James Eric Berry (born December 29, 1988) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

, earning unanimous All-American honors twice and recognition as the best collegiate

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

in the country. Berry was selected by the Chiefs fifth overall in the

2010 NFL draft The 2010 NFL draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 NFL draft, draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first ...

. He was voted to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

five times and named first-team

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

three times. Berry was diagnosed with

Hodgkin's lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...

in December 2014. After going through chemotherapy in the offseason and being declared cancer free, Berry came back for the 2015 season and was named to the

, the AP All-Pro team, and was named the 2015 AP Comeback Player of the Year. After signing a six-year, $78 million contract, Berry ruptured his Achilles and missed most of the 2017 and 2018 seasons, leading to his release from the Chiefs. Berry was named to the

NFL 2010s All-Decade Team The National Football League 2010s All-Decade Team is composed of outstanding performers in the National Football League in the ten years spanning 2010–2019. Only a player or coach's performance during the decade was used as criteria for vot ...

. He was later inducted in the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 2023, and the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025.

Early life

Berry was born in

Fairburn, Georgia Fairburn is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, with a population of 16,483, according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Though it has a rich history of its own, the city is ...

. He attended Creekside High School in Fairburn, and was a standout athlete for the Seminole track and

teams. Berry played

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

and

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, earning a 37–5 record as a starter at Creekside. He was teammates with Rokevious Watkins and

Terrance Parks Terrance Parks (born April 14, 1990) is a former American football Safety (gridiron football position), safety. He played college football at Florida State University. He was not selected in the 2012 NFL draft, but signed with the Kansas City Ch ...

. Following his stellar high school career, Berry was invited to play in the 2007 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Berry was considered the top player in Georgia and the top cornerback prospect by every recruiting service, and '' Rivals.com'' ranked him the #3 player in the nation. He was once clocked at 4.36–4.41 range at the 40-yard dash at a soft indoor surface at a high school Combine. Berry was also a standout athlete for Creekside's track team. He set school records in

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

, with a leap of 6.95 meters, and 200 meters, with a time of 21.76 seconds. Berry was the anchor leg of the 2006 Class 4A state championship 4 × 400 meters relay team. Individually, he was the 2005 Class 4A state champion in the 200 meters and 2007 Class 4A state champion in the

Long Jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

, beating future NFL players Brandon Boykin, 2nd and Stephen Hill, 3rd. He had career-bests of 10.48 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.42 seconds in the 200 meters. He was regarded as the most scouted safety since Sean Taylor.

College career

Berry received many scholarship offers, but chose to attend the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

, where he played from 2007 to 2009 under head coaches

Phillip Fulmer Phillip Edward Fulmer Sr. (born September 1, 1950) is a former American football player, coach, and athletic director at the University of Tennessee. He served as head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 1992 to 2008, compiling ...

and

Lane Kiffin Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is the head coach at Ole Miss Rebels football, Ole Miss. Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC Trojans football, USC from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the National Foo ...

2007 season

As a freshman, Berry replaced fifth-year senior Jarod Parrish after a strong showing in his first collegiate game against

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Berry turned in several big plays during his freshman season en route to being named the SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year by the ''

Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

''. His 222 return yards (on five interceptions) broke the 37-year-old Tennessee record by 43 yards. Berry led all SEC freshmen in

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

with 86. He twice was named SEC Freshman of the Week for his play over the regular season's final three games. After the season, he was also named 1st team Freshman All-American by Rivals.

2008 season

Prior to the season, despite being a sophomore, Berry was named a team captain. For the year, Berry tied for the national lead in interceptions with seven and returned them for 265 yards and two touchdowns, breaking the record he set the year earlier. Combined with the yards he accumulated as a freshman, Berry set the all-time career SEC record for interception return yards with 487 yards, only 14 yards shy of the NCAA record for interception return yards, set by Terrell Buckley during his time at

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

. He also finished the regular season with 72 tackles, six pass break-ups, and three sacks. Berry also took snaps on offense at quarterback and

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

, gaining 44 rushing yards on seven carries. In addition, he gained 32 yards on two kick-off returns. His early success had some journalists speculating that he could end up being the best defensive player in Tennessee history. He was nominated as a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, the Lott Trophy, and the

Chuck Bednarik Award The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player of the year in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and profess ...

