James M. "Jace" Sayler (born February 27, 1979) is a former professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. He was signed by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2001. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Michigan State. Sayler has also been a member of the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. After Jace's career-ending back injury with the 49ers, he has undergone multiple operations over the years. While traveling for treatments and therapy for his back he met his wife Christine. Jace and Christine have two children and currently reside in the Midwest where they raise their family.

Early years

Sayler played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at McHenry High School West Campus in

McHenry, Illinois McHenry is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb, part of the Chicago metropolitan area and is located about 37 miles northwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 27,135. McHenry was at one time th ...

, where he was an all-state selection at tight end and defensive end.

College career

After graduating from high school, Sayler attended

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

. Sayler switched to defensive tackle in his junior season of 1999, finishing with 46 tackles and three sacks. He started every game of his senior season in 2000, recording 53 tackles.

Professional career

New England Patriots

Sayler was signed as an

by the

after going undrafted in the

2001 NFL Draft The 2001 NFL Draft was the 66th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting," was held at the ...

. Sayler made the Patriots' 53-man roster out of training camp and started the

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

season opener in place of an injured

Richard Seymour Richard Vershaun Seymour (born October 6, 1979) is an American professional poker player and former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) . He played college football College footbal ...

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. He played in two games for the Patriots before being placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on October 5. He was re-signed by the Patriots following the season, but was released on September 1, 2002. He was signed to the Patriots'

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

two days later, and released again on September 5. He spent the 2002 season out of football.

Washington Redskins

Sayler was signed by the

on January 2, 2003, and released from the team on July 25, 2003.

San Francisco 49ers

Sayler was signed by the

on August 15, 2003, and waived/injured on August 26, 2003 after suffering a back injury.

External links

New England Patriots bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayler, Jace Players of American football from Illinois Sportspeople from Rockford, Illinois American football defensive tackles Michigan State Spartans football players New England Patriots players Washington Redskins players San Francisco 49ers players 1979 births Living people