Jeffrey Lionell Cumberland (born May 2, 1987) is a former

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

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

. He was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

by 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 ...

in 2010. He played

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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 ...

Early life

Cumberland was selected to the Ohio News Network/Ohio High Magazine All-Ohio team. He was an PrepStar All-American in

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

. He was ranked as the 11th-best prospect from the state of

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

College career

In 2006, Cumberland was selected as an honorable mention freshman All-America 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 ...

''. He played for the University of Illinois.

Professional career

New York Jets

Cumberland went undrafted and would later sign with the New York Jets. He only appeared in one game during his rookie season in 2010 and caught one pass for three yards. Cumberland made his NFL debut against 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 ...

on January 2, 2011. Cumberland suffered a torn

achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

on September 25, 2011 against 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 ...

. He was placed on the injured reserve list the following day. In the 2011 season, he appeared in three games and had two receptions for 35 yards on the season. In the 2012 season, Cumberland appeared in 15 games and recorded 29 receptions for 359 yards and three touchdowns. In the 2013 season, Cumberland appeared in 15 games and recorded 26 receptions for 398 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. Cumberland and the Jets agreed on a new three-year contract on March 7, 2014. In the 2014 season, he appeared in all 16 regular season games and recorded 23 receptions for 247 yards and three touchdowns. In the 2015 season, Cumberland appeared in 15 games but only had five receptions for 77 yards. On March 9, 2016, Cumberland was released by the Jets.

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers

On April 4, 2016, Cumberland signed a one-year contract with 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 ...

. He suffered a torn Achilles in the Chargers' second preseason game, ending his season. On April 12, 2017, Cumberland re-signed with the Chargers on a one-year contract. He was released on September 2, 2017. He was re-signed on November 7, 2017.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Fighting Illini bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumberland, Jeff Living people 1987 births Players of American football from Columbus, Ohio Illinois Fighting Illini football players American football tight ends New York Jets players San Diego Chargers players Los Angeles Chargers players