. Berry was named the SEC Defensive Player of the year and was a first-team All-SEC pick. He was also a unanimous first-team All American.''2011 NCAA Football Records Book''
Award Winners
National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, p. 12 (2011). Retrieved June 30, 2012. The

Touchdown Club of Columbus The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More ...

also named him their winner of the 2008 Jack Tatum Award as well.

2009 season

As a junior, Berry recorded 87 total tackles, two interceptions, nine passes defensed, and one fumble recovery. Following the season, Berry was a first-team All-SEC selection, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American for the second consecutive season. He won the Jim Thorpe Award and also was the recipient of The Touchdown Club of Columbus's Jack Tatum Award for the second straight year. At the conclusion of the 2009 season, Berry announced his intention to enter the

College awards and honors

*2009 Unanimous

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

*2000s ESPN All-Decade High School Football Team *2000s RivalsHigh.com Team Of The Decade First-team *2000s ''Sports Illustrated'' All-Decade Team *2009 Jim Thorpe Award *2009 Bronko Nagurski Award Finalist *2009 Lott Award Finalist *2009 Jack Tatum Award Winner *2009 First-team All-SEC (Coaches, AP) *2008 Unanimous

*2008 National Defensive Sophomore of the Year (Collegefootballnews.com) *2008 SEC Defensive Player of the Year *2008 Jack Tatum Award Winner *2008 First-team All-SEC (Coaches, AP) *2008 Vince Dooley Award *2008 Jim Thorpe Award Finalist *Unanimous 2007 First-team Freshman All-American *2007 National Defensive Freshman of the Year (Collegefootballnews.com) *2007 SEC Freshman Defensive Player of the Year (''

'') *2007 Second-team All-SEC (Coaches, AP) *2007 All-SEC Freshmen Team *2007 All-SEC Freshmen Academic Honor Roll *2006 Georgia High School Player of the Year (

Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. The drink is owned and manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was develope ...

)

College statistics

:Correct as of the end of the 2009 season.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Following Tennessee's 37–14 loss to

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

in the

2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl The 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl was a college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers played on December 31, 2009, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. With sponsorship from Chick-fil-A, it was the 42nd e ...

, Berry announced his decision to forgo his final year of college football eligibility, entering the

. He attended the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, and performed all of the combine and positional drills. Berry finished second among safeties in the 40-yard dash and fifth in the bench press. On March 16, 2010, Berry opted to participate in Tennessee's pro day but chose to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills. Berry was regarded as the highest scouted safety since Sean Taylor, whom Berry idolized before Taylor's death, and was expected to be selected no lower than No. 7, the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

pick. NFL draft experts and scouts projected him to be a first-round pick and a possible top ten selection. He was ranked as the top safety prospect in the draft by NFL analyst

Mike Mayock Michael Francis Mayock Sr. (born August 14, 1958) is an American former professional football executive and player in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a safety with the New York Giants. After his playing career, he was a draft ...

, DraftScout.com,

Bleacher Report ''Bleacher Report'' (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sports and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. ''Bleacher Report'' was acquired by Time Warner's Turner B ...

, and ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

''.

2010

The

selected Berry in the first round (fifth overall) of the

. He became the highest-drafted defensive back since Sean Taylor in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, and the highest-drafted Tennessee Volunteer since Jamal Lewis. Berry selected number 29 as his jersey number in honor of former Tennessee defensive back standout Inky Johnson, whose career was cut short due to an injury, and also as a tribute to his hometown of Fairburn, Georgia, and the main road

U.S. Route 29 U.S. Route 29 or U.S. Highway 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida, to Ellicott City, Maryland, just west of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, in the Eastern United Stat ...

. On July 30, 2010, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Berry to a six-year, $60 million

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

that included $34 million guaranteed and made him the highest-paid safety in league history. He entered training camp slated as the starting free safety. Head coach Todd Haley named him the starter, alongside starting strong safety

Jon McGraw Jon Michael McGraw (born April 2, 1979) is a former American football Safety (American football position), safety. He was selected by the New York Jets with a second-round pick in the 2002 NFL draft out of Kansas State University. He has most rec ...

