Jeremy Dashon Kerley (born November 8, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs and was selected by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft. Kerley was also a member of the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, and Buffalo Bills.
Early life Kerley was born to Charlotte and Donald Kerley on November 8, 1988, in Hutto, Texas. He attended Hutto High School in Hutto, Texas, where he was a letterman in four sports. Kerley took his high school football team to the state finals in 2005 where they faced Tatum High School and lost by three points despite his great game performance.. Kerley's letterman included football and baseball. He played pitcher and centerfielder in baseball. At quarterback, Kerley led his football team to its first state championship game as a junior.
As a standout track athlete, Kerley was one of the state's top performers in the jumping events. He was a four-time state finalist in the triple jump. Kerley qualified for the state track meet in the long jump (7.26 m) and triple jump (14.76 m), winning silver medals in both events. He was also a member of the 4 × 100 m and 4 × 400 m relay teams.
Kerley was recruited by the University of Texas and Stanford University to play baseball, and by the University of Oklahoma to play football. However, he ultimately decided to play college football for Texas Christian University.
College career Kerley was converted to wide receiver and return specialist at TCU after playing quarterback in high school. Following the 2009 season, he was named Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year after breaking the conference record for punt return yards in a season with an NCAA-leading 563 yards.
In 2010, Kerley had 10 touchdown catches, a touchdown pass, and two rushing touchdowns. He ranked second in the nation in punt returns and third in the nation in kickoff returns. Kerley was named the Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year for the second consecutive year in 2010, as well as second-team All-Mountain West honors at wide receiver. He was one of three finalists in 2010 for the Paul Hornung Award, which honors the most versatile college football player in the nation.
Professional career Pre-draft Kerley was projected to be drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft.
New York Jets (first stint) Kerley was selected in the fifth round (153rd overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He caught his first career touchdown from Mark Sanchez against the New England Patriots on October 9, 2011.
During the season-opener against the Buffalo Bills, Kerley recorded his first career punt return touchdown. During Week 16 after Tim Tebow requested to be removed from the wildcat formation, Kerley took his place, and threw a 42-yard pass, though the Jets lost to the San Diego Chargers 27–17.
On October 21, 2014, Kerley agreed to a four-year, $16 million contract extension with $5.4 million guaranteed.
Kerley finished the 2015 season with career-highs in punt returns (48) and punt return yards (411).
On March 9, 2016, Kerley was released by the Jets.
Detroit Lions On March 21, 2016, Kerley signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions.
San Francisco 49ers On August 29, 2016, the Lions traded Kerley to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for guard Brandon Thomas. He led San Francisco in receiving during the regular season, logging 64 receptions for 667 yards and a career-high three touchdowns.
Kerley agreed to a three-year, $10.5 million contract extension on March 4, 2017. He was released by the 49ers on September 2, as a part of final roster cuts.
New York Jets (second stint) On September 5, 2017, Kerley re-signed with the New York Jets on a one-year contract. On November 6, he was suspended for four games due to a PED violation. Kerley was released by the Jets on December 18 after being reinstated from suspension.
Buffalo Bills
On April 16, 2018, Kerley signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills. He was released by Buffalo on September 15.
NFL career statistics Legend Led the league Bold Career high
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Returning Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2011 NYJ 14 1 29 314 10.8 38 1 5 28 5.6 16 0 30 332 11.1 53 0 3 1 2012 NYJ 16 7 56 827 14.8 66 2 5 8 1.6 5 0 19 208 10.9 68T 1 4 3 2013 NYJ 12 8 43 523 12.2 26 3 4 11 2.8 8 0 14 134 9.6 24 0 0 0 2014 NYJ 16 8 38 409 10.8 33 1 4 86 21.5 37 0 26 211 8.1 41 0 1 0 2015 NYJ 16 1 16 152 9.5 25 2 — — — — — 48 411 8.6 58 0 1 0 2016 SF 16 13 64 667 10.4 33 3 — — — — — 23 190 8.3 26 0 4 1 2017 NYJ 8 2 22 217 9.9 31 1 — — — — — 16 85 5.3 15 0 3 2 2018 BUF 1 1 2 7 3.5 7 0 — — — — — 2 10 5.0 6 0 0 0 Career 99 40 270 3,116 11.5 66 13 18 133 7.4 37 0 178 1,581 8.9 68T 1 16 7
Personal life Kerley and his wife, Kristal Juarez, have three children: Dae'shon, Y'manni, and Ma'liyah. Kerley's younger cousin is Olympic silver-medalist sprinter and 2022 World Athletics Champion Fred Kerley.
Notes and references
External links
New York Jets bio TCU Horned Frogs bio