_(cropped).jpg) Whitehead with theTampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 | |||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1997-03-18)March 18, 1997 (age 28) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 198 lb (90 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Central Valley (Monaca, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Pittsburgh (2015–2017) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2018: 4th round, 117th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||||
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Jordan Tyler Whitehead (born March 18, 1997) is an American professionalfootballsafety. He playedcollege football for thePittsburgh Panthers. Whitehead was selected by theTampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the2018 NFL draft.
Whitehead attendedCentral Valley High School inMonaca, Pennsylvania. In addition to playingfootball, he also ran track. He played on both sides of the ball for Central Valley and was a starter since his freshman year. As a senior, Whitehead caught 24 passes for 471 yards along with rushing for 1,933 yards on 148 attempts. He totaled 35 touchdowns along with tallying 97 tackles and seven interceptions.[1] Whitehead committed to play football for thePittsburgh Panthers on October 3, 2014, choosing the Panthers over Penn State and West Virginia.[2]
As atrue freshman in 2015, Whitehead played in all 13 of Pittsburgh's games, starting in the last 12. Offensively, he carried the ball 12 times for 122 yards resulting in two touchdowns. On defense, he tallied 108 tackles, one interception, six pass deflections and one fumble recovery.[3] He was named theACC's Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association[4] along with being named to USA Today's All-American Team, being named the ACC's Defensive Rookie of the Year, and being named to the ACC's All-Conference Third-team.[5]
In 2016, Whitehead played in Pitt's first nine games before missing their last three due to injury.[6] In nine games, Whitehead compiled 65 tackles, one interception returned 59 yards for a touchdown, two pass deflections and a forced fumble along with rushing for 98 yards on nine attempts. He was awarded a second-team all ACC spot, even though he did not play all 12 games.[7]
As a junior in 2017, Whitehead missed Pitt's first three games,[8] but played in the last nine. Defensively, he tallied 60 tackles, four pass deflections, and one interception. On offense, he ran the ball 22 times for 142 yards and caught two passes for seven yards.[9] After the season, Whitehead declared for the2018 NFL draft, forgoing his senior year.[10]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Jordan Whitehead's NFL Combine Workout | |
| NFL Draft Profile: Jordan Whitehead |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+3⁄8 in (1.79 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | 29+3⁄4 in (0.76 m) | 8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m) | 4.59 s | 1.61 s | 2.66 s | 4.31 s | 7.16 s | 34 in (0.86 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | 21 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pittsburgh'sPro Day[11][12] | ||||||||||||
TheTampa Bay Buccaneers selected Whitehead in the fourth round (117th overall) of the2018 NFL draft.[13] The Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired the pick they used to draft Whitehead in a trade that sent their second round (56th overall) pick to theNew England Patriots in exchange for a second and fourth round pick. The New England Patriots drafted cornerbackDuke Dawson 56th overall while the Buccaneers drafted Whitehead and cornerbackCarlton Davis. Duke Dawson would never play a snap before being released after one season while Whitehead and Carlton Davis would both start inSuper Bowl LV. He was the 10th safety drafted in 2018.[14]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Buccaneers draft Whitehead 117th overall |
On May 10, 2018, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Whitehead to a four-year,$3.12 millioncontract that includes asigning bonus of $667,257.[15]
Throughout training camp, Whitehead competed for a role as a starting safety againstKeith Tandy,Chris Conte, andJustin Evans.[16] Head coachDirk Koetter named Chris Conte and Justin Evans the starting safeties to begin the season, with Whitehead listed as a backup behind Keith Tandy andIsaiah Johnson.[17]
On September 9, 2018, Whitehead made his professional regular season debut in the Buccaneers' season-opening 48–40 victory at theNew Orleans Saints, appearing almost entirely onspecial teams. Whitehead was inactive for the Buccaneers' Week 4 loss at theChicago Bears due to a shoulder and hamstring injury.[18] On October 14, 2018, Whitehead earned his first career start afterChris Conte was placed oninjured reserve due to a knee injury. Whitehead finished the Buccaneers' 34–29 loss at theAtlanta Falcons with six combined tackles (four solo). Prior to Week 8, Whitehead was named the starting strong safety for the remainder of the season. In Week 12, he collected a season-high ten solo tackles and broke up two pass attempts during a 27–9 win against theSan Francisco 49ers.[19] He finished his rookie season in2018 with 76 combined tackles (61 solo) and four pass deflections in 15 games and 11 starts.[20]
TheTampa Bay Buccaneers finished the2018 NFL season with a 5–11 record. On December 30, 2018, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired head coach Dirk Koetter.[21]
