Jake Anthony Kumerow (born February 17, 1992) 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 ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and UW–Whitewater, and was signed by 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 ...

as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He has also been a member of 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 ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

, and

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 ...

College career

Kumerow originally attended

. He caught 3 passes for 15 yards with the Illini. He then transferred to

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

school

Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks The Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks (or UW–Whitewater Warhawks) are the athletic teams of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. Twenty Warhawk athletic teams compete in NCAA Division III. The Warhawks often rank among the top of NCAA Divisio ...

. Kumerow finished with 158 receptions for 2,648 yards and 36

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s for the Warhawks.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Kumerow signed with the

as an undrafted free agent on May 8, 2015. He was released on September 5, 2015, and was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, 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. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day, where he spent his entire rookie season. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Bengals on January 11, 2016. Kumerow was released by the Bengals on September 3, 2016, and was signed to the practice squad during the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on December 27, 2016. On August 9, 2017, Kumerow was waived/injured by the Bengals after suffering an ankle injury and was 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 ...

. He was released on September 22, 2017 with an injury settlement.

New England Patriots

On October 26, 2017, Kumerow was signed to the

' practice squad. He was released on November 9, 2017.

Green Bay Packers

On December 26, 2017, Kumerow was signed to the

' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Packers on January 2, 2018. On September 3, 2018, Kumerow was placed on injured reserve. He was activated off injured reserve on December 1, 2018 and made his NFL debut the following day, in a week 13 loss to the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

. He also recorded his first career reception, an 11-yard pass from

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears foo ...

, during that game. On December 23, he scored his first NFL touchdown on a 49-yard reception against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

MetLife Stadium MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States, 5 mi (8 km) west of New York City. It opened in 2010, replacing Giants Stadium, and serves as the home for the ...

. Kumerow returned to the Packers on March 11, 2019. On April 25, 2020, the Packers re-signed Kumerow as an exclusive-rights free agent, which kept him under contract for Green Bay for another year. He was released during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, shortly after Rodgers had publicly praised his play. As a result, Kumerow's release was later reported as a tipping point for Rodgers, who had developed a rapport with the receiver and was upset with Packers management over his departure.

Buffalo Bills (first stint)

On September 8, 2020, Kumerow was signed to the practice squad of the

. He was elevated to the active roster on November 7, November 14, and November 28 for the team's weeks 9, 10, and 12 games against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was promoted to the active roster on December 2, 2020. Kumerow caught a touchdown pass from Josh Allen 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 ...

in week 15, helping convert a second and goal from the 22-yard line. He was waived on December 24, 2020 with starter John Brown returning from injured reserve.

New Orleans Saints

On December 25, 2020, Kumerow was claimed off waivers by the

. He was waived on January 9, 2021. On January 13, 2021, Kumerow re-signed with the Saints practice squad. He was released on January 18.

Buffalo Bills (second stint)

On January 26, 2021, Kumerow signed a reserve/futures contract with the Bills. In the 2021 preseason, Bills quarterback Josh Allen joked that Kumerow was his favorite wide receiver, because his only regular season catch for the Bills was for a touchdown. On March 10, 2022, Kumerow signed a one-year contract extension with the Bills. On June 16, Kumerow was released by the Bills for salary cap purposes and was re-signed the next day. On November 17, after an ankle injury in a game against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, he was placed on injured reserve. Kumerow never re-signed with the Bills and remained a free agent throughout the 2023 off-season.

Personal life

Kumerow is the son of former

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

Eric Kumerow Eric Palmer Kumerow ( Pyle; born April 17, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for three seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and was se ...

. He is also the nephew of former Dolphins

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

John Bosa, and a cousin to

Joey Joey may refer to: People *Joey (name) Animals * Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial * Joey, a blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets Film and television * ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...

and Nick Bosa. His sister Cortney was an All-American basketball player at UW-Whitewater, and their youngest brother Derek played football at Whitewater as well. His grandfather is former NFL

Guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

Palmer Pyle William Palmer Pyle Jr. (June 6, 1937 – September 30, 2021) was an American professional football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). He played a total of six seasons for the NFL's Ba ...

and his great-uncle is former

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

Center Mike Pyle. He is also the great-grandson of former Chicago Mob boss Tony Accardo. Kumerow earned the nickname “Touchdown Jesus” originally in the preseason for the Packers due to his long hair and thick beard.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

*
Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumerow, Jake Living people 1992 births American football wide receivers Buffalo Bills players Cincinnati Bengals players Green Bay Packers players New England Patriots players New Orleans Saints players People from Bartlett, Illinois Players of American football from Cook County, Illinois Players of American football from DuPage County, Illinois Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks football players