Former NFL cornerback Jerry Jacobs is retiring at 28 after going from an unrecruited community college player to starting 29 games over three impressive seasons with the Detroit Lions.
The 28-year-old made the announcement on social media by sharing some photos of himself from over his two decades in the game.
‘First off I want to Thank God because without him I wouldn’t be here,’ Jacobs began. ‘I also wanna thank my mother for always been on my side through whatever and always pushing me to go harder.’
Jacobs went on to thank his sister, teammates, coaches and the game itself, while explaining that he’s ready to ‘start a new journey.’
‘… I’m deciding to hang the cleats up,’ he wrote, adding that ‘retirement is not the end of the road,’ but ‘the beginning of the open highway.’
‘Lived it, Loved it,’ he concluded. ‘Farewell beautiful game.’
Former NFL cornerback Jerry Jacobs is retiring at 28 after going from an unrecruited community college player to starting 29 games over three impressive seasons in Detroit
Jerry Jones also shared some photos of himself from his 22 years in football
Although he was never a household name, Jacobs’ retirement elicited a wave of responses from friends and fans, all of whom have been impressed his football journey.
‘Watched u get it out the mud forever,’ one wrote, calling Jones a ‘Hood Legend.’
Jacobs had signed with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders in February but has since changed his mind about returning to the gridiron. He last played in the NFL in 2023, recording three interceptions over 15 games as Detroit won its first division title since 1993.
But it was simply getting to the NFL that was Jacobs’ biggest accomplishment.
An Atlanta native, Jacobs enrolled at tiny Hutchinson Community College in Kansas before transferring to Arkansas State in 2018. Two years later, he’d move on to Arkansas in the powerhouse SEC.
Jacobs enrolled at a community college in Kansas before transferring to Arkansas State
The young cornerback would ultimately enroll at Arkansas in the powerhouse SEC
But although he played in just five games for the Razorbacks, he managed to sign with the Lions in 2021 as an undrafted free agent and ultimately earned himself a spot on the 53-man roster.
He suffered a setback in his rookie season when he tore his ACL and required season-ending knee surgery, which kept him out of action until October of 2022. But he bounced back to have his best NFL season the following year, which included a two-interception performance against the rival Green Bay Packers.
Jacobs would later sign with the Rams in 2024, but couldn’t make the roster out of training camp.
‘Enjoy retirement Jerry,’ one fan wrote online, adding: ‘Always a Lion.’
‘Forever proud of you, bro,’ another added.
Jacobs retires with 131 career tackles, four interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