Throughout training camp, he competed to be the starting strong safety against rookieMike Edwards. Head coachBruce Arians named Whitehead the starting strong safety to begin the regular season, alongside free safety Mike Edwards.[22]
On September 29, 2019, Whitehead recorded two solo tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and had his first career interception on a pass thrown byJared Goff intended for wide receiverCooper Kupp during a 55–40 win at theLos Angeles Rams in Week 4.[23] In Week 14, Whitehead racked up a season-high nine combined tackles (six solo) as the Buccaneers defeated theIndianapolis Colts 38–35. The following week, Whitehead made one solo tackle and a pass deflection before sustaining a hamstring injury and exiting during the second quarter of a 38–17 win against theDetroit Lions. On December 18, 2019, the Buccaneers officially placed him oninjured reserve and he subsequently missed the remaining two games of the season (Weeks 16–17).[24] He finished his sophomore season in2019 with a total of 69 combined tackles (50 solo), nine pass deflections, one interception, and one fumble recovery in 14 games and 14 starts.[25]
Defensive coordinatorTodd Bowles elected to retain Whitehead as the starting strong safety and paired him with rookieAntoine Winfield Jr. to kick off the regular season. In Week 3 at theDenver Broncos, Whitehead recorded five combined tackles (four solo) and had his first career sack on quarterbackJeff Driskel during a 28–10 victory.[26] On November 8, 2020, Whitehead collected a season-high eight combined tackles (five solo) as the Buccaneers were routed at home 38–3 by theNew Orleans Saints. On November 23, 2020, Whitehead recorded seven combined tackles (four solo), deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass attempt byJared Goff as the Buccaneers were defeated 27–24 by theLos Angeles Rams onMonday Night Football. He finished the2020 NFL season with 76 combined tackles (53 solo), four pass deflections, two interceptions, two sacks, one forced fumble, and a single fumble recovery while starting all 16 games, marking his first full season of his career.[27]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished second in theNFC South with an 11–5 record to clinch a Wildcard berth. On January 9, 2021, Whitehead started in his first playoff appearance and only had one pass deflection during a 31–23 win over theWashington Football Team in the NFC Wildcard Game. On January 24, 2021, Whitehead started in the NFC Championship Game and recorded five combined tackles (four solo) and two forced fumbles, with one being on running backAaron Jones that was recovered by teammateDevin White during the Buccaneers' 31–26 victory at theGreen Bay Packers.[28] He injured his shoulder and hamstring during the game and was listed as questionable leading up to the Super Bowl.[29] On February 7, 2021, Whitehead started inSuper Bowl LV, but was limited to two solo tackles as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers routed theKansas City Chiefs 31–9.[30][31]
On March 17, 2022, theNew York Jets signed Whitehead to a one–year, $5.25 million contract that is fully guaranteed upon signing and includes a signing bonus of $4.12 million.[32] On October 2, Whitehead would record his first interception of the season offSteelers'QBKenny Pickett's first career pass attempt.[33]
In Week 1 of the2023 season, Whitehead interceptedBuffalo Bills quarterbackJosh Allen three times, eclipsing his career high in interceptions for an entire season up to that point. In doing so, he met a contract incentive only a week into the season, earning a $250,000 bonus.[34] He was namedAFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.[35]
On March 13, 2024, Whitehead signed a two-year contract to return to the Buccaneers.[36] On January 4, 2025, Whitehead was involved in a car accident on his way to the Buccaneers practice facility.[37] Whitehead suffered injuries severe enough to be placedNon-Football Injury (NFI) list, ruling him out for several weeks including the Buccaneers' season finale against theNew Orleans Saints to clinch theNFC South division title.[38] On February 26, the Buccaneers declined Whitehead's 2025 option making him a free agent.[39]
| Legend | |
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| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Y/I | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | Y/R | TD | ||
| 2018 | TB | 15 | 11 | 76 | 61 | 15 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | TB | 14 | 14 | 69 | 50 | 19 | 0.0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2020 | TB | 16 | 16 | 74 | 53 | 21 | 2.0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | TB | 14 | 14 | 73 | 58 | 15 | 0.0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | NYJ | 17 | 17 | 89 | 58 | 31 | 0.0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | NYJ | 17 | 17 | 97 | 65 | 32 | 0.5 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 1.5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | TB | 12 | 12 | 79 | 49 | 30 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Career | 105 | 101 | 557 | 394 | 163 | 2.5 | 0 | 45 | 11 | 48 | 4.4 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBH | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Y/I | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | Y/R | TD | ||
| 2020 | TB | 4 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | TB | 2 | 2 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Career | 6 | 6 | 22 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | |
Whitehead is a cousin of fellow former New York Jet andPro Football Hall of FamecornerbackDarrelle Revis.[40]
