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He was waived/injured during the final day of roster cuts and placed on the injured reserve list. Shortly after, he was waived with an injury settlement.
Two months later, he signed to the Giants’ practice squad, where he spent six weeks of the 2019 season and most of 2020. He made his league debut against the Eagles in Week 7 of 2020.
Bachman went on to play in three games for New York in 2021. He thought he would’ve appeared in four, but the team had different plans for its Week 16 divisional matchup against Philadelphia.
In the summer of 2022, Bachman felt confident in his chances of making the Giants’ 53-man roster. He had put together a strong training camp and had an 11-catch, 122-yard and 2-touchdown performance against the Bengals in the preseason.
“It’s a gut shot to your ego and pride,” Bachman said. “Sometimes there are things that are outside of your control, but the season is long, and things can change quickly.”
Three months later, he joined the Texans’ practice squad, where he remained for the entire 2022 season. Bachman signed a reserve/future contract in January 2023.
Bachman participated in Houston’s training camp ahead of the 2023 season. He was waived in August and signed to the practice squad in November. Bachman eventually signed another reserve/future contract in January 2024 but was waived in April.
On May 22, Bachman signed with Las Vegas. He bounced between the practice squad and active roster but managed to play in six games during the 2024 season. He even made his first career start in the team’s Week 7 loss to his first team, the Rams.
In his second season with the Raiders in 2025, Bachman performed well during training camp. Even though he didn’t make the initial 53-man roster, Las Vegas quickly signed him to the practice squad and elevated him ahead of the season opener against the New England Patriots.
Bachman was then signed to the active roster after linebacker Brennan Jackson was placed on the injured reserve list. In 10 games, Bachman has totaled 94 yards on 15 punt returns.
Coach Pete Carroll said he has been supporting Bachman for a while, hoping he would get his chance. Carroll added that Bachman spoke to the team a couple of weeks ago to share his journey.
“He has been knocked around. And a lot of guys could have got discouraged,” Carroll said. “We’ve seen nothing but really productive, high-performance stuff throughout practice that just keeps reminding you this guy needs to be part of what we’re doing.”
“It costs like $2,000 to ship [my car] out here and $2,000 to ship it back,” Bachman said. “But I can get a good rental car here for $3,500 and turn it in whenever I need to.”
Fortunately for Bachman, he has been able to stay in a guesthouse rent-free. Dave asked one of his friends from the Marines if Alex could borrow a room so he wasn’t tied down to an apartment in case he had to leave and join another team. Last year in Las Vegas, Bachman rented a room in a house that belonged to a former teammate.
“He always looks at it like, well, this mortgage isn’t going away, and that’s his main focus. So he cuts corners and other things,” Leslie said.
Bachman has also learned to play through pain, knowing he can’t afford to miss too many practices. He played through a couple of ankle sprains during training camp. All he did was wrap up his ankle, take Tylenol and keep playing to show that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help the team.
Bachman recently broke his thumb, forcing him to miss two games, but he returned in the Raiders’ 23-21 loss to Houston in Week 16.
“It’s not even a month ago. He’s playing with a broken thumb, and you wouldn’t even know it,” Carroll said.
Bachman could’ve given up at any moment. He has been fond of sports broadcasting and exploring his entrepreneurial interests. But through it all, his love for the sport has kept him going and has allowed him to cherish the moment.
“Alex basically had to sell himself… It’s a crazy story,” Leslie said.
With 31 NFL teams in attendance, Bachman ran an unofficial 4.40 in the 40-yard dash.
“That was one of the many wake-up calls along the way,” Dave said.
“It’s been a little more comforting… I expect to be here tomorrow,” Bachman said.
“You’re still playing a kid’s game, so enjoy each day,” Bachman said.
Ryan McFaddenDec 27, 2025, 06:00 AM ETCloseRyan McFadden covers the Las Vegas Raiders for ESPN’s NFL Nation. Prior to ESPN, McFadden was a Denver Broncos beat reporter for the Denver Post. McFadden also wrote about the Baltimore Ravens and University of Maryland athletics for The Baltimore Sun.Follow on X