Charles Anthony Tillman (born February 23, 1981), nicknamed "Peanut", is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft.
Tillman played 12 years for the Bears, helping them reach Super Bowl XLI, and also played one year with the Carolina Panthers, making Super Bowl 50 with the team, although he had been placed on injured reserve earlier in the season. He was selected to two Pro Bowls and was the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2013.
He was known for his cover skills as well as his ability to force fumbles by stripping or "punching" the ball away from an opponent with a well-timed technique commonly known as the "Peanut Punch". After retiring from the NFL, Tillman was an FBI agent from 2018 to 2025.
Tillman was born in Chicago, Illinois, but spent a majority of his youth traveling around the world. His father, Donald Tillman Jr., a sergeant in the United States Army, was frequently stationed in different locations, ranging from United States to Germany. Tillman attended eleven different schools during his youth, but eventually graduated from Copperas Cove High School in Texas. During his time at the school, Tillman was a two-time All-District 8-5A and all-area team selection. The Austin American-Statesman and All-State Class 5A honorable mention named him to the Super Cen-Tex team.
Tillman attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he played for the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns football team from 1999 to 2002. He started for all four years as a left cornerback after being a wide receiver in high school. His Ragin' Cajuns teammates included future Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor.
Tillman graduated from ULL with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
The Chicago Bears selected Tillman in the second round (35th overall) in the 2003 NFL draft. He was the sixth cornerback drafted and the first of two cornerbacks selected from Louisiana–Lafayette in 2003, along with fourth-round pick (125th overall) Ike Taylor. He was only the 10th Louisiana–Lafayette player to be selected in the NFL draft and surpassed 1998 second-round pick (36th overall) Anthony Clement to become the highest selection in the NFL draft from Louisiana–Lafayette, which he still remains as of 2025.
On August 1, 2003, the Bears signed Tillman to a five–year, $4.32 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $2.05 million. He started training camp as a candidate to earn the role as the third cornerback on the depth chart, competing against Todd McMillon and Roosevelt Williams under defensive coordinator Greg Blache. Head coach Dick Jauron named him a backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind starting cornerbacks R. W. McQuarters and Jerry Azumah.
On September 7, 2003, Tillman made his professional regular season debut in the Chicago Bears' season-opener at the San Francisco 49ers and made four solo tackles and made the first forced fumble of his career while covering a punt return by Jimmy Williams during a 49–7 loss. His forced fumble on Jimmy Williams occurred in the fourth quarter and was recovered by Bears' long snapper Patrick Mannelly. Following a third consecutive loss to start the season 0–3, Tillman was announced as a starting cornerback beginning in Week 5 against the Oakland Raiders, supplanting Jerry Azumah, and would be tasked with covering Tim Brown and Jerry Rice. In Week 5, Tillman earned his first career start and recorded six solo tackles and made one pass deflection during a 24–21 victory against the Oakland Raiders. On October 26, 2003, Tillman recorded eight solo tackles, had one pass break-up, and made his first career interception off a pass by Joey Harrington to wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim and returned it for 32–yards as the Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 24–16. The following week, he had one solo tackle, two pass deflections, and had his second consecutive game with an interception on a pass attempt by Drew Brees to wide receiver David Boston during a 20–7 win against the San Diego Chargers in Week 9. In Week 11, he set a season-high with 11 combined tackles (nine solo), made two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Marc Bulger to wide receiver Torry Holt during a 23–21 loss against the St. Louis Rams. In Week 12, he made six solo tackles and had his first career sack on Jake Plummer for a three–yard loss during a 19–10 victory at the Denver Broncos. In Week 14, he set a season-high with ten solo tackles (11 combined) during a 21–34 loss at the Green Bay Packers. On December 14, 2003, Tillman made ten combined tackles (nine solo), set a season-high with three pass deflections, and sealed a 13–10 victory against the Minnesota Vikings by intercepting a hail-mary pass in the endzone thrown by Daunte Culpepper to wide receiver Randy Moss with 1:11 remaining in the game. He finished his rookie season in 2003 with a total of 86 combined tackles (79 solo), 12 pass deflections, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one sack in 16 games and 13 starts. On December 29, the Bears fired Dick Jauron after they finished the 2003 NFL season with a 7–9 record.
He entered training camp slated as the No. 1 starting cornerback under new defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. Head coach Lovie Smith named Tillman and R. W. McQuarters the starting cornerbacks to begin season. On September 19, 2004, Tillman collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (nine solo) during a 21–10 victory at the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. Tillman sustained a knee injury and was sidelined for the next eight games (Weeks 3–11). In Week 16, he recorded five combined tackles (four solo) and set a season-high with three pass deflections during a 13–19 loss at the Detroit Lions. He finished the 2004 NFL season with 39 combined tackles (32 solo), five pass deflections, and one forced fumble in eight games and seven starts.
Head coach Lovie Smith retained Tillman as the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season, and paired him with Nathan Vasher. On October 30, 2005, Tillman recorded seven combined tackles (six solo), deflected two passes, and returned an interception for his first career touchdown during a 19–13 overtime victory at the Detroit Lions. He scored the game-winning touchdown after intercepting a pass by Jeff Garcia thrown to wide receiver Mike Williams, and returned it for a 22–yard touchdown to help the Bears defeat the Lions in overtime after a 13–13 tie in regulation. In Week 12, he set a new season-high with ten combined tackles (nine solo) during a 13–10 victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On December 4, 2005, Tillman had one of his best overall performances recording seven combined tackles (six solo, set a season-high with three pass deflections, made his lone sack of the season, forced a fumble, recovered a muffed punt, and also intercepted a pass by Brett Favre to wide receiver Robert Ferguson and returned it for 95–yards as the Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers 19–7. On December 11, 2005, Tillman recorded eight combined tackles (five solo), deflected a pass, and made a season-high two forced fumbles during a 21–9 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14. Tillman forced a fumble by Verron Haynes and Cedrick Wilson during the game. In Week 16, Tillman made eight combined tackles (seven solo), one pass deflection, and set a career-high with his fifth interception of the season on a pick thrown by Brett Favre to wide receiver Robert Ferguson during a 24–7 victory at the Green Bay Packers. Head coach Lovie Smith chose to rest Tillman and multiple other starters in preparation for the playoffs as the Bears lost 10–34 at the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17. He finished the season with 93 combined tackles (82 solo), 11 pass deflections, five interceptions, four forced fumbles, one sack, and one touchdown in 15 games and 15 starts.