, to start the 2010 regular season. He made his professional regular-season debut and his first career start in the Kansas City Chiefs' season-opener against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

and recorded his first career tackle on tight end Antonio Gates after he caught an 11-yard pass in the first quarter of their 21–14 victory. He finished his debut with six combined tackles. On October 24, 2010, Berry recorded four solo tackles, two pass deflections, forced a fumble and made his first career interception off a pass by quarterback Todd Bouman during a 42–20 victory against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. The following week, he made a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo), deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass by

Ryan Fitzpatrick Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine teams, the ...

in their 13–10 overtime victory over the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. In Week 9, he recorded four combined tackles and a season-high two sacks on quarterback Jason Campbell in the Chiefs' 23–20 overtime victory at the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

. It marked Berry's first career sack. On December 26, 2010, Berry made four solo tackles, broke up a pass, and returned an interception for a 54-yard touchdown to mark the first score of his career. His interception was off a pass by quarterback

Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panth ...

that was originally intended for Nate Washington and occurred in the second quarter of their 34–14 victory against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

in Week 16. He finished his rookie season with a career-high 92 combined tackles (77 solo), nine pass deflections, four interceptions, two sacks, a touchdown, and a forced fumble in 16 games and 16 starts. He led the team in interceptions (4), and was second only to Derrick Johnson in tackles and solo tackles. On January 24, 2011, it was reported that Berry would play in the 2011 Pro Bowl as a replacement for Troy Polamalu, who was appearing in the AFC Championship with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. He became the first Chiefs rookie to be selected to the

since linebacker Derrick Thomas. Berry helped to improve the Kansas City defense from 29th best unit in the 2009 season in terms of points allowed to 11th in the 2010 season, In addition to starting every game, Berry was on the field for almost half of Kansas City's special teams plays and was the only Chiefs defender to play every defensive snap. The Kansas City Chiefs finished first in the

AFC West The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, ...

with a 10–6 record. On January 9, 2011, Berry recorded ten combined tackles and a season-high four pass deflections during a 30–7 loss to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

in the AFC Wild Card Round. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. He was ranked 93rd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.

2011

Berry started the Kansas City Chiefs' season-opener against the

, but sustained a torn ACL on the Bills' second offensive drive during the first quarter of their 41–7 loss. He sustained the injury during a seven-yard run by C. J. Spiller and went down untouched while attempting to switch direction in pursuit of him. On September 14, the Kansas City Chiefs officially placed him on injured reserve prematurely ending his second season before he recorded a stat. On September 29, 2011, he underwent surgery to repair the torn ligament. Throughout the season, Jon McGraw replaced Berry in the lineup. On December 13, 2011, the Kansas City Chiefs fired head coach Todd Haley after they stood at a 5–8 record. Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was named interim head coach for the last three games.

2012

Berry returned to training camp in 2012 and reclaimed his role as the starting strong safety. Head coach Romeo Crennel named Berry and Lewis the starting safety duo to begin the regular season. On November 1, 2012, Berry recorded eight combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by

Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football for the ...

during a 31–13 loss at the

. In Week 11, he collected a season-high 11 solo tackles in the Chiefs' 28–6 loss to the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

. On December 16, 2012, Berry tied his season-high of 11 solo tackles and broke up a pass in their 15–0 loss at the

. On December 26, 2012, Berry was announced as one of six Chiefs players to be voted to the 2013 Pro Bowl. On December 31, 2012, the Kansas City Chiefs fired head coach Romeo Crennel after they finished with a 2–14 record. He finished the season with 86 combined tackles (73 solo), ten pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts.

2013

New head coach Andy Reid retained Berry and Lewis as the starting safeties to begin 2013. On September 19, 2013, Berry recorded five solo tackles, two pass deflections, and returned an interception off

Michael Vick Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is an American college football coach and former player who is the Head coach, head football coach at Norfolk State Spartans football, Norfolk State University. He played quarterback in the National F ...

for a 37-yard touchdown in the Chiefs' 26–16 victory at the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. In Week 12, he made a season-high eight solo tackles, broke up a pass, and a sack during a 41–38 loss to the

. On December 15, 2013, Berry collected three combined tackles, two pass deflections, a season-high two interceptions, and a touchdown during a 56–31 victory at the

. During the first quarter, he intercepted a pass by Matt McGloin and returned it for a 37-yard touchdown. Head coach Andy Reid decided to rest Berry for the Chiefs' Week 17 matchup at the San Diego Chargers after the Chiefs had already clinched a playoff berth with an 11–4 record. On December 27, 2013, it was announced that Berry was one of eight players from the Chiefs to be voted to the

2014 Pro Bowl The 2014 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2013 season. It took place at 2:30 pm local time on January 26 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was televised nationally by NBC and was the final P ...

