1. Tony Jefferson played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2013.
42 Facts About Tony Jefferson
1. 2.
Tony Jefferson has previously played in the NFL for the Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, and New York Giants.
3.
Tony Jefferson played in the 2010 US Army All-American Bowl.
4.
At the University of Oklahoma, Tony Jefferson was a 2010 Freshman All-American by College Football News, The Sporting News, and Big 12 Conference co-Defensive Freshman of the Year.
5.
On January 6,2013, it was announced that Tony Jefferson would forgo his senior season and enter the 2013 NFL Draft.
6.
Tony Jefferson was one of 21 safeties to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana.
7.
On March 18,2013, Tony Jefferson attended Oklahoma's pro day, but only performed the short shuttle and three-cone drill due to his hamstring injury.
8.
Tony Jefferson was projected to be drafted as early as the second or third round or as late as the fifth round by NFL Draft experts and scouts.
9.
Tony Jefferson was ranked the eighth best safety in the draft by DraftScout.
10.
Tony Jefferson's fall in the draft surprised analysts and was attributed to his time in the 40-yard dash and questions about his work ethic.
11.
Tony Jefferson made his first career tackle on running back Reggie Bush, stopping him for a four-yard loss in the first quarter.
12.
Tony Jefferson's snaps increased for the last three games of the season after Tyrann Mathieu tore two ligaments in his knee and was sidelined for the rest of the season.
13.
Tony Jefferson finished his rookie season in 2013 with 24 combined tackles and a fumble recovery in 16 games and two starts.
14.
Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles named Tony Jefferson the starting strong safety to start the regular season, alongside free safety Tyrann Mathieu.
15.
Tony Jefferson was replaced as the starting free safety prior to Week 10, after Tyrann Mathieu fully recovered from his knee injury.
16.
Tony Jefferson remained the backup free safety for four games.
17.
Tony Jefferson filled in at starting free safety for three games while Mathieu recovered from surgery to repair his broken thumb.
18.
Tony Jefferson finished the 2014 season with 79 combined tackles, a pass deflection, and a sack in 16 games and eight starts.
19.
Tony Jefferson returned to training camp competing for the job as the starting strong safety against Deone Bucannon.
20.
Defensive coordinator James Bettcher named Tony Jefferson the starting strong safety to start the 2015 season, opposite free safety Tyrann Mathieu.
21.
Tony Jefferson's interception came off a pass attended for Martellus Bennett in the second quarter and marked his first career touchdown.
22.
Tony Jefferson finished his third season with 78 combined tackles, five pass deflections, three forced fumbles, two sacks, two interceptions, and a touchdown in 16 games and seven starts.
23.
Tony Jefferson was diagnosed with a sprained MCL and was placed on injured reserve on December 27,2016.
24.
Tony Jefferson finished his last season as part of the Cardinals with a career-high 96 combined tackles, five pass deflections, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles in 15 games and 14 starts.
25.
Tony Jefferson became an unrestricted free agent after the 2016 season and was regarded as the second best free agent safety on the market behind Kansas City Chiefs' safety Eric Berry.
26.
Tony Jefferson received interest from multiple teams including the Chicago Bears.
27.
Tony Jefferson entered training camp slated as the starting strong safety, replacing Lardarius Webb.
28.
Tony Jefferson finished his first season with the Baltimore Ravens with 79 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts.
29.
Tony Jefferson returned as the Ravens starting strong safety in 2018.
30.
Tony Jefferson started 14 games, recording 74 combined tackles, a forced fumble, an interception, and a career-high six pass deflections.
31.
On October 6,2019, in a game against the Steelers, Tony Jefferson was in coverage when he fell to the ground, grabbing his knee.
32.
On February 14,2020, Tony Jefferson was released by the Ravens.
33.
Tony Jefferson was re-signed to the practice squad on October 25,2021.
34.
Tony Jefferson was released on December 8,2021, after appearing in two games.
35.
On December 13,2021, Tony Jefferson was re-signed to the Ravens' practice squad.
36.
On January 8,2022, Tony Jefferson was promoted to the active roster.
37.
On September 1,2022, Tony Jefferson signed with the New York Giants practice squad.
38.
Tony Jefferson was elevated from the practice squad for Week 1 and Week 2 games against the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers.
39.
On May 25,2023, Tony Jefferson announced that he was retiring from professional football and would be re-joining the Baltimore Ravens organization in a scouting capacity.
40.
On May 28,2024, Tony Jefferson announced that he was coming out of retirement and was seeking to play in the 2024 NFL season.
41.
On June 14,2024, Tony Jefferson signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.
42.
Tony Jefferson was promoted back to the active roster a few weeks later.