Robert Ayers had success in college football at the University of Tennessee, earning All-SEC First Team honors in 2008. He was then drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Though he struggled initially to live up to expectations in Denver, Ayers later found success as a backup player and was part of the Broncos team that won the AFC Championship in 2013. He then signed with the New York Giants in 2014 but suffered injuries that cut his time with the team short.