, marking his third consecutive Pro Bowl. Berry attained the second highest overall grade among safeties from Pro Football Focus in 2013. He finished the season with 74 combined tackles (66 solo), ten pass deflections, a career-high 3.5 sacks, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and two touchdowns in 15 games and 15 starts. On January 4, 2014, Berry started in the AFC Wild Card Round and recorded nine combined tackles and a forced fumble during their 45–44 loss at the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

. He was ranked 50th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.

2014

Berry remained the starting strong safety during training camp and was officially named the starter by defensive coordinator Bob Sutton for the season-opener, along with free safety Husain Abdullah. He started the Kansas City Chiefs' season-opener against the

and recorded a career-high 15 combined tackles (14 solo) and a pass deflection during their 26–10 loss. On September 14, 2014, Berry sustained a high ankle sprain against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

and was sidelined for five consecutive games (Weeks 3–8). On November 20, 2014, Berry recorded five combined tackles and began complaining of chest pains after their 24–20 loss at the

. On December 8, 2014, it was reported that a mass was discovered in Berry's chest and he was diagnosed with

. Berry was placed on the Chiefs' non-football illness list, ending his season. Berry's doctor, Dr. Christopher Flowers, a lymphoma specialist at

Emory University Hospital Emory University Hospital is an 853-bed hospital in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, specializing in the care of acutely ill adults. Emory University Hospital is staffed exclusively by Emory University School of Medicine faculty who also ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, said of Berry's diagnosis, "This is a diagnosis that is very treatable and potentially curable with standard chemotherapy approaches. The goal of Mr. Berry's treatment is to cure his lymphoma and we are beginning that treatment now." He finished the season with 37 combined tackles (32 solo) and two pass deflections in six games and five starts.

2015

On July 28, 2015, the Kansas City Chiefs announced that Berry had been cleared to resume football activities and was declared clear of cancer nearly nine months after his initial diagnosis. Head coach Andy Reid opted to bring Berry back gradually and named him the backup free safety behind Husain Abdullah to begin the 2015 regular season. On September 17, 2015, he made his first start of the season and recorded four solo tackles in his return to Arrowhead Stadium as the Chiefs lost to the

31–24. In Week 7, Berry recorded six combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. ( ; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Ste ...

in a 23–13 win against the

. On November 15, 2015, Berry made two solo tackles, a career-high four pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by quarterback

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the In ...

during a 29–13 victory at the Denver Broncos. The following week, he made a season-high eight solo tackles in the Chiefs' 33–3 victory at the

. On December 24, 2015, the Kansas City Chiefs announced that Berry was one of five Chiefs players to be voted to the 2016 Pro Bowl. He finished the season with 61 combined tackles (55 solo), ten pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and 15 starts. Pro Football Focus gave Berry an overall grade of 87.7, which ranked fifth among all qualifying safeties in 2015. He also received the fourth highest coverage grade among safeties (85.2). The

finished second in the AFC West with an 11–5 record. On January 9, 2016, Berry started in the AFC Wild Card Round and recorded three combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception as the Chiefs routed the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

30–0. The following game, he made seven combined tackles in Kansas City's 27–20 loss at the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

in the AFC Divisional Round. He was named Comeback Player of the Year and was ranked 55th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

2016

On March 1, 2016, the Kansas City Chiefs offered Berry a franchise tag. He decided to hold out of training camp and offseason activities in the hopes of receiving a long-term contract offer by the Chiefs. On August 28, 2016, Berry signed a one-year, $10.80 million franchise tag to remain with the Chiefs for the 2016 season after both parties were unable to come to an agreement on a long-term contract. On November 13, 2016, Berry recorded nine combined tackles, two pass deflections, and returned an interception by

Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He is the NFL le ...

for a 42-yard touchdown in the Chiefs' 20–17 victory at the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

. In Week 13, Berry made two solo tackles, broke up a pass, returned an interception for a 37-yard touchdown, and became the first player to return an interception for a defensive two-point conversion. His two-point score occurred on an interception by quarterback Matt Ryan during the two-point conversion attempt and provided the winning score for the Chiefs' 29–28 victory against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Falcons. On December 13, 2016, he collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (ten solo) during a 19–17 loss to the

. On December 20, 2016, it was announced that Berry was one of four Chiefs players voted to the

2017 Pro Bowl The 2017 Pro Bowl (branded as the 2017 Pro Bowl presented by Aquafina for sponsorship reasons) was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2016 season, which was played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, on January 29, 20 ...

