Wikipedia

Jermaine Whitehead

Jermaine Rasheed Whitehead (born March 12, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers, and was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He was also a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, and Cleveland Browns.

Jermaine Whitehead
Whitehead with the Cleveland Browns in 2019
No. 35
PositionSafety
Personal information
Born (1993-03-12) March 12, 1993 (age 33)
Greenwood, Mississippi, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolAmanda Elzy (Greenwood)
CollegeAuburn
NFL draft2015: undrafted
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles76
Sacks1
Forced fumbles1
Pass deflections5
Interceptions1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Whitehead was born in Greenwood, Mississippi to Teveeta Whitehead and Frank Ellis.[1] Whitehead attended Amanda Elzy High School where he played cornerback and quarterback with the Panthers football team. After a productive season in 2009 as quarterback saw Whitehead earn District 3 (4A) Player of the Year, he went on to play his junior and senior seasons as a cornerback. Whitehead's defensive performances earned him numerous regional, state and All-American honors from ESPN.com, Rivals.com and Scout.com.[1] He was rated a four-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals.com.[2][3] By his senior season, Whitehead held a 3.71 GPA.[4] Whitehead received offers from Tennessee, Mississippi, Mississippi State and Auburn.[2]

College career

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Whitehead attended Auburn University, where he played on the Auburn Tigers football team from 2011 to 2014.[5] He finished his college career with totals of 218 tackles, nine interceptions for 82 yards and two touchdowns, and 15 pass breakups.

He graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in accounting.[1]

Professional career

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External videos
video icon Whitehead's NFL Combine workout
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 11 in
(1.80 m)		197 lb
(89 kg)		31 in
(0.79 m)		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		6 ft 2+1⁄8 in
(1.88 m)		4.50 s1.65 s2.65 s4.11 s6.95 s37.0 in
(0.94 m)		10 ft 8 in
(3.25 m)		15 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[6][7][8]

San Francisco 49ers

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After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft, Whitehead signed with the San Francisco 49ers on May 5, 2015.[9] On September 5, he was released by the 49ers during final team cuts.[10] Whitehead was re-signed to the 49ers' practice squad the following day.[11]

Baltimore Ravens

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On December 23, 2015, the Baltimore Ravens signed Whitehead off the 49ers' practice squad.[12] He was inactive for the last two games of the season. On April 19, 2016, Whitehead was re-signed by the Ravens.[13] He was released by the Ravens on May 13.[14]

Green Bay Packers

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Whitehead was signed by the Green Bay Packers on May 18, 2016.[15] On September 3, he was released by the Packers during final team cuts and was re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[16][17] On October 24, he was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster.[18] Whitehead made his NFL debut against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8. On November 7, he was released by the Packers and was re-signed back to the practice squad.[19][20] He signed a futures contract with the Packers on January 24, 2017.[21]

On September 2, 2017, Whitehead was waived by the Packers and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[22][23] He was promoted to the active roster on October 21.[24]

Whitehead was re-signed on March 14, 2018.[25] In Week 9 against the New England Patriots, Whitehead was ejected after slapping center David Andrews in the face mask. He was then released by the Packers on November 6.[26]

Cleveland Browns

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On November 7, 2018, Whitehead was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns.[27] On September 29, 2019, he had his first NFL career interception and forced fumble in a game against the Ravens.[28] Whitehead was waived on November 4, after posting "several threatening and racist messages for people who criticized him" following the team's loss to the Denver Broncos, a game in which he missed a number of crucial tackles.[29] Whitehead later apologized for the messages.[30]

Career statistics

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NFL

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Regular season statistics
YearTeamGPGSTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
CombSoloAstSackSafetyPDIntYdsLngTDsFFFRYdsTD
2016GB 200000.00000000000
2017GB 10011830.00100000000
2018GB 72201821.00200000000
CLE 704130.00000000000
2019CLE 884131100.00210001000
Total34107658181.00510001000
Source: NFL.com

College

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YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GGSTotalSoloAstSckPDefIntYdsAvgLngTDsFFFR
2011Auburn 131312290.0312525.025100
2012Auburn 12128640461.05000.00001
2013Auburn 14146544210.06200.00001
2014Auburn 96362790.016579.533100
Total4833218133851.0159829.133202
Source: AuburnTigers.com Archived September 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine

Retirement

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After his final NFL season, Whitehead began a career in finances including jobs in payroll and financial management. From 2020 to 2021, Whitehead attended Syracuse University, graduating with a Master's Degree in accounting. Since 2022, he has worked as a senior staff accountant for Vertical Communication based in Atlanta, Georgia.[31]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Auburn Tigers Football" Profile. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "247Sports". Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Rivals.com". Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  4. ↑ NCSA Sports.org"Jermaine Whitehead 2011 Recruitment Profile". Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Auburn Tigers: Jermaine Whitehead". AuburnTigers.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Jermaine Whitehead NFL Combine and Draft Prospects". NFL.com. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Jermaine Whitehead, DS #14 FS, Auburn". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  8. ↑ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles – Jermaine Whitehead". NFL.com. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  9. ↑ "49ers announce undrafted free agent signings". 49ers.com. May 5, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  10. ↑ "49ers release 14 players, set 53-man roster". 49ers.com. September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  11. ↑ "San Francisco 49ers sign 9 players to the practice squad". 49ers.com. September 6, 2015. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  12. ↑ Downing, Garrett (December 23, 2015). "Ravens sign defensive back Jermaine Whitehead". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Green Bay Packers: Jermaine Whitehead". Packers.com. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  14. ↑ Mink, Ryan (May 13, 2016). "Ravens sign first-round pick Ronnie Stanley". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Packers sign S Jermaine Whitehead". Packers.com. May 18, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Packers keep six undrafted rookies, including QB Joe Callahan". Packers.com. September 3, 2016. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Packers sign LS Goode; claim RB Pressley". Packers.com. September 5, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Packers promote WR Allison, S Whitehead to active roster". Packers.com. October 24, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Packers sign FB Kerridge to active roster". Packers.com. November 7, 2016. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Packers sign S Whitehead to the practice squad". Packers.com. November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Packers sign eight free agents". Packers.com. January 24, 2017. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Packers announce roster moves to reduce roster to 53". Packers.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Packers sign LB Brooks, claim LB Odom, place OL Barclay on IR". Packers.com. September 3, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Packers sign S Jermaine Whitehead to active roster". Packers.com. October 21, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  25. ↑ Hodkiewicz, Wes (March 12, 2018). "Negotiating window opens today for pending NFL free agents". Packers.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Packers place WR Geronimo Allison on IR, release S Whitehead". Packers.com. November 6, 2018. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Browns claim DBs Phillip Gaines, Jermaine Whitehead". ClevelandBrowns.com. November 7, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  28. ↑ Kerr, Jeff (September 29, 2019). "Browns at Ravens final score: Nick Chubb goes for three touchdowns as Cleveland takes over first place in AFC North". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  29. ↑ Patra, Kevin (November 4, 2019). "Browns cut safety Whitehead after social media posts". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  30. ↑ Gaydos, Ryan (November 6, 2019). "Ex-Browns defensive back Jermaine Whitehead apologizes for threatening critics on social media". Fox News. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Linkedin.com" Business Profile. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
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