, marking his fifth Pro Bowl selection of his career. He finished the season with 77 combined tackles (62 solo), nine pass deflections, four interceptions, a forced fumble, and two touchdowns in 16 games and 16 starts. Berry received an overall grade of 87.8 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked seventh among all safeties in 2016. He also received the fourth highest coverage grade among his position group (88.7) and fifth highest run defense grade (85.0). On January 6, 2017, he was selected to be First-team

, marking his third All-Pro selection in his career. He was ranked 13th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 as the highest ranked defensive back.

2017

On February 28, 2017, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Berry to a six-year, $78 million contract that included $40 million guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus, making him the highest-paid safety in the NFL. However, Berry would only play four more games for the Chiefs. He remained the starting strong safety, opposite Ron Parker, to start the regular season. He started the

season-opener at the

and recorded seven combined tackles, before leaving their 42–27 victory on ''

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to ...

'' in the fourth quarter after sustaining an apparent Achilles injury. The following day, the Chiefs announced he had ruptured his Achilles and that he would miss the rest of the season. He finished his season with seven combined tackles (four solo) in one game and one start. On September 9, 2017, the Kansas City Chiefs officially placed him on injured reserve and he underwent surgery three days later. With only one appearance, he earned an overall grade of 73.6 from Pro Football Focus.

2018

While recovering from the torn Achilles, he had been dealing with a sore heel, which was later diagnosed as a Haglund's deformity, which is a bone spur that digs into the Achilles causing extreme pain. He missed the first 13 games before making his season debut in Week 15. He played in two regular season games and one playoff game, the Chiefs 31–37 loss to the

in the

AFC Championship The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the wo ...

. Throughout the game, Berry was successfully targeted by

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...

from start to finish, as

Rob Gronkowski Robert James Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the Ne ...

and

Julian Edelman Julian Francis Edelman (born May 22, 1986) is an American former professional American football, football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college footba ...

were able to catch the ball against him with little difficulty. This was most obvious in overtime, when New England won the coin toss and scored the winning TD largely by exploiting Berry's poor coverage. On March 13, 2019, Berry was released by the Chiefs, in order to avoid a portion of his salary being fully guaranteed even though Berry expressed interest in playing the 2020 season. In December 2021 Berry stated in an interview that he had not considered himself to be retired and was open to playing in the NFL again. However no team has signed him to play in the NFL since the 2019 season.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Berry's father, James, played running back for the

from 1978 to 1981, and was a captain of the 1981 squad. Berry's younger brothers, twins Elliott and

Evan Evan is a Welsh language, Welsh masculine given name, derived from ''Iefan'', a Welsh form of the name John (name), John. Similar names that share this origin include Euan, Ivan (name), Ivan, Ian, and Juan. "John" itself is derived from the ancie ...

, played football at Tennessee. Berry is the first cousin once removed of former All-Pro

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

linebacker Hugh Green. Berry's uncle,

Bernard Williams Sir Bernard Arthur Owen Williams (21 September 1929 – 10 June 2003) was an English Ethics, moral philosopher. His publications include ''Problems of the Self'' (1973), ''Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy'' (1985), ''Shame and Necessit ...

, played offensive tackle for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

and

, and is his mentor and business partner. On May 4, 2010, it was reported that Berry had signed an endorsement deal with

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

. He established the Eric Berry Foundation in 2011 that strives to provide safe environments for children to participate in team sports. His first project was a turf football field he funded in

. He also hosts annual youth football camps in

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, and

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

with proceeds going to the Eric Berry Foundation. Berry suffers from equinophobia, a fear of horses. His condition was frequently brought on by the Kansas City Chiefs' mascot, Warpaint.

References

External links

*
Tennessee Volunteers bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Eric 1988 births Living people American football safeties Kansas City Chiefs players Tennessee Volunteers football players All-American college football players American Conference Pro Bowl players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Unconferenced Pro Bowl players People from Fairburn, Georgia Players of American football from Fulton County, Georgia NFL Comeback Player of the Year winners